Chapter 5 - A Father's Oath
The storm outside had reached its peak,
forcing millions of gallons of water into Chicago's underground storm drain network.
The water level in the tunnel was rising rapidly,
reaching up to my waist,
making every step a desperate struggle against the ferocious current.
"Lucas!"
I called out,
abandoning all caution,
my voice echoing off the concrete vaulting.
"Lucas!
It's your dad!
Can you hear me?"
Silence followed,
broken only by the roaring rush of floodwaters.
Then,
from a narrow ventilation pipe ten feet above the water line,
a small,
weak voice answered.
"Dad?"
My heart stopped.
I snapped my flashlight beam upward.
There,
peering out from behind a rusted iron grate set high into the wall,
was a small,
pale face covered in soot and mud.
His wide brown eyes stared down at me through the bars.
"Lucas!"
I cried out,
my voice cracking with raw emotion.
"Dad!
You came!"
Lucas sobbed,
his small fingers clinging to the iron bars.
"I knew you'd come!
I told Emily you would!"
"Hold on,
son!
I'm coming up!"
I slammed my boots into the narrow crevices of the brick wall,
hoisting my heavy body up toward the ventilation hatch.
I grabbed the rusted iron grate with both hands,
exerting all my strength,
muscles straining,
grinding my teeth until the old bolts snapped free from the masonry.
I pulled the grate away and tossed it into the rushing water below.
Lucas reached out,
and I pulled him into my arms,
wrapping my jacket around his freezing,
shivering body.
I pulled him tight against my chest,
feeling his heart beating against mine,
hearing his small gasps as he wept against my neck.
"I've got you,
Lucas,"
I whispered,
tears streaming down my face,
mixing with the rain and river water.
"I've got you,
my boy.
You're safe now."
"Dad,"
Lucas sobbed,
clutching my shirt with all his remaining strength.
"They took Mommy...
they took her away a long time ago..."
"I know,
son,"
I said,
stroking his wet hair.
"I know.
I'm going to fix everything."
Suddenly,
a harsh spotlight illuminated the tunnel from the end of the corridor.
"Well,
well,
well,"
a cold,
familiar voice boomed through the echoing tunnel.
Marcus Vance stepped out from the darkness onto an elevated iron catwalk,
flanked by four heavily armed mercenaries.
Vance held a gold-plated revolver in his right hand,
a cruel smile spreading across his scarred face.
"The great Sebastian Ross,"
Vance sneered,
aiming his weapon down at us.
"Reunited with his precious son at last.
How touching."
"Vance,"
I said,
holding Lucas firmly behind me on the small ledge,
my eyes burning with pure,
unfiltered rage.
"You made a mistake touching my family."
"Your family is dead,
Sebastian,"
Vance laughed coldly.
"Your wife is at the bottom of Lake Michigan,
and you and your little boy are about to join her in this sewer."
"You think so?"
I asked,
a dark,
calm smile breaking across my face.
I raised my left hand and clicked a small remote detonator hidden in my palm.
BOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the concrete ceiling above Vance's catwalk.
Dominic's breach team had set heavy charges on the upper foundation of the slaughterhouse.
Tons of concrete,
steel beams,
and debris crashed down from above,
collapsing the catwalk instantly.
Vance screamed as he fell thirty feet into the raging floodwaters below,
his mercenaries buried beneath the rubble.
I hoisted Lucas onto my shoulder,
holding him tight,
and stepped safely out through the northern tunnel exit into the night air.
Dominic and six armed operatives were waiting at the tunnel mouth with blankets and armored transport.
Dominic ran forward,
his face lit with immense relief.
"We got him,
Boss,"
Dominic said,
looking at Lucas.
"Vance's guards are neutralized.
The city is ours."
I placed Lucas gently inside the heated SUV,
wrapping him in warm blankets.
He looked up at me,
his hand holding mine tightly.
"Dad?
Are we going home?"
I looked down at my son,
then back at the burning ruins of the slaughterhouse behind us.
"Yes,
Lucas,"
I said,
kissing his forehead.
May you like
"We are going home.
And tomorrow,
