Chapter 7: The Dock Trap
The warehouse reeked of salt, rust, and stale beer. I slipped through a broken side door, moving quiet as a shadow. Voices carried from the back—Victoria’s, sharp and angry, and a deep, rough voice I knew all too well: Julian Voss.
“Where’s the money?” Victoria snapped. “You said once we got him arrested, the full payout would hit my account today!”
“Patience, sweetheart.” Voss laughed. “First we make sure the girl stays quiet. She saw the letter—she knows too much. We can’t let her talk.”
My blood turned to ice. I crept forward, peering around a stack of shipping crates. Lily was tied to a metal chair, gagged, eyes red and swollen. Voss stood over her, holding a syringe.
“What’s in that?” Victoria asked, sounding just a little nervous.
“Something that’ll make any ‘confession’ she signs stick. And if she resists… well, accidents happen in places like this.”
I didn’t think. I lunged.
I hit Voss square in the chest, sending him stumbling back. The syringe clattered to the floor. Victoria screamed and grabbed a metal pipe from the table, swinging it straight at my head.
I ducked—but not fast enough. The edge caught my shoulder, sending white-hot pain shooting down my arm. As I fell to one knee, Voss pulled a gun from his jacket and pointed it right at Lily’s chest.
“One more move, Hale… and she’s gone before you blink.”
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