Chapter 14 - The Cannery Trap
At five forty-eight, rain began falling over the abandoned Vescari cannery on the Brooklyn waterfront.
The building had belonged to Giovanni’s father before anyone in the family had money worth stealing.
Rust streaked the loading doors.
Broken windows faced the river.
Emilio stood outside with the memory card in his jacket pocket.
Clarissa stood beside him.
“You’re not coming in,” he said.
“Yes, I am.”
“Adrian wants me.”
“Adrian wants leverage.”
“And you are leverage.”
“So are you.”
Emilio looked at her.
Rain ran down her face.
For years, he had thought Clarissa was fearless.
Now he understood she had simply learned to move while afraid.
“You lied to me from the day we met.”
“Yes.”
“You let me fall in love with a version of you that wasn’t real.”
“Yes.”
“And I still don’t know if I can forgive you.”
She swallowed. “I know.”
He opened the door.
“But I’m not letting you face him alone.”
Inside, lights snapped on one by one.
Adrian stood on a steel catwalk above the old packing floor.
Rafael was tied to a chair below him.
Teresa sat tied beside Rafael.
Clarissa gasped. “Teresa.”
The older woman lifted her head. “I’m all right.”
Rafael looked worse.
One eye was swollen shut.
Adrian smiled down at Clarissa.
“Little sister.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“You sound like Father.”
Rafael spat blood onto the floor. “You are no son of mine.”
Adrian laughed. “There. Exactly like that.”
Emilio pulled the card from his pocket. “You want this?”
Adrian’s smile faded.
“Toss it onto the conveyor.”
Emilio looked at the old belt stretching between them.
“No. Release Teresa first.”
“Why would I care about your housekeeper?”
“She’s not a housekeeper,” Clarissa said. “She’s family.”
Adrian tilted his head. “That word again.”
He pressed a remote.
The conveyor started.
“Card.”
Emilio set it on the belt.
It moved slowly toward Adrian.
Halfway across, every light in the cannery died.
Adrian shouted, “No!”
A red emergency flare ignited near the ceiling.
Giovanni’s voice came from the darkness.
“You keep kidnapping people connected to my wife. It is becoming rude.”
Gunfire erupted from the catwalk.
Emilio dropped.
Clarissa crawled toward Teresa.
Adrian fired blindly toward Giovanni’s voice.
Marco returned fire from behind an old machine.
Rafael kicked his chair sideways, knocking one guard into the conveyor.
Emilio ran for him.
“Hold still.”
“You are Giovanni’s idiot boy,” Rafael muttered.
“And you’re tied to a chair.”
“Fair.”
Emilio cut the ropes with a piece of broken metal.
Across the floor, Clarissa freed Teresa.
Adrian saw them.
He jumped from the lower catwalk and landed hard near the conveyor.
The memory card was three feet from his hand.
Lucia stepped from behind a support column holding a fire extinguisher.
She blasted him in the face.
Adrian screamed.
The card fell through a crack in the conveyor and vanished into the machinery.
“Lucia!” Emilio shouted.
She grinned through fear. “You’re welcome.”
Adrian wiped foam from his eyes and fired.
The shot struck Rafael in the chest.
Clarissa screamed, “Dad!”
Rafael collapsed.
Adrian grabbed Lucia around the neck and dragged her backward toward the river-side loading door.
Giovanni raised his weapon.
Adrian pressed a gun to Lucia’s temple.
“Put it down.”
Giovanni froze.
Emilio took one step forward.
Adrian smiled.
“Another step and your sister dies.”
Lucia met her father’s eyes.
Then she looked down.
Adrian followed her gaze.
Too late.
The old loading platform beneath them groaned.
A rusted support beam snapped.
The entire section of floor dropped toward the black river below.
The next chapters are on the left side of your screen.
May you like
If you enjoyed the story, bookmark my site: https://metro.treeiq.biz
New stories are posted daily, so check back for updates.
