Chapter 8 - The Warehouse Ambush
Jax’s hand slammed down on the gearshift, throwing the truck into reverse with a sharp jolt of rubber against wet concrete. "Hold on!" she yelled, as a heavy-duty SUV blocked the mouth of the alleyway, its high beams blinding them in a wall of harsh white light.
"They found us," Clara gasped, bracing herself against the dashboard as the truck skidded to a halt, trapped between the warehouse wall and the oncoming vehicle.
"They didn't find us by accident," Jax muttered, her jaw tightening as she scanned the perimeter. "One of my old burners must have been traced. Stay down, Clara. Do not move."
Before Clara could argue, the passenger-side window of the SUV shattered with a deafening crash, showering the interior of the truck with glittering safety glass. A gloved hand reached through the broken frame, trying to unlock the door from the inside.
Clara reacted on pure adrenaline. Without thinking, she grabbed the heavy brass base of her wilted wedding bouquet and slammed it down onto the intruder’s wrist with all her might. A sharp cry of pain echoed from outside, and the hand jerked back instantly.
"Good hit!" Jax yelled, kicking her own door open and lunging out into the muddy alley with a heavy metal wrench in her hand.
Clara scrambled across the seat, her white satin dress tearing loudly as the fabric caught on the ruined gearshift. She pushed open the driver's side door and tumbled out into the cold drizzle, her bare legs scraping against the gravel. Two men in dark tactical gear were circling the front of the truck, their faces obscured by balaclavas.
"Clara! Run for the loading dock!" Jax shouted, swinging her wrench and catching the first assailant squarely across the knee, dropping him to the ground with a sickening crunch.
Clara didn't look back. She scrambled across the wet pavement toward a rusted metal staircase that led up to a side loading door of the abandoned warehouse. Her lungs burned with every breath, the cold air tasting like copper and exhaust. Behind her, the sounds of scuffling and shouting echoed off the brick walls, followed by the heavy thud of a body hitting the pavement.
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She reached the top of the stairs, threw her weight against the heavy fire door marked Emergency Exit Only, and tumbled into the pitch-black interior of the warehouse, slamming the metal door shut behind her just as heavy boots pounded up the steps outside.
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