The Shadows of Rotterdam
The previous year had been a carnival of horrors for Rotterdam—a city now infamous for its ties to Europe's cocaine trade. Lea, a former Europol agent turned private investigator, had seen firsthand how far the cartels would go to protect their billion-euro empire. She had borne witness to bombings that left families shattered, to men and women turning up in warehouses where soundproof walls told stories no one wanted to hear.
It was a case last year that turned her life upside down. Lea had been undercover, infiltrating one of the city's most dangerous cartel cells. She’d gotten close—too close—and in doing so brought their wrath upon her family. Tonight's streets, lit with ghostly moonlight, carried the echoes of her failure. Her sister had paid the ultimate price. Since then, Lea lived for one thing: vengeance.
As she crept between the rows of containers, her mind teased out the possibilities. Who was the woman in green, and who was trying to kill her? What had she seen, or taken? Her instincts whispered answers, but something about this pursuit felt...off. The cartels didn’t usually leave their kills unfinished.
The Chase
A sound—a metallic scrape—ricocheted off the walls. Lea froze, scanning the darkness with the precision of a predator. The hairs on her neck stood on end as her fingers tightened around her pistol. Then she saw it: a figure silhouetted against the light of a swinging overhead lamp. He moved with practiced stealth, a blade glinting in his hand, as he searched for the woman he'd already wounded.
“Long night for a butcher,” Lea said coldly, stepping into his view. Her voice startled him for only a second before he charged. His snarling aggression betrayed him—he thought her an easy mark. But Lea was no stranger to violence. She sidestepped his lunge, fluid as water, and planted an elbow into his ribs. His knife clattered to the ground.
Before he could recover, her pistol was aimed squarely at his chest. The man sneered, baring yellowed teeth. "You're making a mistake,” he spat, his accent faintly Spanish. “You don’t know who you’re messing with."
“Try me,” Lea replied evenly. But instead of responding, the man smirked and released something from his palm—a small black sphere no bigger than a walnut. It dropped to the ground with a deafening hiss, releasing a cloud of what smelled like burnt plastic. Smoke enveloped them, and Lea coughed violently as her vision blurred.
By the time the smoke cleared, he was gone.
A New Lead
Stumbling back to the injured woman, Lea found her conscious but weak. The bleeding had slowed, though the woman’s gaze revealed a growing fear. “Who are you?” Lea asked bluntly while she tore a strip from her scarf to tie around the wound. The shoddy patch job would have to do for now.
“My name is Sofia,” the woman gasped. “I work at the port. I…I saw something I wasn’t supposed to—a shipment.” Her voice faltered. "They're planning something big. Smuggling, but not...not just drugs this time."
Lea frowned, her thoughts racing. Rotterdam’s underworld wasn’t known for diversification. What could be more lucrative—or dangerous—than cocaine?
Before she could press further, the low rumble of approaching engines filled the air. Black SUVs emerged at the dock’s edge, their headlights cutting through the mist. Men poured out like ants from a disrupted hill, armed and moving with militaristic precision. Time was running out.
“We need to go,” Lea barked, helping Sofia to her feet. Together, they stumbled toward a nearby service road. The SUVs gave chase, their growling engines closing the distance as desperation clawed at Lea's chest. She didn’t come to the docks to save a stranger, but leaving Sofia behind wasn’t an option. Not when there were still so many questions, so many threads that threatened to snap.
The Crossing Point
Lea led Sofia to a series of abandoned warehouses bordering the river. It was here that Rotterdam had long since buried its forgotten dreams—boats moored permanently, their hulls rusted and useless. Lea found a skiff small enough to avoid attention, hidden under a tarp. With Sofia leaning weakly on her shoulder, the two launched into the icy currents just as the SUVs screeched to a halt at the dock's edge.
From across the water, Lea watched as the armed men spread out, barking orders in multiple languages. Under the cover of darkness, she gripped her oar tightly and whispered to herself.
"One step closer."
Genre: Action/Thriller
The Source...check out the great article that inspired this amazing short story: The Cocaine Wars - Germany's Battle Against Drug Cartels
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