Chapter 5 - The Black Widow Syndicate
Margaret wasn't a tough operative; she was a pampered con artist who relied on manipulation, not pain tolerance. Once Julian zip-tied her to a heavy oak dining chair and applied a little 'persuasion' by pressing his thumb directly onto her broken wrist, she sang.
She gave up Vanessa's real name—Elena Rostova—and the location of her burner phone. She also gave up their extraction point. Vanessa was heading to a private marina in Astoria, on the Oregon coast, where a chartered yacht was waiting to take her into international waters.
"We have exactly four hours before that boat leaves the dock," Julian said, checking his watch as we left Margaret tied to the chair, having anonymously tipped off the FBI to her location and the stolen money. We needed her alive for the Feds, but we couldn't wait for the authorities to navigate the bureaucracy. If Vanessa got on that boat, she was gone forever, and she would undoubtedly send someone else to finish the job on me and Chloe.
"We're going to Astoria," I said, my voice eerily calm. The shock had burned away, leaving behind a cold, hard resolve.
As we pushed Julian's SUV to ninety miles an hour down Highway 30, my phone buzzed. It was a restricted number.
I answered it, putting it on speaker.
"Hello, Thomas," a soft, melodious voice said. It was Vanessa. Or Elena. Whoever she was.
"You left Chloe in the rain," I said, my knuckles turning white as I gripped the phone.
"She was crying. It was giving me a migraine," Vanessa sighed, sounding genuinely bored. "I see you survived Seattle. And I assume you found the mess in the hallway. Such a tragedy. He really didn't leave me any choice. I hope you aren't doing anything stupid, Thomas. Like coming after me."
"I’m going to find you," I promised.
"I doubt that," she laughed softly. "Because while you're busy driving, my associates are walking into Portland General Hospital. By the time you turn around, little Chloe will be nothing but a memory. Enjoy the rest of your pathetic life."
She hung up.
Panic seized me. "Julian! The hospital!"
Julian didn't slow down. He just pulled out his own phone and dialed a number. "Hey, Russo," he said into the receiver. "You got company at the hospital?"
A gruff voice replied, "Yeah. Two suits just got off the elevator. They don't look like doctors."
"Handle it," Julian said flatly.
May you like
"Already on it. The kid is secure in the basement lockdown. Nobody gets in. The cops are swarming the lobby right now."
Julian hung up and looked at me. "I told you, I put my best guy on her. Vanessa is bluffing to buy time. She wants you to turn around. We keep driving."
