Chapter 11 - The Water's Edge.Ethan did not aim his weapon at the heavily armored mercenaries closing in on their position.
Instead, he aimed directly at the massive, rusted industrial crane towering above the fleet of black SUVs.
He fired three rapid, armor-piercing rounds directly into the massive hydraulic lock holding a ton-and-a-half steel shipping crate in the air.
The ancient lock instantly shattered under the ballistic impact.
With a deafening shriek of tearing metal, the colossal steel crate plummeted toward the earth.
It crashed directly on top of the lead two SUVs, crushing them completely and sending a violent shockwave across the concrete pier.
The impact threw Marcus and his men off their feet, disrupting the automated helicopter turret's targeting sensors.
"Rosa, go now!" Ethan roared, ducking behind the concrete barrier as the helicopter’s machine gun recalibrated and began chewing through the pavement.
Rosa did not hesitate this time.
She clutched Lily to her chest, whispering a desperate prayer, and sprinted toward the edge of the pier.
The freezing, black water of the Long Island Sound rushed up to meet them as she threw herself off the concrete ledge.
They hit the water with a bone-chilling splash, the freezing temperature instantly driving the breath from Rosa's lungs.
She kicked frantically, keeping Lily's head above the dark, turbulent surface while the sounds of automatic gunfire echoed above them.
On the pier, Ethan popped out from cover and fired meticulously at the surviving mercenaries.
He dropped two men with precise headshots before a high-caliber round from the helicopter turret clipped his left shoulder.
The impact spun him around like a ragdoll, tearing through his tactical jacket and shattering his collarbone.
Pain exploded in his vision, bright white and blinding.
He dropped his weapon, his left arm going completely numb and dangling uselessly at his side.
Marcus rose from the wreckage of the crushed SUVs, leveling his assault rifle at Ethan's chest.
"Goodbye, Caldwell," the assassin sneered, pulling the trigger.
Ethan threw himself backward over the edge of the pier just as Marcus fired.
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A volley of bullets hissed through the empty air where Ethan had been standing a fraction of a second earlier.
He hit the freezing water hard, the salt immediately sinking its burning teeth into his open gunshot wound.
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