Chapter 8 - The Waterfront ShowdownMidnight at Pier 41 was a graveyard of rusting shipping containers and crashing black waves.
The rain had stopped, leaving a slick, reflective sheen over the concrete docks. In the center of the pier, illuminated by the harsh headlights of three idling black sedans, stood Salvatore, flanked by a dozen heavily armed Moretti thugs.
Opposite them stood Marco Moretti—a slick, sharp-suited man with a permanent sneer carved into his face.
"It’s done, Salvatore," Marco smirked, accepting a heavy leather briefcase filled with digital drives and financial ledgers. "With Dimitri dead and you running the syndicate from the shadows, our families will control the entire eastern seaboard."
"Just make sure my cut is wired to the offshore account by morning," Salvatore sneered, pocketing a cigar.
"Your cut will be a wooden box at the bottom of the bay," a cold, metallic voice echoed across the dark pier.
Salvatore spun around, dropping his cigar.
Emerging from the shadows between two towering shipping containers was Dimitri Sokolov. He wasn't bleeding anymore. His posture was upright, his suit immaculate, his eyes burning with absolute fury.
Beside him walked Lara Vance, clad in a tactical black turtleneck and combat boots, her hands tucked casually into her pockets. And flanking them, low to the ground and snarling like a demon from the underworld, was Tsar.
"D-Dimitri?" Salvatore stuttered, his face draining of all color. "How... you were dead! The hospital said—"
"The hospital lied," Dimitri said, his hand resting on his pistol holster. "And you, Salvatore, are a very poor accountant. You forgot to calculate treason tax."
Marco Moretti stepped forward, raising his weapon with a manic grin. "Doesn't matter! Kill them all! There's only two of them and a damn dog!"
"You forgot one detail, Marco," Lara said, stepping smoothly in front of Dimitri.
"And what’s that, nurse?" Marco laughed.
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Lara pulled a small, military-grade signal detonator from her pocket and pressed the red button.
KABOOM!
