Chapter 4 - The Dockside Trap
The rain returned as dusk fell over the San Diego harbor. The shipping containers stacked along the docks looked like giant, rusty monoliths in the gray twilight.
Adrian Moretti stood on the roof of an abandoned warehouse, binoculars pressed to his eyes. Below him, three black SUVs were parked in a semi-circle. Officer Dean Mallory was leaning against one of the vehicles, smoking a cigarette, while two of Julian’s heavily armed mercenaries stood guard.
"He’s waiting for a delivery," Dominic whispered beside Adrian, checking his automatic rifle. "We’ve intercepted their radio chatter. Julian is sending a courier with a cash payment of half a million dollars to get Mallory out of the state before the FBI sweep begins."
"We take the courier first," Adrian ordered. "Then we take Mallory. I want him alive, Dominic. He’s going to confess to every bribe he’s taken from my uncle."
Suddenly, a loud engine roared in the distance. A silver sports car drifted around the corner of the container terminal, screeching to a halt in front of Mallory.
The door opened, and Caleb Ross stepped out. He looked smug, holding a black leather briefcase.
"Caleb?" Dominic muttered. "Why is he the courier?"
"Because Julian is cleaning house," Adrian’s eyes narrowed as he realized the trap. "Julian sent Caleb because he wants us to kill him. If Caleb dies here, the media will claim I murdered the 'grieving husband' to keep my 'kidnapped victim' quiet. It’s a setup."
Before Adrian could call off the attack, a sudden searchlight illuminated the roof of the warehouse.
"Moretti’s on the roof!" Mallory screamed, drawing his weapon.
Heavy gunfire erupted from the shipping containers. Julian’s mercenaries had been waiting in ambush. Bullets chipped away at the concrete edge of the roof, sending shards of stone flying into the air.
"Retreat!" Adrian shouted, diving behind a metal ventilation shaft as bullets tore through the air. "Dominic, get the men back to the SUVs! It's a setup!"
"Boss, we can't leave Mallory!" Dominic yelled, firing back to cover their retreat.
Below, Caleb Ross was screaming in terror, diving under his sports car as bullets flew in every direction. He realized too late that Julian had used him as bait. The mercenaries weren't just shooting at Adrian; they were shooting at Caleb’s car, aiming for the gas tank.
"Julian! You backstabbing bastard!" Caleb shrieked.
Adrian looked down from the roof. He saw Caleb trapped, the silver car beginning to leak fuel. Despite everything Caleb had done to Claire, despite the two years of beatings, Adrian knew that if Caleb died here, the truth would die with him.
"Cover me!" Adrian commanded.
He vaulted over the edge of the roof, catching a metal fire escape ladder and sliding down thirty feet to the ground. He landed in a roll, drawing his weapon and firing three precise shots, neutralizing two of the mercenaries who were closing in on Caleb.
"Get up, Caleb!" Adrian roared, grabbing the terrified man by the collar of his expensive jacket and dragging him behind a concrete barrier just as the silver sports car exploded in a ball of orange fire.
Caleb was shaking violently, his face covered in soot. He looked at Adrian, the man he had tried to destroy, who had just saved his life. "Why... why did you save me?"
"Because you are going to jail, Caleb," Adrian growled, pinning him to the wall. "And you are going to tell the world exactly how you and my uncle Julian set up that auction."
"I’ll talk! I’ll tell them everything!" Caleb sobbed, completely broken. "Just don't let Julian kill me!"
"Secure him!" Adrian ordered as Dominic and his remaining men secured the area, having forced the surviving mercenaries to retreat.
But as Adrian turned to look for Mallory, he saw a black SUV speeding away into the dark rain, its taillights disappearing into the container maze.
"Mallory escaped," Dominic said, panting. "But we have Caleb. And we have the briefcase of cash. It’s over for Julian."
"Not yet," Adrian said, his phone suddenly vibrating in his pocket. He answered it, a cold dread seizing his chest. "Helen?"
"Adrian!" Helen’s voice was panicked, the sound of gunfire echoing in the background. "They found us! Julian’s men... they bypassed the outer gates! They’re inside the villa! I’ve locked Claire in the panic room, but they’re using explosives—"
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The call went dead with a loud static hiss.
Adrian’s face drained of all color. "Claire," he whispered. He turned to his men, his eyes burning with a terrifying, apocalyptic fury. "To the cars. Now!"
