The Grand commander's Return; Ex-wife's fatal Mistake

Chapter 6: Blood on the Highway

The custom Maybach 62S glided smoothly down the slick, rain-soaked expressway. The heavy, double-glazed windows muffled the roaring storm outside.

Inside the quiet cabin, Fiona Griffin sat across from Declan. She tapped her manicured nails against a glowing tablet screen, then looked up at his wet, calm face.

"You're remarkably quiet for a man who just signed away three years of his life," Fiona remarked, a subtle smile touching her lips

Declan leaned his head back against the headrest, looking out at the blurring streetlights. "I don't waste energy on things that are already dead."

"Fair enough," Fiona said, sliding the tablet across the center console. "Here is the live data on the Kurogane Syndicate's breach. They’ve bypassed three of Griffin Industries' perimeter firewalls in the last ninety minutes. If they pierce Kernel Zero before midnight, they gain full administrative control of our military contracts."

Declan didn't reach for the tablet. He didn't even look down.

"Get down!" Declan said suddenly.

Fiona’s hand froze over the glass screen. "What?"

BOOM!

A deafening, metallic crash rocked the expressway.

A heavy, unlit semi-truck burst out of a dark side junction. Its steel bumper plowed directly into the Range Rover. The Range Rover flipped twice, spraying shattered glass and sparks across three lanes before smashing into the concrete highway wall.

SCREEECH!

The Maybach’s driver slammed his foot on the brakes. The tires squealed violently against the wet asphalt as the luxury car swerved, coming to a dead stop in the middle of the dark overpass.

"Ambush!" the lead bodyguard shouted, unholstering his gun. "Protect Miss Griffin!"

TAK-TAK-TAK-TAK-TAK!

Automatic rifle fire rained down from the dark upper girders of the overpass, spiderwebbing the Maybach’s heavy armored glass windows.

"Kurogane hitmen," Fiona said, her jaw set tight, her eyes burning with cold rage.

With smooth, practiced speed, Fiona reached into her burgundy suit jacket and pulled out a sleek, matte-black Glock 19.

"They know if I die tonight, Griffin Industries drops into board chaos, letting their buyout go through by morning."

Outside, a squad of eight tactical men in black armor dropped from the upper girders, landing heavily on the wet pavement. They began advancing on the car, their weapon lights cutting through the blinding rain.

"Stay inside, Declan!" Fiona ordered, her voice firm as she looked back at him. "Keep your head down and stay behind the leather seats!"

Before Declan could answer, Fiona pushed her door open, stepping straight out into the pouring rain alongside her two bodyguards.

BANG! BANG!

BANG!

A single gunshot echoed from behind her, taking down a mercenary who was flanking her position.

Fiona spun around in shock. Declan was standing right behind her in the open rain, holding a fallen bodyguard's handgun in his grip.

"Declan?!" Fiona gasped, glaring at him in frustration as she tried to shove him back behind the car. "I told you to stay inside! Do you even know how to handle a gun properly…."

Before she could finish her sentence, heavy footsteps sloshed through the water around them.

Seven armored Kurogane mercenaries formed a tight ring around the Maybach, pointing automatic rifles straight at their chests. They were completely cornered.

The lead mercenary looked at Declan's wet, plain clothes and let out a dark, mocking laugh.

"Look at this," the mercenary sneered, stepping closer. "A weak little puppy hiding behind a woman's skirt. How pathetic."

The mercenary shifted his icy gaze to Fiona. "Our boss wants you alive, Miss Griffin. But if you don't cooperate right now, we'll blow your head off and leave your body here next to this nobody."

Fiona stepped slightly in front of Declan, her voice cold and unyielding. "Take me. Leave him out of this. He's just an ordinary man. He has nothing to do with Griffin Industries."

Declan didn't move backward. Instead, he stepped right up beside her, looking the mercenary lead dead in the eye.

"You're not taking her anywhere," Declan said softly, his voice dropping into a chilling register. "You'll have to go over my dead body."

The mercenaries laughed loudly. "Then die, you useless.."

In a fraction of a second, Declan moved.

He grabbed Fiona’s waist with one arm, spinning her body cleanly behind his broad back to shield her completely.

With his free hand, Declan raised the handgun. His eyes turned into pure, sub-zero ice as his finger pressed the trigger in one continuous, lightning-fast burst.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Seven sporadic, impossibly fast shots rang out through the storm.

Seven bullets. Seven direct headshots.

All seven remaining mercenaries collapsed simultaneously onto the slick asphalt, their heavy weapons clattering uselessly against the concrete.

THWACK!

A high-caliber sniper round suddenly punched through the air, shattering the concrete barrier just inches from Declan’s boot and spraying sharp gravel across the road.

"Get down!" Declan barked, instantly pulling Fiona low behind the armored rear tire of the Maybach.

The cold rain poured over them as they hugged the chassis. Fiona’s heart pounded against her ribs as she clutched her sidearm.

"It's a long-range anti-material sniper," Fiona hissed, checking her magazine. "He’s dug into the north ridge. We can't reach him with handguns, and we can't move to another car without getting picked off!"

Declan didn't look panicked. His sharp eyes traced the angle of the bullet hole in the concrete, calculating the trajectory, wind speed, and distance in his head within seconds.

"He's four hundred yards out," Declan said calmly. "Hidden behind the dense treeline on the ridge. He’s waiting for a clean kill shot."

“Four hundred yards in a downpour?" Fiona stared at him. "Even with a rifle, that's a tough shot in this weather!"

"He needs to open his visor to track movement in this fog," Declan murmured. "I'm going to make him reveal his exact muzzle position."

Before Fiona could stop him, Declan reached out, grabbed a silver metal hubcap lying near the wreckage, and flung it hard into the air toward the left lane.

CLANK!

The silver disk glinted under the streetlight. Up on the dark ridge, seeing the sudden movement through the rain, the sniper instinctively adjusted his scope and pulled the trigger.

THWACK!

The round blew the hubcap into pieces mid-air.

In that single split second, the sniper's thermal muzzle flash blinked like a tiny red ember through the heavy fog and rain.

That was all Declan needed

He didn't hesitate. He stood straight up out of cover, locking his eyes onto that distant point in the dark treeline. He raised his handgun with one firm, unshakeable hand, stepping into the open rain.

Declan exhaled a single, slow breath. He adjusted his aim by a fraction of a millimeter to account for the crosswind, and squeezed the trigger.

BANG!

Four hundred yards away on the dark ridge, a sharp, metallic crack echoed through the trees.

The sniper’s night-vision lens shattered instantly as the bullet punched clean through his scope. His body jerked back violently, his heavy rifle tumbling down the muddy slope as he collapsed dead into the brush.

Silence fell over the elevated highway, broken only by the heavy patter of the falling rain..

Declan calmly racked the slide of his gun, ejected the empty magazine, and flipped the safety switch with his thumb.

He walked back to the car, holding the weapon out handle-first to Fiona.

Fiona sat frozen on the wet pavement, staring up at him. Her eyes were wide, her lips parted in utter, breathless shock. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, not from fear, but from an overwhelming, intoxicating surge of awe.

She was completely smitten.

This was no low-tier contractor. This was no ordinary man who had been bullied and discarded by the Sawyer family. This was an absolute god of war walking among mortals.

"Who..." Fiona whispered, her voice trembling softly as her eyes searched his unyielding face. "Who are you really, Declan?"

Declan reached down, offered her his hand, and pulled her smoothly to her feet.

"I'm the man fixing your server tonight, Miss Griffin," Declan said quietly, opening the door for her. "Let's go.”