Chapter 6 - The Counter-Strike
The underground garage beneath the south docks smelled of damp concrete, diesel exhaust, and salt water.
The heavy armored Suburban idling in the center of the bay idled with a deep, muffled rumble. Marco stood by the rear door, an assault rifle slung across his chest, scanning the shadows with hawk-like intensity.
As Sully, Hollis, Posy, and Wynn hurried out of the stairwell, Marco rushed forward. “Boss, we’ve got company inbound. Two vans. They tracked our signal.”
“Vance is desperate,” Sully said, opening the door and helping Hollis and Posy inside, followed quickly by Wynn. Sully climbed in last, slamming the heavy door shut. “Marco, seal the garage gates. Let’s finish this tonight.”
Inside the armored cabin, Posy buried her face against Hollis’s shoulder, frightened by the heavy weapons and the tension in the air. Hollis wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter, her gaze meeting Wynn’s across the aisle.
“Are you alright?” Hollis asked softly.
Wynn nodded, her eyes fierce and determined. The fragile, broken girl from the alley was gone. In her place stood a woman who had discovered the truth, faced her worst fears, and decided she wasn't going to be a victim in someone else’s game.
“I’m not running anymore,” Wynn said quietly.
Sully sat in the front passenger seat, speaking rapidly into a secure radio. “All units, lock down the docks. Cut off every escape route. Vance thinks he can rob my empire and use my family to do it. Let’s show him what happens when a Castellano gets angry.”
Twenty minutes later, the Suburban screeched to a halt outside the grand administrative office of the Castellano Shipping Terminal—a towering glass-and-steel building overlooking the frozen river.
The building was dark, save for the penthouse office on the top floor, where a single amber light burned.
“Vance is up there,” Sully said, stepping out of the vehicle and checking the magazine of his customized Browning pistol. He looked back at Hollis and Wynn. “Stay in the vehicle. This is going to get ugly.”
“No,” Hollis said, stepping out of the Suburban right behind him, holding Posy’s hand firmly. “I’ve spent my whole life watching men like Vance hide behind closed doors while ordinary people pay the price. You’re not going up there alone.”
Sully stared at her, stunned by her audacity. A slow, grim smile touched his lips. “You really don't know how to stay out of trouble, do you, Mrs. Brennan?”
May you like
“Call it occupational hazard,” Hollis replied coolly.
Leaving Marco to secure the perimeter with the rest of the guard detail, Sully, Hollis, Wynn, and a pair of heavily armed enforcers moved into the lobby, breached the private elevator using Sully’s override code, and rocketed straight to the top floor.
