Chapter 5 - The Ambush at the Pier
The calm didn't last.
Two days later, what was supposed to be a secure transfer between Cross Maritime's private logistics terminal in Brooklyn and the Manhattan headquarters turned into a nightmare.
Damon had insisted I accompany him in the armored SUV rather than staying behind at the office. ""If things move, you move with me,"" he had stated simply. ""I don't trust anyone else with your life.""
We were crossing through an industrial corridor near the Red Hook piers when the sound of shattering glass and heavy impact tore through the afternoon quiet. A black utility truck slammed directly into the escort vehicle leading our convoy, spinning it across the wet asphalt.
""Ambush!"" Marcus roared from the front passenger seat, drawing his weapon in a single fluid motion. ""Down! Stay down!""
Automatic gunfire erupted, peppering the armored plating of our vehicle like a violent hailstorm. I gasped, terror paralyzing my limbs as the sound of ricocheting bullets echoed deafeningly against the steel frame.
Before I could scream, Damon’s massive frame slammed over mine, pinning me down across the leather back seat. He shielded my entire body with his own, using his broad shoulders and back as a human barricade against the windows.
""Damon!"" I cried out, my hands clutching his dress shirt in pure panic.
""I have you,"" he growled into my hair, his weight heavy and unyielding. ""Don't look, Elena. Keep your head down.""
The SUV lurched violently as our driver slammed the vehicle into reverse, the tires screeching against asphalt. Through the heavily tinted, bullet-cracked glass, I could see masked figures moving between shipping containers, muzzle flashes illuminating the grey afternoon sky.
Damon drew a sleek black firearm from his shoulder holster with terrifying precision. With his left arm holding me firmly against his chest, he lowered the bulletproof window just two inches and fired three controlled, deafening shots.
Two men collapsed in the distance.
""Clear the lane, driver! Ram the barricade!"" Damon barked, his voice steady, commanding, completely devoid of fear.
The SUV accelerated forward, slamming violently into a sedan that blocked the alley exit, pushing it aside with a brutal screech of crumpling metal. Marcus fired steadily out of the passenger side, neutralizing another attacker before the SUV broke free onto the main avenue, speeding toward the highway at ninety miles per hour.
Inside the vehicle, the sudden silence was deafening, broken only by my ragged gasps for air.
Damon slowly pulled back, his eyes frantically scanning every inch of my body. ""Elena. Look at me. Did anything hit you? Are you hurt?""
His hands moved over my shoulders, down my arms, checking for wounds with frantic desperation.
""I'm fine,"" I sobbed, the adrenaline finally giving way to shaking tears. ""I'm not hurt. Damon, you're bleeding!""
A crimson stain was spreading rapidly across the white sleeve of his dress shirt, soaking through the fabric near his shoulder where a stray round had grazed him through the lowered window gap.
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Damon barely glanced at the blood. Instead, he pulled my trembling face into his large hands and kissed my forehead with a fierce, possessive tenderness that shattered the last of my defenses.
""A scratch,"" he murmured against my skin, his chest heaving. ""As long as you're breathing, nothing else matters.""
