Chapter 5 - The Price of Valor
Noah led the chase through the city’s industrial labyrinth—the old shipping warehouses that smelled of rust and salt. He was being hunted by three men, but he had the advantage of local knowledge and a dog who acted as his eyes in the dark.
He found himself trapped in a dead-end alleyway near the lakefront. The winter wind whipped through his hair. The leader of the gangsters appeared from the shadows, alone this time. He was bleeding from a gash on his forehead, his face twisted into a mask of pure hate.
"You think you’re a hero, Mercer?" the leader mocked, stepping forward. "You’re just a forgotten ghost. Nobody is coming for you." "I'm not doing this for them," Noah said, letting Ranger edge toward the left. "I'm doing it because I don't like bullies."
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The fight was brutal and short. Noah took a blow to the ribs that left him gasping, but his training allowed him to absorb the impact and drive his shoulder into the leader’s chest. Ranger lunged, pinning the man’s arm just as he reached for a knife. The gun skittered into the freezing water of the lake.
Noah stood over the man, his chest heaving. "The police aren't coming to help you anymore. The files are already on their way to the Feds."
