Chapter 38 - Ghosts of the Past
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I returned to the main residence just as the first pale, gray light of dawn began to bleed over the horizon. I stripped off the mud-caked tactical gear in the decontamination room, scrubbing the black paint and the scent of gunpowder from my skin until I felt raw. When I finally walked into our private kitchen, Ellen was sitting at the island, her hands wrapped tightly around a mug of tea. She looked up, her eyes immediately scanning my body for injuries.
"It's done," I said quietly, pouring myself a glass of water. "The perimeter is secure. They didn't get within two hundred yards of the outer wall."
"How many were there?" Ellen asked, her voice tight.
"Eight. Elite contractors," I replied, sitting down across from her and reaching out to cover her hand with mine. "We neutralized the threat. But we learned why they came. Maya isn't just a victim. She is a massive liability to Silas. She knows about a major shipment of people arriving at the northern ports."
Ellen’s eyes widened in horror. "A shipment? How many?"
"Dozens, maybe more," I said, rubbing the exhaustion from my eyes. "Silas is operating out of the old shipyard in the Narrows. As long as Maya is alive, he will keep sending men to this foundation. He cannot afford to let her speak."
"We can contact our liaisons in the federal task force," Ellen suggested, her grip tightening on my hand. "We can give them the location. Let them raid the warehouse."
I shook my head slowly, the bitter reality of our world settling heavily in my chest. "By the time the feds get warrants and mobilize a tactical team, Silas will have moved the shipment and scrubbed the warehouse clean. He has inside men in the department. You know how this works, Ellen."
"Then what are you saying, Arthur?" she asked, though the terrified realization was already dawning in her beautiful eyes.
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"I am saying that our walls can protect Maya," I told her, my voice dropping to a somber whisper. "But they cannot protect the people in those shipping containers. And they cannot stop Silas from trying again."
I looked deeply into her eyes, breaking my own heart with the words I had to say next. "I have to leave the sanctuary. I have to go to the city and cut off the head of the snake."
