Sweet Vengeances
Chapter 45: Into the Lion’s Den

Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Into the Lion’s Den

As Lily, Ethan, and Natalie drew closer to the expansive dockyard where Jack Monroe’s biggest shipment was to arrive, the night grew uncannily silent. The silence was misleading; danger was there everywhere, even beneath the surface of the placid waters and in the shadows of the tall containers.

As Lily squatted behind a pile of crates, looking around, her heart pounded in her chest. Armed guards patrolled in close rotations, their radios crackling with updates, and the port was lit by powerful floodlights. As laborers placed bulky containers into their cargo bays, trucks were positioned in orderly rows, their engines running.

Ethan squatted next to her and said, "This is a fortress." His keen intellect was already weighing the dangers as his gaze darted from guard to guard.

On Lily’s opposite side, Natalie, who had been quiet for the majority of the ride, knelt with a determined yet pale countenance. She pointed to a big metal building at the far end of the yard and whispered, "The main shipment is in the third warehouse." Jack will be present and in charge of everything. We can sabotage the shipment and plant the proof if we can enter undetected.

Ethan looked at his watch and remarked, "Ghost better come through with that distraction." "If those guards don’t leave, we won’t be in there for ten seconds."

Almost simultaneously, a loud explosion sounded from the dockyard’s north side. The night sky was illuminated by a plume of smoke and flames, which caused the guards to yell and become disorganized. The majority of the guards left their posts and hurried toward the explosion site as the radios crackled with desperate orders.

Ethan took his revolver out of his holster and declared, "That’s our signal." He motioned for Natalie and Lily to come after him, and the three of them crept out of their hiding spot.

The distraction had reduced the number of patrols around the warehouse, but the dockyard was still bustling with activity. They moved swiftly and stealthily through the tangle of trucks and containers, staying in the shadows as they got closer to their destination.

Ethan motioned for them to stop as they arrived at the third warehouse. He took out a tiny gadget Ghost had given him, a portable jammer meant to momentarily turn off the security cameras.

As he fastened the gadget to the warehouse’s side, he muttered, "Give me a second." When the small red light blinked, it was functioning. "The cameras are not working. Let’s get going.

Natalie took the lead, guiding them through the side entrance with her intimate understanding of the area. The smell of metal and grease permeated the air, and the noise of machinery and forklifts reverberated off the walls. As far as the eye could see, there were rows of enormous containers, each identified by a unique serial number and mysterious markings.

Natalie pointed to a group of men huddled close to the rear of the warehouse and said, "Over there." Jack Monroe stood in the middle of the gathering, his massive frame exuding might. He was yelling commands, his voice like a razor slicing through the cacophony.

Lily’s throat tightened with breath. This was the man who had caused her a great deal of misery and who had plagued her dreams. She felt a mixture of terror and rage at seeing him up close but still so far away.

As he steadied Lily by stroking her arm, Ethan whispered, "Stick to the plan." After installing the tracker on the primary shipment, we exit. No bravery.

Lily nodded, despite her strong need to speak with Jack. She made herself concentrate by clenching her fists. She couldn’t allow her feelings to influence her decision at this moment.

Natalie gestured to the biggest crate in the middle of the storage facility. That’s the one. The shipment of weaponry. Ghost can follow it wherever it goes if we can install the tracker on it.

Ethan gave a nod. "Remain here and maintain vigilance. I’ll take care of the tracker.

Lily firmly answered, "No." "I’ll carry it out. You protect me.

Ethan paused, but there was no arguing with the resolve in her eyes. He reluctantly gave the little gadget to her. "Take caution."

Silently and quickly, Lily pushed past her dread and moved into the shadows, heading toward the middle of the warehouse. Her heart thumped with each step, but the guards surrounding Jack were too preoccupied with their duties to notice her. It would all end with a single misstep or sound.

She knelt down and gently affixed the tracker to the underside of the crate when she arrived. A soft beep indicated that the item was operational. With a leisurely breath, Lily felt a wave of relief.

But she froze as she turned to go. Jack’s eyes were fixed on her.

"Well, well," Jack muttered, a sly smile lighting up his face. "Unless it’s Lily Harper." I wanted to know when you would reveal yourself.

Lily’s blood froze. The guards surrounding him whirled, aiming their rifles at her.

"Did you truly believe you could enter here covertly?" Jack said, taking a step forward. His eyes glinted with anger, but his speech was calm, almost amused.

Lily forced her voice to stay steady as she added, "I didn’t think you’d notice." "You’ve always been too conceited to see what’s in front of you."

Jack gave a low, threatening laugh. "I’ll give you that you have guts. But now, courage won’t save you.

A shot was fired before Jack could command his guards. Chaos broke out as one of the guards fell to the ground.

With his revolver blazing, Ethan came out of the shadows to shield Lily. He yelled, "Run!"

Lily didn’t require two reminders. Bullets flew past her as she sprinted back toward the side entrance, her pulse racing. Ethan was close behind her, taking down everybody who stood in their way with controlled, accurate moves.

Natalie was already holding the door open when they arrived, her face white with fear. "Just go, just go!" she exhorted.

The three of them bounded out of the warehouse and ran around the dockyard’s edge. Though Lily knew they wouldn’t have much time before Jack’s men rejoined, the commotion generated by the explosion Ghost had set off had obscured their escape.

A black SUV screamed to a stop in front of them as they arrived at the dockyard’s edge. Ghost was in the driver’s seat when the window rolled down.

"Come on in!" he yelled.

They made no hesitation. Ghost punched the gas as Lily, Ethan, and Natalie climbed inside the car. As Jack’s guys hurried to pursue, the SUV roared to life and tore through the deserted streets.

As the excitement started to wear off, Lily leaned back in her seat, her chest heaving. They had succeeded. They had barely escaped with their lives after planting the tracker.

Ethan looked at her with a proud and relieved look on his face. "Back there you were amazing."

Lily forced a small smile. "We haven’t finished yet. Jack will pursue us more assiduously than before.

Ghost answered, keeping his gaze on the road, "Let him." "He won’t be aware of what struck him."

Lily sensed a glimmer of hope as the city lights flickered by. For the first time, she thought they might possibly have a shot of winning, but the battle was far from done.