Chapter 9 - The Claws of Vengeance
Gunfire erupted across the weigh-station yard, flashing orange and bright against the relentless rain.
Julian was moving before the first casing hit the ground. He drew his concealed sidearm and fired three controlled shots, dropping the guard nearest Cassian before diving behind an overturned concrete barrier. Marcus laid down suppressing fire from the open window of the SUV, forcing the remaining operatives to scramble for cover behind the industrial van.
Across the muddy clearing, Titan was an unstoppable force of nature.
The guard struggling to stand after Arthur’s tackle barely had time to raise his weapon before ninety pounds of pure muscle collided with his chest. Titan hit him at full sprint, clamping his jaws onto the operative's tactical vest with bone-shattering force. The man screamed, flailing in the mud as the dog dragged him across the ground, completely neutralizing the threat.
The second guard raised his submachine gun, aiming directly at Titan’s flank.
"No!" Elena screamed.
Instinct overrode fear. Elena raised the heavy pistol Julian had given her, gripped it with both hands just as her father had taught her on the shooting range years ago, and pulled the trigger.
The recoil cracked up through her wrists. The bullet struck the second guard's shoulder, spinning him around and causing his burst of fire to chew harmlessly into the gravel and sky.
Arthur lunged forward, using his bound hands to grab the fallen weapon, swinging the steel frame into the disoriented guard’s temple with brutal efficiency. The man went limp in the mud.
"Elena! Behind you!" Julian shouted.
Elena spun around.
Cassian had discarded his umbrella. His face was twisted with manic rage as he lunged through the mud toward her, a pearl-handled combat knife gleaming in his hand. He wasn't aiming for the ledger anymore—he was aiming for her throat.
"You ruined everything!" Cassian snarled, lunging forward with terrifying speed.
Elena tried to raise the pistol again, but the slick mud gave way beneath her heels. She slipped backward, crashing hard onto the wet asphalt, the gun flying from her grip and sliding across the ground out of reach.
Cassian closed the distance, his eyes wide and bloodshot, raising the blade above her chest. "Die like your mother!"
A deafening roar split the night air.
Titan intercepted the strike mid-air. The Cane Corso leaped directly between Elena and the falling blade, his teeth sinking deep into Cassian’s right forearm.
Cassian shrieked in agony as the knife clattered uselessly onto the stone. The impact forced the older executive to the ground, but Cassian, driven by adrenaline and sheer survival, used his free hand to draw a small backup pistol from his ankle holster.
He pressed the barrel directly against Titan's scarred ribcage.
"Get off me, you beast!" Cassian shrieked, his finger tightening around the trigger.
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"Titan, move!" Elena cried, scrambling forward across the mud on her hands and knees.
A single gunshot cracked through the yard.
