Chapter 16 - The Foundry of Shadows
The foundry had been shut down since the late eighties, a colossal tomb of rusted corrugated steel and rotting catwalks.
Two black Escalades were parked outside the primary smelting hall, engines ticking as they cooled.
The heavy sliding iron doors hung halfway open, casting deep, yawning shadows into the cavernous interior.
I parked my car three hundred yards back in the thick brush, advancing on foot through the damp undergrowth.
The smell of wet rust, diesel fuel, and cordite hung thick in the stagnant air.
I slipped through a broken side pane, landing silently on the catwalk above the smelting floor.
Down below, Julianne sat bound to a steel chair under a buzzing halogen work light.
Her face was bruised, her blouse torn, but her fierce maternal eyes were locked onto a luxury car seat ten feet away.
Inside the car seat, Clara was crying, her tiny fists kicking against the straps.
Standing over the infant was a tall, silver-haired man in a bespoke wool coat, holding a silver walking cane.
Senator Raymond Sterling looked every bit the distinguished statesman, but his eyes carried the hollow gaze of a predator.
Surrounding him were four heavily armed private contractors wearing tactical plate carriers and carrying silenced carbines.
"You're making this exceedingly difficult, Julianne," Sterling’s voice echoed in the cavernous hall.
"Your husband died for refusing to surrender what didn't belong to him."
"Conrad died because he became greedy."
"All I require is the encrypted ledger your husband stole before his untimely demise."
Julianne spat blood at the senator's polished leather shoes.
"You can burn in hell, Sterling... you will never touch those accounts."
May you like
Sterling sighed, gesturing to one of the mercenaries.
"Take the child to the river... we will see how obstinate she remains once the water covers the basket."
