Chapter 8 - The Fire and the Vow
The shockwave of the explosion threw everyone to the wet concrete.
A massive shipping container fifty yards away erupted into a ball of blinding orange fire.
Debris rained down on the dock like burning hail.
Elena didn't think; she just moved.
She kicked open the door of the SUV and sprinted across the dark shipyard, gripping the iron fire poker tightly in her hands.
Julian was disoriented, struggling to his feet while clutching the leather ledger.
He had dropped his pistol in the blast.
Adrian was already moving, firing his weapon into the shadows where Julian's hidden snipers had been positioned.
Mia was sitting on the ground, covering her ears and screaming in sheer terror.
Julian saw Elena charging toward him and lunged for the little girl to use her as a shield.
Elena swung the heavy iron poker with every ounce of strength in her body.
The metal connected violently with Julian's knee.
Julian let out a roar of agony and collapsed, dropping the ledger into a puddle of dirty rainwater.
Elena threw herself over Mia, wrapping her body around the crying toddler to protect her from the flying bullets.
"I've got you, baby, Mommy's here," Elena sobbed, burying her face in Mia's hair.
Adrian appeared out of the smoke like an avenging demon.
He stood over Julian, pointing his rifle directly at the Russian's chest.
"This is for Daniel," Adrian growled.
He pulled the trigger three times.
Julian’s body went completely still on the wet concrete.
Adrian didn't stop to watch him bleed.
He bent down, scooped the ruined ledger out of the puddle, and grabbed Elena's arm.
"We have to move, now!" Adrian shouted over the roaring flames.
He dragged them back to the armored SUV just as police sirens began wailing in the distance.
Carlo slammed his foot on the gas, tearing out of the shipyard and disappearing into the labyrinth of Brooklyn side streets.
The car was silent except for Mia's soft whimpers.
Elena held her daughter tightly, rocking her back and forth in the backseat.
Adrian sat across from them, his expensive tuxedo ruined, covered in soot and blood.
He looked at Elena, his chest heaving as the adrenaline slowly began to fade.
"You could have been killed," Adrian said, his voice shaking with a terrifying vulnerability.
"I couldn't lose her," Elena whispered, kissing the top of Mia's head.
Adrian leaned forward in the dark cabin of the car.
He reached out and gently cupped Elena's dirt-streaked face.
"I won't let anything happen to either of you ever again," Adrian vowed, his thumb brushing across her cheek.
"I swear it on my life."
He leaned in and kissed her softly, a desperate, fierce promise sealed in the darkness.
But as he pulled away, Carlo's voice broke the silence from the driver's seat.
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"Boss," Carlo said, staring at the rearview mirror in absolute horror.
"Look behind us."
