Chapter 13 - Blood on the Rails
Elena crashed to her knees beside Gabriel, gravel tearing through her jeans. Gabriel rolled onto his back, his teeth clenched in agony as his shoulder absorbed the brutal impact. His weapon had been knocked several feet away, swallowed by the thick mud.
Fifty yards away, three armed operatives advanced along the railway tracks, their assault rifles held at the ready, closing the distance methodically through the pouring rain.
""Get up, Elena!"" Gabriel shouted through the downpour, his voice hoarse and desperate. ""Run for the train! Go!""
Elena looked from the advancing mercenaries to the iron bulk of a slow-moving freight train beginning to groan along the adjacent track. The engine was chugging forward, its massive iron wheels squealing against the rails as it gathered speed.
Instead of running, Elena reached into her coat, pulled out the secondary pistol, and rose to her feet in the mud, positioning her body directly between the approaching gunmen and Gabriel.
""Stop!"" she screamed into the rain, raising the weapon with both hands. ""Back off!""
The lead operative didn't slow his pace. He raised his rifle, aiming directly at her forehead with chilling indifference. ""Drop the weapon, girl. Last warning.""
A deafening roar split the night air.
The operative's chest suddenly exploded in a shower of dark mist. He collapsed backward into the gravel before his rifle could fire.
A second shot thundered through the storm—not from Elena’s pistol, and not from Gabriel.
The remaining two mercenaries spun around, caught completely off-guard by heavy sniper fire originating from the elevated water tower overlooking the rail yard. A second later, another mercenary crumpled into the mud, a high-caliber round tearing through his tactical vest. The third man panicked, diving behind an iron cargo container for cover.
Elena stood frozen in the rain, the pistol still trembling in her grip, completely bewildered by the sudden intervention.
Through the rain and shadow, Gabriel pushed himself up onto his forearms, staring toward the water tower. A faint grim smile cut across his mud-streaked face.
""Marcus,"" Gabriel muttered under his breath, relief and fierce vengeance blending in his tone.
""Who?"" Elena gasped, looking around the desolate yard as the freight train picked up speed beside them.
May you like
""My former head of security,"" Gabriel answered, coughing as he tried to haul himself forward. ""The only man my father couldn't buy. He’s been tracking their comms since the penthouse went dark.""
A loud radio transmission hissed through Gabriel’s broken comms piece: ""Boss! Train car 404 is unlocked! You have forty seconds before the tail clears the junction! Move!""
