Chapter 11
Chloe fumbled frantically with her seatbelt release button until the mechanical latch finally clicked open.
She crashed heavily onto the crumpled roof of the upside-down van, crying out from the blinding pain in her leg.
Ignoring the agonizing throbbing, she reached across to check General Sterling's carotid pulse.
His pulse was faint, but still beating rhythmically against her fingertips beneath his collar.
"I'm not leaving you behind, General," she whispered through gritted teeth.
She pulled his sidearm from his shoulder holster, checking the remaining rounds in the steel magazine.
Seven rounds left in the chamber.
She crawled through the shattered rear window of the van, dragging her injured leg through the wet mud.
Rain poured over her face, washing away the blood from her forehead as she ducked behind a thick boulder.
Footsteps squelched through the mud as three armed mercenaries descended the embankment with flashlights.
"Check the cabin!" a harsh voice barked through the dark woods.
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"If the girl is dead, extract a blood sample immediately before the local police arrive!"
Chloe raised the heavy sidearm with both hands, resting her elbows against the boulder to stabilize her aim.
