Chapter 5 - The Hunt for Sofia
The news hit Morales like a physical blow. The safety of a seven-year-old girl, the sole witness to a massive conspiracy, had been compromised. Victor Vance was cleaning house, and Sofia was the final, most vulnerable loose end.
Morales and Miller raced to the safe house, a suburban home located on the quiet side of town. When they arrived, the scene was chaotic. The local police had cordoned off the area. A guard officer lay injured on the lawn, receiving medical attention for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.
"They knew exactly where she was," Miller said, examining the shattered back patio door. "We have a leak in the department. Someone on Victor’s payroll tipped them off."
"We don't have time to hunt down a dirty cop," Morales said, his jaw clenched in anger. "We need to find Sofia. Now. If Victor realizes she doesn't have the flash drive, he’ll use her as leverage to force Thomas to stay silent—or worse."
Morales sat in the back of his patrol car, staring at his notes. The place where the giants sleep.
He called Sarah, the social worker, who was still at the police station being questioned. "Sarah, did Sofia talk to you about any stories her father used to tell her? Anything about 'giants'?"
Sarah paused, trying to recall through her panic. "Yes... yes, she did. Yesterday, when she was looking at the drawings on the hospital wall. She mentioned 'The Sleeping Giants.' She said her daddy used to take her to a park where giant stone structures looked like sleeping monsters."
Morales’s eyes widened. "The old stone quarry on the northern ridge. It was decommissioned twenty years ago. The massive gravel crushers and stone arches are still there. The locals call them the 'Stone Giants.'"
"That must be it!" Miller said, starting the engine. "But if we know about it, does Victor?"
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"Thomas wouldn't have told Victor. But Marcus is a professional. If he searches the house and finds nothing, he'll start interrogating Sofia. We have to beat them to the quarry."
With sirens silent to avoid alerting their targets, the patrol car tore through the night, heading toward the dark, jagged silhouette of the old northern ridge. The stakes had never been higher. A little girl’s life hung in the balance, and the clock was ticking down to zero.
