Chapter 13 - The Breach
|
The words hit Daniel like a physical blow to the chest. Early labor. Emma was only eight months pregnant, and with her severe preeclampsia, delivering a baby in a freezing, dirty warehouse without medical equipment was a guaranteed death sentence for both of them.
“Bring her out right now, or you don't get a dime,” Daniel roared, abandoning all pretense of calm negotiation.
Silas chuckled, a dry, rasping sound. He pulled a silver revolver from his coat and aimed it directly at Daniel’s head. “You don't dictate terms here, Carter. Toss the drive onto the ground, and maybe I'll let you hold the kid before we put bullets in both of you.”
Daniel didn't move. He stared past Silas, focusing on the green laser dot that was currently resting perfectly between the eyes of the guard on the right.
“You're right, Silas,” Daniel said quietly. “I don't dictate terms. He does.”
Daniel threw himself sideways into the snow just as the deafening roar of Elias’s shotgun echoed from the rafters. The guard on the right crumpled instantly, completely incapacitated. Before the remaining men could react, a second blast echoed through the massive building, shattering the lights above the doorway and plunging the entrance into darkness.
“Kill him!” Silas screamed, diving behind a stack of wooden pallets as the remaining guard fired blindly into the rafters.
Daniel scrambled behind a rusted forklift, pulling the Glock from his coat. The warehouse erupted into total chaos. Gunfire echoed violently off the corrugated metal walls, the muzzle flashes illuminating the dark space like a strobe light.
“Elias, where is she?!” Daniel screamed over the noise, popping up from cover to fire two suppressing shots toward Silas’s position.
“Back office! Behind the glass!” Elias yelled from above, returning fire with his shotgun.
May you like
Daniel looked across the massive warehouse floor. At the far end, elevated above the concrete, was a dusty foreman’s office with a large glass window. Through the grime, Daniel could see a faint, flickering light.
He didn't wait for Elias to clear the floor. He broke from cover, sprinting through the maze of crates and machinery. Bullets pinged off the metal around him, showering him in sparks, but he didn't slow down. He reached the steel staircase leading to the office, taking the steps two at a time, kicking the locked door with all the adrenaline his body could produce.
