Chapter 9: The Hidden Ally
Before I could press her for names, a sudden, sharp crack echoed from the ground floor below—the unmistakable sound of a heavy door being forced open. Heavy boots thudded against the wooden stairs, moving fast, accompanied by the distinct metallic chatter of automatic weapons being unholstered.
Elena’s smile returned, sharper this time. "Sounds like my backup just arrived, Daniel. Looks like you're the one trapped now."
I grabbed her by the lapels of her dark raincoat, hauling her across the desk until our faces were inches apart. "Who's downstairs?" I demanded.
"Local muscle," she hissed, her eyes gleaming with malicious satisfaction. "The sheriff and his deputies. You didn't really think we operated in this county without buying the local law, did you? You’re finished."
I shoved her back against the metal shelving, sending a cascade of old binders crashing down around her feet, and bolted for the side window. I shattered the remaining glass with the butt of my heavy belt buckle, hauled myself up onto the sill, and looked down. The drop was fifteen feet into a pile of rotting wooden pallets and wet gravel. Not ideal, but better than a firing squad.
As I dropped into the mud, a pair of heavy headlights cut through the fog across the rail yard. A rusted blue pickup truck roared out from behind the water tower, fishtailing wildly in the mud before slamming to a halt right beside my SUV. The passenger door swung open, and Sheriff Miller—the same man who had helped me settle into the valley four years ago—leaned across the seat.
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"Get in, Daniel!" Miller shouted over the roar of the engine, holding a pump-action shotgun steady across his lap. "Unless you want to spend the rest of the morning explaining yourself to the state police!"
I didn't ask questions. I sprinted across the open ground, vaulted into the passenger seat of the truck, and slammed the door shut. Miller threw the truck into reverse, spun the wheel hard, and sent us spraying gravel as we tore out of the rail yard just as the front doors of the depot blew open.
