Chapter 132 The Standoff at the Mill
Chapter 132 The Standoff at the Mill
Adrian’s POV
The guard on the right side of the table raises his rifle barrel toward my chest, and Silas snaps his fingers sharply, shouting at his hired barge operators to clear the floor and shoot us before we can reach the main exit door. I grab Maya by her jacket and throw my body weight against her shoulder, forcing her down onto the floorboards and dragging her behind the large crane base near the center wall, while the first burst of gunfire shatters the light bulbs hanging above the table and sends metal pieces flying across the room.
"Stay down behind this crane base, Maya, and do not lift your head or reach for your phone until I tell you that the side aisle is completely clear!" I yell over the sound of the rifle shots, leaning around the steel plate to fire three rounds at the guard near the table, forcing him to duck behind a stack of boards.
"I am staying right here, Adrian, but Silas is running toward the back door near the water, and if he gets onto that boat, he will escape down the canal before the police trucks arrive!" Maya shouts back from her spot on the floor, holding her bag tight against her stomach while the dust from the walls falls around us.
"Damien, cover the back exit right now and keep those two operators from pushing down the left aisle, because I am moving to the side table to draw their fire away from Maya!" I shout across the open floor, firing two more rounds at the second guard who is trying to step around the crane base.
"I have the back exit covered, Adrian, but one of the barge operators is moving along the wall with an automatic shotgun, so keep your head down behind that steel base!" Damien shouts back from his position behind a stack of crates, returning fire with two quick shots that hit the wall right above the operator's head.
"Silas, tell your men to drop their weapons right now, because you are only making your prison sentence longer by ordering them to shoot at us inside this building!" I yell toward the back door, stepping out into the open for two seconds to fire at the guard near the generator switch, driving him back into the corner.
"I am not going to any prison, Adrian, and my men will keep shooting until they get that bag from the girl, so you better drop your gun if you want to leave this mill alive!" Silas screams from the shadows near the back loading ramp, his voice getting muffled by the sound of more gunfire bouncing off the metal roof.
"He is lying to you, Adrian, because he doesn't have any more ammunition for his own gun, and he is just using those operators to buy himself time to climb onto the boat deck!" Maya calls out from behind me, her voice remaining steady while she watches the guard near the generator.
"Damien, shoot out those floodlights on the far wall so those men lose their sight line across the center aisle, and prepare to move forward on my signal!" I command, aiming my pistol at the overhead wiring box and firing one round that instantly cuts the power to the main lights, plunging the center of the room into partial darkness.
"The lights are down on the left side, Adrian, but the guard near the table is still moving toward Maya's position, so take him out before he gets past that steel beam!" Damien yells over the noise, firing three rapid shots that force the second guard to drop his weapon and fall back against the wall.
"I have him covered, Damien, so keep your eyes on the back door and make sure Silas doesn't step onto that gangway while we are clearing these aisles!" I reply, stepping forward into the middle lane and firing two shots at the guard by the table, hitting him in the shoulder until he drops his rifle and raises his hands.
"Maya, stay behind that crane base for ten more seconds, because I am moving up to secure the table and take the black laptop before his men can wipe the hard drive!" I tell her, running across the open floorboards while the remaining barge operator fires another round into the wall behind me.
"Adrian, watch out on your left, because the operator near the generator is picking up his rifle again!" Maya screams, pointing her finger toward the corner just as the heavy metal walls of the timber mill suddenly shake from a massive blow on the outside.
A loud crunch echoes through the entire building as the front bumper of a police utility truck smashes directly through the corrugated metal wall near the main entrance, and Commander Balogun’s tactical marine unit pours through the gap with their rifles raised, filling the room with light from their hand torches and overwhelming Silas's remaining hired force before anyone else can pull a trigger.
"Drop your weapons immediately and put your hands on your heads, every single one of you!" Commander Balogun roars through a megaphone, his officers spreading out across the floor in a wide line and pinning the remaining barge operators against the back wall.
"Over here, Commander, the suspects are near the back exit and the owner of the company is trying to reach the boat through the side door!" Damien shouts, pointing his weapon toward the dark aisle where Silas was hiding.
"Sergeant, take four men and secure that loading ramp right now, and make sure nobody leaves this facility by water or by land!" Balogun commands, his squad moving fast across the floorboards while I step back to the crane base and reach out my hand to lift Maya off the floor.