Chapter 42 - A Sliver of Tungsten
The rain intensified, masking the subtle scrape of metal as Maya frantically worked her fingers around the magnetic explosive. She needed to sever the receiver wire, but she had no blade.
Above her, Dante’s voice thundered, drawing every mercenary's attention. "You made one critical miscalculation, Julian! You assumed I brought all my men to this yard!"
Julian scoffed. "Your perimeter guards are dead, Dante. Viktor is dead. Marcus is pinned down with you. There is no cavalry coming."
"I wasn't talking about cavalry," Dante sneered. With a flick of his wrist, Dante hurled the heavy, blood-stained tungsten card directly at the nearest halogen floodlight array. The solid metal edge shattered the primary glass housing, sparking a violent electrical short that cascaded through the daisy-chained power lines. Half the yard plunged into instant, disorienting darkness.
"Fire!" Julian shrieked, stumbling backward in the sudden gloom.
Before the mercenaries could adjust their night-vision optics, Dante moved. He didn't dive for cover; he lunged directly toward Julian, his sidearm barking twice in rapid succession.
Beneath the SUV, Maya seized her opportunity. She gripped the explosive's magnetic clamp with both hands and wrenched it downward with every ounce of strength in her exhausted, shivering body. The device tore free from the axle just as Marcus, laying covering fire with his suppressed carbine, grabbed Maya by the collar of her soaked uniform.
"Move!" Marcus roared, dragging Maya and Sofia backward toward the reinforced concrete loading dock.
Maya hurled the explosive casing outward into the open lot.
May you like
Julian, panicking as Dante closed the distance like an avenging demon, slammed his thumb down on the silver detonator.
The explosive detonated mid-air, twenty feet away from the SUV. The concussive shockwave shattered the remaining floodlights and threw two of Julian's mercenaries violently to the asphalt. The blast echoed off the rusted chain-link fences and razor wire, lighting the industrial yard in a brilliant, terrifying flash of orange fire.
