The guard near the SUV turned on his heavy tactical flashlight and walked toward the barrels. I waited in the absolute blackness between the containers. As he stepped past my hiding spot, I swung the heavy tire iron in a short, controlled arc, striking the back of his knee. He collapsed silently, and before he could yell, I clamped my hand over his mouth and drove my knee into his ribs, knocking the wind out of him. I dragged him into the shadows and left him unconscious.
One down.
I picked up his dropped flashlight and rolled it across the wet asphalt toward the center of the pier. It clattered loudly.
“Who’s there?” Miller shouted, pulling his sidearm.
I stepped out from behind the shipping containers, walking slowly into the faint ambient light from the distant city skyline. I kept my hands empty and visible at my sides.
“I’m here, Sterling,” I called out.
Sterling squinted through the rain. “Marcus. You have a flair for the dramatic. Did you bring my property?”
I stopped twenty feet away from him. Miller had his gun leveled at my chest. The scarred man standing behind Toby pulled a knife and held it near the boy’s neck.
“Let the boy go first,” I said. “He walks past me, gets to the main road, and then I tell you where the ledger is.”
“That wasn't the deal,” Sterling said smoothly. He stepped forward. “You give me the ledger and the drive, and then you both get to leave.”
“We both know that’s a lie, Richard,” I said. “You’re building a subdivision on toxic waste. You poisoned the water supply, you bribed the zoning board, and when Elena found the soil reports, you paid Arthur Davis fifty grand to murder her. You aren't going to let me walk away with that information in my head.”
Sterling’s expression didn't change, but Miller’s head snapped toward his boss.
“What?” Miller demanded, lowering his gun a fraction of an inch. “You told me she died in an accident. You told me she was just blackmailing you over a zoning violation. You didn't say anything about a murder.”
Sterling sighed in annoyance. “Shut up, Miller. He’s lying to divide us.”
“I’m not lying, Thomas,” I said, keeping my eyes locked on the detective. “He paid a mechanic to cut her brakes. The bank records are in the ledger. If you pull that trigger, you aren't an accomplice to extortion. You’re an accessory to capital murder. You think Sterling is going to protect a local cop when the feds come knocking?”
Miller hesitated. He looked at Sterling, then at me. His hands were shaking. He was corrupt, but he clearly hadn't signed up for a murder charge.
“I said shut up,” Sterling snarled. He looked at the scarred man behind Toby. “Throw the kid in the water.”
The scarred man grabbed Toby’s jacket and yanked him backward toward the edge of the pier. Toby screamed.
That was the mistake I was waiting for.
With all their attention focused on the boy, I closed the twenty feet of distance in a dead sprint.
Miller tried to raise his gun, but he was too slow. I batted the weapon aside with my left forearm and drove the heel of my right hand directly into his throat. Miller collapsed instantly, clutching his neck and gasping for air.
I didn't stop moving. I vaulted over the hood of the SUV and tackled the scarred man just as he was preparing to push Toby off the edge.
My momentum carried both of us over the side of the pier.
We hit the freezing, black water of the bay with a massive splash. The shock of the cold was paralyzing, but the adrenaline overrode it. The scarred man thrashed, trying to bring his knife up in the dark water. I grabbed his wrist, twisted it violently until I felt the joint pop, and forced his own arm backward. He released the knife and struggled toward the surface. I let him go.
I broke the surface of the water, gasping for air, and hauled myself up onto the wooden crossbeams under the pier. I climbed quickly, pulling myself over the edge and back onto the wet asphalt.
Toby was lying on the ground, crying in terror. Trent, the teenager, was standing completely frozen, staring at the chaos with wide, panicked eyes.
Sterling realized he had lost control of the situation. He turned and sprinted toward the driver’s side door of the SUV.
I crossed the pier, grabbed the heavy cashmere collar of his expensive coat, and threw him backward. He hit the wet pavement hard, sliding into the mud.