Chapter 4 - The River's Secret
The rain turned into a torrential downpour as Damian’s convoy arrived at the river estate. The old Victorian boathouse was already half-consumed by red-orange flames, casting violent shadows across the black water.
Volunteer firefighters were struggling with hoses, but two black SUVs with tinted windows were parked along the tree line—engines running, lights killed.
"Luca, clear the road. Cassian, handle the civilians," Damian ordered, stepping out into the mud. He pulled his Sig Sauer from his shoulder holster, keeping it hidden beneath his coat.
He didn't wait for his men. Damian sprinted through the damp grass toward the rear entrance of the boathouse, kicking open the side access door before the blaze could reach the storage deck. The air was thick with the stench of gasoline and burning pine.
The note had said: *Look beneath the floorboards.*
Near the southern mooring, three heavy oak planks looked slightly misaligned. Damian holstered his weapon, grabbed a rusted iron pry bar from a wall mount, and jammed it between the boards. With a surge of adrenaline, he wrenched the oak upward. The rusted nails screamed as they yielded.
Beneath the planks lay a reinforced steel lockbox, coated in grease to protect it from moisture.
Suddenly, wood splintered behind him. A bullet ricocheted off the steel box, whining into the rafters.
Damian spun, dropping low. Through the smoke, two masked men dressed in tactical gear advanced, submachine guns raised.
"Drop it, Romano!" one shouted over the roar of the fire.
Damian fired twice through the haze. The first man dropped instantly. The second lunged, firing a burst that shredded the wall above Damian’s head. Damian lunged forward, closing the distance, slamming the heavy iron pry bar into the attacker’s wrist. The weapon clattered to the floor. Damian drove his knee into the man's ribs, pinning him against a charred support beam.
"Who sent you?" Damian snarled, his barrel pressed under the shooter's chin.
The man wheezed, blood flecking his lips. "The... the old man doesn't stay dead forever, Romano. You're guarding a ghost."
May you like
A sudden explosion of fire from the roof collapsed the beam overhead. Damian threw himself backward, dragging the lockbox with him as burning debris buried the gunman. Damian scrambled out the rear exit and tumbled into the mud just as the boathouse roof crashed inward in a shower of sparks.
***
