Chapter 4 - The Broken Protocol
Daniel could not let this deadly game continue for another day.
A child carrying a loaded weapon was a tragedy waiting to happen.
The next afternoon, Daniel parked his car a block away from the plaza and waited in the shadows.
Ethan and Maya were sitting on the bench again, but the atmosphere was entirely different today.
Maya was crying hysterically, clutching her worn backpack tighter than ever.
Suddenly, a black van skidded onto the curb directly in front of them.
Four men wearing tactical gear and black masks jumped out of the vehicle.
They did not waste time with threats or warnings today.
Two of the men grabbed Maya by the arms and began dragging her violently toward the open doors of the van.
Ethan screamed and reached into his jacket pocket.
The young boy pulled out the 9mm pistol with shaking hands and aimed it at the men.
"Let her go!" Ethan yelled, his voice cracking with pure terror.
One of the masked men laughed and raised a heavy assault rifle, aiming it directly at Ethan’s chest.
Daniel stepped out of the shadows, abandoning all caution and protocol.
He drew his weapon and fired three times with lethal, perfect precision.
The man aiming at Ethan dropped to the pavement with a shattered kneecap.
Daniel fired twice more, incapacitating the men holding Maya without killing them.
The remaining attacker panicked, dropped his weapon, and fled down the alleyway.
Daniel rushed forward and kicked the rifle away from the bleeding man on the ground.
He grabbed the man by the collar and ripped the black mask off his face.
The bleeding man laughed, revealing a mouth full of gold teeth.
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"You are way too late, Carter," the man coughed, spitting blood onto the pavement.
"We don't need the little girl anymore, because we already have your wife."
