Chapter 13 - The Edge of the Pier
The rain hammered against the corrugated roof of the drydock shed like a firing squad. Arthur Vance stepped across the threshold, shaking water from his dark trench coat. Behind him, the four armed contractors fanned out, blocking the only exit to the gravel lot.
“Give me the box, Julian,” Arthur said calmly, his voice almost polite amidst the storm. “You’ve always been romantic, just like your father. Believing that pieces of paper signed with love mean anything against institutional power.”
Julian closed the lid of the metal lockbox, resting his palm flat against the cold steel. “You let Clara die in that filth so you could claim this port uncontested.”
“Clara was stubborn,” Arthur replied without a shred of remorse. “She refused three separate offers to sign over the drydock rights. She thought keeping this land would bring you back. She died for a fantasy.”
From the shadows of the rear workbench, Emma let out a quiet whimper. Arthur’s eyes shifted toward the child, his expression hardening. “The girl shouldn't have come here. She complicates the probate timeline.”
Elena stepped out from behind Julian, placing herself directly between Arthur and the little girl. “Touch that child, Arthur, and my father won't be able to save you from federal prison.”
Arthur chuckled, a dry, grating sound. “Your father? Marcus signed off on the liquidation an hour ago, Elena. He’s already boarding a private flight to Grand Cayman. You two are standing on an unregistered pier during a torrential coastal gale. Industrial accidents happen in places like this all the time.”
The lead contractor stepped forward, reaching for Julian’s collar.
Julian didn't hesitate. He swung the heavy steel lockbox with both arms, catching the contractor flush across the jaw with a sickening crack. The man dropped to the oil-stained floor. Julian grabbed Emma with one arm and pulled Elena toward the secondary fire exit at the back of the shed.
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“Shoot the lock!” Arthur yelled behind them.
A gunshot cracked through the shed, shattering a stack of glass jars on the workbench, showering the floor with sparks and shards as Julian kicked the rusted rear door open into the roaring blackness of the storm.
