Chapter 8 - The Shadow of the Docks
The subterranean stone tunnel beneath the mansion was cool, damp, and lit by red emergency backup lanterns.
Dmitri led Alina and four-year-old Sophie rapidly down the stone stairs, his weapon raised, his eyes scanning every shadow as the thundering sound of gunfire above faded into a dull vibration.
They reached the lower boathouse, stepping onto the concrete pier where a matte-black, high-speed interceptor boat was tied to the iron cleats. The dark waters of Lake Michigan lapped against the hull inside the sea cave.
Dmitri cast off the heavy mooring lines, ushering Alina and Sophie onto the leather passenger seats inside the boat's enclosed cabin.
"Where is the safehouse, Mr. Volkov?" Alina asked over the roar of the boat's twin marine engines as the craft surged out of the sea cave into the misty open water.
"Terminal 4 at the South Chicago docks," Dmitri reported, keeping his hands locked on the wheel as the boat cut through the dark, fog-draped waves. "It's an old naval bunker built forty feet beneath the harbor wall. Not even Sterling's satellite grid can scan it."
Twenty minutes later, the interceptor boat glided silently into the shadowed slip of Terminal 4.
The docks were quiet, surrounded by towering rusted shipping containers and dark granite sea walls.
Dmitri guided Alina and Sophie down a concrete gangway into a steel-reinforced subterranean vault beneath the main dock office.
The vault was warm, lit by halogen lamps, equipped with independent power, satellite communications, and a private medical station.
Alina set Sophie down on a leather cot, wrapping a wool blanket around her shoulders. She sat beside her daughter, her hands still shaking from the adrenaline of the escape.
Sophie pulled her pink toy doctor kit onto her lap, opening the plastic latch. She pulled out a small, round plastic magnifying glass, holding it up to her eye as she looked around the room.
"Mommy," Sophie whispered, pointing her toy magnifying glass toward a heavy steel filing cabinet set against the far granite wall. "That box has a light on it."
Alina turned her head, looking at the filing cabinet.
On the top drawer of the cabinet, a tiny red LED light was flashing rapidly in a rhythmic sequence: Three short blinks, two long blinks.
Dmitri walked over to the cabinet, his brow furrowing as he examined the electronic lock.
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"That's an active tracking beacon," Dmitri growled, his face turning pale. "Sterling didn't attack the mansion to capture Sophie... he attacked the mansion to force us to bring her to this vault!"
Before Dmitri could draw his sidearm, the heavy steel entrance door of the subterranean vault was blown inward with a deafening explosion.
