Chapter 8 - The Red-Eye Call
Mom slipped the phone back into her pocket, her eyes darting instantly to the side-view mirror.
“Mason, grab Titan and get inside the house right now,” she ordered, her voice dropping into the absolute, uncompromising command tone she used during live field exercises.
“What’s going on?” I asked, grabbing my backpack as Titan bolted out the car door the second Mom popped the locks.
“Our transit route wasn't as quiet as we thought,” Mom said, unlatching the glove compartment and pulling out a heavy, matte-black secure satellite radio unit. “Carter wasn't just running a routine career day. His public affairs unit was tied to a secondary logistical contract funded by a private defense contractor currently under federal investigation.”
I stood on the gravel driveway, the cool autumn wind whipping through the Spanish moss above us. “You mean the career day was a setup?”
“Not for you, specifically,” Mom said, stepping out of the sedan and slamming the door shut. “For the base command network. Someone was trying to ping our domestic movement sensors by triggering a high-visibility public gathering.”
Before I could process the terrifying implications of her words, a sharp, metallic screech echoed from down the winding residential road.
Two unmarked dark SUVs came tearing around the tree line, their tires kicking up gravel as they accelerated straight toward our driveway, their headlights cut out in the fading afternoon light.
“Get inside!” Mom roared, shoving me toward the heavy oak front door of the safehouse.
I didn't hesitate. I grabbed Titan’s heavy leather harness, pulling the massive German Shepherd inside the foyer just as Mom spun around, drawing a sleek, suppressed sidearm from her tactical holster with blinding speed.
Bang! Bang!
Two sharp, suppressed cracks ripped through the quiet suburban air as Mom fired two calculated shots directly into the radiator of the lead oncoming SUV.
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The vehicle’s engine block exploded in a cloud of white steam and spraying coolant, veering wildly off the gravel road and smashing hard into a massive oak tree.
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