Chapter 58 - Crossfire
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The explosion detonated beneath the lead armored vehicle in Julian’s convoy, sending tons of metal and burning rubber spiraling into the snowy air. The shockwave knocked me off my feet, throwing me backward into the snowbank.
Gunfire immediately erupted from the tree line above the mountain road.
"Get down!" I screamed at Nicolás, pulling him flat against the ice as bullets zipped over our heads.
I looked back toward the convoy. Audrey wasn't tied up on the ground anymore. In the chaos of the initial blast, she had slipped her bindings—which I realized now she had never properly let them secure—and had taken out her two guards with a concealed blade. She was now laying down suppressing fire with a stolen assault rifle, utilizing the burning wreckage for cover.
"Kill them all!" Julian screamed at his surviving mercenaries, scrambling away from the cliff edge and clutching the hard drive to his chest.
I drew my pistol, popping up from the snowbank, and fired three rapid shots at the mercenaries rushing toward our position. Two dropped in the snow.
"Nico, crawl to the rocks!" I ordered, pointing to a cluster of heavy boulders near the vault entrance. "Do not stop moving!"
I provided cover fire, pushing the syndicate forces back as Nico scrambled to safety. The mountain pass was a chaotic nightmare of smoke, fire, and echoing gunshots.
Through the haze of the burning vehicle, I saw Julian Vance sprinting toward the last remaining, undamaged SUV. He was abandoning his men. He had the ledger, and that was all he cared about.
"Audrey, hold the line!" I yelled into the chaos.
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I broke from cover, sprinting across the open road directly toward Julian. A mercenary stepped into my path, raising a shotgun, but I didn't break stride. I slid on the ice, taking out his knees, and put a single round through his chest before he hit the ground.
I wasn't going to let Julian walk away. Not this time.
