Chapter 8 - The Ambush at High Quarry
Before Liam could speak, the distinct whirr of a drone motor buzzed overhead through the gray quarry mist.
""Move!"" Marcus bellowed, swinging his rifle up and firing a single round into the sky. The small reconnaissance drone shattered into plastic sparks, tumbling into the gravel pit.
From the quarry’s eastern rim, three black four-wheel-drive trucks appeared, kicking up rooster tails of mud. Men with carbines spilled out of the beds, taking high ground along the limestone ridge.
""Get them into the truck!"" Liam shouted, pulling Clara into his arms and shoving Elena toward Marcus’s armored pickup.
Bullets rained down from the ridge above, ricocheting loudly off the rusted shipping containers. Marcus returned fire with rhythmic precision, his heavy rifle thundering across the canyon walls.
""The access road is blocked!"" Elena screamed from inside the cab, shielding Clara on the floorboards. ""We're trapped in the pit!""
Liam scanned the sheer quarry walls. The only way out was an old conveyor ramp leading to the processing plant on the upper ridge—a rusted metal catwalk designed for heavy machinery.
""Marcus! Put the truck in four-low and ram that maintenance gate!"" Liam ordered, taking cover behind the front tire. ""I'll cover the ridge snipers!""
Liam popped up, firing four precision shots with his handgun, dropping two operatives positioned near the excavator. But a sudden concussive blast from a grenade launcher hit the gravel fifteen yards away, lifting Liam off his feet and slamming him hard into the truck's rear tailgate.
The world went silent, replaced by a shrill, piercing ringing. Liam blinked through dust and smoke, fighting unconsciousness.
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Through the haze, he saw a tall man in a bespoke gray suit walking down the quarry ramp, surrounded by armed mercenaries. The man held an open satellite phone in one hand.
Liam recognized that face instantly: Julian Vance, Liam’s estranged older brother.
