Chapter 26 - The Confrontation
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I moved like a phantom through the pitch-black warehouse, utilizing the night-vision goggles Vincent had supplied. Thorne’s mercenaries were undisciplined, shouting to each other in panic, their muzzle flashes giving away their exact positions.
I swept the legs of the nearest mercenary, catching his rifle before it clattered to the concrete, and struck him unconscious with the heavy stock. Sebastian was a few yards away, disabling two more guards with terrifying, silent efficiency.
Within ninety seconds, the warehouse was dead quiet, save for the heavy, panicked breathing of Marcus Thorne.
"Where are you?!" Thorne screamed, firing his revolver wildly into the shadows. "Face me!"
I stepped out from behind a steel shipping container, perfectly illuminated by a sliver of moonlight piercing through the skylight. I tossed the night-vision goggles aside. I was completely unarmed.
Thorne locked eyes with me, a feral grin spreading across his face. He aimed his revolver directly at my chest.
"You got soft, Dominic," Thorne spat, breathing heavily. "The great Ghost, refusing to carry a gun. Refusing to kill. You think you’re a good man now? You’re just weak."
"I’m a father," I said calmly, not taking a single step back. "And a husband. That makes me stronger than you could ever comprehend."
"It makes you a corpse," Thorne snarled, pulling the hammer back on his gun.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Marcus," a voice echoed from the main entrance.
Thorne spun around.
Standing in the doorway, silhouetted by the red and blue flashing lights of dozens of police cruisers, was FBI Special Agent Elena Ruiz. She held a megaphone, and behind her, a SWAT team had their weapons trained squarely on Thorne.
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"Marcus Thorne," Ruiz announced, her voice echoing with finality. "Drop the weapon. You are surrounded. We have your ledgers, we have your offshore accounts, and your entire organization is currently under federal arrest."
Thorne looked from the FBI agents to me, realization finally dawning on his face. He had been baited. He hadn't come here to kill his rival; he had been lured into a cage.
