Chapter 14 - The Traitor's Hand
Pier 42 was an abandoned industrial shipping terminal located on the dark, desolate edge of the city's working waterfront. Rusting shipping containers were stacked three high under towering iron cranes, while black river water slapped violently against the wooden pilings below.
A torrential rain was falling, wrapping the docks in a thick, blinding curtain of water.
Daniel parked his truck two blocks away, moving through the maze of shipping containers like a ghost. He wore a dark tactical jacket over his trousers, his flashlight unlit, relying entirely on his night vision and spatial awareness.
Ahead, inside an abandoned corrugated steel warehouse, a single yellow light flickered.
Daniel approached the side access door, testing the handle. Unlocked. He slipped inside, his boots making zero noise on the damp concrete floor.
Inside, Victor Vance stood near a wooden crate, packing heavy tactical gear into a waterproof duffel bag. Parked beside him was Julian Bennett's silver Mercedes, its engine idling silently.
Julian was standing near the car, pacing furiously, his expensive tuxedo soaked in sweat and rain.
"You told me the server was unhackable, Victor!" Julian screamed, his voice echoing off the corrugated walls. "Mercer came to the gala! He told me the police searched your dock apartment!"
Victor stopped packing, turning slowly to look at Julian with profound disdain. "You idiot. I don't keep servers at my apartment. Mercer bluffed you."
Julian stopped dead in his tracks. "What?"
"He fed you a line, you panicked, and you drove straight to my extraction point," Victor spat, reaching for his weapon. "And you brought the police trace right to my front door."
"Nobody followed me!" Julian insisted frantically.
"I did," Daniel's voice echoed from the shadows near the crane support beams.
Victor drew his weapon in a split-second flash, turning toward the sound. But Daniel was already moving.
Daniel slammed a heavy steel crowbar into Victor's wrist, sending the handgun skittering across the oil-stained floor. Victor roared in pain, swinging a brutal left hook that caught Daniel across the jaw.
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Daniel absorbed the blow, drove his knee into Victor's midsection, and slammed him back-first against the side of the silver Mercedes.
Julian shrieked in terror, scrambling into the driver's seat of the Mercedes, locking the doors, and stomping on the accelerator. The heavy car roared to life, tires screaming on the concrete as it charged straight toward Daniel and Victor!
