Chapter 6 - Showdown at the DocksThe rain had turned into a torrent by the time they reached the industrial shipping docks along Lake Michigan. Fog rolled off the black water, heavy and thick, wrapping around stacks of rusted shipping containers like ghosts.
Lucas had assembled his most loyal lieutenants—a tactical squad of six men in black gear, led by Victoria. They moved silently through the labyrinth of containers toward Pier 14, where a massive, unlit cargo ship sat docked.
"Marko’s personal guards are patrolling the perimeter," Victoria reported in a whisper, checking her night-vision scope. "At least ten men. Marko is inside the main office building on the dock, supervising the data transfer."
"We hit them fast and hard," Lucas ordered. "Victoria, take three men and cut their comms and power grid. The rest of you, flush out the guards on the perimeter. Hannah stays in the armored SUV."
"No," Hannah said immediately, sitting in the back of the SUV. "If Marko is downloading that file, he needs the physical micro-SD card's hardware ID to bypass the final encryption firewall. Michael told me about hardware tokens once when he was 'studying.' If he realizes he doesn't have the physical card, he'll purge the system and destroy the evidence linking him to the murders!"
Lucas looked at her, his brow furrowed. "How do you know that?"
"Because Michael's journal notes on the card mentioned a hardware trap," she explained, her voice firm. "If anyone tries to force the decryption without the physical card present in the terminal, it triggers an auto-delete sequence. If Marko destroys it, you'll never have the evidence to bring down his network or prove he killed Michael!"
Lucas cursed under his breath. "You're too smart for your own good, Miss Collins." He looked at her intently, weighing the risk. "You stay right beside me. If a single bullet flies near you, you drop to the ground. Understand?"
"Understood."
Moments later, the dock plunged into total darkness as Victoria cut the power. Shouts of confusion echoed through the fog.
Pfft! Pfft!
Silenced gunshots cut through the night as Lucas’s team eliminated the exterior guards with surgical precision. Lucas grabbed Hannah's hand, his grip tight and reassuring, guiding her through the darkness toward the glowing window of the dockmaster’s office.
They breached the door just as a backup generator kicked in, flooding the office with harsh fluorescent light.
Marko Krasniqi—a ruthless, middle-aged man with a scarred face and cold grey eyes—turned away from a laptop terminal, reaching for his weapon.
"Don't even think about it, Marko," Lucas said, aiming his pistol squarely at Marko's chest.
Marko froze, his hands hovering over his desk. His eyes darted from Lucas to Hannah, spotting the silver locket resting against her sweater. A cruel, yellow-toothed smile spread across his face.
"Lucas Valentasi," Marko sneered in a thick accent. "Come to join your foolish little brother? He died begging for mercy, you know."
Lucas’s eyes turned to liquid ice, but before he could react, Hannah stepped forward, her voice ringing out with fierce authority.
"He never begged you for anything, Marko," Hannah said, her eyes flashing with pure defiance. "And you're out of time. Look at your screen."
Marko glanced at the laptop. Red warning text was flashing across the display: HARDWARE TOKEN REQUIRED. PURGE SEQUENCE INITIATED: 30 SECONDS.
"What did you do?!" Marko spat, panicking as he tried to smash keys on the board.
"Michael set a trap for you two years ago," Hannah said coldly. "He knew if you ever killed him and stole his data, you'd eventually try to decrypt it. The moment your mole sent you that file tonight, it started a countdown. You didn't win, Marko. You walked right into Michael's final revenge."
"You little bitch!" Marko screamed, pulling a hidden derringer from his sleeve.
BANG.
Lucas fired before Marko could raise the weapon. The bullet struck Marko in the chest, knocking him backward over his desk. He crashed to the floor, coughing blood, as the laptop screen turned black, displaying a final message: ALL DATA BRODCAST TO FEDERAL AUTHORITIES.
Outside, sirens blared in the distance—dozens of them, approaching from every direction. Victoria stepped into the room, holding a satellite phone.
"Federal agents just raided Krasniqi’s headquarters in downtown Chicago," Victoria reported, a triumphant smile on her face. "The automated broadcast hit the FBI's crime task force five minutes ago. His entire empire is being dismantled as we speak."
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Lucas stood over Marko, watching the light fade from the mobster's eyes. The war was over. Michael was finally avenged.
He turned slowly to Hannah. She was shaking, the adrenaline fading, leaving her exhausted and overwhelmed. Lucas walked over, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her tight against his chest. For the first time in two years, Hannah felt safe.
