Chapter 17
The massive steel rolling doors of the port warehouse shrieked deafeningly as they were slowly pulled upward by heavy rusted chains. A thick, chilling fog rolled in from the dark harbor, clinging desperately to the cracked concrete floor. Two heavily armored black tactical SUVs pulled aggressively into the loading dock, their piercing headlights cutting through the gloom, much like the Escalade had done at the Keller estate just hours prior. Jocelyn stood entirely alone in the center aisle, harshly illuminated by a single overhead halogen bulb. High above in the shadows of the steel catwalks, Nathan and six elite Apex operators lay perfectly prone, their heavily suppressed rifles trained directly on the vehicles. The doors of the lead SUV opened abruptly. Julian Vance stepped out, wearing the exact same tailored dark overcoat, tightly flanked by four heavily armed mercenaries wearing unmarked tactical gear. "A remarkably dramatic setting, Jocelyn," Julian said, his smooth voice echoing ominously off the corrugated walls. "But highly appropriate for a corporate hostile takeover." "Cut the corporate rhetoric immediately," Jocelyn demanded, her eyes aggressively darting to the second armored vehicle. "Where is he?" Julian merely snapped his fingers. Two mercenaries forcefully opened the rear doors of the second SUV. They brutally hauled a man out by his frail arms. He was significantly thinner than Jocelyn remembered, his hollow face hidden beneath a heavy, unkempt beard, his clothes heavily soiled and ragged. But as he weakly lifted his head against the blinding glare of the halogen lights, Jocelyn’s breath completely abandoned her lungs. It was David. His tired eyes locked intensely onto hers, widening in absolute, paralyzing shock. "Jocelyn? My god... Jocelyn, what are you doing here?" Hot tears pricked Jocelyn’s eyes, but she ruthlessly forced them back. She had to remain the predator, not the grieving widow. "I’m taking you home, David." Julian stepped arrogantly between them, boldly holding up a remote detonator. "A truly touching reunion. Now, disarm the incendiaries."
