Chapter 9: The Ambush at the Gate
Adam placed Elena gently behind a row of heavy industrial laundry bins inside the dry threshold of the dock. He knelt down, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.
"Stay with me, Elena. Just five more minutes."
He grabbed a heavy iron fire extinguisher from the wall mount and slipped out the side door into the rain-swept darkness. The storm provided natural cover, the roar of wind drowning his footsteps as he circled behind the perimeter fence.
The two security guards were approaching his SUV, flashlights sweeping the tinted windows. Inside, Lily sat motionless, following his instructions to stay hidden below the window line.
"Clear the driver's side," one guard called out. "Vehicle is empty."
"Check the cargo area," the second replied, stepping toward the rear bumper.
Adam moved with absolute precision. Emerging from the shadow of an overgrown hedge, he swung the base of the fire extinguisher into the knee of the rear guard, bringing him down instantly onto the gravel before wrenching the contractor's taser from his tactical belt.
Before the second guard could turn his flashlight, Adam discharged the electrical prongs directly into his chest plate. The guard collapsed into the mud with a muffled grunt.
Victoria froze twenty feet away near her town car, her expensive umbrella slipping from her grasp into the puddle at her feet.
"Adam..." she stammered, stepping backward against the hood of her vehicle. "You don't understand the legal ramifications of what you're doing. She was declared dead by the state. You are interfering with—"
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"I don't care about your paperwork, Victoria," Adam said, his voice flat and terrifyingly calm as he stepped into the headlights. "It's over."
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