Once they were loaded in their police van along with Ronowski, Seasel, the captain, and four other officers from their precinct, the driver got the signal and they took off toward Interstate 75 South for the three-and-a-half-hour drive to the Savannah Ports.
Day settled his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes, afraid if he kept them open he’d only stare at God. Somehow the time passed fast as hell; like it tends to when you're going someplace you didn’t want to go. The teams were getting into their positions. They were assuming the ready positions after receiving a confirmation that the cargo ship was in port as of a half-hour ago, which meant it was still loaded.
Alpha team, assigned to board the ship and confiscate its cargo had already rammed through the security gate and was moving fast across the ground to the pier. The security guards that were watching the gate and grounds were detained quickly.
Day held onto the handles above their heads as their driver sped onto the dock, positioning them several feet from one of the five hangars on the port… the one containing their kingpin. The other vans got into their positions as well. Some teams were there to make arrests, while others were responsible for collecting evidence, tactical support, and many others for a multitude of other duties.
The back double doors to their van swung open, and they moved quickly to the outer perimeters with their weapons pointed to the ground, surrounding the building within seconds. Day watched the other teams get into position at the surrounding hangars.
During the last meeting it was decided that an explosive would be used for breeching. This method required less strategic planning, a necessary change since they had lost two weeks of valuable planning time. Their combat engineers needed twenty seconds to place the small explosive charges on the doors and clear. The SWAT team leader’s deep voice came across their earplugs with a fast count and a go on three.
Day felt God’s heat beside him but his eyes were trained on the hangar bay doors. Day heard “three” then a loud bang as the doors exploded. They stormed in within seconds of the debris settling.
There were multiple booming voices yelling out “Freeze!” “Don’t move!” “On the ground!” “Hands high!” “Georgia police!” as most of the dockworkers dropped to the concrete and others began to scramble behind anything that would provide them with cover.
The entire force had orders to treat everyone on the scene as hostile until proven otherwise. With the limited surveillance they’d been able to amass, it was unknown which of the dock workers were dirty and which were legitimate. If they were actual working for the state of Georgia, then they would be expected to surrender.
Day kept both his weapons trained in front of him while he moved with their unit further into the building. So far so good, everyone was cooperating. Bravo team was coming in to make arrests and load everyone into the extra vans. Day felt an eerie feeling slither down his neck, meaning trouble was coming. Day estimated about fifteen men were being taken out quietly as more officers and SWAT scanned every square inch of the hangar. Day turned to signal their group to move upstairs when all chaos broke loose.
A hail of gunfire from what sounded like automatic weapons erupted on the south side of their hangar. They ducked for cover behind large crates quickly trying to locate the shooter. Day’s radio crackled on his shoulder.
“Officer down! I repeat: officer down with a fatal gunshot wound to the neck!”
Day cursed when he noticed more men with automatic weapons moving up the far side of the hangar and he quickly pushed the talk button on his mic. “We got multiple bogies coming in on the south side. Look alive!”
Day and God both began firing in the direction of the large garage-like doors on the far side of the building. This had to be their kingpin’s army. Day could hear gunfire from the surrounding buildings as more voices came across the radio reporting emergencies.
Fuck!
Day gave a hand signal for Ronowski, Seasel, and two other officers to move to the other side so they could provide gunfire from both angles. He, God, his captain, and another officer laid down cover fire for them as they ran quickly to their position. Day gritted his teeth as bullets flew in their direction.
Day and God were back to back as always, watching all around them when God’s recognizable gruffness came across the radio.
“Got a positive visual of the package. I repeat a positive visual of Joe Hansen, our kingpin. Upper level, hangar four, moving north, wearing a black suit accompanied by five heavily armed men, approach with extreme caution.”
Day turned quickly and saw their kingpin moving down the stairs at the north end surrounded by human shields. The man had on a black suit with a red tie and black dress shirt. His guards had Smith and Wesson handguns aimed and ready to fire. Day cursed as Hansen was ushered into a room that had an exit into a back corridor with limited visibility.