Chapter 9 - The Ambush
The impact was devastating.
The heavy SUV spun violently across the wet asphalt, the screech of tearing metal echoing through the empty industrial district.
Clara fought the steering wheel, slamming on the brakes, but the momentum was too great.
The SUV crashed backward into a concrete support pillar beneath the highway overpass.
The airbags deployed with a deafening crack, filling the cabin with white powder and smoke.
Clara gasped for air, her ears ringing loudly.
She turned frantically to the passenger seat.
Victor was slumped forward, unconscious, his head bleeding from a deep gash caused by the impact.
“Victor!” Clara screamed, shaking his shoulder.
He didn't move.
Outside, the harsh glare of tactical floodlights pinned the ruined SUV against the concrete pillar.
The doors of the armored truck burst open, and a dozen heavily armed mercenaries swarmed the vehicle.
Isabella Kaine stepped out of the truck, flanked by Elias Vance, who was sporting a massive, bloody bandage across his broken jaw.
Isabella walked slowly toward the crashed SUV, a triumphant smile on her face.
“Drag them out,” Isabella ordered coldly.
Two mercenaries ripped the driver's side door open, grabbing Clara by the hair and hauling her roughly onto the wet pavement.
Another team pried open the passenger door, dragging Victor’s unconscious, bleeding body out and throwing him onto the ground next to her.
Elias walked over and kicked Victor brutally in the ribs.
Victor groaned weakly but didn't open his eyes.
“Check the vehicle for the ledger,” Isabella commanded.
A mercenary leaned into the back seat and pulled out the heavy black duffel bag.
He unzipped it, revealing the stacks of cash and the leather-bound notebook.
“We have it, ma'am,” the mercenary confirmed, handing the ledger to Isabella.
Isabella flipped through the pages, her smile widening.
“Perfect.”
“The only leverage Victor had left.”
She looked down at Clara, who was kneeling on the wet pavement, defiant despite the terror racing through her veins.
“You put up an impressive fight for a disgraced back-alley doctor,” Isabella mocked.
“But you bet on the wrong horse.”
Isabella turned to Elias.
“Execute them both.”
“Leave the bodies here for the cops to find.”
Elias raised his assault rifle, pointing it directly at Clara’s head, his eyes burning with vengeful malice for the broken jaw Victor had given him.
Clara closed her eyes, preparing for the end.
She had survived the Narrows, she had survived her ruined career, but she couldn't survive a cartel war.
Suddenly, a deafening, rhythmic thudding sound echoed from the dark waters of the nearby harbor.
A massive, military-grade tactical helicopter rose slowly over the edge of the shipping containers, its blinding searchlights sweeping over the ambush site.
A sniper hanging from the side of the helicopter opened fire.
Elias Vance screamed as a high-caliber bullet shattered his right shoulder, spinning him around and dropping him to the pavement.
Isabella’s mercenaries scrambled in absolute panic, firing wildly at the armored gunship hovering above them.
The helicopter laid down a suppressive barrage of non-lethal flashbangs and tear gas, completely overwhelming Isabella’s forces.
A heavily armed tactical team repelled down ropes from the helicopter, securing the perimeter in less than thirty seconds.
The leader of the tactical team walked through the smoke, wearing a dark suit and a confident smile.
He walked over to Isabella, who was coughing violently from the tear gas, and snatched the black ledger from her trembling hands.
The man turned to Clara and offered a polite bow.
“Dr. Hayes, I presume?” the man said smoothly.
Clara stared at him in utter shock.
“Who are you?” Clara choked out.
The man smiled.
“My name is Dante Rossi.”
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“I’m the head of the Rossi Syndicate.”
“And Victor Kaine works for me.”
