Chapter 17 - Crossfire
Aaron stepped out of the thick fog near the base of the gantry crane, holding a suppressed Barrett MRAD sniper rifle in his hands, his face set in a mask of absolute, unadulterated fury. Behind him, a dozen elite black-clad operators swarmed the switching yard from all sides, cutting off every escape route.
Marcus panicked, drawing a sleek Sig Sauer pistol and pointing it directly down at Declan from the gantry platform. "Stay back, or I'll blow the kid's brains out!" Marcus screamed, his voice cracking with desperation.
"You don't have a shot at her, Marcus," Declan said calmly, taking a slow step forward. "Look around you. Your men are disarmed, your accounts are frozen, and your little empire is burning to the ground."
"I'll take you with me!" Marcus shrieked, his finger tightening on the trigger as he aimed straight at Declan's chest.
Bang.
The shot didn't come from Aaron.
From the rusted doorway of an abandoned boxcar behind Marcus, a lone figure stepped out, holding a smoking pistol.
Graham Pike stood there, pale, gaunt, his tailored suit hanging off his skeletal frame after weeks in the subterranean titanium cell, but his eyes burned with a fierce, vindictive triumph. He had picked the lock on the auxiliary service tunnel two days ago and tracked Marcus here for one simple reason: revenge.
Marcus gasped, dropping his weapon as a bullet tore through his lower spine. He stumbled backward against the rusted railing of the gantry, lost his footing, and plunged off the edge, crashing hard onto the concrete floor below.
Silence fell over the switching yard, save for the distant wailing of sirens closing in from the highway.
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Declan didn't look at Marcus’s broken body. He sprinted past the rusted crates, dropped to his knees, and scooped little Penny into his arms.
"I've got you," Declan whispered, burying his face in her soft hair as the little girl sobbed against his chest, wrapping her small arms tightly around his neck. "I've got you, Penny. We're safe."
