Chapter 5 - The Trap at the WarehouseTwo weeks later, my ribs had healed enough for me to move without wincing, and my facial bruising had faded to a faint yellowish hue. But the atmosphere inside Dante’s estate had grown tense and electric.
Intelligence reports gathered by Elena and Dante’s tactical teams pointed to a single location: Pier 42 at the abandoned industrial harbor on the south bank of the Chicago River—Julian Vance’s old stamping ground.
It was a trap. Everyone in the estate knew it. Julian was waiting for Dante to walk right into an ambush.
It was 11:00 PM when I heard the low, rumbling roar of armored SUVs idling in the courtyard. I stood by the second-floor window of my suite, watching Dante and his elite tactical team gear up in heavy tactical vests and sidearms.
Dante looked up toward my window, as if sensing I was watching. He didn't wave. He just stared up for a long moment before turning away and climbing into the lead vehicle.
Ten minutes later, the convoy rolled out through the iron gates.
I waited three minutes. Then I walked over to the desk, picked up my encrypted burner phone, and dialed a number I had memorized from the corporate ledger months ago.
“Elena,” I said when she answered on the first ring. “It’s Harper. I know where Dante is going, and I know how Julian plans to spring the trap.”
“Harper, stay out of this,” Elena snapped over the line. “Dante explicitly ordered you to remain at the estate under guard.”
“Dante is walking into a sniper crossfire at Pier 42,” I replied, my voice hard and steady. “Julian doesn't just want to kill Dante; he’s rigged the old administrative office with explosives to blow the entire pier into the river. If Dante walks in there without knowing the building’s structural layout, he won't make it out.”
There was a tense silence on the other end of the line.
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“Where are you?” Elena asked grimly.
“In the garage,” I said. “Starting Dante’s personal backup car. Meet me at the south gate in five minutes.”
