Masters File - The Rider Files Book 2

Ryan heard the beating of helicopter rotors seconds before he looked up to see a half dozen men rappelling through the open ceiling of the warehouse. Dark figures clad in black blocked out the sun and descended from the sky like fallen angels of death.

He pulled his sidearm.

“Incoming!” Reece yelled.

Ryan glanced at his partner, dressed in a navy suit over Kevlar like himself, who had also drawn his weapon.

His gaze darted to the transport van where men loaded the equipment. The cargo could be the only reason for the sudden intruders. The fact that the men lowering themselves from the sky wore semiautomatic weapons strapped to them was evidence they were not here to make a bid on the prototype.

Ryan fired, hoping to drop as many attackers as possible before they touched the ground and had a chance to take aim.

As Ryan’s and Reece’s bullets struck several of the rappellers, they opossumed upside down, held in place by their D-ring and harness.

“What the hell is going on?” Maxine Rider’s gravelly voice sounded through Ryan’s earpiece.

Reece spoke over the sound of his gunshots. “Well, boss, the prototype demonstration may be over, but the party’s just begun.”

Sharp Industries had hired Maxine Rider’s Security and Investigation group as an extra layer of protection for the unveiling of their prototype weapon—a small drone capable of carrying a hundred bullet-size explosive devices that could be set to target individuals based on heat signatures or biosensors.

With the unveiling complete, prospective buyers had finished drooling and left. Only the prototype and a handful of security detail remained for the transport.

Three of the assailants touched down on the concrete warehouse floor and began laying weapon fire for the next incoming wave. Very soon, Ryan, Reece, and Sharp Industries’ security team would be outnumbered. So much for a deserted warehouse in North Atlanta being an ideal place for a semi-secret meeting.

Ryan and Reece took cover behind steel beams that stretched up to the rafters.

Ryan squeezed his trigger. His bullet hit one of the black-clad men in the shoulder. He wondered at their credentials. Clearly ex-military though not from an elite forces team.

He glanced at the van. The cargo was almost secured. Two of Sharp’s security detail defensively shot at the intruders to protect two more who tightened the clasps around the crate. There wasn’t much point in hastily escaping with a twenty-five-million-dollar piece of equipment if it was going to get jostled and broken in the back of a getaway van.

“Cargo’s in jeopardy,” Ryan said.

“Yep.” Reece’s mustache twitched.

“You wanna drive or shoot?” Ryan asked.

“Do you have to ask?”

Ryan grinned and loosened his tie.

Reece reloaded his Beretta before providing cover fire as he and Ryan dashed for the van. By the time they reached the vehicle, three of the four security guards had been shot.

“Just like Tokzar!” Reece hollered.

Shit, I hope not, Ryan thought.

Ryan shoved into the driver seat and cranked the engine. In the driver-side mirror, he saw another six men touch down from the ropes connected to other choppers.

How many were they up against?

The automatic weapons’ fire had ceased and sharp shooters took aim. Apparently they developed the good sense to not destroy the equipment they were attempting to steal.

When Ryan heard the sound of Reece slamming the back doors shut, he hit the gas. “We’ve got the cargo, Max. Need a destination.”

“Claire,” Maxine snapped.

Claire’s strained voice sounded through his earpiece. “Working on it. Head north on Highway 19.”

“Copy.”

“Injuries?” Maxine asked.

“Only one of Sharp’s boys made it. He’s in the back with Reece.”

“Well, this is Charlie Foxtrot,” Maxine complained.

“Sharp has a storage facility near Lake Lanier. I’ll talk you there,” Claire said.

Reece said, “Max, what’re you going to do to make sure we get there in one piece? Those Little Birds are going to be on our ass soon.”

Ryan knew Reece was right. Having a destination was pointless if the enemy helicopters kept them from reaching it.

Twelve rappellers. Ryan did the mental calculation—from a capacity perspective, that meant four choppers at least.

“How many birds?” Maxine demanded.

“Four.” Ryan and Reece simultaneously answered her.

Ryan added. “Black Killer Eggs with shooters.”

He heard Maxine swear before she went offline.

He took a left on Old Roswell Road heading north.

