Chapter 7 - The Shipyard Shadow
Elena stared at the man loading weapons from his hidden safe.
"You and Daniel worked together?" Elena asked, her voice cracking with absolute betrayal.
Adrian didn't look at her as he strapped a tactical vest over his expensive tuxedo shirt.
"Daniel didn't just work for the Russians, Elena," Adrian said, his tone devoid of any emotion.
"He was a double agent."
"He sold information to me, and I paid him very well for it."
Elena felt the world spinning around her.
Her sweet, clumsy husband had been playing two of the deadliest crime syndicates in New York against each other.
"The Russians found out he was playing both sides," Adrian continued, finally turning to face her.
"That highway accident wasn't an accident."
"They cut his brakes because of me."
Elena slapped him.
The sound echoed sharply in the luxurious suite.
Her hand stung violently, but Adrian didn't even flinch.
He took the hit, his dark eyes staring down at her with a heavy, guilt-ridden sorrow.
"I am bringing your daughter back," Adrian promised softly.
"Stay here and lock the door."
He turned and marched out of the suite, leaving Elena completely alone in the massive room.
But Elena was a mother.
She was not going to sit in a golden cage while her three-year-old daughter was held at gunpoint.
She ran to the walk-in closet and stripped off the heavy emerald gown.
She pulled on a pair of dark jeans, a black sweater, and a pair of sturdy boots.
She grabbed a heavy iron fire poker from the marble fireplace and slipped out into the hallway.
She managed to sneak into the back of Carlo's armored SUV just before the security team sped away from the estate.
The drive to the abandoned Brooklyn shipyard took twenty agonizing minutes.
The SUV parked in the shadows of a rusted cargo crane.
Elena peeked through the tinted windows as Adrian and four of his men stepped out into the freezing rain.
Standing in the center of the empty concrete dock was Julian.
He was holding Mia by the arm.
Mia was crying loudly, reaching her little hands out toward Adrian.
"Do you have the ledger, Moretti?" Julian shouted over the sound of the rain.
Adrian held up the leather notebook.
"Let the girl go, Julian," Adrian ordered, stepping forward.
Julian smiled, pulling a pistol from his coat and aiming it directly at Mia's head.
"Toss the book first," Julian countered.
Adrian didn't hesitate.
He threw the heavy leather ledger across the wet concrete.
It slid perfectly to a stop right at Julian's expensive shoes.
Julian bent down to pick it up, his eyes leaving Adrian for a fraction of a second.
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That was all Adrian needed.
But before Adrian could draw his weapon, a massive explosion ripped through the shipyard.
