Chapter 1 - The Extraction
I did not blink.
I did not raise my voice.
I simply reached into my pocket and pulled out my secure government-issued phone.
Beatrice Kensington offered a condescending laugh, thinking I was calling a local lawyer.
She had no idea that I held a top-secret clearance with the Office of Naval Intelligence.
"You can call whoever you want, Captain," Beatrice sneered.
"The police chief is a personal friend of our family."
"I am not calling the police," I replied softly.
I dialed a direct line that bypassed every local cell tower in the state of Virginia.
"Rostov," a gruff voice answered on the first ring.
"I need an extraction team at Memorial City Hospital, immediate priority," I commanded.
"Understood, Captain, ETA is four minutes," the voice replied before the line went dead.
I slid the phone back into my uniform jacket and turned my attention back to my daughter.
Maya was still trembling, her eyes wide with terror as she looked at her husband.
Connor stepped forward, puffing out his chest to appear intimidating.
"You can't just take her," Connor demanded.
"She is my wife, and we are leaving together."
He reached his hand out to grab Maya's bruised wrist.
Before his fingers could even brush her skin, I moved.
My hand clamped around his wrist like a steel vice.
I twisted his arm just enough to apply excruciating pressure to the joint.
Connor let out a sharp gasp, dropping to one knee as the pain flared.
"Touch my daughter again, and I will break this arm in three different places," I whispered down at him.
Arthur took a step back, his arrogant smirk instantly vanishing.
"Are you insane?" Beatrice shrieked.
"Assaulting my son is a felony!"
"It is a promise," I corrected her, releasing Connor and letting him crumble to the floor.
The hospital doors suddenly burst open.
Four men in tactical black suits stepped into the hallway, moving with terrifying military precision.
They completely ignored the screaming nurses and the outraged Kensingtons.
"Captain," the lead agent said, giving me a crisp nod.
"Secure my daughter and escort us to the vehicle," I ordered.
Two agents gently lifted Maya from the hospital bed, forming an impenetrable wall of muscle around her.
Beatrice tried to step in their way, but a third agent simply placed a hand on her shoulder and effortlessly shoved her aside.
"This isn't over, Elena!" Beatrice screamed as we walked down the corridor.
"You have no idea what you just started!"
I paused at the double doors and looked back at the pathetic, wealthy family.
May you like
"I know exactly what I started," I said.
"And I will be the one to finish it."
