Chapter 16 - THE AMBUSH AT SECTOR FOUR
At 7:55 p.m., three heavy vehicles pulled into the central muddy yard of the abandoned rail depot. Their halogen headlights cut through the heavy rain, casting long, eerie shadows across the rusted boxcars and overgrown tracks.
The doors opened simultaneously. Eight heavily armed men in dark raincoats stepped out, positioning themselves in a defensive arc around a sleek black Mercedes limousine.
The rear passenger door of the limousine swung open. A security guard held a large black umbrella over Carmen Robles as she stepped out onto the wet gravel, her high heels sinking slightly into the mud. She wore a long dark fur-collared coat, looking completely out of place against the industrial ruin.
Behind her, Javier stepped out, his face pale, his eyes darting frantically across the dark surrounding structures.
From the shadow of an overturned freight car, a single tall figure emerged.
Colonel Alexander Brooks walked forward slowly into the bright glare of the headlights. He wore his old olive-drab field jacket, his hands casually resting inside his pockets, entirely unfazed by the eight rifles trained silently on his chest.
"You're late, Carmen," Alexander said, stopping ten paces from her limousine.
Carmen smiled thinly, her emerald rings catching the reflection of the vehicle lights. "A woman of my standing does not hurry for a retired soldier, Colonel. Where is your daughter? I expected her to be hiding behind your coat tails."
"My daughter is safe," Alexander said calmly. He reached into his field jacket, pulling out the small steel USB drive, holding it up between his index and middle fingers. "Here is the key. Three hundred million dollars in frozen cartel accounts. It contains every ledger, every routing code, and every offshore shell identity your late father established in Colombia."
Javier took a step forward, his breath visible in the cold air. "Give it to us, Alexander! Give it to us, and we leave your family alone forever!"
"Shut up, Javier!" Carmen snapped, glaring at her son before turning back to Alexander. "You think you're in a position to set terms, Colonel? Look around you. You're surrounded by eight professionals. You came here alone."
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Alexander looked around at the eight armed men with a expression of mild, almost bored detachment.
"I didn't come alone, Carmen," he said softly. "I brought my family."
