Chapter 12 - GREG’S CHOICE
Greg had lied to preserve the strongest version of his coercion defense.
Elena was captive.
The traffickers threatened her.
But on the day of Lily’s transfer, Samuel Ward gave Greg a choice.
Carry Nursery Pair Seven using Lily.
Or accept a different route using an adult courier while Elena remained captive longer.
The adult route paid nothing.
Greg chose the child route because Samuel promised fifty thousand dollars and Elena’s release.
During a monitored call, Elena told Greg not to do it.
She shouted that the boots were unstable after recent modifications.
Greg muted the call so Lily would not hear.
He placed the boots on her anyway.
He told Lily her mother wanted her to wear green.
“That was the lie she remembered,” Ruiz said.
“Why did Greg finally admit it?”
“Because the audio exists in Elena’s files.”
The recording captured his answer.
I’m getting you out, and I can fix our debts.
Elena replied:
Not with her body.
Greg had not acted from fear alone.
Debt, money, and the fantasy of rescuing Elena through one successful delivery shaped his choice.
When Lily ran, he grabbed her.
When she fell, he considered continuing.
When the boots began moving more violently, he drove to the hospital because a dead or bitten child would expose everything and destroy the payment.
He also loved her.
That made the truth harder, not cleaner.
Parents could love children and still choose themselves at the decisive moment.
Greg faced federal wildlife-trafficking charges, child endangerment, unlawful restraint, conspiracy, and obstruction.
He offered testimony against Evelyn and Samuel.
Prosecutors promised no custody outcome.
Family court would decide based on Lily’s safety.
He asked for another call.
Lily refused.
The refusal did not need explanation.
The timed files revealed a marina route leading to a private island research station leased by the Ward Foundation.
The lease had been omitted from Green Haven’s public disclosures.
Coast Guard records showed Samuel’s vessel traveling there after the warehouse raid.
Weather delayed immediate approach.
Agents surveilled from offshore.
Thermal imaging detected three people inside the station.
One moved only with assistance.
Elena might be alive.
Evelyn’s attorney warned that the island housed sensitive conservation specimens and entering without specialized staff could cause irreversible harm.
The court authorized a search with wildlife veterinarians.
Before the operation began, a message appeared on Elena’s device.
Not a prerecorded file.
A live incoming connection.
The screen displayed no image.
A woman whispered:
“Marcus, if Lily is safe, do not trade the Queen for me.”
I recognized Elena’s voice from the recordings.
Agent Brooks traced the transmission toward the island.
I answered under supervision.
“Lily is safe.”
A breath caught on the line.
“Did Greg use her?”
“Yes.”
Silence.
Then Elena said, “Tell her I said no.”
The connection broke.
Someone at the island had allowed her forty seconds.
Or Elena had reached a device alone.
The final countdown stopped.
A new message appeared:
May you like
NEST KEY ACCEPTED. PURGE MANUAL.
Someone had taken control away from the timer.
