Chapter 7 - The Cartel Connection
The heavily tattooed man on the glowing screen smiled with a cold, terrifying lack of basic human empathy.
He introduced himself as Alejandro, a ruthless lieutenant for the Sinaloa syndicate, and the man who truly owned the Sterling family.
Alejandro casually explained that Charles Sterling was merely a pathetic puppet who cleaned cartel cash through his local finance company.
He demanded that Marcus return the encrypted server drives immediately, or the consequences would be catastrophic.
Marcus maintained absolute composure, stating that he did not negotiate with terrorists or drug runners.
Alejandro chuckled darkly, adjusting the camera angle to show the interior of an abandoned, rusted warehouse.
Tied to a heavy metal chair in the center of the dirty room was Colonel Arthur Mitchell, bleeding from a severe head wound.
Alejandro explained that his men had intercepted the Colonel's extraction team when they were securing the perimeter near the forest.
He gave Marcus exactly one hour to bring the drives to the old Sterling lumber mill on the edge of town, or he would execute the Colonel on a live feed.
Marcus ended the call, his jaw clenched so tightly that his teeth felt like they might crack under the immense pressure.
He could not compromise Lily's safety, but he also could not abandon the man who had risked everything to help him.
He instructed his squadmate to keep driving Lily to the secure location in the neighboring state, no matter what happened.
Marcus grabbed a secondary tactical bag, loaded with heavy explosives and experimental military-grade smoke munitions.
He hijacked a parked pickup truck and drove recklessly back toward the dangerous borders of Sterling Falls.
When he arrived at the massive, sprawling lumber mill, the entire area was heavily locked down by armed cartel mercenaries.
Marcus did not try to sneak in through the heavily guarded main gates or the flooded drainage pipes.
Instead, he drove the heavy pickup truck directly through the chain-link fence, crashing violently into a massive stack of cut timber.
Mercenaries swarmed the wreckage instantly, pulling their weapons and surrounding the smoking, dented vehicle.
Alejandro stepped out from the shadows of the mill, clapping his hands in mock appreciation of the dramatic entrance.
He ordered his men to drag Marcus out of the destroyed truck and secure the stolen drives.
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But as a mercenary opened the driver's side door, they realized the steering wheel was tied with a heavy rope, and the seat was completely empty.
Before Alejandro could react, a massive explosion rocked the western side of the lumber yard, sending a towering pillar of orange fire into the dark sky.
