Chapter 5 - Cornered at the Docks
The public humiliation at the gala was only the opening strike. By midnight, Marcus Vance had panicked, ordering his private security team to move David and the remaining embezzled funds out of the city via a private yacht anchored at Pier 14.
A thunderstorm was rolling across the bay, whipping whitecaps against the wooden pilings as Audrey stood beside Roman on the observation catwalk of Vale Warehouse 7.
"You shouldn't be out here in the open," Roman warned, pulling his trench coat tighter around her shoulders to shield her from the stinging mist.
"This is my work, Roman," she said, looking through a set of military-grade night-vision binoculars at the yacht loading dock below. "David has the hard drives that contain my digital stamp. If those drives hit the open water, Vance’s attorneys can claim plausible deniability, and the state board will revoke my structural engineering license for gross negligence."
"Those drives will never leave this harbor," Roman promised, his voice dropping into that chilling, lethal register that reminded her of who he was. "Dante has disabled the vessel's starboard propeller. They are stranded."
Suddenly, a volley of sharp cracks echoed through the rain. Gunfire.
Audrey gasped as Roman grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down behind the reinforced steel railing of the catwalk. His body shielded hers completely, his chest pressed against her back, his heartbeat steady and utterly unhurried despite the chaos below.
"Stay down," he commanded softly against her hair.
"Roman, your men—"
"My men are professionals. Vance's hired guns are amateurs." Roman pulled a sleek black semi-automatic pistol from his shoulder holster with calm, practiced fluidity. "Keep your eyes on the gangway."
Through the rain, Audrey saw David running frantically across the slick dock, clutching a silver aluminum briefcase to his chest. Behind him, Chloe was stumbling in her high heels, weeping and screaming for him to wait. Without a backward glance, David pushed Chloe violently to the ground, kicking open the yacht's cabin door and locking it from the inside.
"He left her," Audrey whispered, a bitter taste filling her mouth. "Just like he left me. The moment the water rises, he throws everyone overboard to save himself."
"That is the nature of cowards," Roman said, his hand gripping her shoulder with reassuring warmth. "They mistake betrayal for intelligence. But the harbor always takes its toll."
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Roman whistled sharply into his radio. Floodlights ignited across the dock, turning midnight into harsh, blinding daylight. Three heavy armored trucks bearing the Vale Freight insignia tore across the pier, boxing the yacht against the retaining wall.
David emerged from the cabin with his hands raised, shaking violently, the silver briefcase clattering against the wet timber.
