Chapter 9 - The Target on Caleb's Back
The rain had turned the mountain pass of Highway 9 into a slick, treacherous ribbon of black ice and mud.
Ten minutes earlier, two armored SUVs had run the prison transport van off the road, ramming it into the guardrail overlooking the rocky gorge.
Inside the overturned transport van, Marcus Hale coughed through clouds of radiator steam and deployed airbag dust. The two correctional officers in the front cab were unconscious, bleeding from head wounds.
The rear doors of the van were violently ripped open with a hydraulic crowbar.
Three masked mercenaries in black tactical gear leveled automatic shotguns at Marcus.
"Frank Thorne sends his warmest regards, Marcus," the lead mercenary sneered, cocking his shotgun. "You should have kept your mouth shut in the bank."
"Do it, you coward," Marcus growled, looking straight into the barrel without flinching. "I'm ready."
"Hold your fire!" a sudden voice cracked through the darkness like thunder.
From the tree line above the embankment, Caleb Reed descended like a phantom. Moving with blinding speed and lethal precision, Caleb tackled the rear gunman, slamming his head against the asphalt before stripping his assault rifle in a single fluid motion.
*Bang! Bang!*
Two precision shots struck the engine blocks of the mercenary SUVs, disabling their escape vehicles.
The remaining two gunmen spun around, opening fire into the trees. Caleb rolled behind the overturned transport van, drawing his father's sidearm.
"Marcus, stay down!" Caleb shouted over the roar of gunfire.
Detective Miller's unmarked sedan screeched onto the scene, headlights blinding the mercenaries. Miller opened his driver-side door, returning fire with his service weapon while Sarah Vance radioed for federal air support.
Outmatched and disoriented by the coordinated counter-ambush, the two surviving hitmen scrambled down the ravine into the dark woods, leaving their wrecked vehicles behind.
Caleb ran to the back of the van, cutting Marcus's zip-ties with a tactical blade.
Marcus stared at Caleb in absolute disbelief, his voice shaking. "Why did you come for me? I'm the reason your father was cornered eighteen years ago!"
Caleb grabbed Marcus by the collar, pulling him upright. "My father gave his life so that men like you could choose redemption instead of crime. If I let you die on this road, then Frank Thorne wins, and my father died for nothing. Now get on your feet. We have an empire to take down."
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Marcus wiped blood from his forehead, looking at Caleb with tears of fierce loyalty. "Tell me what you need, kid. I'll follow you to the gates of hell."
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