Chapter 7 - Fire on the Docks
A chaotic firefight erupted under the towering gantry crane.
The scarred mercenary used the heavy steel legs of the crane as cover, laying down suppressive fire that pinned Marcus behind a stack of wooden pallets. Bullets chipped away at the wood, showering splinters into the air.
"Daniel! I'm pinned!" Marcus yelled over the roar of gunfire.
Daniel knew he couldn't engage in a prolonged shootout. The diesel generator nearby was feeding fuel through a heavy rubber line directly into a portable heating unit inside the container holding Lily.
A stray bullet hit the generator’s fuel line.
SPARK!
A bright orange flame ignited along the gravel, crawling fast toward the rubber hose connected to the container.
"LILY!" Daniel screamed.
Ignoring the incoming gunfire, Daniel burst from cover, sprinting across the open gravel pit directly toward the flames.
The scarred mercenary turned his weapon toward Daniel, taking deliberate aim. "Die, cop."
Before he could pull the trigger, a heavy steel crowbar smashed into the side of the mercenary's head.
Marcus had circled through an adjacent container, sneaking up behind the gunman and delivering a devastating blow that knocked the mercenary unconscious onto the wet gravel.
"GO, DANIEL! GET THE KIDS!" Marcus roared, clearing the area and securing the drop weapon.
Daniel lunged across the burning gravel, ripping his heavy police jacket off and beating back the flames rising around the entrance of the shipping container. He scrambled inside the steel box, where smoke was already beginning to gather near the ceiling.
Lily was making muffled cries behind the heavy duct tape on her mouth, tears streaming down her pale cheeks.
"I've got you, Lily! I've got you!" Daniel promised, pulling a tactical folding knife from his belt and slicing through the ropes binding her wrists and ankles.
He carefully peeled the tape from her mouth.
Lily threw her tiny arms around Daniel’s neck, weeping hysterically against his shoulder. "Officer Daniel! I was so scared!"
"You're safe now, honey," Daniel whispered, lifting her into his arms and wrapping her in his fire-retardant vest. "I'm not letting anything happen to you."
He carried her out of the container into the cool morning air just as the diesel generator exploded in a ball of bright orange fire, sending black smoke billowing into the fog.
Across the gravel yard, Richard Sterling was frantically running toward the dock edge where a small motorboat was tied to a mooring cleat.
"Sterling!" Daniel yelled, setting Lily safely behind Marcus.
Sterling turned, pulling a small silver snub-nosed revolver from his coat pocket with trembling, desperate hands. "Stay back! I'll shoot! I swear to God I'll shoot!"
Daniel walked toward him, his gun leveled steadily at the attorney's forehead. His eyes were cold, relentless, and completely devoid of fear.
"Put it down, Richard," Daniel said, his voice cut through the sound of approaching police sirens wailing in the distance. "It's over. Arthur survived. Sarah survived. The evidence is secured. You failed."
Sterling looked from Daniel to the flashing red lights appearing through the fog at the terminal gate. His hands shook violently. The revolver slipped from his sweaty fingers, clattering onto the damp dock timbers.
Sterling fell to his knees, dropping his head into his hands, weeping in pathetic despair as SWAT officers flooded the yard, pinning him to the ground and pulling his arms behind his back.
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Daniel walked up, picked up Sterling’s fallen gun, and checked the safety.
"Richard Sterling," Daniel said as the steel cuffs clicked shut around the lawyer's wrists. "You're under arrest for attempted murder, kidnapping, extortion, and high treason."
