The library queen

Chapter 13 Dead End

The heavy engines roared as the five armored sedans tore through the pitch-black night, splitting the heavy rain.

Maya was trapped in the backseat of the center vehicle, Renn sat right next to her, his eyes closed, his hand buried deep inside his suit jacket. No one was talking.

Maya peeked out the tinted window, a cold smirk touching her lips. "Hey, Savier. We’re off the highway. Your brilliant security team just missed the exit."

Renn didn't open his eyes, his voice flat. "We’re taking the shortcut through the industrial district. Sit back."

"Moreau swept the area an hour ago," Renn snapped, "He’s got shooters at every corner."

Up front, Victor clamped his hands on the wheel. "Lead car is hitting the intersection now, boss."

Suddenly, the dashboard let out a deafening, high-frequency screech. The encrypted channel went completely dead, replaced by buzzing white noise. Victor cursed, smacking the receiver.

"Damn it, I lost the feed!" Victor yelled. "The whole comms line is down!"

Renn didn't flinch. In one smooth motion, he yanked his heavy steel piece from his jacket, the metal catching the dim glare. "Floor it, Victor! Smash through them!"

Victor slammed his boot onto the gas, and the massive sedan surged forward, the engine screaming.

High above on the roof of a rusted warehouse, Oscar looked down, his gold tooth flashing in the dark. Sophie stood right next to him, clutching a tactical radio.

"The target just rolled right into the middle of the block," Sophie said, "They're in the pocket. Nobody escapes."

Oscar didn't waste his breath. He just lifted his hand and dropped it.

A massive flash of orange flame erupted from the rooftop. A rocket tore straight through the pouring rain, smashing dead into the lead sedan.

BOOM!

The explosion ripped the night apart, a giant fireball swallowing the steel car instantly. The shockwave slammed into Victor’s vehicle like a physical wall. The windshield fractured, and the heavy metal frame groaned as Victor wrenched the steering wheel hard to the left. The tires screamed bloody murder against the wet pavement.

"Hold on!" Victor screamed.

The sedan skidded sideways, slamming to a violent halt right in front of the burning wreckage. Before they could even breathe, a rain of heavy gunfire erupted from the cranes above. Armor-piercing rounds slammed into the hood with a deafening rattle.

Renn grabbed Maya by the back of her neck, violently throwing her down onto the floorboards. "Stay the hell down!" he roared, throwing his own body over her.

Maya slammed her hands into the carpet, her face a perfect blank despite the ringing in her ears.

"The back car just blocked the street, boss!" Victor yelled, throwing his weight against the wheel.

Renn locked his jaw, his eyes turning into pure fire.

Before he could even finish the sentence, a bullet punched clean through the glass, spraying crystal shards all over the cabin. Renn threw himself sideways, shoving Maya deep into the footwell just as hot metal tore straight through his shoulder.

Renn let out a rough scoff, clutching his torn suit jacket. He didn't groan. He just stared at the blood on his hands with a cold smile.

"Renn! You're hit!" Maya snapped, scrambling up.

"I'm fine," Renn rasped, his teeth covered in blood, his voice dropping into a lethal, steady rhythm. "The bastard missed my heart."

Maya didn't think twice. She grabbed her heavy clutch and slammed it flat over the pumping wound, leaning her entire weight on his chest. "Hold still, Savier. You're bleeding out."

"Victor," Renn choked out, a dangerous smirk touching his lips. "Clear a path."

Victor didn't waste his breath. He kicked the door open, rolled out onto the flooded asphalt, and anchored his stance behind the heavy engine block. He raised his rifle, firing back in short, brutal bursts.

BANG! BANG!

A sniper tumbled off the warehouse roof, crashing onto the pavement. Without stopping, Victor shifted his angle and put three rounds into a flanking shooter, dropping him dead in the mud.

Up front, Victor slammed a fresh magazine into his rifle, the bolt snapping forward with a heavy clack. "I got a gap at two o'clock! We gotta move right now!"

Renn grabbed Maya’s wrist, his grip rock steady. "Go with Victor. Run. I'll hold the perimeter."

"I'm not leaving you here to die, you i***t," Maya shot back, grabbing his good arm and yanking him up with pure aggression. "Get your ass up. We go together."

Renn stared at her, a tiny, dangerous flash of approval crossing his eyes.

Renn was slumped against the torn leather seat, a massive crimson stain soaking his white shirt.

Victor slammed his last magazine into the grip with a heavy clack, his eyes glued to the dark alleyway. "We got at least thirty guys out there, Maya. They’re circling the whole block. We're totally trapped."

Maya turned her head, a cold, mocking smirk touching her lips as she stared at the abandoned warehouses.

Maya sneered, "The bootleggers built a massive smuggling tunnel right under these old docks. The system thinks it’s an empty lot."

Victor tracked the approaching shadows through the cracked side mirror, his grip tightening on his rifle. "Where is it?"

Maya stuck her finger straight through the broken window, pointing at a dark corner. "Warehouse number three. Right under the concrete floor, there’s an old iron hatch. It’s buried under old junk, but it leads straight to an air-raid shelter."

Victor evaluated the distance through the heavy rain. "That’s forty yards of open ground. We’ll get chewed to pieces by the shooters on the roofs."

Renn let out a rough, bloody laugh. "Go with Victor, Maya. Run. Don't die for a ruined asset."

"Shut up, Savier," Maya hissed, reaching down to grab the heavy tactical flashlight Victor had dropped. "If you die in my backseat, I’m formatting your core ledger by midnight. You want your empire back? Then stand up."

Victor kicked his door open. "I'm carrying him."

"You’re gonna be too slow, Victor," Maya snapped, stepping out into the open. "They got automatic rifles. They'll drop you before you make ten steps. Just carry Renn and keep your eyes on my back."

Before she could even take a step, the blinding beams of two heavy high-beams cut straight through the dark alley, pinning the shooters in a raw, white glare.

A gray pickup truck roared into the perimeter, its engine screaming bloody murder as it slammed through the trash-can barricade. The tires shrieked against the wet gravel, the truck sliding sideways until it dead-stopped right between Maya and the burning lead car.

The driver's door flew open. Don Joseph leaned out into the freezing rain, his Glock raised, his eyes turning to pure fire as he locked onto her face.

"Maya?! What the f**k are you doing here?!" Don roared, his voice cutting through the storm. He didn't waste time looking at the silk gown or the blood on her cuffs. "Get your ass in the truck! Now!"

Maya didn't freeze, she grabbed Renn’s heavy, bleeding arm. "Victor! Toss him in the back! Move!"

High above on the roof, Oscar stared at the ghost truck, his face darkening with sudden rage. "Who the hell is that?! Kill them! Kill all of them! Rain it down!"

The roof erupted in muzzle flashes again, bullets chewing the truck’s steel frame into pieces.

Don didn't budge. He anchored his arm over the door, dumping a full magazine toward the roof shooters in short, brutal bursts.

Victor didn't waste a breath. He hauled Renn’s heavy frame across the flooded asphalt, shoving the bleeding boss straight into the backseat of the truck. Maya scrambled in right behind them, slamming the heavy door shut with a violent bang.

Bullets punched clean through the truck’s tailgate, sparks flying like fireworks under the chassis.