Calculated

Elijah’s gaze followed the black SUV as it sped away. The screech of its tires cut through the air. His mind raced, calculating every possible angle. There was no time to waste. 

He couldn’t afford to let Jasmine stick around with them too long, but he also knew that the men in that car weren’t stupid. They were likely aware a team would be tracking them. They might already be trying to lose the digital tail. 

Elijah’s instincts kicked in, his training pushing him to stay focused. He knew better than to work blindly. The game had just begun, and any mistake now could cost Jasmine everything.

Without hesitation, he pulled his phone from his pocket. His thumb flying across the screen as he dialed Maya’s number. She picked up after the first ring.

“Yes, boss.”, Maya’s voice was steady. Even in high-stress situations, she was a force to be reckoned with.

“Jasmine has been taken.”, he said quickly, “I need you to trace Jasmine’s phone. Right now. I’m pretty sure they will toss it soon.”

Maya didn’t hesitate, “On it, I will send you a pin.”

He hung up, feeling the weight of the silence pressing down on him as the ticks of his watch kept him moving. He glanced back toward the entrance. The bank sirens were still  blaring in the distance, but he wasn’t ready to leave just yet. 

As he made his way back into the building, the sharp tang of panic still hung in the air. The lobby was a mess. There were papers scattered, chairs overturned, and the low tune of police radios blending with their distant sirens. 

The wounded were being attended to. The few bank bodyguards were hastily coordinating their efforts, but the whole atmosphere was laced with a sense of impending doom. His men were still scattered throughout the lobby, some attending to civilians, others keeping a wary eye on the situation.

Elijah walked briskly toward them, his mind a flurry of thoughts. He needed information. He needed answers.

“How did this happen?”, he asked his lead bodyguard. Trying to maintain a calm exterior, though his voice was tight.

“They had been planning, sir. He’s good. The whole plan was executed is a similar manner to what I would have planned.”, the guard replied. 

Elijah’s eyes darting nervously as he scanned the room. 

“Were you followed here?”, he asked. 

“No, boss. We were here for over 45 minutes before they took over the lobby.”, the man answered. 

“Any of you take a hit?”, Elijah asked. 

“No, boss. We were outnumbered, but we held the line. Ms. Jasmine is the one who made a deal to spare the innocent lives. She was worried about the wounded and making sure the fight ended. It was actually pretty brave to see her walk out in front of so many armed men. If they wanted her dead, they had the chance.”

Elijah’s gaze hardened, “Interesting. Thanks for the update. Stay sharp. No one moves unless I say so. Speak to the police and make sure they follow a false lead. I want to take these assholes down.”

“Yes, boss.”, the man answered before heading back off to his post.

As he finished up talking, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Maya’s message. He pulled it out and read it quickly. 

Maya: I’ve got a trace on the phone. They’re heading east. They did toss her phone, but I was able to use her Bluetooth to hack into the phone next to hers. Tracing it. 

Elijah: Good work. 

Maya: I will let you know when they stop. They won’t be able to hide from me. 

“Good.”, Elijah muttered under his breath before returning his attention to the chaos around him. 

The sirens grew louder now, and he needed to make sure his next move was deliberate. He couldn’t just let his men handle this. He had to take charge.

Turning back toward the lobby, his eyes fell on the manager of the bank.

“Mr. Daniels.”, the manager gasped. His voice high-pitched from the stress of the situation, “You’re here. Thank God you are okay. It is unusual to have such an event take place here. I promise your business is safe here. They didn’t take anything from the vault.”

Elijah’s eyes narrowed. He’d known the man for years. He wasn’t one to panic, which made this situation all the more alarming. 

“What happened?”, Elijah demanded. His voice clipped, authoritative.

The manager quickly filled him in on the details, explaining that the attackers had come in with the usual level of precision. They were quiet, organized, and efficient. They’d overwhelmed the bank guards, but not before one of them had managed to fire a shot. The rest of the bank’s staff had been herded into the back, their phones taken, and the vault doors pried open.

His listened intently, but there was something else, something more urgent.

Elijah gritted his teeth. He couldn’t waste any more time. He needed access to the information that could tell him what was really happening, what the men had been after. 

There was one place he could check… the safety deposit boxes.

“Show me her safety deposit box.”, Elijah ordered.

The manager hesitated, confusion flashing in his eyes. “What? That’s against the policies. We don’t even have her...”

“The safety deposit box. Now.”, Elijah repeated firmly. Cutting him off, “Jasmine slipped a key into my pocket before they took her.”

The manager’s eyes widened. He looked at the pocket, almost as if trying to convince himself Elijah wasn’t bluffing. His hesitation lasted only a moment before he nodded. 

