Chapter 8 - The Trap
High-powered tactical spotlights cut through the darkness of the silo, blinding Gabriel as three black SUVs roared into the building, blocking every exit.
Eight armed Blackridge security guards flooded out, weapons raised, taking positions behind concrete pillars.
Nolan Pike stepped out from the lead SUV, holding a heavy shotgun, a cruel, triumphant smile stretching across his face.
“Gabriel Moretti,” Pike called out, his voice echoing off the tin walls. “I should have known it was you at the pump. Only a Moretti would be stupid enough to interfere in Blackridge business.”
Gabriel did not raise his gun. He stood calmly in the center of the concrete floor, completely exposed beneath the bright lights.
“You shot an unarmed pregnant woman, Pike,” Gabriel said, his voice entirely devoid of fear. “You aren't a security director. You’re a dog on Julian Vance’s leash.”
Pike chuckled, stepping forward. “I’m a businessman who closes loose ends. Mercer gave you the duffel bag, didn't he?”
High above, Cole Mercer shrank back into the shadows of the catwalk, clutching the handrail in terror.
“Where is the girl, Moretti?” Pike demanded, racking his shotgun. “Tell me where you took Emma Whitaker, and I’ll let you walk out of here alive. Your family still has assets in this town. It would be a shame if those warehouses caught fire.”
Gabriel looked at Pike, a slow, cold smile touching his lips. “You think I came here alone?”
Pike blinked. “What?”
From the dark upper rafters of the silo, two red laser sights suddenly snapped into existence, painting bright red dots directly onto Nolan Pike’s forehead and chest.
Outside the silo, the roaring sound of heavy diesel engines echoed across the river bank.
Four massive commercial freight trucks—bearing the Moretti Logistics logo—plowed through the wooden perimeter gates, completely blocking Pike’s SUVs from behind, trapping all eight Blackridge guards inside the building.
Twenty heavily armed men in dark tactical gear stepped out from behind the freight trucks, sweeping their assault rifles across the Blackridge guards.
May you like
Pike’s face transformed from triumphant cruelty to absolute, paralyzed horror.
He had forgotten who Gabriel Moretti really was. Gabriel didn't just run shipping lines; he commanded a private regional security force that had dominated Bellhaven for twenty years.
