Chapter 11 - The Harbor War
The interior of the dispatch office erupted into chaos. Plaster, paper files, and shattered computer screens exploded into the air as rounds tore through the thin aluminum walls.
Cole pulled the steel desk onto its side, creating a makeshift barrier that deflected the incoming volley of lead. Clara was crouched beside Elena, her eyes wide with shock, but she wasn't panicking. She reached down, pulled a concealed flare-starter from an emergency rack beneath the floorboards, and slammed it into Cole’s hands.
""There's five hundred gallons of industrial diesel stored in the crane generator right behind them!"" Clara yelled over the gunfire.
Cole looked at her, a fierce, savage grin breaking through the grime on his face. ""You really are a Montgomery.""
Above them on the crane catwalk, Tristan fired with deadly rhythm. Every report of his rifle dropped an operative, forcing Julian's men to scatter behind the maze of cargo containers.
""Leo!"" Cole shouted into his radio. ""Drop the container locks!""
Two hundred yards away in the crane control tower, Leo slammed his laptop interface into the dock's automated gantry grid. ""Overriding magnetic safety protocols... now!""
High above the pier, an eighty-ton steel shipping container hanging from the crane cables suddenly released.
It plummeted through the air with a terrifying roar of wind, crashing onto the pier directly atop two of Julian’s armored pursuit vehicles. The impact sounded like an artillery shell detonating, sending shockwaves through the concrete docks and scattering Julian’s men in terror.
""Move! To the tugboat!"" Cole ordered, grabbing Clara by the arm while Elena followed close behind.
Julian scrambled through the rising smoke, drawing a chrome revolver with his uninjured hand. ""You're not leaving this dock alive, Montgomery!""
He fired wildly. A round clipped the flesh of Cole’s thigh, causing him to stumble.
""Cole!"" Elena cried out.
Before Julian could cock the hammer for a second shot, Clara broke from Cole’s grip. With the agility of someone who had spent ten years navigating industrial shipyards, she vaulted over a stack of pallets, grabbed a heavy steel mooring shackle from a cargo hook, and hurled it with pinpoint accuracy.
The twenty-pound iron ring struck Julian squarely in his shattered collarbone.
Julian howled in agony, collapsing to his knees, dropping his weapon onto the oil-slicked concrete.
Tristan dropped from the crane ladder like a panther, his boots landing two feet from Julian. He kicked the chrome revolver off the dock into the black ocean water below, then pressed the warm muzzle of his rifle against Julian’s forehead.
""Say one more word,"" Tristan whispered, ""and I paint this pier with whatever little brains you have left.""
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Julian stared up, shaking, his eyes wide with pure, unfiltered terror. ""If you kill me... my father’s syndicate will hunt you to the ends of the earth. You’ll never be free.""
""We aren't running anymore, Julian,"" Cole said, limping forward, supported by Elena and Clara. ""Tell your father the Montgomery family is coming home.""
