Chapter 17 - The Showdown at Bay 4
Two nights later, rain battered the steel roof of the Reed & Mercer repair center. The surrounding industrial park was pitch black, the streetlights intentionally disabled by Marcus’s team.
Inside the dark garage, Grant stood in the center of Bay 4, wearing his dark work clothes, his hands resting calmly in his pockets. The heavy silver watch on his wrist reflected the dim emergency lights.
Outside, three black heavy duty pickup trucks pulled into the gravel lot, their headlights off. Eight armed men clad in dark tactical gear stepped out, led by Hector Ruiz—a sharp-featured man with a deep scar running down his left jawline.
Ruiz kicked open the side access door, stepping into the cavernous garage, his men fanning out with silent, deadly precision.
"Grant Mercer!" Ruiz’s harsh voice echoed against the concrete walls. "I know you’re in here! Give me the drive with my account keys, and I’ll leave the woman and the boy alive!"
"You're late, Ruiz," Grant’s voice called out from the shadows of Bay 4.
Ruiz turned, aiming his weapon toward the sound. Grant stepped out into the open beneath a single hanging light fixture.
"You have ten seconds to drop your weapons," Grant said coolly.
Ruiz laughed, a cold, mocking sound. "You think you’re a tough guy because you fix trucks, Mercer? You’re a businessman. You don't belong in this world."
"You’re right," Grant said softly. "I’m a businessman. But I hire professionals."
Grant slammed his hand down on the main breaker switch on the wall.
Instantly, industrial strobe lights flashed violently across the ceiling, blinding Ruiz and his men. Heavy steel shutter doors slammed down at every exit, locking the intruders inside. From the high steel rafters above, federal tactical officers and Grant’s private security detail dropped down on rappelling lines, flashbangs exploding in rapid succession.
The chaos lasted less than forty-five seconds. Disoriented and overwhelmed by superior tactics and blind lighting, Ruiz’s mercenaries were disarmed and forced to the concrete floor before they could fire a single effective round.
Ruiz was slammed face-down onto the cold concrete, Marcus holding him down with a knee to his back while clicking heavy steel handcuffs around his wrists.
Special Agent Sarah Miller stepped out from the main office, pulling off her night-vision goggles with a satisfied smirk. "Hector Ruiz. You’ve been a hard man to find."
Ruiz glared up at Grant, his eyes full of venom. "You trapped me... you set this whole thing up!"
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Grant crouched down beside the fallen cartel boss, looking him dead in the eye. "Scott Reed taught me how to hear a loose belt before I saw it, Ruiz. I saw you coming from a mile away."
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