Chapter 18 - The Ambush in the Fog
The realization hit Daniel like a physical blow.
Victor had never intended for Leo to survive this night. The upload of the documents, the confrontation at the pier, the fake detonator—it had all been a diversion. Victor had wanted Daniel to run to the pier, leaving Leo vulnerable, while his team finished off the boy in the car.
*“Marcus!”* Daniel shouted, spinning toward the hangar entrance. *“The Suburban! Where is the secondary team?”*
Before Marcus could answer through the radio, the night air outside shattered with the roar of heavy automatic gunfire.
A volley of armor-piercing rounds ripped through the corrugated walls of the hangar, sending sparks, shrapnel, and shattered fiberglass raining down onto the Gulfstream’s wings. Marcus dove behind the concrete pylon, returning fire with his submachine gun.
“Ambush!” Marcus yelled into his throat mic. “Black tactical vans on the tarmac! They hit our outer perimeter! They’re moving on the transport!”
Daniel lunged behind the hydraulic lift as high-caliber rounds tore through the boarding stairs where Evelyn had been cowering. She screamed as a ricochet clipped her thigh, sending her tumbling onto the bloody floor.
Daniel looked through the shattered glass of the hangar doorway. Fifty yards away through the swirling mist, three men in unmarked tactical gear were converging on the armored Suburban where Leo was locked inside.
“Leo!” Daniel screamed.
He didn't think about cover. He didn't think about corporate empires, missing billions, or the boy sleeping in the medical crate behind him. Raising his weapon, Daniel burst out of the hangar doors into the freezing open tarmac, firing systematically into the fog.
One of the advancing mercenaries spun and dropped as Daniel’s bullet struck his shoulder plate. The remaining two turned their rifles toward Daniel, their muzzle flashes illuminating the mist like strobes of death.
Daniel slid behind a heavy metal luggage trolley as rounds tore through the tires, showering him in sparks and hot lead. He had only six rounds left in his magazine.
Suddenly, the Suburban’s heavy diesel engine roared to life.
The security driver inside didn't wait for orders. The massive vehicle slammed into reverse, tires screeching against the wet concrete, smashing into one of the tactical vans and crushing the second shooter against the chassis.
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The remaining mercenary scrambled backward, his weapon raised, aiming straight through the Suburban’s passenger window where Leo was curled up beneath the seat.
Daniel broke cover, sprinting across the open tarmac with reckless abandon, firing twice. The mercenary collapsed onto the asphalt just as the Suburban’s rear door kicked open.
