Chapter 6 - Iron and Silk
The rain began to fall at 4:30 AM, slicking the cobblestones and rusty shipping containers of Pier 19 with a cold, greasy sheen.
A quarter-mile out, parked beneath the shadow of a rusted grain silo, sat a matte-black utility van. Inside, the ambient light came entirely from two portable tactical displays.
Damien was pulling a dark Kevlar vest over his sweater, his movements calculated and precise. Beside him, Vanessa was adjusting the straps of a low-profile chest rig holding four spare magazines and a tactical knife with a blackened blade.
"I don't like you being in the primary breach position," Damien said, his voice rough as he adjusted his weapon light. "If Vance recognizes you—"
"If Vance sees me, he'll think I'm dead or captured," Vanessa interrupted softly, reaching over to help him tighten the left shoulder strap of his vest where his wound was. "Vance knows what I used to be, Damien. He knows Vesper doesn't leave loose ends. That works to our advantage."
Damien caught her hand as she finished with the strap. He pulled her closer, his dark eyes fierce in the dim light of the van.
"For three years, I thought my job was to keep you safe from the monsters in the dark," Damien said, his thumb pressing against her pulse point. "I spent nights waking up in a cold sweat worrying that someone would figure out who my wife was and use her against me."
Vanessa leaned in, resting her chin against his chest, feeling the steady, powerful thud of his heart. "And now?"
"Now," Damien murmured, his lips brushing against her temple, "I almost feel sorry for Marco Vance."
May you like
Vanessa let out a quiet chuckle, stepping back and pulling her tactical mask up over her jaw, leaving only her piercing grey eyes visible. "Keep your scope on the eastern catwalk. Vance always places his primary sniper on the high ground with a thermal sight. Once I take out the perimeter guard at the gate, you drop the sniper. Then we move together."
Damien racked his weapon slide with a deadly snap. "Lead the way, Mrs. Moretti."
