Chapter 5 - THE SHIPYARD TRAP
The massive iron gates of Pier 42 hung crookedly.
Rust flaked off like dried blood in the wind.
Evander killed the SUV's headlights a hundred yards out.
The rain fell in deafening sheets against the metal roof.
Inside the vehicle, the air was thick with tension.
Daisy stared through the rain-streaked windshield.
The warehouse looked like a gargantuan skeletal beast.
Only a single flickering yellow bulb burned above the side door.
"Stay in the car," Evander instructed, reaching for his holster.
"If I don't come out in twenty minutes, call Viktor."
"No," Daisy said firmly, unbuckling her seatbelt.
"You need someone who knows medical trauma."
"If your son is inside and injured, you can't do this alone."
Evander stared at her for a long, calculating moment.
He saw no fear in her young eyes. Only grim resolve.
"Fine," he muttered, opening his door.
"Stay behind me. Step where I step."
They sprinted across the muddy expanse toward the side door.
The wind whipped their clothes against their shivering bodies.
Evander kicked the wooden door open with a deafening crash.
Dust and old sea salt filled their lungs instantly.
Inside, the cavernous space was filled with rusted shipping containers.
Shadows danced grotesquely under the swinging yellow light.
"Graham!" Evander's voice bellowed through the warehouse.
It echoed off the corrugated metal walls like thunder.
No answer came immediately.
Only the rhythmic dripping of rainwater from the roof.
*Drip. Drip. Drip.*
Then, a slow, mocking chuckle emerged from the upper catwalk.
"Welcome home, Evander," a raspy voice called out.
Graham stepped into the faint glow of the upper landing.
He was an older man with silver hair and cold, dead eyes.
He wore an expensive trench coat covered in dark stains.
In his right hand, he held a detonator with a blinking red light.
"You took your sweet time," Graham mocked.
"I thought Marceline would keep you busy longer."
Evander's hand hovered over his firearm.
"Where is Leo?" he demanded, his voice trembling slightly.
"Where is my son?"
Graham smiled, leaning against the metal railing.
"Your son is right where you left him in your nightmares."
"Safe, sound, and completely out of your corrupt reach."
"You destroyed my family twenty years ago, Evander."
"I took yours to balance the ledger."
Daisy scanned the dark corners of the lower warehouse floor.
Her medical training kicked in despite the adrenaline spike.
She noticed a muffled sound coming from a large container.
A rhythmic tapping against the inner metal wall.
*Tap. Tap. Tap-tap-tap.*
Morse code? No, just frantic childish panic.
Evander heard it too. His head whipped toward the container.
"Leo!" Evander shouted, taking a step forward.
"Don't move!" Graham screamed, raising the detonator higher.
"One step closer and this entire pier goes up in flames."
"Including your precious little boy inside that steel box."
Evander froze, every muscle in his body rigid as steel.
"Let him go, Graham," Evander growled.
"Kill me. Take my entire empire."
"Just let the boy walk out of here."
Graham laughed, a harsh, grating sound.
"Your empire belongs to Marceline and me now."
"And soon, it will all be ashes."
He pressed his thumb against the blinking red button.
The timer on the wall jumped from 0:45 to 0:44 seconds.
Daisy's eyes widened in sheer terror.
She didn't hesitate. She lunged toward the control panel.
Located on the rusted pillar beside the shipping container.
"Daisy, no!" Evander yelled, lunging forward.
May you like
Graham snarled and slammed his thumb down hard.
[CLIFFHANGER: The countdown hit zero with a deafening click, but instead of an explosion, a blinding white light flooded the warehouse from every angle.]
