Chapter 7 - Crossfire on the Bridge
"Get down!" Arthur roared, diving behind the reinforced engine block of his utility truck.
Automatic gunfire instantly tore across the bridge, chewing through the sheet metal of the vehicles with deafening cracks.
Julian Sterling scrambled across the wet asphalt, taking cover beside Arthur's rear tire.
Elena tried to run toward the tactical team, waving her arms frantically in the headlights.
"Hold your fire, you idiots! I'm the one paying you!" Elena screamed at the top of her lungs.
A burst of gunfire struck the asphalt right at Elena's feet, sending sharp stone chips flying into her face.
The lead mercenary didn't care about Elena Vance; their contract was exclusively with the syndicate's overseas handler.
Elena shrieked in terror, throwing herself behind the bridge's concrete pillar as her own mercenaries turned on her.
Arthur leaned out from behind his truck, returning controlled, accurate fire with his sidearm.
One mercenary dropped to the pavement, clutching his shoulder as his rifle clattered away.
"Arthur, take my car's emergency flare gun from the glove compartment!" Julian shouted, passing a heavy plastic launcher across the road.
Arthur caught the flare gun, instantly understanding Julian's tactical intention.
Arthur loaded the high-intensity magnesium flare and aimed directly at the ruptured fuel tank of the overturned SUV.
"Cover your eyes!" Arthur yelled.
He pulled the trigger.
The bright crimson flare struck the pooling gasoline under the vehicle, igniting a massive secondary fireball that engulfed the center of the bridge in blinding light and heat.
The mercenaries were forced to shield their eyes and fall back toward their vehicle.
Seizing the momentary confusion, Arthur sprinted forward through the smoke and heat like an enraged bull.
He tackled the second mercenary onto the bridge deck, disarming him with two brutal strikes before taking possession of the soldier's rifle.
The third mercenary scrambled back into the lead SUV, throwing it into reverse and speeding away toward the coastal airfield.
Arthur ran to his truck, but Elena lunged from the shadows, grabbing his arm with desperate, bleeding hands.
"Arthur, take me with you! They will kill me if they catch me alone!" Elena begged, sobbing hysterically.
Arthur shoved her off with cold disgust, knocking her flat onto her back in the mud.
"You made your bed with monsters, Elena," Arthur said with absolute finality.
"Now lie in it."
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Arthur jumped back into his truck, leaving Elena weeping in the headlights as he tore down the coastal road after his son.
As Arthur crested the final hill overlooking the airstrip, he saw the twin-engine cargo plane taxiing down the runway, its propellers spinning into a deadly blur.
