Chapter 108: Nitromethane
"Do you know where they're going?" Gisele asked curiously from the passenger seat. "I've been infiltrating Braga's crew for months and still haven't figured out where they're smuggling the drugs from."
"32 degrees 33 minutes north latitude, 116 degrees 49 minutes west longitude." Ron's finger traced a point on the car's GPS display.
Seeing Gisele's puzzled expression, Ron continued his explanation. "Think about it—if Braga's smuggling drugs from Mexico, there are only two routes: land or sea. But he's recruiting drivers, so it can't be by water. Has to be overland."
"But our border is packed with cameras and sensors. Any vehicle crossing gets flagged immediately."
"If they can't go over ground, what about under it?" Ron grinned. "If I remember correctly, there's the biggest abandoned copper mine running from Mexico straight into the States."
Gisele's eyes widened. "That's why he needs top-tier drivers for his runs. Those underground mine roads are a nightmare—a hundred times worse than any NASCAR track. No wonder he only wants the best."
"Exactly," Ron commanded over the radio to Hank and Arthur. "Kill all lights from here on out. We wait for Dom to surface."
Ron launched a reconnaissance drone equipped with thermal imaging into the night sky...
Across the US-Mexico border, Border Patrol helicopters swept the area, finding nothing suspicious before heading back to base. Meanwhile, deep in the mountains, an abandoned mine shaft suddenly blazed with light as if responding to some signal.
A convoy of heavily modified street racers emerged from the depths, with Dom's black Chevrolet Chevelle running second in line.
"Too damn slow!" The lead driver, a muscular black man, slammed his car door and pounded on each hood as he passed. "Everyone out! Move your asses!" His crew, who'd been waiting, quickly and efficiently unloaded heavy duffel bags from the vehicles.
"Why ain't you out yet, big man?" the crew leader stormed back to Dom's car.
Dom unscrewed his nitrous bottle, flicked his lighter, and stepped out.
Nitrous oxide—N2O—also known as laughing gas. Colorless, sweet-smelling, and one hell of an oxidizer. Mix it wrong with gasoline under the right conditions, and you've got yourself a bomb. Dom had seen too many street racers blow themselves to pieces with botched NOS systems during underground races.
"Don't touch me!" One of the drivers who'd run the mine route with Dom slapped away a grabbing hand, only to find himself staring down the barrel of the crew leader's gun. His face went white. "Don't shoot, boss!"
"Nitromethane," Dom said flatly, cutting through the tension.
The crew leader turned, confused. "What?"
"I said, only amateurs use nitromethane."
Nitromethane traces had been found at Letty's crash site. Dom knew Letty would never touch that garbage, which meant it came from whoever killed her. It was the lead he'd been chasing.
"You been checking up on my operation?" The crew leader released his terrified subordinate and pressed his pistol against Dom's temple. "I'm talking to you! What's your game here?"
"'70 Plymouth Barracuda," Dom stared directly into the man's eyes, ignoring the gun. "Her name was Letty. Someone totaled her ride."
"Yeah, that was me." Even with his limited intelligence, the crew leader could sense Dom wasn't here to make friends. "You remember that pretty face? I don't, 'cause last time I saw her, she was still on fire."
Click.
The crew leader cocked his pistol, finger on the trigger. He wore that cocky smile of a man who thought he held all the cards. "So what? You're gonna end up just like her. Your life's in my hands."
"I'm gonna enjoy this," Dom said, completely unfazed.
Beep!
At that exact moment, the electronic igniter in Dom's car triggered, its spark instantly lighting the volatile gas mixture.
BOOM!
The explosion lit up the night like the Fourth of July, a massive fireball consuming several nearby vehicles before detonating their fuel tanks and NOS systems in a chain reaction.
Several drug runners were vaporized instantly. Even the crew leader panicked, spinning around with his gun, looking for enemies that weren't there.
Dom used the chaos to his advantage, rolling toward the truck loaded with their drug shipment and diving behind the wheel.
O'Connor seized his moment, tackled a fallen thug, grabbed his submachine gun, and opened fire on the scattered crew. Half the drug operation went down in the first burst.
The moment O'Connor's magazine ran dry, he sprinted and dove into the passenger seat of Dom's hijacked truck. The two of them peeled out into the desert.
"Light 'em up!" Ron called out from his position on the ridge, grinning like a kid on Christmas morning.
"Hold up—aren't that FBI guy and your buddy still down there? Shouldn't we wait?" Hank hesitated at the order.
"No time to wait. Fire! