Chapter 10 - The Broken Haven
""The police,"" Maya gasped, clutching at the damp fabric of Julian’s shirt. ""Arthur said... he said they have a warrant for your arrest. And my credentials—""
""It’s not just the police,"" Julian said grimly, hauling her to her feet and supporting her weight as she stumbled on her bare, bleeding feet. ""Federal authorities, port security, and whoever Marcus has on his payroll. If they take us into custody right now, we won’t survive the night in holding. Kane’s people will stage a double suicide before we ever see a judge.""
He hurried her to the passenger side of the SUV, lifting her gently into the leather seat. He climbed behind the wheel, slammed the door, and threw the transmission into reverse. The tires spun briefly in the thick slurry of gravel and water before gripping and launching the vehicle backward out of the container alleyway.
Julian spun the wheel hard, turning the truck toward the eastern perimeter of the pier—away from the main entrance where the flashing red and blue lights were already illuminating the razor-wire gate.
""Where are we going?"" Maya asked, shivering violently as Julian cranked the interior heater to its maximum setting. ""The penthouse is compromised. My apartment is bugged. We don't have anywhere to go.""
""There’s an old decommissioned water pumping station two miles downriver,"" Julian said, his eyes scanning the chain-link fence ahead as he accelerated. ""My grandfather’s company built it in the seventies. It’s off the municipal grid, completely analog. No cameras, no network connections, no digital trace.""
Julian didn't slow down as they approached the secondary emergency gate on the eastern fence line. He braced his arm across Maya’s chest. ""Hang on!""
The SUV’s reinforced front bumper slammed through the rusted chain-link gate with a metallic crunch, sending severed steel links and warning signs spinning into the night. The vehicle bounced wildly across the abandoned railroad tracks running parallel to the harbor before hitting the dark, unpaved service road running along the riverbank.
Maya turned her head, looking out the cracked rear window. Through the rain and the shattered glass, she could see three black patrol cruisers arriving at the broken gate, their spotlights sweeping harmlessly across the empty railroad tracks behind them.
May you like
She leaned back against the headrest, closing her eyes. Her whole body throbbed with agony, but deeper than the physical pain was the cold, hollow ache inside her chest. She turned her head toward Julian. His profile was sharp, illuminated only by the faint green glow of the dashboard dials. He was driving with one hand on the wheel, his knuckles stark and white.
In the center console between them sat the Kimber .45, resting right beside the platinum engagement ring that Julian had pulled from his pocket and set between them like a silent, open wound.
