Chapter 9 - Above the Clouds
The mercenary commander lunged forward with a lightning-fast slash of his combat knife.
Arthur ducked beneath the blade, driving a brutal right cross into the man's ribs.
The mercenary grunted, using his tactical armor to absorb the blow before swinging an elbow that clipped Arthur across the jaw.
Blood filled Arthur's mouth, but he didn't take a single step backward.
Behind them, little Leo screamed through his tears, "Daddy! Daddy, watch out!"
Hearing his son's voice gave Arthur an overwhelming surge of raw adrenaline.
The mercenary came at him again, aiming a lethal thrust directly at Arthur’s throat.
Arthur sidestepped the attack, grabbed the mercenary's wrist in a vise-like grip, and slammed it down against the steel railing of the cargo bay.
The combat knife clattered across the floor and vanished out the open ramp into the dark clouds below.
Arthur grabbed the mercenary by his tactical collar and hurled him violently against the plane’s emergency depressurization valve.
The valve shattered, and the cabin pressure instantly plummeted with an ear-splitting whistle.
The freezing mountain wind rushed through the fuselage, pulling loose equipment toward the open rear ramp.
The mercenary scrambled for a handhold, his boots slipping across the wet aluminum floorboards.
He reached out desperately, catching Arthur’s ankle as he began to slide toward the open sky.
"Pull me up!" the mercenary screamed over the howling gale.
"Pull me up or I'll drag you out with me!"
Arthur looked down at the man who had terrified his innocent child, his face an emotionless mask of stone.
"You made a contract against a five-year-old boy," Arthur said coldly.
Arthur brought his other boot down hard against the mercenary’s fingers, breaking the grip instantly.
The mercenary let out one final, terrified scream as he was sucked out of the cargo bay into the freezing black sky, disappearing forever into the clouds.
Arthur fought his way forward against the roaring wind, reaching the cargo wall where Leo was strapped into the seat.
He pulled his pocketknife and carefully sliced through the ropes binding his son's small wrists.
Leo threw his tiny arms around Arthur’s neck, sobbing with pure, unfiltered relief.
"I knew you would come, Daddy!" Leo wept into Arthur's soaked collar.
"I knew you would find me!"
Arthur pulled his son tightly against his chest, tears streaming down his face as he kissed the boy's forehead.
"I will always come for you, Leo," Arthur whispered.
May you like
"Always."
Suddenly, the cockpit door burst open, and the pilot emerged holding a compact submachine gun pointed directly at Arthur's heart.
