Chapter 31
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"Absolutely not," Jax growled, stepping between Elena and the door of the cabin. The massive operative crossed his arms, his scarred face set in an immovable scowl. "I am not leaving you behind to fight an entire private army alone, Vance. Arthur would kill me himself if I let you do that."
"Jax, this isn't up for debate," Elena commanded, her voice slicing through the cold air. "If Thorne gets his hands on this decryption key, Arthur’s death was for nothing, and the corrupt military syndicate wins. Your priority is getting Chloe and the data to a secure broadcast station."
Chloe stepped forward, grabbing her mother's armored arm. "Mom, you can't take on an attack helicopter and a platoon of mercenaries by yourself. It's suicide."
"It's tactical misdirection," Elena corrected smoothly, pulling a heavy remote detonator from her tactical pouch. "I still have the C4 charges we didn't use at the vault. I am going to rig the access road and the bridge. I will make enough noise to draw Thorne's entire force to my position while you two slip away down the river."
Jax stared at Elena, recognizing the unyielding, fierce determination in her eyes. It was the exact same look Arthur had worn before his final deployment.
"You have twenty minutes before the extraction chopper I called arrives at the river basin," Jax said, his voice heavy with reluctant respect. "If you aren't at the rendezvous point, we leave without you."
"I'll be there," Elena promised, offering a rare, genuine smile. She turned to her daughter, kissing her forehead fiercely. "Run, Chloe. Don't look back."
Jax grabbed Chloe by the tactical vest, pulling her out the back door of the cabin and into the torrential rain, disappearing instantly into the darkness toward the roaring river.
Elena stood alone in the abandoned cabin. The distant roar of heavily armored vehicles echoed through the forest, growing louder by the second. She checked her submachine gun, slapped a fresh magazine into place, and slung her remaining explosives over her shoulder.
She walked out into the freezing, rain-swept night, moving swiftly toward the main access road. She wasn't just fighting for survival anymore. She was fighting for absolute, undeniable justice.
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She planted the heavy C4 charges along the base of the old wooden bridge that served as the only route for heavy vehicles into the sector, burying the explosives deep in the mud. She retreated to the high ground, taking cover behind a massive granite boulder, overlooking the kill zone.
The headlights of three armored troop transports pierced the darkness, rumbling heavily toward the bridge. Elena raised the detonator, her thumb resting on the trigger, waiting for the perfect, devastating moment to strike.
