Chapter 5 - The Secondary DockAt noon, the sun struggled to break through the heavy grey Chicago clouds as I walked back toward the secondary loading dock behind the shipping facility.
The area was isolated, flanked by towering rows of rusted cargo containers and humming industrial cooling units.
Hannah was leaning against a wooden crate, smoking a cigarette, her face tense. When she saw me approach, she quickly tossed the cigarette aside and gestured for me to step closer into the shadows.
“Jack, you shouldn't have come back today,” Hannah whispered urgently, her eyes darting toward the main warehouse doors. “Brent knows you recorded something on your phone. He overheard you talking to yourself by the pallet rack.”
“Brent doesn't know who he’s dealing with,” I replied calmly.
“You don't understand!” Hannah grabbed my arm, her fingers trembling slightly. “Brent isn't just a regular floor supervisor. He reports directly to Marcus’s private security detail. Last night after you left, I checked the personnel logs. Brent was fired from three other freight companies for union-busting and physical assault. Marcus brought him here specifically to silence anyone who asks too many questions.”
Before I could answer, a heavy steel door clanged open behind us.
Heavy, rhythmic footsteps echoed across the concrete.
Marcus Vale stepped out into the alleyway, flanked by Brent Voss and two men in heavy black suits wearing earpieces.
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Marcus wasn't wearing his usual corporate smile. His face was carved from cold, calculating stone.
“Well, well, well,” Marcus drawled, slipping his hands into the pockets of his tailored cashmere coat as he stopped ten feet away. “Jack Rowan. Or should I say... Jackson’s little administrative spy?”
