Chapter 16 - The Code of the Marshals
"Drop the weapon and step away from the edge!" Elena’s voice rang out through the hayloft, sharp and absolute, cutting through the shadows like a razor.
The intruder froze halfway up the ladder, his rifle barrel hovering inches from Elena’s line of sight. He slowly tilted his head up, the green glow of his night-vision goggles reflecting the dim ambient light.
"Elena," Vance’s voice called out from the ground floor, smooth and mocking. "You really think a pistol is going to stop a professional extraction team? We’re not here to hurt the girl. We just want the ledger. Give us the flash drive, and you can walk away."
"I don't have any ledger!" Elena shouted back, keeping her finger firmly on the trigger of the Glock. "Get out of my property, or the next sound you hear won't be a warning!"
"You're holding the key to a billion-dollar empire, my dear," Vance replied, his footsteps beginning to climb the ladder as well, stepping casually behind his frontline operative. "Marcus was a fool to trust you with it, but we always knew you were smarter than you looked. Hand it over, and we'll let you keep your quiet little suburban life."
"Mom..." Hailey whimpered softly from behind the hay bales, clutching the wool blanket around her shivering shoulders.
Elena didn't look back. Her eyes remained locked on the tactical helmet of the man on the ladder. She knew as well as Vance did that letting them take the flash drive was a death sentence. Once they had the data, loose ends were always tied up permanently.
She took a slow, deep breath, preparing to squeeze the trigger.
Suddenly, a deafening roar tore through the night sky outside the barn.
A high-pitched turbine whine rattled the corrugated tin roof, followed by the blinding wash of a massive halogen spotlight beams flashing through the slatted wooden walls. The entire barn illuminated as if midday had suddenly struck.
*“FBI! Federal Law Enforcement! Drop your weapons immediately!”* a booming voice echoed through a powerful PA system from outside.
The intruder on the ladder froze, his rifle dropping an inch as the distraction caught him off guard.
"What the—" Vance cursed from below, his calm composure instantly shattering. "It’s a federal intercept! Fall back! Fall back now!"
May you like
Heavy rotor wash battered the sides of the barn as a black tactical helicopter hovered just fifty feet above the roof, kicking up a hurricane of dust, hay, and loose debris inside the loft.
***
