Chapter 17 - The Fifth Avenue Deployment
Dawn broke over Manhattan in a cold, grey wash of light, reflecting off the glass skyscrapers of Fifth Avenue.
Morning traffic was light, with yellow taxicabs and city buses cruising past the high-end boutiques and museums.
The Swiss Consulate sat inside a towering marble building on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 50th Street, across from St. Patrick's Cathedral.
At 8:00 AM, the street appeared peaceful to the average commuter walking by with their morning coffee.
However, through the lens of Sarah’s thermal scope from a seventh-floor window across the street, the area was a warzone.
Three dark figures wearing heavy coats were positioned on the roof of the adjacent department store building.
Two more men sat inside a parked delivery van near the consulate entrance, holding concealed submachine guns.
Dominick Miller had transformed one of the busiest streets in New York into a lethal kill zone for the noon deadline.
Inside the seventh-floor apartment room, Sam Houston was adjusting his tactical headset while monitoring a radio scanner.
"We've got five confirmed shooters on the perimeter, Sarah," Sam reported, checking his watch. "You have three hours before noon."
"Where is Dominick?" Sarah asked, racking the bolt on her suppressed sniper rifle resting on the window sill.
"He’s sitting inside a dark blue Bentley parked near the alley behind St. Patrick's," Sam answered, pointing to his monitor.
"He’s watching the front entrance through a live video feed from his snipers on the roof."
Sarah adjusted her thermal scope, crosshairs settling directly on the forehead of the lead sniper on the department store roof.
"If I take out the rooftop snipers, the delivery van will move on the consulate doors immediately," Sarah calculated smoothly.
"That’s why I brought two old friends from my Marine reconnaissance unit," Sam smiled, gesturing toward the door.
Two tall, broad-shouldered men in civilian suits stepped into the room, holding heavy tactical gear bags in their hands.
"Meet Specialist Miller and Sergeant Davis," Sam introduced. "They specialize in close-quarters urban clearing."
"We clear the delivery van at 11:30 AM," Sarah commanded, her blue eyes flashing with absolute, terrifying focus.
"At 11:45 AM, Emily arrives in a decoy black sedan with the baby's legal guardianship folder."
"Dominick’s men will focus entirely on the decoy vehicle, giving me sixty seconds to cross Fifth Avenue on foot."
"And what about Dominick himself?" Sam asked, looking at her with a grim, knowing expression.
Sarah reached into her tactical vest, pulling out a sealed envelope containing the original Swiss codicil papers.
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"Dominick wants a war for this family fortune, Sam," Sarah said softly, her voice carrying an icy, terrifying calm.
"I’m going to deliver that war directly to his backseat."
