Massive rusted containers tower around us like metal graves blocking out half the moonlight while the smell of saltwater, gasoline, and decay clings heavy in the cold night air. Somewhere nearby, water crashes violently against the docks beneath us.
Every instinct in my body screams danger the second we pull in.
“You feel that?” I mutter quietly while climbing out of the SUV.
Stone shuts the driver side door slower this time, eyes already scanning shadows. “Yeah.”
Too quiet. Way too fucking quiet.
No music. No engines. No voices waiting for the shipment exchange. Just silence. The kind that gets people killed.
Bianca checks the safety on her gun beside me. “I hate this already.”
“As long as you shoot straight, Babygirl,” Asher mutters while pulling an AK from the trunk.
“Eat my ass.”
“Cough, Stone’s job. Cough,” Asher fires back, and my eyes widen while trying to hide my smirk.
Stone ignores both of them, tension hardening his entire body. “Get the cash and move fast. If this feels wrong, we bail.”
“It already feels wrong. What more do you need?” I say. This is supposed to be simple. Quick cash grab and we out.
We move carefully between shipping containers toward the designated drop point. Gravel crunches beneath our boots while the wind whistles through the metal corridors around us, sounding almost human.
Something just doesn’t feel right and I hate it. Every second of this.
“Where the fuck are they?” Bianca mutters.
Then I hear it. A click. Tiny. Metallic.
Behind us.
“Stone—”
The first gunshot explodes through the yard before I can finish speaking. Chaos detonates instantly.
“DOWN!” Stone roars as bullets ricochet off metal around us, showering sparks through the darkness while shadows emerge from every direction armed to the fucking teeth.Ambush. Fuck!
I dive behind a container just as another bullet screams past my head, close enough I physically feel the heat from it. Metal erupts beside my face, causing my ears to ring instantly. My pulse pounds violently while Bianca drops beside me already firing back and cursing like a sailor. “This is why I hate teamwork!”
Three men rush us from the left side corridor. Asher appears out of nowhere, dropping the attackers with brutal efficiency.One drops instantly. Another stumbles backward clutching his throat while blood sprays between his fingers.
The third keeps coming anyway.Jesus Christ.
Stone meets him head-on before slamming the guy into a container hard enough to dent the fucking metal. Bones crack loudly when he drives his elbow into the attacker’s face.
More gunfire erupts. Way too many. We’re outnumbered so badly.
“MOVE!” Asher yells, grabbing my arm, yanking me across the loading yard while bullets shred through crates beside us.
Everything becomes noise and violence.
Men screaming. Metal clanging. Gunfire echoing endlessly through the maze of containers.
Somebody’s truck suddenly explodes near the docks, sending flames roaring into the night sky. Heat slams against my skin while smoke curls thick through the yard.
“We’re pinned!” Bianca screams.
