Chapter 4 - THE STEEL STORM
The night exploded into chaos in a matter of seconds.
Down at the south gate, three sharp, muffled pops rang out as Bear used a suppressed hunting rifle to blow out the rear tires of both heavy-duty pickups.
"What the hell was that?!" the leader in the duster yelled, spinning around as the trucks sank heavily onto their rims.
Before the guards could raise their rifles, Boone jumped from the top of an eight-foot storage container, landing directly on top of the lead tactical guard. The impact drove the guard into the gravel, knocking him instantly unconscious.
"Ambush!" one of the mercenaries screamed, raising an assault rifle.
Jax swept in from the left like a phantom. With a swift, military-grade disarm, he ripped the rifle from the guard’s hands, drove an elbow into his ribs, and swept his legs out from under him.
The leader in the duster backed away in terror, pulling a nickel-plated pistol from inside his coat. "Shoot them! Kill them all!"
Boone didn't give him the chance. He closed the distance in three explosive strides.
The leader fired a shot, but the bullet tore harmlessly through the flap of Boone’s leather vest. Boone grabbed the man’s wrist, twisting it upward until the pistol clattered onto the gravel. With a furious roar, Boone grabbed the leader by his collar and slammed him violently against the side of the flatbed trailer.
"Who sent you?!" Boone snarled, his face inches from the terrified executive's. "Who gave the order to hunt a child?!"
"You... you don't know who you’re messing with!" the man choked out, his arrogance crumbling into pure panic. "We represent Vanguard! We have federal mining permits!"
"I don't care if you represent the President," Boone growled, driving a heavy fist into the man's midsection, dropping him to his knees gasping for air. "You touched a kid in my county."
Meanwhile, Doc cut through Thomas Vance’s zip-ties with a sharp pocketknife. Thomas collapsed into Doc’s arms, gasping for breath.
"Lily..." Thomas stammered, grabbing Doc’s jacket. "My daughter... where is she?!"
"She’s safe, son," Doc said gently, supporting the battered father. "She ran to the highway and found us. She’s at the trailhead with six six-foot-four bikers who would die before letting anyone touch her."
Thomas let out a ragged sob, his head dropping against Doc’s shoulder as the adrenaline finally wore off. "Thank God... thank God..."
Bear and the rest of the Ravens walked into the center of the mill yard, securing the remaining mercenaries with heavy zip-ties and gathering their weapons into a heap.
"All clear, Boone," Bear reported, throwing the leader’s nickel-plated pistol onto the pile. "These boys aren't going anywhere."
Boone walked over to Thomas Vance, kneeling beside him. He took off his own leather vest and wrapped it around the shivering, injured father.
"You raised a brave girl, Thomas," Boone said softly. "She ran through a dark mountain in the rain to save your life."
Thomas looked up at Boone, tears carving clean trails through the dirt on his face. "Who... who are you people?"
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Boone smiled faintly, pointing to the silver Raven patch on the vest now resting on Thomas’s shoulders.
"We’re the Steel Ravens," Boone said. "And your fight just became ours."
