Chapter 9 - The Silent Beacon
Shen ripped the small electronic tracker from the hem of Leo’s coat, crushing the delicate circuitry under his boot against the wet deck. He realized with cold clarity that the men in the sedans had not been guessing their path; they had tracked them from the moment Elena left her apartment that morning. The ferry had already entered open water, cutting off any possibility of a casual retreat or calling for public transport without exposing the child to crossfire. They were sailing straight into a prepared trap at the distant terminal.
Elena’s face drained of color as she watched the crushed plastic fragments wash away into the harbor's churning wake. Shen instructed her to take Leo and hide inside the lower engine compartment the moment the ferry docked. He knew the wharf at Manly would already be crawling with Victor’s enforcers, waiting to close the net around them. As the ferry’s horn blasted through the fog, signaling its approach to the pier, Shen tightened his silk sash, knowing the fight ahead could not be avoided with speed alone.
