Almost simultaneously with Jack breaking through the front entrance, Clay and a U.S. Marshal stormed through the back of the building under cover fire. Unlike Jack's team, they didn't have a Barrett sniper rifle providing cover. Instead, they used breaching charges to blow open the rusted iron security door, followed by a breaching slug that shattered the lock on the second wooden door.
The layout of the three-story building was straightforward. A central main corridor connected the front and back entrances, with a staircase leading to the upper floors. A secondary corridor intersected the main one in a cross shape, forming four large rooms at the corners like a disjointed grid. Whoever designed the place likely had an obsessive love for symmetry.
As Clay entered, he caught sight of Jack at the other end of the main hallway just as Jack dropped another gunman at the staircase. The cartel thug, trying to peek out and shoot, was met with a burst of fire to the neck. Blood sprayed as the man's lifeless body tumbled down the stairs, landing with a sickening thud at Jack's feet. Jack nonchalantly stepped on the corpse to halt its momentum.
"Hold this position," Jack instructed JJ, signaling for her to guard the side corridor. He stationed Marshal Samuels and his partner at the staircase to prevent anyone from coming down. Then he nodded at Clay to proceed.
Aubrey and Jubal split off and followed Jack's lead, clearing the side rooms along the corridor. Their limited manpower forced them to take risks—there was no time for methodical room-by-room sweeps. The house's flimsy wooden walls, typical of cheap American construction, were far from bulletproof.
Jack relied on flashbangs to compensate for their lack of numbers. The local-born Latino cartel thugs were amateurs compared to their ruthless counterparts in Mexico. They panicked under pressure.
BOOM!
A shotgun blast tore through a thin door, sending wooden splinters flying. Aubrey instinctively shielded himself while tossing a flashbang through the hole.
BANG!
After the explosion and two pained screams from inside, Jack kicked through the adjacent wall, sending the hidden gunman crashing across the room. Aubrey swiftly entered and put down the disarmed cartel member with a series of precise shots. He then pointed his weapon at a woman cowering in the corner and slapped handcuffs on her.
The room reeked of blood and gunpowder. Beneath a blown-out window, a mangled body lay in a pool of blood—Hannah's handiwork with the Barrett.
"Clear!"
"First floor clear!"
After regrouping in the hallway, Jack, Clay, and their teams prepared to assault the second floor. From the stairwell, Marshal Samuels and his partner held their ground, suppressing any gunmen above with well-placed bursts of fire.
Jack had no intention of recklessly charging upstairs. Even with flashbangs, a surprise shotgun blast at close range could easily injure one of them despite their body armor. Instead, Jack led his team back outside.
Under the cover of smoke, Hannah maintained her overwatch position, silencing any shooter who dared show their face. Jack crouched beneath a second-story window, interlocking his hands to form a foothold for Clay.
Clay shed his Noveske N4 rifle to lighten his load and tossed a flashbang through the window. After the explosion, he used Jack's boosted support to vault himself inside with surprising agility. A few muffled shots and pained grunts later, he signaled Jack to follow.
Jack jumped, grabbed Clay's outstretched arm, and hoisted himself up in one fluid motion. Once inside, the duo methodically cleared the second floor, securing room after room with swift, deadly efficiency.
But just as they approached the last door, chaos erupted.
In the alley behind the house, a black Mercedes G-Wagon screeched to a halt. Gunmen leaned out of the windows, spraying the back entrance with automatic fire. The Marshal stationed there barely managed to scramble inside for cover.
At the same moment, Clay—readying a flashbang at the final room—heard the sound of shattering glass. Without hesitation, he stuffed the grenade back in his pouch, took a step back, and charged through the flimsy wall beside the door.
He burst into the room just in time to see Maldonado climbing out the window.
Pop! Pop!
Clay spun around mid-stride, firing a shot that killed a stunned gunman hiding by the doorway. When he reached the window, Maldonado had already jumped into the backyard, landing awkwardly on an old couch. He rolled off the overturned sofa, struggling to his feet—only to find himself face-to-face with DEA Agent Galeson.
Both men froze, raising their guns simultaneously. Neither fired.
From the second-floor window, Clay roared in frustration and aimed his rifle. Before he could shoot, Jack yanked him down as a hail of bullets shredded the window frame. The Mercedes G-Wagon roared away, its taillights vanishing down the alley.
"Drop the gun, you bastard!"
"On the ground, now!"
Jack and Clay swung their rifles toward Galeson, who stood frozen, his weapon still raised.
"Explain yourself," Jack growled, his voice low and menacing.
(End of Chapter)
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