Chapter 9 - The Final Stand
The massive armored truck screeched to a halt, completely blocking both lanes of the highway.
Four men armed with automatic assault rifles stepped out of the vehicle, moving with terrifying military precision.
They were not local thugs; they were professional cartel mercenaries.
I pulled Tessa and Miles behind the wreckage of the police cruiser, using the heavy engine block for cover.
Titan released Chloe and took a defensive stance in front of us, the hair on his back standing straight up.
The lead mercenary raised a megaphone, his voice booming across the empty road.
"We do not care about the police, Grant, we just want the woman and the baby!" he shouted.
Chloe, clutching her shattered wrist, desperately crawled toward the mercenaries.
"I can get you your money! I know the offshore account numbers by heart!" she screamed, trying to barter for her life.
The lead mercenary looked down at her with utter disgust.
He raised his rifle and fired a single, deafening shot.
Chloe collapsed onto the asphalt, her eyes wide with shock, grasping her bleeding shoulder.
They didn't care about her deals; they only wanted to eliminate every single witness.
The mercenaries began advancing toward our position, their laser sights cutting through the darkness.
I searched the ground frantically, my hand brushing against the police shotgun Mark had dropped earlier.
I checked the chamber—there were exactly two shells left.
I had to make them count, or my children were going to die on this highway.
"Tessa, cover your ears and keep your head down!" I yelled over the sound of approaching footsteps.
I popped out from behind the cruiser and fired the shotgun blindly toward the advancing men.
The blast forced them to scatter, diving behind their armored truck for cover.
They immediately returned fire, a hail of bullets shattering the windows of the police car above my head.
Glass rained down on us, and I knew I could not hold them off for more than a few seconds.
The mercenaries began to flank us, moving through the ditch to get a clear shot.
I aimed the shotgun at the nearest man, preparing to fire my absolute last round.
Before I could pull the trigger, the dark sky above us suddenly erupted with blinding, intense light.
A massive federal helicopter roared overhead, its searchlights pinning the mercenaries to the ground.
May you like
"FBI! Drop your weapons instantly!" a voice boomed from the helicopter's loudspeaker.
The mercenaries froze, realizing they were completely surrounded by heavily armed federal agents descending from the treeline.
