Chapter 6 - Ambush on Route 9
Midnight on Route 9 was pitch black, swallowed entirely by dense pine forests and a heavy, rolling mountain fog.
The convoy consisted of three heavy-duty black suburban SUVs with reinforced armor plating and bulletproof glass. Roman drove the lead vehicle, Salvatore commanded the rear, and Mara sat in the middle row of the center vehicle, holding a sleeping Sophia tightly against her chest.
The hum of the tires against the wet asphalt was the only sound inside the cabin, save for the low, static-filled chatter of the tactical radio mounted on the dashboard.
"Boss, we’re coming up on the Bear Mountain pass," Salvatore’s voice crackled over the radio. "Tight turns ahead. Keep your speed steady."
"Copy that," Roman replied, gripping the steering wheel.
Suddenly, the headlights of the lead vehicle illuminated a massive timber trunk lying directly across both lanes of the highway.
"Ambush!" Roman roared over the secure comms. "Hold—!"
Before he could finish the sentence, a deafening volley of automatic gunfire erupted from the wooded embankments on both sides of the road. Tracers lit up the night sky like fiery ribbons. Bullets slammed into the armor plating of Roman's SUV with a violent, metallic screaming sound that shattered the side windows into a million crystalline fragments.
"Get down!" Mara screamed, throwing her body entirely over Sophia on the back seat as glass rained down around them like hail.
"Don't stop!" Roman shouted into the comms, stomping down hard on the accelerator. The heavy SUV plowed straight through the timber barricade, sending splintered wood flying in all directions.
Behind them, the rear vehicle took the brunt of a rocket-propelled grenade blast. A massive fireball bloomed against the night sky as Salvatore's vehicle was knocked sideways into the guardrail, engulfed in flames.
"Salvatore!" Roman cursed, slamming on the brakes of the lead vehicle and spinning the steering wheel into a sharp 180-degree skid, bringing the armored truck to a halt right behind the burning wreck.
"Mara, stay in the vehicle!" Roman ordered, unholstering a submachine gun from the passenger floorboard.
"I'm not leaving the child!" Mara yelled back, already unbuckling her seatbelt and grabbing a heavy tactical med-kit from the floor.
Doors flew open. Roman and his remaining enforcers poured out into the rain of bullets, returning fire with lethal, suppressive force toward the tree line where Viktor Vance’s mercenaries were advancing in tactical gear.
Amidst the chaos, a figure in a black balaclava broke through the smoke, charging directly toward the center vehicle where Mara and Sophia were huddled.
Mara didn't hesitate. She grabbed a heavy steel emergency flashlight from the door pocket, pushed open the rear door just as the attacker lunged forward, and smashed the heavy metal base directly across the man’s temple with all the fury of a mother protecting her cub.
The mercenary crumpled instantly onto the wet asphalt.
Before Mara could catch her breath, a heavy hand grabbed her shoulder. She spun around, raising the flashlight to strike again.
"Stop! It's me!" Roman's voice barked, his face streaked with soot and blood, though none of it was his.
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"Is Salvatore—?!" Mara shouted over the gunfire.
"He's out! The vehicle is clear!" Roman grabbed Mara by the arm, pulling her and a crying Sophia out of the wrecked SUV and dragging them toward the remaining operational transport. "Get in! We're breaking through!"
