Chapter 7 - The Silo at the River
The old Bellhaven Grain Silo stood like a rusted iron giant against the muddy banks of the Pamlico River.
Rain drummed hard against the corrugated tin roof as Gabriel stepped through a broken side hatch, his silenced weapon drawn, his leather boots making no sound on the wet concrete floor.
The interior smelled of damp grain, rust, and engine oil.
“Mercer,” Gabriel called out softly, his voice echoing through the massive empty steel structure. “Cole Mercer.”
A loud metallic clatter sounded from the catwalk twenty feet above.
A pale, exhausted man in a dirty jacket stepped into the dim light, holding a rusted iron pipe like a club. His eyes were bloodshot, sunken from days without sleep.
“Stay back!” Mercer shouted, his voice shaking violently. “I have the access codes! If you come closer, I’ll upload everything to the federal portal!”
Gabriel lowered his gun to his side, standing in the open light of a high window. “I’m not Blackridge, Mercer. My name is Gabriel Moretti.”
Mercer blinked, his jaw dropping slightly. “Moretti?... The shipping company owner?”
“I have your duffel bag,” Gabriel said calmly. “And I have your fiancé.”
Mercer’s face turned deathly pale. “Emma... oh God, no... Pike found her? Is she... is she okay?!”
“Pike shot her at a gas station on County Road 14,” Gabriel stated directly.
Mercer dropped the iron pipe, falling onto his knees on the metal catwalk, a dry, agonizing sob tearing from his throat. “No... no, no, no... Emma...”
“She’s alive, Mercer,” Gabriel interrupted, his voice cutting through the man’s panic. “I pulled her out before Pike could finish it. And two hours ago, she gave birth to your daughter.”
Mercer froze, looking down at Gabriel through the shadows. “My... my daughter?”
May you like
“A girl,” Gabriel smiled slightly. “She’s small, but she’s fighting. Both of them are safe at my facility. But Nolan Pike is combing the county for you right now. You need to come with me.”
Before Mercer could answer, the heavy wooden doors of the grain silo blew inward with a deafening crash.
