The silhouette of the shipping terminal appeared in the distance, its towering cranes reaching into the dark sky like skeletal fingers.

As we neared the outer perimeter, I slowed the car down and pulled into the shadow of an abandoned warehouse.

A chain-link fence topped with barbed wire separated us from the concrete yard of Pier Forty.

Inside the fence, several high-powered floodlights swept across the rows of metal shipping containers.

A black SUV sat idling near the main gate, its headlights cutting through the heavy rain.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the USB drive, staring at the cracked plastic casing.

“If we get caught in there, there won’t be a trial,” I said quietly.

“I know,” Victor said, finally opening his eyes to look at the gate.

Suddenly, the headlights of the SUV at the gate flashed twice.

The passenger door of the vehicle opened, and a man in a long dark coat stepped out into the rain.

He held a flashlight, shining it directly toward our position in the dark alley.

My hand went to the ignition, ready to throw the car into reverse.