Chapter 16 - Midnight Ambush
The rain turned into a torrential downpour as Julian and Elena raced north along the Palisades Parkway in an armored SUV, flanked by two tactical support vehicles. The sky was an abyss of churning black clouds, lightning tearing jagged wounds into the Hudson River below.
"We should have left Leo in the federal safe house," Elena murmured, checking the magazine of her concealed sidearm.
"Marcus has twenty top-tier operatives guarding him, surrounded by biometric barricades. He’s safe, Elena," Julian promised, his hands gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles went stark white. "We end this tonight. Once Edward and Victoria are back in cages—or in the ground—our son will never have to look over his shoulder again."
Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed from the opposing lane.
A blinding beam of high-intensity halogen lights appeared out of the darkness. A massive semi-truck, barreling at ninety miles an hour, crossed the concrete median divider directly into their path!
"Brace!" Julian roared, violently turning the wheel.
The lead security SUV took the full impact of the semi-truck, exploding into a catastrophic fireball that lit the highway in hellish crimson. Julian’s armored vehicle spun violently across the slick asphalt, tires screeching against the road before smashing side-first into the guardrail, dangling precariously over a sheer cliff above the roaring river.
Smoke filled the cabin. Glass hissed.
Elena gasped for air, coughing against the deploying airbags. "Julian... Julian, are you alive?!"
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Julian shoved his jammed door open, kicking it free with a savage grunt. Blood trickled down his temple, but his eyes were wide with pure adrenaline. "Move, Elena! Out, now!"
Out of the burning wreckage of the semi-truck, four masked gunmen emerged, raising automatic shotguns to execute the survivors.
