Chapter 5 - Shadows at Port 4
Thursday night arrived with a fierce coastal storm. Rain lashed against the shipping containers at Port 4, turning the gravel driveways into streams of black mud.
At 11:45 PM, three unmarked black vans pulled up to the outer perimeter fence. Twelve heavily armed men in dark tactical gear poured out, led by Carlo Valenti himself.
Using the security override codes provided by Victoria, Carlo bypassed the electronic security gate in seconds. The heavy steel doors slid open silently, granting them entry into the primary warehouse where the high-value cargo was held.
"Move fast!" Carlo barked over the radio. "We have twenty minutes before the guard shift rotates. Grab the crate marked 'A-12' and get out!"
The men rushed into the cavernous, pitch-black warehouse. Their flashlights cut through the darkness, illuminating stacks of heavy wooden shipping crates.
They reached the center of the bay. Sitting on a steel pallet was a single crate marked A-12.
Carlo grinned, stepping forward with a crowbar. "Easiest fifty million we ever made."
He jammed the crowbar under the lid and pulled with all his strength. The wood splintered and popped open.
Inside, there were no diamonds.
Sitting in the center of the empty crate was a single, worn porcelain doll with a blue dress and a single blinking red eye.
Carlo froze, his blood running cold. "What the..."
Suddenly, floodlights snapped on around the entire interior of the warehouse, blinding Carlo and his men. The harsh, brilliant white light illuminated thirty heavily armed Moretti security operators standing on the catwalks above, their rifles trained directly on the Valenti strike team.
The heavy steel doors behind them slammed shut with a deafening BOOM, locking them inside.
From behind a row of shipping containers walked Allesandro Moretti, flanked by Dominic and Mateo. He wore a heavy wool overcoat, completely dry, his eyes shining with lethal purpose.
"Looking for something, Carlo?" Allesandro’s voice echoed off the steel walls.
Carlo dropped his crowbar, his hands trembling as his men frantically looked around, realizing they were completely surrounded and outgunned.
"Moretti..." Carlo choked out, stepping back. "This... this is a mistake..."
"The mistake was touching my household," Allesandro said, stepping closer until he stood two feet away from the terrified enforcer. "Drop your weapons."
One of Valenti’s guards made the foolish mistake of lifting his submachine gun.
A single muffled THWIP rang out from the catwalks above, and the guard collapsed instantly to the floor, shot precisely through the chest.
The remaining eleven men immediately threw their weapons onto the concrete, dropping to their knees with their hands held high above their heads.
May you like
Allesandro picked up the porcelain doll from the wooden crate, holding it up by its yarn hair.
"Your niece sent her regards," Allesandro said coldly, handing the doll to Dominic. "Take them to the basement at the compound. Strip their communications. I want Don Valenti’s location verified within the hour."
