Downstairs, he found one of the security agents making coffee in the kitchen. Any activity overnight? Jonathan asked. All quiet, sir, the agent reported.
Perimeter is secure, Jonathan nodded, then stiffened as he noticed something through the kitchen window, a small red dot moving across the wall behind the agent. Without hesitation, he lunged forward, tackling the man to the ground just as the window shattered, and a bullet embedded itself in the cabinet where the agent’s head had been seconds before. Sniper, Jonathan shouted.
Get down. More shots followed, precise and methodical, targeting the house’s first floor windows. From outside came the sound of the security team returning fire, shouting into their radios for backup.
Jonathan crawled to the hallway. Secure the upstairs. Malik’s up there.
Two agents raced up the stairs while Jonathan pulled his own weapon from the ankle holster he always wore. The barrage of gunfire continued, pinning them down inside the house. Where are they firing from? Jonathan demanded into the radio.
Rooftop across the street came the terse reply. East side. We can’t get a clear shot.
A panicked shout came from upstairs. Sir, the boy’s not in his room. Jonathan felt his blood turn to ice.
What? His bed’s empty, windows still locked from the inside. He must be somewhere in the house. Relief flooded through Jonathan, followed immediately by renewed concern.
Malik, he called out. Where are you? Dad? Malik’s frightened voice came from somewhere nearby. I’m in the panic room.
Jonathan let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. The panic room, a reinforced closet off his home office that he’d installed years ago, but never expected to use. He’d shown it to Malik only once, explaining it was for emergencies.
Smart boy, Jonathan murmured. Stay there, he called out. Don’t come out until I tell you it’s safe.
The gunfire had stopped, the sudden silence almost more unnerving than the chaos moments before. Jonathan’s radio crackled. Sir, the sniper’s gone.
Looks like it was a diversion. A diversion for what? Jonathan muttered, then realized with sudden clarity what was happening. Check the back of the house.
Now. Even as he gave the order, a tremendous crash came from the direction of the kitchen, followed by shouts and more gunfire. Jonathan sprinted toward the sound, weapon ready to find two black-clad figures had crashed through the back door.
One was already down, shot by the security team, but the other was exchanging fire from behind the kitchen island. Folk is coming for Malik, Jonathan shouted to the nearest agent. This is just the first wave.
Get everyone inside the house. He fired two precise shots at the forcing him to retreat further into the kitchen. More agents poured in from outside surrounding the remaining attacker who finally dropped his weapon and surrender.
Jonathan didn’t wait to see him taken into custody. He raced back toward his office in the panic room where Malik was hiding. As he approached, he heard a small, strangled cry from inside.
Malik, he called urgently. Are you okay? There was no response. With growing dread, Jonathan entered the code to unlock the panic room door.
As it swung open, his worst fears were confirmed. The room was empty, save for Malik’s phone lying on the floor. And on the wall, written in what looked like red marker, was a message.
The boy for the files. You have four hours. Instructions.
To follow. Jonathan stared at the message, unable to process for a moment how this could have happened. The panic room was supposed to be impenetrable from the outside.
Unless… They didn’t break in, he realized aloud. They were already inside. The listening devices found yesterday hadn’t been the only breach of their home.
Somehow, folks, people had gained access to the panic room itself, learning its location and override codes. Ramirez arrived twenty minutes later to find a house in chaos. Agents securing the perimeter, forensic teams processing evidence, and Jonathan Carter, usually the calmest person in any crisis, pacing his office like a caged animal.
How did they get him? She demanded without preamble. Hidden entrance to the panic room through the basement, Jonathan replied tersely. Maintenance tunnel that wasn’t on the original house plans.
They’d been planning this for months. How did they get past the security team? Distraction, Jonathan said. The sniper, the front assault, it was all to draw our attention while someone already inside the house took Malik.
Ramirez surveyed the damage. We’ll get him back, she promised. Yes, we will, Jonathan agreed, his voice cold with determination.
But not their way. I’m not waiting for their instructions. What do you mean? Jonathan retrieved his laptop, opening a secure program.
Every agent has a tracking chip embedded in their gear. My son’s watch, the one I gave him last Christmas, has one too. I didn’t tell him.
I didn’t tell anyone. You put a tracker on your own son? Ramirez asked, surprised. Precaution, Jonathan replied without apology.
And now it might save his life. The program completed its search, displaying a blinking dot on a map. He’s moving, Jonathan observed, heading east on the highway.
They haven’t found the tracker yet. I’ll mobilize a tactical team, Ramirez said, reaching for her phone. No, Jonathan stopped her.
Too many people, too much chance of Volk spotting the operation. This needs to be small and precise. You can’t go in alone, Ramirez argued.
