Chapter 8 - The Ambush at Pier 4
The naval shipyard was desolate, bathed in the sickly yellow glow of rusting floodlights. Fog rolled off the dark water, wrapping the decaying corrugated iron warehouses in an eerie chill.
Inside Warehouse 4, Julian paced beside an idling black town car. Standing beside the trunk was Marcus Vance, clutching a titanium briefcase.
""Did you double-check the encryption keys?"" Julian demanded, rubbing his hands against the cold. ""Valenti won't wire the escrow until his technicians confirm the bypass codes work on the terminal gates.""
""The codes are intact,"" Marcus replied nervously, his eyes darting toward the shadows. ""Julian, we are committing high treason against maritime commerce regulations. If the Department of Justice catches wind of this—""
""The DOJ won't know until we're sitting on a private beach in Belize,"" Julian hissed. ""Claire can rot in Vance Tower while Valenti’s enforcers tear the building apart.""
Headlights suddenly swept across the cracked concrete yard. A sleek black SUV glided into the warehouse, its engine humming smoothly before turning off. The doors opened, and two men in tailored overcoats stepped out, followed by a middle-aged man with silver hair and a walking cane.
Dominic Valenti.
""Julian,"" Valenti greeted smoothly, leaning on his cane. ""You look terrible for a man about to retire to the tropics.""
""I have the terminal bypass codes, Dominic,"" Julian said eagerly, pointing to Marcus's briefcase. ""Everything your shipping lines need to bypass federal customs scans for the next five years. All I want is the thirty-million debt canceled and two million in cash for travel expenses.""
Valenti smiled, a cold, reptilian expression. ""You're very generous with assets you no longer own, Mr. Vance.""
Before Julian could answer, the warehouse doors behind them rattled violently. Industrial floodlights snapped on from overhead catwalks, illuminating the entire interior with blinding white light.
""Step away from the briefcase, Marcus,"" a voice rang out from the darkness.
Julian spun around in shock. Emerging from the far entrance was Claire, accompanied by Thomas Drake and six armed private security officers in tactical gear.
""Claire?!"" Julian shouted, his face contorting in rage. ""How did you find this place?!""
""You should really pay your mistresses better, Julian,"" Claire said calmly, walking forward until she stood thirty feet away, unaffected by the presence of armed men on both sides.
Valenti chuckled softly, tapping his cane against the floor. ""Well, well. The new matriarch herself. Mrs. Vance, did you come to pay your husband's debt, or did you come to watch him bleed?""
""Neither, Mr. Valenti,"" Claire said, looking directly at the mob boss. ""I came to inform you that the logistics codes in that briefcase are completely worthless.""
Julian panicked, grabbing the briefcase from Marcus. ""She’s lying! She doesn't have system access!""
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""I revoked Marcus’s administrator credentials four hours ago,"" Claire announced. ""And I transferred the entire port logistics contract to the federal port authority under a government protection charter. If you touch those codes, Mr. Valenti, Homeland Security will raid every container ship you have docked on the Eastern seaboard.""
Valenti’s smile vanished instantly. He turned slowly toward Julian, his eyes turning to ice.
