Page 51 of The Sniper

They moved like wraiths through the night, loading into the blacked-out SUVs that would take them to the shipping yard. Fitz drove like a bat out of hell, the reinforced tires eating up the pavement as the city blurred past them. Daniels could feel the storm building inside him, a lethal mix of focus and fury.

Artemis had crossed the line.

And Daniels was going to make her pay for it.

The shipping yard was dark, towering stacks of rusted containers creating a maze of steel and shadow. The only illumination came from the occasional floodlight, flickering with age.

Daniels stepped out of the SUV, scanning the area. The air was thick with the scent of the lake and diesel, the distant soundof water slapping against the docks, the only noise besides their own breathing.

“She’s here.” He felt it.

Fitz pointed toward a low-slung warehouse near the water’s edge. “Thermal’s picking up heat signatures inside. Four, maybe five hostiles. We go in quiet.”

Daniels gave a curt nod, his mind already calculating the best approach. “Reyna’s priority. We sweep and clear, take-out threats as they come.”

They moved.

Daniels took point, his Glock raised as they wove through the stacked containers, using the shadows as cover. He could hear his own heartbeat, a steady drum against his ribs. The moment they reached the side of the warehouse, Mitch planted a small charge against the rusted door hinges.

There was a muffled blast as the charge went off, and then they were inside.

The first hostile barely had time to react before Daniels put a bullet between his eyes. The second turned, reaching for his weapon, but Fitz dropped him before he could get his finger on the trigger.

Then the real fight started.

Gunfire erupted from deeper inside, bullets sparking off steel as Daniels, Fitz and Mitch pushed forward. A figure darted into the shadows, and Daniels fired, clipping him in the leg. The man collapsed with a scream, writhing in pain.

Daniels didn’t stop. He was hunting.

Where the hell is Reyna?

A sharp crack echoed through the space, followed by a grunt of pain. Daniels turned in time to see Mitch take a hit to the shoulder. He stayed on his feet, returning fire as Fitz provided cover.

Daniels pressed forward, moving through the warehouse with the kind of lethal precision that had kept him alive for years. He cleared a doorway, stepping into what looked like a makeshift interrogation room—and then he saw her.

Reyna was tied to a chair in the center of the room, wrists bound, blood on her lower lip. But her eyes—those fierce eyes—were locked onto him the moment he stepped inside.

Two figures moved behind Reyna—Artemis and another assailant.

Daniels raised his gun, but before he could take the shot, Reyna moved.

In a blur of motion, she yanked her bound hands up and over Artemis’s head, wrapping the rope around the woman’s throat. Artemis choked, stumbling back as Reyna twisted, using the bindings as a weapon, but Artemis was able to free herself.

The assailant lunged for them, but Daniels didn’t hesitate. He surged forward, catching the assailant’s wrist as he reached for his knife. A brutal twist sent the blade clattering to the floor. But Artemis and her goon weren’t done fighting.

Artemis slammed an elbow into his ribs—right where he’d been stabbed days earlier. Pain flared through his side, white-hot and vicious. He gritted his teeth, countering with a punch to her jaw that sent her reeling.

Reyna was already free, kicking the chair back as she grabbed the fallen knife and slashed through the ropes at her ankles.

Artemis recovered fast, her foot lashing out and connecting with Daniels’s knee. He went down to one leg, catching himself before she could take advantage.

Reyna lunged, going for Artemis’s throat.

The two women hit the ground hard, grappling for control. Artemis was good—too good. But Reyna fought like a woman who had nothing left to lose. She twisted, using her smallerframe to her advantage, locking her legs around Artemis’s arm and wrenching hard.

A sharp pop echoed through the room and Artemis screamed and pulled back.

Daniels was already on his feet, his gun aimed at Artemis’s head. “Move, and I put you down.”

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