Chapter 11 - The Daughter’s Debt
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Dawn arrived over the Atlantic Ocean, casting a soft gray light through the sheer curtains of the hotel room.
Alexander was fast asleep beside me, one large hand lying open on the white pillow rather than wrapped possessively around my waist. I lay quietly in the morning stillness, appreciating the profound emotional difference between being held out of mutual affection and being held captive by someone else's terror.
Then his secure phone began to vibrate violently on the nightstand.
Victor Kresnik had discovered the alliance agreement signed in Atlantic City.
And he responded by sending a hit squad to eliminate me.
Teresa’s lead driver noticed the dark, tinted sedan tracking us twenty minutes after our convoy departed Atlantic City. A second armored SUV joined the pursuit near the Newark interchange. My security chief executed two sudden lane changes before taking an unannounced exit ramp.
Both pursuing vehicles accelerated, aggressively matching our movements.
“Stay down on the floor!” my driver shouted, drawing his sidearm.
Tires screeched violently as our armored sedan launched onto an industrial access road. The trailing SUV rammed our rear bumper, sending a violent shockwave through the vehicle. Glass shattered as gunfire erupted from the pursuing cars, the heavy bullets slamming against our reinforced armor plating.
“Return fire!” Teresa’s security chief ordered, leaning out the passenger window to discharge his weapon.
Our driver maneuvered wildly through a maze of shipping containers near the Newark docks, desperately trying to break line of sight. Up ahead, a heavy iron security gate barred our escape route.
“Hold on!” the driver screamed, slamming the accelerator to the floor.
Our vehicle smashed through the metal gate in a shower of sparks, skidding into a secluded, high-security warehouse yard before coming to a violent halt behind a stack of concrete barriers.
Behind us, the two pursuing vehicles screeched into the yard, blocking the shattered exit. Eight heavily armed enforcers spilled out, weapons raised, laying down a devastating hail of gunfire against our position.
Pinned down behind the concrete barriers, my security team was completely outnumbered and outgunned.
“We can't hold this position!” my security chief yelled over the deafening roar of gunfire. “Call Mr. Pellegrini!”
I pulled my phone from my purse, my heart hammering against my ribs, and dialed Alexander’s direct line.
He answered on the very first ring. “Gabriella! Where are you?”
“We were ambushed near the Newark container yard!” I shouted over the sound of shatter glass and automatic fire. “We are pinned down behind the main concrete barrier in Sector 4! They have eight shooters!”
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“I am five minutes away with Joseph’s heavy team!” Alexander’s voice thundered through the speaker, laced with absolute, terrifying fury. “Hold your position! Do not move!”
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