Chapter 8 - The Iron Haven
Two hours later, the station wagon turned off the highway onto a dirt road lined with rusted shipping containers and corrugated steel sheds on the outskirts of an industrial rail town. A weathered wooden sign swung in the dawn wind: Miller’s Heavy Diesel & Machine. Mark parked behind a row of stripped truck chassis, cutting the headlights. The rain had slowed to a steady, grey drizzle. He gently unbuckled Lily, who was sound asleep, and carried her toward the back door of the machine shop.
Before his hand could touch the door handle, the door swung open. Frank Miller stood in the threshold—a burly, sixty-year-old retired state trooper with calloused hands and a face carved by decades of criminal investigations. He was Deputy Miller’s older brother and Mark’s father’s lifelong hunting partner. Frank took one look at Mark’s exhausted face and the sleeping child in his arms, then stepped aside to let them in. ""Get inside,"" Frank grunted, locking the reinforced deadbolt behind them. ""My brother called me from the precinct two hours ago.""
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The shop smelled of motor oil, hot iron, and black coffee. Frank led them into a small heated office in the back, where an old plaid couch was piled with clean blankets. Mark laid Lily down, tucking the blankets securely around her shoulders. Only when she was safe and still asleep did Mark collapse into a metal folding chair, his face buried in his hands. ""They're turning it on me, Frank,"" Mark said, his voice raw. ""Her lawyer is claiming domestic abuse. They’re suppressing the phone video.""
Frank poured a mug of pitch-black coffee and set it on the desk in front of Mark. ""I know. Ashley’s brother, Arthur Vance, made four phone calls to the presiding magistrate before three in the morning. They’re trying to fast-track an emergency ex-parte order of protection to grant temporary custody to Ashley’s mother."" Frank leaned against the metal desk, crossing his thick arms. ""If you try to fight this in their courtroom today, they’ll lock you up before you finish your opening statement. We have to change the battlefield.""
