Betrayal and Bullets

Betrayal and Bullets
Marcus Daniels' POV

Elena Santos actually believed I would keep my word. The stupid woman thought a handshake with a killer meant something. She was about to learn that trust was the greatest mistake she could make.
"Agent Kim," I whispered to Sarah as the helicopter flew over the dark ocean, "I need you to send one more message to Elena."
"What message?"
"Tell her to meet me at Pier Seven in thirty minutes. Alone. I'll give her Chen's full operation manual and the locations of all two hundred girls."
Sarah stopped. "Marcus, Elena kept her part of the deal. You should keep yours."
"Agent Kim, I'm a thief, not a saint. Did you really think I'd help you destroy the only thing that's kept me rich and strong for twenty years?"
I saw the realization hit her eyes. "You never planned to give us the real information."
"Oh, I gave you real information. There really are forty-three girls in that Seattle building. But that's Chen's smallest location. The real gifts are hidden somewhere Elena will never find them."
"Elena trusted you."
"Elena's an idiot. Just like you."
I pressed my gun against Sarah's ribs and called the helicopter pilot. "Change of plans. Set us down at Pier Seven. I have one more piece of work to finish."
"Marcus, what are you doing?"
"I'm removing the last two people who can identify me to law enforcement. After tonight, Marcus Daniels dies in a boat explosion, and I become someone else entirely."
The helicopter landed on the old fishing pier where my father had taught me to tie knots and clean fish forty years ago. Back then, I thought Dad was just a simple sheriff who loved his family. I didn't learn about the trafficking until I was sixteen and walked in on him counting money in the basement.
"Son," he'd said that night, "sometimes good people have to do bad things to protect what matters."
Now I understood what he meant. Good people like Elena Santos did bad things like letting criminals escape. Bad people like me did worse things like killing the people who trusted us. " Agent Kim, call Elena. Tell her I'm waiting with her information."
"She'll know it's a trap."
"Not if you sound scared and grateful. Elena thinks she saved your life tonight. Make her believe I'm keeping my promise."
Sarah's hands shook as she made the call. "Elena, it's Sarah. Marcus brought me to Pier Seven. He has the information about Chen's network, but he wants to give it to you personally."
"Sarah, are you okay? You sound strange."
"I'm fine. Just tired and scared. Elena, Marcus has a briefcase full of papers. Names, addresses, bank records. Everything we need to destroy Chen's business."
Perfect. Elena's hero complex wouldn't let her ignore the chance to save two hundred girls.
"Tell her to come alone," I whispered.
"Elena, Marcus says he'll only deal with you. No other officers, no backup. He's worried that Chen has spies in the FBI."
"Sarah, I don't like this. It feels like a trap."
"Elena, I've seen the papers. They're real. This could save hundreds of lives."
I smiled as Sarah hung up the phone. She'd done exactly what I wanted, and she didn't even know she was helping me commit murder.
"Agent Kim, you're a terrible liar, but you're convincing when you're scared."
"Marcus, Elena saved your life tonight. Why do you want to kill her?"
"Because dead heroes can't testify at trials. And because Elena Santos reflects everything I hate about people who think they're better than me."
Twenty minutes later, I saw Elena's headlights approaching the pier. She parked her car and walked toward us with her hands showing but her gun ready.
"Marcus! Where's the information you promised!"
"Right here," I called out, holding up an empty suitcase. "But first, we're going to take a little boat ride."
"I'm not getting on a boat with you."
"Yes, you are. Because if you don't, I shoot Agent Kim right now and disappear forever."
Elena looked at Sarah, then at me, then at the dark water circling the pier. She was calculating chances and risks, trying to figure out how to save her friend without getting both of them killed.
"Elena," I said, "you have thirty seconds to decide. Get on the boat, or watch Agent Kim die."
"Fine. But Marcus, if you hurt Sarah, I'll hunt you down and kill you myself."
"I'm counting on it."
We climbed into my backup boat - a fast fishing vessel I'd kept hidden for situations like this. As soon as we were away from the pier, I tied Sarah's hands and pointed my gun at both women.
"Marcus," Elena said, "you promised to let Sarah go if I cooperated."
"I lied. Agent Kim knows too much about federal activities. You both have to disappear."
"What about the information on Chen's network?"
"Also a lie. Elena, there is no working manual. I made up most of those specifics to buy myself time."
Elena's face filled with rage. "You mean those forty-three girls in Seattle—"
"Are definitely real, but I have no idea where they are. Chen never told me information about his other operations."
"You rascal! People trusted you!"
"People were stupid. Trust is for children and fools."
I guided the boat toward the rocky cliffs on the north side of the bay. The plan was simple: kill both women, crash the boat into the rocks, and swim to land where Chen's helicopter would pick me up. By morning, it would look like Elena and Sarah died trying to chase me and failed.
"Marcus," Sarah said, "killing us won't save you. Chen's men saw you get on this boat with government agents. He'll assume you told us everything."
"Maybe. But dead agents can't share what they heard."
That's when Elena did something I didn't expect. Instead of begging or trying to run, she started laughing.
"What's so funny?"
"Marcus, you think you're so smart, but you made one huge mistake."
"What mistake?"
"You assumed I came here alone."
Before I could ask what she meant, gunfire burst from the water behind us. A Coast Guard patrol boat was chasing us with searchlights blazing and officers firing warning shots.
"How did you—"
"Because I'm not stupid, Marcus. I told Agent Williams to follow us and wait for my cue."
I spun the boat toward open water, trying to beat the Coast Guard. But Elena used the delay to grab Sarah and jump overboard into the freezing ocean.
"Elena!" I screamed, firing shots at the water where they'd disappeared. "You can't swim in water this cold! You'll die!"
But Elena Santos was tougher than I'd thought. I could see her and Sarah swimming toward the Coast Guard boat while I ran toward the rocky cliffs with nowhere left to run.
Chen's voice came through my radio: "Marcus, you've failed. The cleanup protocol is now in place."
"Chen, give me one more chance!"
"Marcus, you're no longer useful to this organization."
That's when I realized the horrible truth. The Coast Guard boat wasn't just chasing me. They were saving Elena and Sarah from something much worse.
Behind me, Chen's black helicopters were rising from the lighthouse area, headed straight for my position with weapons ready.
Chen wasn't trying to extract me.
He was trying to eliminate me.