Chapter 11
The heavy footfalls echoed closer down the arched brick corridor, accompanied by the methodical sweep of high-intensity tactical flashlight beams cutting through the damp darkness. Reyes dropped down from the ladder, unholstering his Glock in a single fluid motion and positioning himself protectively in front of Elena.
“How many?” Reyes whispered, his eyes fixed on the bend in the tunnel fifty yards away.
“At least four based on the acoustic signature,” Elena replied, her hands working with steady precision to arm the thermal breaching charge against the locking mechanism of the manhole cover above. “Hold them off for thirty seconds. That’s all I need.”
Reyes didn't hesitate. He took two steps back, braced his feet shoulder-width apart in a classic combat stance, and aimed his pistol down the center of the tunnel. The first beam of light cut around the corner, reflecting off the damp brick walls.
“Federal task force! Drop your weapon!” a harsh, metallic voice barked through a comms unit from the darkness. “Surrender the asset immediately!”
“State your clearance code and agency badge number!” Reyes yelled back, his voice echoing off the curved ceiling with authoritative defiance.
“Execute!” the voice roared.
A volley of suppressed gunfire erupted from the darkness. Supersonic rounds cracked through the damp air, sending violent explosions of brick dust and stone fragments showering over Reyes’s head. He squeezed off three rapid return shots into the ceiling above the approaching tactical team, creating a wall of falling debris that forced them to break their rush and dive behind a protruding utility junction.
“Ten seconds, Mateo!” Elena called out from the ladder, her thumb pressing the activation switch on the thermal charge.
A dull, searing hiss filled the small space as the thermite compound ignited, melting through the steel pin of the manhole cover with blinding white heat. Acrid smoke billowed downward, stinging Reyes’s eyes as he fired two more controlled shots down the corridor to keep the tactical team pinned.
“Now!” Elena screamed, throwing her weight upward against the iron lid.
With a metallic screech, the melted lock gave way, and the manhole cover popped upward into the rainy night air. Elena hoisted herself up through the opening with surprising agility, reaching down to grab the handle of the heavy aluminum Pelican case as Reyes handed it up to her.
Another burst of automatic fire chewed through the brickwork inches from Reyes’s head as he scrambled up the ladder, his boots finding the rungs just as the lead tactical operator rounded the final corner of the tunnel.
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Reyes shoved his weight through the opening, slamming the manhole cover down behind him just as a gloved hand lunged up through the gap, grasping at empty air.
The rain hit his face like a dash of ice water as they emerged onto the sidewalk of an empty side street in SoHo, the glow of distant neon signs reflecting off the wet pavement.
