Chapter 6 - THE SHADOW OVER THE HARBOR
The low, rhythmic thrumming of a helicopter’s rotor blades echoed across the harbor, vibrating through the corrugated iron roof of Julian’s workshop. Beams of harsh white spotlight cut through the heavy rain outside, sweeping across the dark waters and rusted hulls of the dry dock.
"They found the truck," Julian growled, pulling a heavy tactical sweater over his head and strapping a leather dual-holster rig across his shoulders. "Reyes tracked the license plate from the alley camera. We have less than three minutes before his tactical team breaches the perimeter."
Clara grabbed Lily, pulling her down into the shadow of a heavy cast-iron lathe. "Where do we go, Julian? The harbor is completely surrounded."
Julian opened a trapdoor beneath a greasy wooden workbench, revealing a narrow, brick-lined ladder descending into darkness. "This is an old bootlegger tunnel from the 1920s. It runs four blocks inland, directly under the old fish market, and empties out near the abandoned subway line."
He handed Clara a heavy tactical flashlight and a loaded snub-nosed .38 revolver. Clara stared at the gun, her hand shaking as her fingers closed around the cold steel.
"I’ve never fired a gun in my life, Julian," she whispered.
"You don't need to be a marksman, Clara," Julian said, his eyes hard as flint as he loaded extra shotgun shells into his belt. "You just need to protect Lily. If anyone comes down that tunnel who isn't me, you pull that trigger until it clicks."
BOOM!
The workshop’s heavy front steel door buckled inward under the impact of a breaching charge. Sparks and thick gray smoke poured through the ceiling vents as flashbang grenades detonated inside the upper loft.
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"Go! Down the ladder! Now!" Julian barked, turning toward the door with his shotgun leveled.
Clara guided Lily onto the ladder, taking one last look at Julian as he took position behind a stack of steel engine blocks. As she pulled the heavy iron hatch closed over their heads, the thunderous roar of shotgun fire and automated rifle rounds shattered the quiet darkness above.
