Chapter 67: Chapter 66: When the Enigma Breaks

The air inside the old docks warehouse was cold and damp. Harrison stood near the large cargo doors, his arms crossed over his massive chest as he stared out at the dark water. He had driven down to the property to check on the perimeter defenses himself, wanting to ensure that no leaks from Sarah’s betrayal could reach his people on the ground.

Daniel stood a few feet away, holding a tablet and checking the active security feeds for the surrounding blocks.

"The perimeter here is secure, boss," Daniel said, his voice echoing slightly in the quiet, open space. "Nobody followed your SUV down to the docks. I have two extra guards watching the main gate by the road just in case."

"Good," Harrison rumbled, his voice low and heavy. "Sarah had her escape route planned perfectly. She didn’t leave a single trace on the main road, which means she had help from the outside or the inside."

"Yes sir, I will like to think she may have someone in the system, working out things, maybe more people from Julius company is not trusted, even yours." Daniel said, his tone was very serious, meaning every word he said.

Harrison looked down at his feet thinking that, Daniel may be right, how can she just do all these perfectly well, without any help from the inside that is impossible.

"If what you are saying is the truth, then we have a rat in the company. Someone is not just trying to destroy Julius but also bring me down." Harrison said, looking up at Daniel, who gave him a firm nod.

"Yes, there is a rat, something we might be missing, we just need to uproot it quietly," Daniel said.

Harrison has known Daniel for a long time and anytime Daniel has his suspicions, it is always correct.

"Fine, we hunt for this rat quietly, because the timing was too perfect, we just found out about her, then the next she is missing without any single trail left for us to follow." Harrison said, his mind clouded with lots of things but for now the main priority is finding Sarah before things escalate further.

"She’s a smart girl," Daniel said, shaking his head. "She worked for Julius for a long time. She knows exactly how we move. If she tries to leave the city by boat or train, my guys will catch her."

"We need her alive, Daniel," Harrison said, his jaw tightening as his dark eyes narrowed. "She has the names of the people from his past. I want to know exactly who is paying her to do this, I need to be sure so that crushing them will be so much fun to do."

"I know. We will find her," Daniel replied, tapping his screen to refresh the guard logs.

"Good, find anybody related to her, I want every information about her drawn out now, send it to my desk, this night." Harrison said firmly.

"If she has a family behind, that’s just the best, find them and make sure your men get in contact with her," Harrison raised his voice, looking at Daniel, asserting his dominance.

Daniel gave him a firm nod. "I understand."

Harrison checked his watch. It had been nearly forty minutes since he left Julius back at the penthouse. A strange, cold feeling suddenly hit the back of his neck. It was an instinct he couldn’t shake, a sudden pressure in his chest that told him something was wrong.

He brought out his phone calling Julius, maybe the distance is playing with his mind.

Harrison phone rang four times, no response, it all went to voicemail. That’s unlike Julius, he thought looking down at his phone...maybe he is sleeping.

Before Harrison could drop his phone back in his pocket, his phone buzzed loudly in his jacket pocket. He pulled it out, seeing the caller ID for the penthouse main security line. He pressed the button instantly, bringing the phone to his ear.

"Speak," Harrison commanded.

"Boss, we have a problem," the guard’s voice came through, sounding tense. "The front door panel logs show that Julius just used his emergency code to unlock the main door from the inside about fifteen minutes ago. He took the private elevator down to the garage. He’s not in the penthouse."

Harrison’s heart hit his ribs like a rock. A sudden, terrifying wave of pure fury and panic exploded in his chest. His Enigma scent flared instantly, turning thick, heavy, and violently aggressive. The air inside the damp warehouse grew cold and suffocating in a matter of seconds.

Where the hell did Julius go? Harrison thought as anger was filling him up to the brim.

"Daniel!" Harrison roared, his voice a dark, shaking rumble that caused the other man to jump. "He broke his promise. He left the room. Get on the tracking system for his car right now!"

Daniel’s face turned completely pale. His fingers flew across his tablet, his breath catching in his throat as the heavy, dominant pressure radiating from Harrison’s body began to fill the warehouse. The air felt thick enough to choke a normal person, and Daniel’s knees started to tremble violently under the terrifying weight of the flared Enigma presence.

"I’m... I’m pulling up his car’s GPS right now, boss," Daniel choked out, sweat instantly pouring down his face as he fought to stay standing. He had to reach out and grip a heavy wooden crate just to keep his body from falling to the ground. Daniel’s body could hardly withstand the pressure from Harrison’s scent. This is what happens when an Enigma is angry.

"Where is he?" Harrison demanded, stepping closer. The sheer power vibrating through the air made Daniel’s legs weaken further.

"The garage gate log shows his car left fifteen minutes ago," Daniel gasped, his voice thin and breathless under the pressure. "He took the route heading toward his office. But boss... a tracking alert just popped up from his car’s automated safety system."

"What alert?" Harrison rumbled, his teeth gritted so tight a muscle jumped in his cheek.

"The car was just involved in a major impact in the warehouse district," Daniel managed to say, holding onto the crate for dear life. "The internal sensors say the car rolled over. My nearby patrol unit just reached the scene. They found the car upside down and completely crushed, but Julius wasn’t inside."

Harrison’s eyes went completely black with rage. "What do you mean he isn’t inside?"

"They... they found a large amount of fresh blood on the window frame," Daniel whispered, his hands shaking against the wood. "And a spent gas canister lying on the street. A local witness reported seeing a black truck ram Julius’s car, and a group of men in black dragged him out into a white van."

"They ambushed him," Harrison whispered, his voice dropping into a terrifyingly quiet tone that was worse than his roar. "They were waiting for him to leave. Fuck. I shouldn’t have left him home alone."

Before Daniel could even find his breath to answer, Harrison’s personal phone began to buzz again in his hand. He looked down, his vision tunneling as he saw Anna’s name on the screen. She was the head of the main safehouse where Julius’s mother was staying.

Harrison pressed the button, his voice raw and shaking. "Speak."

"Harrison, you need to rush home right now," Anna’s voice came through the line, sounding completely frantic and terrified over the loud sound of distant sirens.

"What happened?" Harrison asked, his grip tightening so hard the phone casing groaned.

"The safehouse was just hit," Anna cried out. "A group of men in black breached the lower levels. They took Julius’s mother. Harrison, she’s gone."

The phone slid from Harrison’s fingers, hitting the floor of the warehouse with a dull crack. Harrison made sure Julius’ mother was shifted to the safehouse with the help of Julius, he promised him she is going to be very safe there away from the threats from now. But how will he look at Julius in the eyes and tell him his mother is currently missing.

The silence in the massive building became absolute. Daniel stared at him, his face completely white, waiting for Harrison to destroy everything around them. But Harrison didn’t scream. He slowly closed his eyes, his massive chest rising and falling as the raw, suffocating dominance around him suddenly pulled back inside, leaving behind a cold, dead emptiness.

The ambush on the road and the safehouse hit had happened at the exact same time. It was a coordinated strike to take everything from Julius and destroy him completely.

Harrison opened his eyes, the warmth entirely gone from them. He looked toward the warehouse doors where his SUV was parked.

"Get the car ready, Daniel," Harrison said, his voice flat and completely devoid of emotion.

"Where are we going, boss?" Daniel asked, his voice still trembling as his legs finally stopped shaking.

"To the streets," Harrison said, his low voice cutting through the cold quiet. "We are going to war."