Chapter 9: Ambush at the Marina
The meeting with the state health inspector was set for midnight at a derelict commercial marina on the industrial waterfront. The rain had slowed to a heavy, miserable mist that clung to the rusted container cranes and cast a sickly amber glow over the wet pavement. Dominic and I stepped out of the black SUV, our breath pluming in the damp air as we waited near the edge of the wooden pier.
"Inspector Davis should have been here ten minutes ago," Dominic muttered, his hand resting instinctively beneath his suit jacket near his holster.
Before I could answer, the beam of a high-intensity spotlight cut through the mist from the end of the pier. The roar of idling diesel engines rose from behind the stacked shipping containers. Armed figures in black tactical gear poured out from the shadows, their weapons raised.
"Trap!" Dominic shouted, throwing his arm around my waist and dragging me behind the concrete base of a crane just as a volley of suppressed gunfire chewed into the wooden decking above us. Splinters rained down like hail.
"They knew we were coming," I gasped, pressing flat against the cold concrete as the heavy thud of boots echoed closer.
"Internal leak," Dominic snarled, drawing his sidearm and returning fire with cold, calculated precision. Two of the attackers dropped behind a stack of pallets, but a third flanked our position.
A sharp crack split the air. Dominic grunted, stumbling back against the concrete wall as a bullet grazed his left shoulder, tearing through the fine fabric of his charcoal suit jacket. A dark stain began to spread across his shirt.
"You're hit," I said, my medical training overriding the chaos as I reached out to press my hand against the wound.
May you like
"It's nothing," Dominic ground out through clenched teeth, his eyes scanning the perimeter. "We have to move. Now."
Grabbing his good arm, I hauled him toward our SUV just as the engine roared to life. One of Dominic's loyal security men was behind the wheel, holding the passenger door open wide. We scrambled inside, tires screaming against the wet asphalt as we broke through their perimeter and vanished into the coastal fog.
