Chapter 5 - The Amber Alert
The silence in the study was deafening. Dominic stared at the image of Emma’s terrified face reflected in the mirror on the screen. His knuckles turned white where he gripped the edge of the desk.
"She saw it all," Harper sobbed, sinking into a chair, her face in her hands. "My God... she watched him do it. That's why she stopped talking. She wasn't just scared of him... she was terrified of what he was."
Before Dominic could respond, the large television screen mounted on the wall switched automatically to an emergency broadcast. A loud, shrill alarm beeped three times.
AMBER ALERT: CHICAGO METROPOLITAN AREA
A photo of Emma appeared on the screen, followed by a photo of Harper. Beneath the images, bold red letters flashed:
SUSPECT WANTED FOR CHILD ABDUCTION AND ARMED ROBBERY. HARPER TYRELL, AGE 29. CONSIDERED DANGEROUS AND MENTALLY UNSTABLE. MAY BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN UNIDENTIFIED MALE ASSOCIATE INVOLVED IN ORGANIZED CRIME.
"He's using the department," Maya said, quickly typing. "Tyrell just issued a city-wide warrant. He's framed you as a kidnapping mother who robbed a bank. Every cop in the state is looking for you now."
"He knows he's cornered," Dominic said, his composure returning, cold and calculated. "He knows you took the drive, and he knows I have you. This isn't a rescue operation for him—it's an elimination strategy. He wants to hit this house with a SWAT team before we can release the data to the federal prosecutor."
"Can he do that?" Harper asked in terror. "Can he really attack a house like this?"
"With enough corrupt tactical officers and the cover of an Amber Alert? Yes," Dominic said calmly. He turned to his lieutenant, Luca, who had just entered the room holding a tactical radio. "Lock down the perimeter. Activate the heavy defenses. Call the regional FBI field director—the one who isn't on Moretti's payroll."
"FBI will take two hours to verify the encrypted files, boss," Luca reported gravely. "And my scouts just reported four dark SUVs cutting their lights two miles down the approach road. They're coming now."
Dominic turned to Harper. He reached into his desk drawer, pulled out a small, sleek 9mm pistol, and placed it gently on the desk in front of her.
"Do you know how to use this, Mrs. Tyrell?"
Harper looked at the cold steel. Her husband was a cop; she had taken basic range courses years ago, but she had hated every second of it.
May you like
"I know how to pull the trigger," she said, her voice steadying.
"Good," Dominic said. "Go upstairs. Stay in the room with Emma and Nero. If anyone opens that door who isn't me or Luca... you put a bullet in them."
