Chapter 7 - Shadows in the Pine Forest
Gunfire erupted behind us, bullets chipping chunks of concrete from the corridor walls and shattering the fluorescent tubes overhead. Sparks rained down on our heads as we sprinted toward the underground loading bay.
I turned at the corner of the hallway, raised Alexander's firearm, and fired three controlled shots at the junction box powering the corridor's backup lighting. The box erupted in a shower of sparks, plunging the entire underground complex into pitch-black darkness.
The guards shouted in confusion, their muzzle flashes illuminating the mist in chaotic bursts.
"To the SUV!" I yelled, leading Alexander through the shattered loading bay doors and back out into the torrential midnight downpour.
The cold rain struck Clara’s face, causing her to gasp and clutch her stomach. "Alex... the baby's coming... I can feel it... the pressure is too much!"
"Hold on, Clara, please hold on!" Alexander begged, gently placing her into the spacious rear seat of the armored SUV. He climbed in beside her, pulling her head onto his lap and wrapping his warm wool coat around her shivering body.
I jumped into the driver’s seat, slammed the push-to-start button, and the twin-turbo engine roared to life with a deep, menacing rumble.
Ahead of us, the driveway was no longer clear.
Two black tactical pickup trucks belonging to the Ironclad mercenary team had blocked the narrow exit road through the pine forest. Their roof-mounted searchlights beamed down on our windshield, blinding us with blinding white light.
Five men in tactical gear stepped out, leveling automatic rifles at our vehicle.
"They're going to shoot out the tires!" Alexander shouted from the back, holding Clara down beneath the window line.
"These tires are Kevlar-reinforced run-flats," I replied, my hands gripping the leather steering wheel with ice-cold focus. "And this SUV weighs four tons."
I shifted into drive, locked the front and rear differentials, and slammed the gas pedal to the floor.
The heavy SUV surged forward with immense horsepower, kicking up mud and gravel behind all four wheels.
The mercenaries opened fire. Bullets spider-webbed the ballistic windshield and pinged violently off the reinforced armored hood, but the glass held firm.
Seeing that the armored beast wasn't slowing down, two of the guards dove into the muddy ditches for cover.
We slammed into the first pickup truck at fifty miles per hour, T-boning it across the front axle. The pickup spun violently out of the way, crashing into the thick pine trees lining the driveway, clearing a narrow opening through the blockade.
We burst through the wreckage and tore down the winding mountain road, leaving the burning estate behind us in the rearview mirror.
"Marcus!" I barked through the hands-free console. "We have Clara! She is in active, distressed labor! We need an emergency trauma and obstetric team standing by right now!"
"Elena, thank God!" Marcus's voice boomed over the speakers. "Where are you?!"
"We are heading south on Route 9 toward Hudson Valley Regional!"
"No! Don't go to Hudson Valley!" Marcus warned urgently. "The Vance family owns the municipal bond on that hospital; half their board is in Cynthia’s pocket! You need to push down to St. Jude Children’s and Women's Pavilion in White Plains. I have the Chief of Surgery and a federal protective detail waiting on the rooftop helipad!"
May you like
"That's twenty-five minutes away!" I yelled, glancing in the rearview mirror at Clara, whose face was contorted in unbearable pain, her fingernails digging deep into Alexander's hands.
"She doesn't have twenty-five minutes!" Alexander shouted, his voice cracking with sheer terror. "Elena, she's hemorrhaging!"
