Chapter 6 - The Trap at the Docks
By ten the next morning, the storm had cleared, leaving Chicago beneath a cold, crisp blue sky.
Inside the tactical war room on the estate's lower level, Dominic, Leo, and Beatatrice stood around a massive digital map of the Chicago riverfront. Beatatrice was dressed in a sleek black trousers suit provided by Dominic’s personal buyer, her dark hair pulled back into a sharp, professional ponytail.
“Mateo’s secondary shell company, Blue Wave Logistics, has a container ship docking at Pier 42 at midnight,” Beatatrice explained, pointing her tablet at the screen. The financial tracking lines flashed red across the screen. “According to these shipping manifests, the ship is officially carrying auto parts from South America. But if you look at the displacement weight on the customs declaration, the ship sits four feet deeper in the water than auto parts would cause.”
“Heavy artillery,” Leo muttered, leaning over the table with fresh respect in his eyes. “He’s smuggling high-grade weaponry for the Moretti family to use in a takeover.”
“And he’s using your company’s fuel tax exemptions to clear customs without inspection,” Beatatrice added, looking at Dominic. “If the feds intercept that ship under your company’s banner, you go to prison for life, and Mateo walks away with eighty million in Moretti cash.”
Dominic stood with his hands resting on his belt, his eyes fixed on the map. A lethal calm settled over his face.
“Then we intercept it first,” Dominic stated. “Leo, take twenty men and secure the dock perimeter at eleven tonight. We don't call the police. We take the cargo, secure Mateo, and erase his network.”
“I’m coming with you,” Beatatrice said immediately.
Dominic turned his gaze toward her, his eyebrows drawing together. “No. It’s too dangerous. Pier 42 is an open battleground if Mateo’s men open fire.”
“You need someone on-site to override the encrypted manifests on the ship’s terminal,” she argued, stepping toe-to-toe with him. “If Mateo realizes he’s trapped, he’ll press a wipe-switch on the server. If that server wipes, you lose the digital proof linking him to Moretti, and his lawyers will have him out of custody in two hours. I’m the only one who knows how to bypass his dead-man switch.”
Dominic stared at her, his jaw clenching tightly. Every protective instinct in his body screamed at him to lock her in the estate’s vault where no bullet could ever touch her. But looking into her fierce, intelligent eyes, he realized she wasn't a woman who stayed in vaults. She was his partner.
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“Fine,” Dominic gritted out, reaching out to grasp the nape of her neck, pulling her close for a swift, possessive kiss in front of his entire tactical team. “You come. But you stay inside the armored vehicle behind Leo and four guards until I personally clear the deck. Do you hear me?”
“Loud and clear, boss,” Beatatrice smiled softly, her heart leaping at the fierce devotion in his command.
