Chapter 5 - The Ambush at River Road
With the mole eliminated, Vincenzo decided to strike first before Valetti could regroup. He staged a massive convoy maneuver, sending his primary security force toward the Docks District to draw Valetti’s lieutenants into a trap at Warehouse 9.
To keep Arya entirely safe from the expected crossfire, Vincenzo ordered Marco to take her and Ghost to a secure safehouse hidden in the dense pine forests of North Ridge.
They traveled in a single reinforced armored SUV, driven by Marco, with Arya and Ghost seated in the back. The snow was falling heavily, turning the winding mountain road into an icy sheet of white.
"We'll be at the cabin in twenty minutes, small fry," Marco said, glancing at Arya in the rearview mirror. "Your dad will wrap things up at the docks by morning."
Arya nodded, her arm wrapped around Ghost’s wide back. But Ghost was restless. His nose twitched constantly, sniffing the air coming through the vehicle's climate vents.
Suddenly, a massive snowplow roared out from a blind side-trail, smashing directly into the front quarter-panel of the Escalade!
The impact sent the heavy SUV spinning wildly across the black ice. The vehicle crashed into an embankment, flipping onto its side with a deafening screech of twisting metal and shattering glass.
Dazed and bleeding from a cut on his forehead, Marco groaned, trying to kick open his jammed driver-side door. "Arya... stay down!"
Through the shattered rear window, dark figures emerged from the tree line. It was a secondary strike team sent by Valetti, led by Valetti’s most lethal right-hand killer, a giant named Nikolai.
"Valetti knew you'd move the girl!" Nikolai laughed, firing a burst of automatic gunfire into the engine block of the overturned SUV to disable it completely. "Bring the girl out! Leave the driver to freeze!"
Inside the crushed cabin, Ghost kicked furiously against the cracked rear windshield until the glass gave way. He hauled his massive body through the frame, turning back to grab Arya’s heavy jacket collar in his jaws, gently pulling her free from the wreckage just as gasoline began to pool around the exhaust.
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"There's the dog!" an enforcer shouted, raising his rifle. "Kill it!"
Ghost didn't wait to be shot. He seized the initiative in the blinding blizzard, disappearing into the white landscape like a true phantom.
