This was the epicenter of Solenia's political elite. One wrong move could trigger a massive fallout; he couldn't operate here like he did in the lawless borderlands.
Dewitt knew how to maintain discipline.
Moreover, Cabinda was overflowing with power players. Dane was inside.
If that kid couldn't rip Claire out of the fire, he had no right to marry into the James family!
The only question was whether he needed to inform the matriarch about this.
"I'll just monitor the perimeter, alright? But tell me this—is there rot inside your agency? Is some corrupt official going to conveniently look the other way and let these bastards walk?"
That was Dewitt's only real fear.
Hanson choked on his words. Honestly? He couldn't be completely sure.
The sheer scale of Serenity Grand's operations in Solenia proved they had massive political backing.
The only mystery was which specific politicians were on the payroll.
After today's bloodbath, Serenity Grand was going to be ripped apart by federal investigators. Whoever was backing them would undoubtedly burn.
For now, Dewitt could only wait for an update.
Inside, Dane was immediately briefed that a helicopter was spinning up on the roof.
Hillary was already prepping her strike team to breach the helipad.
"We need to split up," Dane ordered. "Hillary, you take the roof. They're making way too much noise. It's too obvious. They aren't planning to extract via the air."
"It's highly probable this is a distraction, and they have a secondary extraction route."
Great minds clearly thought alike.
"The rest of you, with me. We're tearing apart every operating room in this facility." Silas locked eyes with Dane and gave a sharp nod. They were in total agreement.
Hillary led her team toward the stairwell. Still anxious about her safety, Dane signaled his two operatives to shadow her.
The two men were orphans taken in by the old master of the family, trained to be Dane's most lethal enforcers.
Both possessed terrifying combat proficiency, having been forged in an elite overseas military academy.
"Boss, we'll split. I'll stay with you, he goes with Ms. Harding."
The operative wasn't about to leave Dane unprotected, even with Silas in the room.
Their primary directive was hostage rescue, not acting as bodyguards, but he wasn't taking chances.
Dane frowned, knowing the roof was likely a kill box designed as a smokescreen, but he permitted the split.
Hillary's team interrogated a terrified
nurse and confirmed the 'botched plastic surgery patient had been
taken to the roof via the private elevator.
Hillary led the sprint up the stairwell.
Half her team took the stairs, the other half breached the elevators.
Fortunately, the building wasn't incredibly tall.
Hillary's stamina was monstrous; she vaulted the stairs three at a time and kicked open the roof access door.
A squad of medical personnel was already swarming the helipad.
"Who are you people?"
These medics were clearly on the Syndicate's payroll, pre-arranged for the Aurelia extraction. Seeing armed tactical gear, they immediately shouted in defiance.
Hillary didn't even blink. Her point man flashed his SSD badge. "Federal agents!
Step away from the aircraft immediately!"
Hillary scanned the figures on the roof with predatory focus.
"Take off your masks! All of you!"
The medical team was heavily concealed in scrubs and surgical masks, making identification impossible.
One of the men, already inches from the chopper door, reached for his mask-but his hand slipped toward his waistband instead.
"Gun!"
Hillary screamed the warning as the man vaulted into the helicopter. A split second later, fully automatic gunfire erupted from the cabin!
Hillary's expression turned lethal. "That's the bastard who grabbed Claire at the university!"
"Take them down! Do not let that bird get airborne!"
Because Felicity had intentionally exposed herself, Hillary was utterly convinced Claire was the hostage currently being dragged into the chopper.
"Silas, we have visual! The target is on the helicopter!"
Hillary laid down suppressive fire while screaming into her radio.
Down below, Silas narrowed his eyes. He hadn't expected them to actually use the
chopper.