Chapter 10 - Midnight at the Docks
The Chicago riverfront docks were shrouded in a thick,
eerie fog that rolled off Lake Michigan.
Meridian Freight’s Pier 42 was supposed to be inactive at midnight,
but tonight cargo cranes hummed quietly in the shadows.
Three heavy container ships sat docked along the pier,
their massive hulls groaning against the wooden pylons.
I stood in the shadows of warehouse seven,
watching through binoculars as a fleet of unmarked black trucks rolled through the security gates.
Men in tactical gear began unloading heavy crates stamped with diplomatic seals.
Contraband.
Enzo’s secret secondary revenue stream,
operating without my knowledge.
And overseeing the operation was none other than Assistant U.
S.
Attorney Thomas Vance himself.
He wore an expensive trench coat,
stepping out of a federal sedan with a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist.
Waiting for him on the loading dock was Vito Rossi’s remaining second-in-command,
a brutish enforcer named Marcus Kincaid.
“Where is Enzo?
” Vance demanded,
his voice carrying clearly across the damp concrete.
“Moretti locked him up in the headquarters sub-basement,
” Kincaid replied nervously.
“We need to accelerate the final shipment before Moretti discovers the rest of the offshore accounts.
” “Moretti won’t have time to discover anything,
” Vance sneered,
popping open his briefcase to reveal stacks of encrypted flash drives.
“I’ve already signed the federal seizure warrants for Meridian Freight.
” “By noon tomorrow,
federal agents will raid his penthouses,
freeze his assets,
and take control of the entire shipping empire.
” “And Enzo?
” “Enzo was a useful idiot,
” Vance scoffed.
“Once he takes the fall for the embezzlement,
he’ll spend the rest of his life in a supermax prison.
” “And we walk away with full control of the Chicago docks.
” I lowered my binoculars,
a cold,
calculated smirk touching my lips.
“Viktor,
” I whispered into my encrypted comm-link.
“Boss?
” “Trip the silent alarms.
” “Lock down every exit gate on Pier 42.
” “And let’s introduce the Assistant U.
S.
May you like
Attorney to the real rules of Meridian Freight.
”
