Chapter 10 - The Ambush.The Brooklyn Navy Yard was a graveyard of rusting hulls and abandoned maritime machinery.
A freezing mist rolled off the water, reducing visibility to less than thirty feet.
Ethan moved silently through the fog, holding his weapon at the ready.
Rosa stayed directly behind him, carrying Lily tightly against her chest.
"Dock 4 should be just past this crane," Ethan whispered, his eyes scanning the shadows.
The rhythmic thumping of helicopter blades echoed in the distance, growing steadily louder.
A sleek, unmarked black helicopter descended through the mist, hovering just above the concrete pier.
"It's Arthur's extraction team," Ethan said, feeling a momentary surge of relief.
They rushed out of the cover of the shipping containers and sprinted toward the waiting aircraft.
The side door of the helicopter slid open, but instead of a rescue crew, an automated heavy machine gun rotated out of the cabin.
Ethan instantly recognized the trap.
"Get down!" he screamed, shoving Rosa and Lily behind a concrete barrier.
The machine gun erupted, shredding the asphalt where they had been standing a second earlier.
Sparks flew as the high-caliber rounds chewed through the concrete barricade, showering them in deadly shrapnel.
Before Ethan could return fire, the screech of tires echoed from the shipyard entrance.
Four black SUVs slammed on their brakes, completely boxing them in against the waterfront.
A dozen heavily armed mercenaries poured out of the vehicles, led by a tall man in a tactical trench coat.
Marcus had arrived.
"End of the line, Caldwell!" Marcus shouted over the deafening roar of the helicopter blades.
"Throw out the weapons and hand over the child, and I'll make it quick."
Ethan checked his magazine; he had fifteen rounds left and was facing an entire platoon.
He looked back at Rosa, whose face was pale with absolute, paralyzing terror.
Lily was crying silently now, burying her face so deeply into Rosa's shoulder she seemed to be trying to disappear.
Ethan leaned in and kissed Rosa fiercely, a desperate, final goodbye.
"When I start shooting, you run for the water," he commanded softly.
"What?" Rosa gasped.
"You can't fight them all, you will die!"
"I'm going to buy you the time you need to survive," Ethan replied, his gray-green eyes burning with absolute resolve.
May you like
He didn't wait for her to argue.
Ethan Caldwell racked the slide of his Glock, stepped out from behind the concrete barricade, and walked directly into the wall of gunfire.
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