Chapter 45
The armored SUV tore up the winding mountain pass, its heavy tires screaming against the asphalt. Behind them, the headlights of Marcus's pursuit vehicles cut through the darkness like predatory eyes. Ryan glanced in the rearview mirror, his face a mask of grim determination. He knew these roads intimately, every hairpin turn and treacherous drop-off.
"Hold on tight, girls," Ryan shouted over the roar of the engine.
He slammed the brakes, throwing the heavy vehicle into a controlled drift around a sharp corner. The pursuing cars struggled to keep up, one nearly fishtailing off the edge of the cliff. Ryan didn't slow down. He pushed the SUV harder, aiming for the narrowest section of the pass, a treacherous stretch known as the "Devil's Throat."
"We can't outrun them all, Boss," Silas's voice crackled over the secure radio link. "They have choppers moving in from the south."
"I know," Ryan replied, his eyes locked on the road ahead. "I need you to prep the secondary extraction point. We're going to create a bottleneck."
Ryan reached the Devil's Throat, a narrow bridge spanning a deep, rocky chasm. He drove the SUV halfway across and then abruptly slammed on the brakes, turning the vehicle sideways to completely block the path. He grabbed his assault rifle and a heavy satchel charge from the passenger seat.
"Stay down and do not move," Ryan ordered the girls, his voice brooking no argument.
He jumped out of the vehicle, running back toward the entrance of the bridge. He planted the satchel charge on the main support strut, setting the timer for thirty seconds. He sprinted back to the SUV, taking cover behind its armored bulk just as Marcus's lead vehicles rounded the corner.
The mercenaries opened fire, bullets sparking against the SUV's armor plating. Ryan returned fire, his precise bursts keeping them pinned down.
Ten seconds.
The mercenaries realized the bridge was blocked and began to maneuver, trying to find an angle.
Five seconds.
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Ryan ducked low, covering his head.
The satchel charge detonated with a deafening roar. The massive explosion ripped through the bridge's support structure. The concrete groaned and buckled, and then, with a sickening crunch, the entire entrance of the bridge collapsed into the chasm, taking the two lead pursuit vehicles with it. The fiery wreckage plummeted into the darkness below, effectively severing Marcus's ground pursuit.
