Chapter 7 - The Safehouse in the HarborBy 3:30 AM, the rain had eased into a cold, steady mist that veiled the city’s industrial shipping docks.
A nondescript black van bearing state prosecutor plates sat idling near Pier 14, its headlights doused. Inside, ADA Evelyn Reed leaned over the passenger seat as the side door slid open and Luke tumbled in, half-carrying Grace, with Ava wrapped tightly in his coat.
“Go, go, go!” Luke shouted, slamming the van door shut.
The driver punched the gas pedal, spinning the tires against the wet asphalt before accelerating into the labyrinth of shipping containers.
Reed handed Grace a bottle of water and a warm blanket, her sharp eyes assessing the physical toll the night had taken on her. “Are you alright, Grace? Do we need to hit another hospital?”
“No,” Grace whispered, taking a small sip of water while holding Ava close. “Just... get us away from here.”
Reed nodded, turning to Luke. “Sergeant Miller called me from the precinct clinic fifteen minutes ago. He’s bruised and concussed, but he managed to secure the original physical evidence locker before Vanguard’s team locked down the main basement.”
Luke exhaled a long, shaky breath, slumping back against the leather seat. He looked down at Grace, his thumb gently wiping a smudge of soot from her cheek. “They won't stop until they have those documents, Evelyn. Vance and the Whitmores know that if those files are made public, their entire corporate empire goes up in smoke.”
“They can try,” Reed replied, her voice sharpening with cold ambition. “As of two hours ago, I bypassed the compromised precinct captain and took the file directly to the State Attorney General. We have enough for an immediate multi-state racketeering indictment against Richard Whitmore, Brooke Whitmore, and Vanguard Protection Solutions.”
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“When do we strike?” Luke asked.
“At dawn,” Reed said. “We execute simultaneous raids on Whitmore Enterprises headquarters and Vanguard’s upstate storage facility before their legal team can file an injunction.”
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