Chapter 6 Blood on the Docks

Port Haven’s docks were a labyrinth of rusted cranes and abandoned warehouses, the air thick with the stench of fish and diesel. Lena Carver’s sedan idled in the shadow of a derelict cannery, its engine ticking as it cooled. Blood seeped through her jacket, the graze on her shoulder a burning reminder of her escape from Nexus’ headquarters. The USB drive, Riley’s warning, and the grainy recording on her phone were all she had left fragile threads in a unraveling conspiracy. Victor Kane’s words Then you end up like Ethan echoed in her mind, stoking a fire that kept her moving despite the pain. She’d come too far to stop now.

The dashboard clock read 10:32 p.m. The city’s pulse was slower here, drowned by the lapping waves and distant foghorns. Lena checked her burner phone no reply from Sarah Lin, no update from Riley. The silence was louder than the alarms she’d left behind at Nexus. Sarah’s absence gnawed at her. Was the whistleblower dead, turned, or playing her own game? Lena’s instincts screamed betrayal, but she had no proof, only a gut twisted by years of loss. Ethan’s death, Wells’ staged suicide, the black SUV tailing her every piece pointed to Nexus, but the Architect’s shadow loomed larger, a faceless threat pulling strings she couldn’t yet see.

She wrapped her shoulder with a torn shirt from her glovebox, wincing as the fabric tightened. The wound wasn’t deep, but it slowed her, and she couldn’t afford slow. Riley’s text Nexus servers breached. Get out now meant the hacker had stirred the hornet’s nest. If Nexus knew their system was compromised, they’d be hunting, and Lena was the prime target. She needed a plan, a safehouse, somewhere to lie low and process the USB’s contents. But first, she needed Riley.

A flicker of movement caught her eye a figure in the alley, silhouetted against a flickering streetlight. Lena’s hand went to her Glock, her pulse steady despite the pain. She eased out of the car, her boots crunching on gravel, and approached, gun low. “Riley?” she called, her voice a sharp whisper.

The figure stepped forward, but it wasn’t Riley. Detective Marcus Holt emerged, his broad frame tense, his graying beard catching the dim light. “Carver, what the hell are you doing out here?” His voice was gruff, but his eyes flicked to her bloodied shoulder, concern breaking through. “You’re hit.”

“It’s a graze,” Lena said, holstering her gun but keeping her distance. Marcus had been her mentor, her anchor after Ethan’s death, but his caginess at the precinct had planted a seed of doubt. “Why are you here, Marcus? You’re supposed to be behind a desk.”

He stepped closer, his limp more pronounced in the cold. “Daniels said you were headed to the docks. I know you, Lena. You’re not running from trouble you’re chasing it.” He paused, his gaze heavy. “Nexus is bad news. I told you to be careful.”

“Careful doesn’t get answers,” she snapped, her shoulder throbbing. “You knew something about Wells’ case, didn’t you? Why hold back?”

Marcus’ jaw tightened, his silence louder than the waves. Finally, he spoke, his voice low. “Two years ago, I worked a case Nexus exec, dead in a car crash. Looked clean, but there was pressure to bury it. Chief’s orders. I didn’t push, Lena. I had a family to think about.” His eyes met hers, guilt raw in them. “I’m not proud of it.”

Lena’s chest tightened, anger flaring. “You let them cover it up. Like they covered up Ethan’s death.”

“I didn’t know about Ethan,” Marcus said, his voice breaking. “Not then. But now? You’re stirring up something bigger than you realize. Nexus has hooks in everyone Ramsey, the mayor, maybe the feds.”

Lena’s mind raced. Marcus’ confession confirmed her fears: the precinct was compromised. But was he warning her or stalling her? Before she could press, her burner buzzed a text from Riley: Warehouse 17, now. Found something big. Lena pocketed the phone, her eyes locked on Marcus. “You want to help? Cover my back. I’m meeting a source.”

Marcus nodded, his expression grim. “I’m with you. But if this goes south, we’re both done.”

They moved through the docks, shadows blending with shadows, the cannery’s rusted walls looming. Warehouse 17 was a hulking shell, its windows shattered, its doors chained but loose. Lena slipped inside, Marcus behind her, the air inside damp and heavy with mold. Riley waited in the center, her laptop open on a crate, the glow casting her face in stark relief. Her purple hair was tucked under a cap, her eyes wide with urgency.

“Lena, you’re not gonna believe this,” Riley said, her voice hushed. She turned the laptop, revealing a stream of data Nexus’ surveillance logs, timestamps, targets. “The USB had a backdoor key. I got into their mainframe. They’re tracking thousands cops, judges, even kids. And there’s a kill list. Your name’s on it.”

Lena’s blood ran cold, but she kept her voice steady. “Who else?”

Riley scrolled, her fingers trembling. “Wells, Sarah, me. And… Ethan. It’s dated five years ago.” She looked up, her eyes wet. “They planned it, Lena. All of it.”

Lena’s vision tunneled, rage and grief colliding. She grabbed the laptop, scanning the list. Her name was marked “active,” a bounty attached. Sarah’s was “pending.” Ethan’s was “closed.” She forced herself to breathe, to focus. “Where’s the meeting data? The one tonight?”

Riley tapped the screen. “It’s happening now, sublevel 3, Nexus HQ. Kane’s there, maybe the Architect. They’re transferring the system’s core to an offsite server. If they move it, we lose our shot.”

Lena glanced at Marcus, who stood near the door, his hand on his gun. “We hit them now,” she said. “Sublevel 3. You in?”

Marcus hesitated, then nodded. “Let’s end this.”

As they moved to leave, a low rumble echoed a vehicle outside. Lena froze, her instincts screaming. Headlights cut through the warehouse’s broken windows, pinning them in their glare. The black SUV. A shot rang out, glass shattering, and Lena dove behind a crate, pulling Riley down. Marcus returned fire, his bullets pinging off metal. “Go!” he shouted, covering them.

Lena grabbed Riley’s arm, sprinting for the back exit, her shoulder screaming with every move. The USB, the laptop, her recording they were her only leverage. Outside, the SUV’s engine roared, tires screeching as it pursued. Lena shoved Riley into her sedan, peeling out into the night. Marcus’ fate was uncertain, but she couldn’t stop. Nexus was closing the noose, and the truth was slipping through her fingers.

Her phone buzzed a new message, unknown number: You can’t hide, Lena. Neither could Ethan. Her grip tightened, knuckles white. She’d find Kane, the Architect, and answers or die trying. Port Haven’s docks faded behind her, but the city’s predators were still hunting.