Chapter 9 - The Pier
Dominic left Marcus unconscious on the hallway floor, bound tightly with heavy zip ties.
He drove furiously toward Pier 39, the black leather ledger burning a hole in his pocket.
The pier was abandoned, rotting wooden planks jutting out into the freezing, black water of the river.
A single floodlight illuminated a warehouse at the end of the dock.
Dominic stepped out of his vehicle, walking slowly into the circle of light with his hands empty.
Arthur Vance walked out of the warehouse, flanked by six heavily armed mercenaries.
Elena and Sofia were kneeling on the wet wooden planks, shivering in the freezing wind.
Elena looked up at Dominic, her face pale as a ghost, but she nodded bravely.
"You actually brought it," Arthur sneered, his eyes fixated on the bulge in Dominic's jacket.
"I am a man of my word," Dominic said, his voice carrying clearly over the crashing waves.
"Let them walk to the car, and I will throw the book to you."
Arthur waved his hand dismissively, and the guards stepped away from the hostages.
Elena grabbed Sofia's hand and stood up unsteadily, limping toward Dominic.
As she passed him, she whispered two words so softly that only he could hear.
"The roof."
Dominic pulled the ledger from his jacket and tossed it high into the air toward Arthur.
As all eyes followed the book, Dominic drew his weapon with lightning speed.
He fired three shots, taking down the guards closest to Arthur in a spray of blood.
At the exact same moment, sniper fire rained down from the warehouse roof.
Elias, the loyal driver Dominic thought had betrayed him, was providing covering fire from above.
The entire courtyard erupted into absolute, terrifying chaos.
Arthur screamed as a bullet shattered his shoulder, dropping the ledger into a deep puddle.
Dominic grabbed Elena and Sofia, shoving them roughly behind a stack of metal shipping crates.
He returned fire relentlessly, watching Arthur's remaining men fall one by one.
The element of surprise and the brutal precision of his attack devastated the enemy forces.
Within two minutes, the gunfire stopped completely, leaving only the sound of groaning men.
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Dominic walked over to Arthur, who was crawling desperately toward the fallen ledger.
Dominic placed his heavy boot on Arthur's hand, crushing his fingers into the wet wood.
