Chapter 147 The Field Partners Fire
The tires of Derek Cooper’s tactical vehicle screamed as he tore through the chain-link gates of Pier 42, the reinforced steel bumper ripping the locks clean off their hinges.
Through the cascading sheets of rain, he saw the muzzle flashes illuminating Amelia’s position behind a rusted cargo container.
Two Cordova Group mercenaries were pinning her down with heavy suppressing fire, while a third operative was actively dragging a struggling, terrified Teresa Mason toward the boarding stairs of the cargo ship.
"Amelia! Flank left!" Derek roared into his open frequency as he surged out of his vehicle, his large frame moving with a terrifying, calculated field speed.
He didn't hesitate. He exposed his own perimeter, drawing the mercenaries' fire away from Amelia as his heavy weapon barked in the darkness. A Cordova operative dropped instantly against the concrete, his weapon clattering into the puddles.
Amelia used the split-second distraction to break cover, her sleek frame moving like a shadow through the rain as she executed a flawless tactical advance, neutralizing the second gunman before he could adjust his scope.
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the damp, freezing downpour, the two field partners moved in perfect, lethal synchronization. The unspoken, white-hot tension that had charged their safehouse nights for years completely melted into a raw, adrenaline-fueled current of absolute mutual trust.
"Cooper! Cross is moving her onto the main deck!" Amelia shouted against the roar of the wind, her jacket soaked, her dark eyes burning with an unyielding fire.
"He won't clear the harbor, Amelia!" Derek growled back, his chest heaving under his vest as he reloaded his clip with an iron precision. "I am breaching the boarding stairs now! Cover my six!"
"Always, Derek!" Amelia cried out, her weapon up as she moved into his orbit, the professional lines between them completely turning to ash in the face of the storm.