Chapter 6 - The Shadows of the Port
The rain stopped completely by sunrise, leaving a thick, grey fog hanging over the waterfront district of Haven Point.
The old industrial piers stretched out into the dark waters of the harbor like rusted fingers. Old brick warehouses, abandoned shipping containers, and overgrown chain-link fences dominated the landscape—the very land Elena’s project was designed to transform into parks, housing, and community centers.
Elena stood near the edge of Pier 14 wearing a heavy tan trench coat and work boots, holding a yellow hard hat under her arm. Beside her, Mara was setting up a surveying tripod.
A black SUV pulled up onto the gravel lot behind them.
Dante stepped out, accompanied by Marcus. Dante’s eyes swept the misty docks with a practiced, predatory caution before he walked over to where Elena was standing.
"You should have waited for my escort before coming down here this early," Dante said, pulling his leather gloves tighter around his fingers.
"The preliminary soil testing team arrives at seven," Elena said, looking out over the water. "I wanted to see the site before the construction equipment rolled in." She looked at him curiously. "What was that text message you received last night?"
Dante glanced at Marcus, who nodded once and stepped back to monitor the road.
"Haven Point isn't just cheap industrial land, Elena," Dante explained, his voice dropping into a serious tone. "For forty years, those deep-water docks were used by the Moretti family’s old rivals—the Vance syndicate."
Elena froze. "The Vance family? I thought their firm went bankrupt ten years ago."
"Their public firm did," Dante said. "But Victor Vance kept the underlying land deeds through offshore trust accounts. When the city announced the public eminent domain purchase for your redevelopment project, Victor lost his primary smuggling route into the north harbor."
Elena felt a sudden chill that had nothing to do with the morning fog. "So Julian wasn't just trying to steal my project for money?"
"Julian was a puppet," Dante said grimly. "Victor Vance financed Julian’s bid. Julian was supposed to win the contract, build superficial housing on the surface, and leave the deep-water access docks under private Vance management."
Before Elena could respond, the heavy rumble of a diesel engine echoed through the fog.
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A large silver pickup truck pulled onto the gravel pier, blocking the exit road behind Dante’s SUV. Three men in heavy coats stepped out of the truck, led by a tall, lean man with slicked-back grey hair and a long scar running down his left cheek.
Victor Vance.
