Chapter 6 - The Waterfront Trap
The tires of Maya’s sedan crunched loudly over the loose gravel outside warehouse 4b, the sound echoing sharply against the cavernous, rusting metal walls of the abandoned shipping facility. The waterfront was pitch black, save for a single flickering overhead sodium light that cast a sickly, jaundiced glow over the yard. Maya shifted the car into park, leaving the engine running and the headlights cutting a stark beam through the damp, salty fog rolling in from the bay. She checked her phone one last time; the screen was dead silent, the battery icon flashing a warning red. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she pushed the car door open and stepped out onto the cold asphalt, pulling her jacket tightly around her shoulders.
“I’m here!”
Maya called out into the empty space, her voice sounding small and fragile against the vast emptiness of the docks.
“Show yourself!”
A heavy metal door near the side of the warehouse groaned open on rusted hinges, revealing a narrow sliver of yellow light spilling out from the interior. A figure stepped through the threshold, silhouetted against the dim interior bulbs. It wasn’t a towering goon in a trench coat, and it certainly wasn’t Page. As the person walked closer into the pool of the overhead sodium light, Maya’s jaw dropped in absolute shock. It was Ethan, Page’s ex-fiancé, a man the family hadn’t seen in over two years since the disastrous, canceled wedding that had nearly fractured the family for good.
“Ethan?”
Maya whispered, lowering her guard just enough to take a cautious step forward.
“What are you doing here? Did you send that text?”
Ethan stopped a few feet away, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his heavy canvas jacket. His face looked worn, weathered by late nights and relentless stress, but his eyes were sharp and intensely focused. He looked around nervously before meeting Maya’s gaze, his breath pluming in the freezing air.
“Keep your voice down,”
Ethan warned, stepping closer so he wouldn’t have to shout.
“If the guys tracking Page hear you, we won’t last five minutes out here in the open.”
Maya crossed her arms, her skepticism flaring instantly, overriding her initial surprise.
“You expect me to just trust you, Ethan? You walked out on my sister two years ago, left us all dealing with the fallout of your broken engagement, and now you lure me out to a deserted dock in the middle of the night? Where is Page?”
Ethan let out a dry, humorless laugh, shaking his head as he pulled a small flash drive from his pocket and held it up between two fingers.
“I didn’t walk out on her, Maya. I ran away because I finally figured out what she was doing. Page didn’t just gamble away her own money; she was running a massive scam using my business identity, and she tried to pin federal wire fraud on me before I caught her in the act.”
Maya stared at the small piece of plastic, her mind struggling to process the staggering weight of his accusation.
“That’s impossible,”
Maya countered defensively, though a cold dread was already curling in her stomach.
“Page told us you ruined her life. She said you stole from her accounts.”
“She lied,”
Ethan said fiercely, stepping right up to her, his voice dropping to an urgent, trembling whisper.
“This flash drive contains every single transaction, every fake identity she used, and the names of the dangerous people she owes money to. And right now, those people think I have the master decryption keys to her offshore accounts. If they find me, they’ll kill me. And if they find Page first, they’ll kill her, too.”
May you like
Before Maya could demand proof, the sharp roar of an engine cut through the night air, followed instantly by the blinding glare of high-beam headlights sweeping directly across the yard toward them.
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