Chapter 7 - Blood on the BridgeThe rain began to pour just as Alejandro’s armored Chevrolet Suburban smashed through the automated security gates of the estate, its supercharged V8 engine roaring into the stormy San Pedro night. Inside, Alejandro gripped the steering wheel with white-knuckled intensity, his eyes locked on the tactical GPS tracker he had secretly sewn into the lining of Elena’s linen wrap months ago.
"They're taking the old extraction route toward the Santa Catarina riverbed," Marco shouted from the passenger seat, his assault rifle resting across his knees. "They're heading for the abandoned railway tunnels!"
"Cut them off at the private toll bridge," Alejandro commanded, slamming his foot down on the accelerator. The heavy SUV surged forward, hitting 140 kilometers per hour on the slick, winding mountain roads.
Ten minutes later, the silhouette of the old iron bridge loomed ahead through the sheets of driving rain. Parked right in the middle of the span was Captain Javier’s tactical transport truck, its hazard lights blinking rhythmically.
Alejandro didn't brake.
With a deafening crash, the armored Suburban plowed directly into the rear of Javier’s truck, sending sparks flying into the dark night air and spinning the heavy vehicle sideways until it slammed hard against the bridge's concrete guardrail.
Before the smoke could clear, Alejandro kicked his door open and rolled onto the wet asphalt, his carbine raised.
"Javier! It's over!" Alejandro’s voice cut through the thunder.
From behind the wrecked truck, automatic gunfire erupted. Bullets sparked violently off the hood of Alejandro’s SUV, shattering the windshield into a spiderweb of glass. Marco and Hector returned fire from the flanks, muzzle flashes illuminating the torrential rain in strobing bursts of white and orange.
"You're too late, boss!" Javier yelled back over the gunfire, dragging a struggling, half-conscious Elena toward the edge of the bridge where a high-speed Zodiac motorboat waited on the swollen river below. "She's already merchandise! The buyers are waiting!"
Alejandro lunged forward, using the SUV as cover, but a sniper round from the shadows clipped his shoulder, spraying warm blood across his tactical vest. He grunted in pain, ignoring the burning agony, and sighted down the barrel of his rifle.
Bang. Bang.
Two clean, precise shots.
Captain Javier stumbled, dropped his weapon, and collapsed onto the wet metal of the bridge, his traitorous run ending right there in the mud and rain.
Alejandro sprinted forward, diving over the wrecked truck and catching Elena just as she slipped over the slippery edge of the bridge. He hauled her back onto the platform, pulling her shivering, frail body into his arms.
"I've got you," Alejandro gasped, pressing his face against her hair, ignoring the blood pouring from his own shoulder. "Elena... I've got you."
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For a split second, a flicker of recognition crossed Elena’s hollow, tortured eyes. She looked up at him, her lips trembling, and whispered a single, heartbreaking phrase: "Save... our boy..."
Before Alejandro could answer, a blinding explosion ripped through the air behind them.