Not alone, Jonathan agreed. I need a driver, a sniper, and someone to handle. Communications, that’s it.
This is against protocol, Ramirez warned. If anything goes wrong… My son is in the hands of a man who has every reason to want me to suffer, Jonathan cut her off. Protocol isn’t going to save Malik, I am.
After a tense moment, Ramirez nodded. Okay, I’ll drive. Williams can handle? Comms and Jackson is our best sniper.
Good, we leave in five minutes. As they prepared to depart, Jonathan’s secure phone buzzed with a message. Files for the boy.
Delaware Warehouse District. Building 17. Come alone.
They’ve made contact, he told Ramirez, showing her the message. Delaware matches the tracker’s direction, she confirmed. But this feels like a trap.
Of course it’s a trap, Jonathan agreed. But now we know exactly where they’re taking him, and they don’t know we know. The four-person team moved with practice deficiency, loading gear into an unmarked SUV.
Jonathan checked his weapons one last time, his mind replaying the Syrian. Mission where he had first encountered Anton Volk. The man had been ruthless then, a skilled operative with a sadistic streak.
Jonathan had shot him during their final confrontation, but Volk had managed to escape. Now, five years later, Volk had brought their unfinished business to American soil, and worse, had dragged Malik into it. As they pulled away from the house, Jonathan made a silent vow.
By day’s end, only one of them would still be standing, and for Malik’s sake, it had to be him. The warehouse district in Delaware was a maze of abandoned buildings and crumbling infrastructure. Once a thriving industrial center, it had fallen into disrepair over the decades, creating the perfect setting for clandestine operations.
Building 17 stood at the far edge of the complex, a massive concrete structure with broken windows and rusted metal doors. From their vantage point a quarter mile away, Jonathan surveyed the warehouse through high powered binoculars. The tracker showed Malik was inside, his signal stationary for the past thirty minutes.
Two guards at the main entrance, Jonathan noted, another on the roof, probably more inside. Agent Jackson, positioned with his sniper rifle on an adjacent rooftop, confirmed through their secure comms, I count five hostiles total on exterior patrol, standard rotation pattern, fairly disciplined. Professional operators, Jonathan acknowledged, not just hired muscle.
Ramirez checked her watch. We’ve got just under two hours before their deadline. What’s the plan? Jonathan studied the building’s layout on his tablet.
Folk will expect me to come through the front with the files trying to make the exchange. We’re going to disappoint him. He pointed to a maintenance tunnel indicated on the old building plans.
This service access runs beneath the entire complex. Most likely they haven’t secured it, since it’s not on recent maps. And if they have, Ramirez asked.
Then we adapt, Jonathan replied simply. Jackson stays on overwatch. You take the east side.
I’ll go in through the tunnel. Williams maintains communications and coordinates our movements. You sure about going in alone? Ramirez questioned.
Jonathan nodded, his expression grim. Folk wants me. He’ll be focused on watching for my approach.
That gives us the advantage. They synchronize their watches and radio frequencies. As Jonathan prepared to move toward the tunnel entrance, Ramirez caught his arm.
Carter, she said quietly. We get the boy out first. Folk is secondary.
Understood, Jonathan agreed, though something in his eyes suggested Folk wouldn’t be escaping this encounter. The tunnel entrance was concealed behind years of overgrowth and debris, exactly as the plans had indicated. Jonathan moved silently.
Through the darkness, his tactical light illuminating just enough to navigate without giving away his position, the air was thick with dust and the musty smell of decay. Above him, Jackson’s voice came through his earpiece. Movement at the east entrance, vehicle approaching.
Description? Jonathan asked, pausing. Black sedan, two occupants. Looks like, they’re expected.
Guards are waving them through. More players joining the party, Ramirez commented from her position. Could complicate things.
Jonathan continued forward, reaching a junction where the tunnel split into three directions. The tracker indicated Malak was directly above the rightmost path. I’m underneath the main floor, he reported quietly, moving to find access point.
The tunnel eventually led to a rusted ladder that ascended to what appeared to be a utility, closet. Jonathan climbed carefully, listening for any sound of movement above. Reaching the top, he tested the hatch.
Locked from the outside, as expected. With practiced efficiency, he attached a small breaching charge to the lock mechanism. The device was designed for minimal noise, a contained implosion rather than explosion.
He triggered it and waited for the soft thump before pushing the hatch open. The utility closet was empty, filled with abandoned cleaning supplies and broken equipment. Jonathan emerged silently, drawing his weapon as he moved to the door.
I’m inside, he whispered into his comms. Status? All quiet outside, Jackson reported. Wait, I see movement in the second floor office windows.
Looks like- Yes, confirmed visual on a child matching Malik’s description. Second floor, northwest corner office. Two guards with him.