Claire spoke. “She’s calling Bob Sharp now. Keep straight onto Westside Parkway.”

Ryan imagined the blue-haired girl frantically typing in front of three computer screens. She rarely had to extricate them from dangerous situations and she wasn’t military trained so she would find the pressure challenging. However, he had faith and confidence in Maxine that she would find a way to get him and Reece out of this mess.

Hopefully.

He heard Reece fire shots.

“Come on, Reece. Save your ammo. You’re not taking out a chopper with a nine millimeter.”

“Not the bird. Just a shooter. Or two.”

Ryan could hear the blades thumping through the sky. Like Tokzar. Ryan, Reece, and four other rangers had scrambled like hell to get through the abandoned town outside of Tokzar, Afghanistan, and to the extraction point where a Black Hawk approached to take them to safety. Enemy fire racketed relentlessly. They ran, hoping not to get shot. Except, unfortunately, Reece had gotten shot that day.

Ryan swerved the van around a slower car.

At a cruising speed of 155 miles per hour, the helicopter would have no problem keeping pace with the van. A good pilot could maneuver close enough for a gunman to take out a tire. Fortunately, at the moment, the power lines streaming above forced the pilots to take caution. When Ryan reached Tanner MacDonald Parkway, the choppers would be less inhibited to get closer.

Ryan heard the clink of a bullet striking the metal of the van. Both he and Reece swore simultaneously.

“‘Rangers lead the way,’ man. Get us out of here.” Reece’s voice sounded strained, and Ryan guessed the bullet had landed too close for comfort.

“Working on it.” Ryan maneuvered around vehicles with a white-knuckled grip. A certain familiar adrenaline rush coursed through him.

“Left on Haynes Bridge,” Claire instructed.

“Hold on!” Ryan shouted to his passengers—Reece and Sharp’s security man.

Ryan took the turn sharp without a blinker. The car he cut off slammed to a halt as the driver honked the horn furiously. Ryan straightened the screeching tires and accelerated.

“Parkway’s coming up,” Claire advised.

“Crap.” Ryan needed to first cross the parkway and then hang a left to head north, but upcoming traffic would slow him down, making the van an easier target. He swung wide to the left then cut a sharp right at the intersection.

Honking horns erupted as he zipped past cars.

“Uh, Walsh?” Reece poked his head up by the front seat.

“Yeah?” Ryan’s eyes never left the road.

“You’re getting on the off-ramp.”

Ryan swerved, avoiding a head on collision. “Yep.”

Reece crawled into the passenger seat and buckled his seatbelt. “Okay. So long as you know. So long as you’re not having desert flashbacks where you can drive wherever the hell the truck won’t get stuck or mined.”

Ryan sailed across oncoming traffic, over the median. He cut left before slamming on the breaks.

Reece jerked forward, his seatbelt holding him in place, as he released a grunt. “Kidding man. Only kidding.”

The security guard in the back seat swore as he collided with the wall of the van.

Ryan looked through his window, craning his neck to try to see the choppers as they flew past.

Reece peered toward the sky, upper lip curled toward his mustache. “Under the overpass. Nicely done, Walsh. We’ve got roughly sixty seconds before they close in on us from either side and we’re riddled with bullet holes.”

Ryan put the van in park and reloaded his gun.

“Claire, watcha cooking for us, honey?” Reece asked.

Maxine’s voice came back over the coms. “Sharp’s got drones in the air. ETA three minutes.”

“We’ll be dead in two,” Reece said with mocked cheer.

Ryan and Reece hopped out of the van.

Maxine ordered, “Defend the prototype, stay alive, and I’ll send the two of you to the Caribbean when this is over.”

Ryan supposed that was a better offer than he’d ever gotten from the Army Rangers for risking his life.

Black helicopters descended on both sides of the overpass. Armed men in black combat attire sat on either side of the choppers.

Ryan sighed and aimed his Beretta. “Yeah. Just like Tokzar, except choppers instead of all-terrain vehicles.”

Jenna skillfully inserted the long, slender needle between the vertebrae in the back of her heavily sedated patient. She tried not to be distracted by the...