Chapter 13 - The Assault on Haven Point
The stench of ozone and cordite filled the air as Daniel dropped low to the floor, rolling behind the concrete kitchen island. Fragments of pulverized marble showered down around him.
Two men in black tactical gear and night-vision goggles moved through the smoke with surgical efficiency. These weren't street muscle or Victoria's private security; their footwork, spacing, and weapon handling screamed elite tier-one contractors.
Daniel drew a breath, holding it steady, letting the cold instinct of his former naval officer training seize control of his fear.
As the lead operator cleared the hallway threshold, Daniel lunged forward, sweeping the man's legs from underneath him. The operator hit the floor with a heavy thud, and Daniel jammed his combat knife into the vulnerable seam between the operator's tactical vest and throat.
The second soldier pivoted his carbine, but Daniel hauled the dying man's body up as a human shield. Heavy rounds thudded into the Kevlar vest. Daniel fired three rapid shots beneath the operative’s armpit. The second shooter collapsed against the shattered patio door, his blood pooling into the sea-salt wind.
Daniel snatched the dead soldier’s tactical radio and an MPX submachine gun.
A gravelly voice crackled through the operative’s earpiece: *"Bravo Team, report. Target Mercer secured? Extract the girl immediately. The submersible is waiting at Sector 4."*
Daniel didn't answer. He sprinted back to the hidden vault, keyed his thumb onto the biometric scanner, and swung the door open.
Lily was huddled beneath a reinforced steel desk, her hands clamped over her ears, tears streaming down her soot-streaked cheeks.
"I’ve got you, baby," Daniel whispered, scooping her into his arms and wrapping her tightly in his leather jacket. "We have to leave now."
They slipped out through the subterranean utility tunnel beneath the beach house, emerging directly onto the secluded boat launch where Daniel had docked his offshore pursuit vessel. Behind them, Haven Point erupted into a colossal fireball as charges planted by the mercenary squad incinerated the entire estate.
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Daniel gunned the twin 400-horsepower outboard engines. The sleek craft surged into the roaring, pitch-black ocean waves just as three black pursuit gunboats cut through the fog on his stern.
***
