The soft static of the disconnected phone faded beneath the sound of waves slapping against the wooden planks of the pier. Lila froze. Every muscle in her body went rigid as she caught the faint crunch of boots approaching. She shoved the burner phone into her vest pocket, pressed herself against the back of a rusted shipping container, and waited.
The air smelled of salt and motor oil. In the distance, the creak of ropes and the metallic clank of chains echoed through the fog that rolled thick across the docks. The night was dense and cold, it swallowed sound but carried light. Any movement could betray her.
She held her breath, counting the seconds. One… two… three…
A group of men passed just a few feet from her hiding spot, their flashlights slicing thin beams through the mist. Their
