Chapter 60 The Locker
Alexander — POV
The message disappeared from the screen five seconds after I read it.
Just like he said it would.
Secure.
Untraceable.
Temporary.
My phone vibrated again.
A notification from the app.
I opened it.
A message appeared instantly.
Locker 314. South Harbor Station.
That was it.
No explanation.
No extra words.
Just a location.
I slid the phone into my pocket and walked toward the elevator.
James followed me.
“Alex.”
Still nothing.
The elevator doors opened.
I stepped inside.
James grabbed the door before it could close.
“You don’t have to do this alone.”
“Yes,” I said quietly. “I do.”
“We can watch from a distance.”
“No.”
His voice rose.
The elevator doors closed between us.
For the first time in years—
James had nothing left to argue.
The drive to South Harbor Station felt unreal.
The city moved around me.
Lights.
Traffic.
People.
But none of it felt real.
All I could see was Isabella’s face in that picture.
Terrified.
Strapped into a bomb vest.
Waiting for me.
My hands tightened on the steering wheel.
Hold on.
Just hold on.
I’m coming.
South Harbor Station was mostly empty at this hour.
The train platforms echoed with distant footsteps and the rumble of a train somewhere underground.
I walked through the main terminal slowly.
My eyes scanning everything.
Every face.
Every shadow.
Every reflection in the glass.
If Moretti was watching, I wanted him to see exactly what he expected.
A man walking alone.
Locker 314 was in the far row near the back wall.
I stopped in front of it.
Then I opened it.
Inside was a small black backpack.
And a phone.
Cheap.
Disposable.
I picked up the phone.
The screen lit up instantly.
One message waiting.
Good boy.
My jaw tightened.
Another message appeared.
Now throw your phone into the ocean like I told you.
I stared at the screen.
Then reached into my pocket and pulled out my real phone.
Every contact.
Every number.
Every connection to the outside world.
Gone.
Just like that.
Moretti was cutting me off from everything.
Exactly how he wanted it.
I walked out of the station.
The harbor was only two blocks away.
The wind off the water was cold.
Dark waves rolled against the docks.
I stood at the edge of the pier for a moment.
Then looked down at the phone in my hand.
James.
My team.
Everything.
I thought about Isabella again.
Her eyes in that picture.
Scared.
But alive.
I closed my eyes.
Then threw the phone into the ocean.
The splash echoed in the dark water.
When I opened my eyes again—
The world had gotten very small.
Just me.
Moretti.
And Isabella.
The disposable phone in my hand buzzed.
I looked down.
A new message.
Good.
Then another.
Now we can begin.
My jaw tightened.
You did exactly what I expected.
Another message appeared.
Which is why your wife is still alive.
My chest tightened.
Then the final message came.
Now get in your car.
I’ll tell you where to go next.
I stared at the screen.
Every instinct in my body was screaming that I was walking straight into hell.
But it didn’t matter.
Because hell was exactly where I was willing to go—
If it meant bringing Isabella back.