Chapter 6 - Crossfire In The Pines
"Down!"
Mac didn't hesitate. He lunged sideways, tackling Maya to the wooden porch floor just as a volley of automatic gunfire tore through the night air. Wood splinters exploded outward like shrapnel, and the siding of the cabin chewed apart under a hail of high-caliber rounds.
"Ambush!" Reno screamed, diving behind the rusted Ford pickup truck while returning fire with his pistol, muzzle flashes illuminating the dark woods in strobing bursts of orange light.
"Who is that?" Vance roared, pumping his shotgun and firing two deafening blasts into the treeline where the muzzle flashes were blinking like fireflies. "We’re the only ones who knew we were coming out here!"
"Not just us," Mac yelled over the deafening roar of gunfire, pulling Maya behind the heavy timber pillars of the porch. She didn't scream, she didn't panic; instead, she rolled smoothly into a kneeling combat stance, drawing a compact Glock from her holster with chilling efficiency. "The syndicate didn't dissolve when the indictments dropped, Vance. They just changed uniforms. They’ve been tracking this ledger just as long as we have!"
Through the smoke and flying dirt, three dark figures in tactical gear emerged from the tree line, advancing methodically with suppressed carbines raised. They weren't rival bikers or local thugs—they moved with the synchronized precision of professional mercenaries, sweeping sectors and closing the distance with terrifying speed.
"They're flanking the Jeep!" Brick shouted, firing wildly over the hood of the truck before a bullet caught him in the shoulder, spinning him around with a sharp cry of pain.
"Brick!" Reno lunged forward to grab his fallen comrade, but another burst of gunfire chipped the asphalt right between his boots, forcing him back into cover.
"Maya!" Mac yelled, shouting over the chaos. "The ledger! If they get that book, we’re all dead—you, me, and every man out here!"
Maya looked down at the weathered book in her hand, then up at Mac. For a fraction of a second, the hatred in her eyes flickered, replaced by a sudden, harsh calculation. She threw the ledger directly across the porch toward him.
"Catch!" she shouted.
Mac snatched the book out of the air, tucking it securely under his arm as he raised his revolver. The years of rust and booze melted away, replaced by the lethal muscle memory of an outlaw who had fought his way out of a hundred bloodier corners than this.
May you like
"Vance, suppressive fire on the left flank!" Mac bellowed, leaping up from behind the pillar. "Reno, get Brick to the Jeep! We’re breaking through the tree line!"
The diner president opened fire, three rapid shots cracking through the dark with deadly accuracy, dropping the lead mercenary in his tracks.
