Chapter 5 - The Trap in the Docks
Clara’s tactical instinct proved deadly accurate.
The moment Adrienne’s assault team crossed the slick wooden planks of Pier 4, muzzle flashes erupted from the dark superstructure of the gantry crane above. High-caliber sniper rounds punched through the metal deck of the dock, forcing the Marquetti guards to take cover behind stacked wooden crates.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Suppressed automatic fire chewed through the air, tearing wooden splinters into the storm.
Inside the armored SUV, Clara watched through the reinforced glass as two Marquetti guards fell wounded on the rain-slicked pier. Adrienne was pinned behind an iron winch, returning fire up into the darkness of the crane, but the sniper held the high ground.
Over the radio console on the dashboard, a panicked voice crackled through the static: "Boss! The sniper has thermals! We can't advance on the boat without taking heavy casualties!"
Clara looked at the dashboard controls.
The lead vehicle was equipped with a heavy-duty industrial winch, a floodlight array, and an automated remote security barrier override. She had spent three weeks cleaning the interior of these tactical vehicles back at the estate garage—she knew every button on the console.
Clara slid into the front seat.
She fired the engine, slammed the heavy transmission into drive, and floored the accelerator.
The six-ton armored SUV roared forward, its massive off-road tires screaming against the wet asphalt. Clara slammed through the chain-link perimeter fence, driving the vehicle straight onto the wooden pier.
"Clara! What are you doing?!" Adrienne’s voice roared over her radio headset.
Clara didn't answer. She reached out and flipped the high-intensity halogen floodlight switch on the roof bar, aiming the three-thousand-lumen beams directly up into the framework of the gantry crane.
The blinding white light shattered the pitch-black darkness, illuminating the sniper hiding on the high catwalk. The gunman threw his hand up to shield his eyes from the sudden glare, his thermal scope completely blinded.
"Now, Adrienne!" Clara yelled through the open driver's window.
Adrienne didn't hesitate. He leaned out from behind the iron winch, aligned his crosshairs on the illuminated figure fifty feet above, and pulled the trigger twice.
The sniper tumbled forward over the metal railing, falling through the storm-swept air and crashing into the dark water below with a heavy splash.
"Advance!" Adrienne roared.
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The remaining Marquetti squad swarmed the deck of La Stella. Heavy boots thundered against the fiberglass hull, followed by the quick, rhythmic sound of breaching charges exploding against the cabin doors.
Ten seconds later, two guards dragged a soaking-wet, bleeding Aldo Falconee out onto the deck, kicking his legs out from under him until he crashed onto his knees in front of Adrienne.