“Right. Of course. This way Sir.”, he replied. 

He led Elijah to the back, past the rows of secure vaults and deposit boxes. Only stopping in front of a locked door that had been pried open. Elijah could feel the weight of the moment pressing down on him, the sense of urgency almost suffocating. 

He knew Jasmine had to have known something. Had she left a message? A clue? Something he could use to figure out where they were taking her?

The manager unlocked the door to the small room, and they stepped inside. There was a single metal drawer that the manager quickly put his key in. Then he stepped back for Elijah to insert the other key, staying to make sure he actually had a key.

As his hand gripped the cold metal handle of the drawer, Elijah’s thoughts were sharp and focused. There was a plan forming in his mind, but it required action and the kind of grit only a few could understand. He wasn’t going to lose her. Not again.

He didn’t know what he would find in the safety deposit box, but if Jasmine had left it, he would find it. And once he did, he would make them all pay for what they had done.

Jasmine was coming home.

“This is against the law. Ms. McCarthy could sue us.”, the manager muttered.

Elijah didn’t care to respond as he flipped through the papers inside, “She’s going to be my wife. She won’t press charges. Now, this is exactly what I needed.”

The manager tried to peek over his shoulder. 

Elijah’s patience was wearing thin, but he kept his voice steady. 

“Get me a plastic bag.”, he said. 

The manager nodded, “Yes, Mr. Daniels”

He came back a few minutes later with a Ziplock bag. 

Elijah quickly gathered the documents from the safety deposit box. He shoved the papers into the bag, not even bothering to organize them as he turned toward the manager.

“Take these. Get them to my safe house. Don't look at them. Just get them to this address. If you don’t make it, look at them, or take any I will make sure you pay.”, Elijah ordered. 

The manager hesitated for a moment, clearly still rattled by the chaos around him. But the seriousness in Elijah’s tone left no room for protest. Nodding quickly, he took the bag and turned, heading out of the vault.

Elijah’s gaze never left the man’s back as he motioned to his remaining men, “Gather who you can spare. We’re moving out. Now.”

The group of them exited through the back door of the bank. Elijah’s eyes scanned the area, the moment they hit the parking lot. His mind was a blur of strategy he was already planning his next move, mentally charting the road ahead.

They approached a car parked near the back, an unmarked black sedan. Elijah slid into the driver seat without a word, his mind still on the situation at hand. His men followed suit, filling the backseat, their eyes constantly scanning for potential threats.

The engine roared to life, as Elijah gripped the steering wheel. The car sped out of the lot, heading east. Elijah barely acknowledged the journey as they left the chaos of the bank behind them. 

His thoughts were elsewhere. They were on the documents, on Jasmine, and, most importantly, on the horrifying realization that Clara had orchestrated this. He knew the woman too well. She was clever, ruthless, and she always had a plan. 

As the car sped down the road, Elijah pulled out his phone, dialing Maya once more. He needed more information.

“Talk to me.”, Elijah said. The urgency in his voice unmistakable.

Maya didn’t waste any time, “I’ve got a location for you. It’s not far from your position about twenty minutes east of the bank. I’m sending the pin to you now.”

Elijah felt a flicker of hope, but it was quickly doused by the underlying sense of anxiety. What could this location possibly lead to? Was it a trap? Or, perhaps, his one shot at finding Jasmine?

The phone beeped as a message from Maya arrived, and Elijah’s fingers flew across the screen, pulling up the map she’d sent. The coordinates were clear. It wasn’t far. But he couldn’t afford to waste a single second.

“Got it.”, he replied quickly.

“I pulled up a map. It looks like the same warehouse that I had taken photos of. It’s near the marina. Tapping into the satellites now to get real time images.”, Maya tapping could be heard.

Elijah sped toward the warehouse, vengeance in his sight. He was going to make them pay for taking her. Yet, through all of the fury, he couldn’t have been more proud of her bravery. She stood up for others, risking her own life. 

He had never met a woman like her, and he was going to make sure she was his. 

Maya pulled him from his thoughts, “Infrared scanners indicate ten people. There are two on the roof, two near the door outside, and six inside. I can see that Jasmine and another person are tied to chairs in the center of the warehouse. One of them are slouched over. That makes four inside, one being the hitman and another being Clara.” 

“Is there a higher ground nearby?”, Elijah asked. 

“Yes, one block south. There is a high-rise.”, she replied. 

“Perfect. Call me if anything changes.”, Elijah hung up the phone. 

Elijah drops the two men off at the high-rise. His eyes scan the building to find an entrance. His next move would be calculated, ruthless, and precise.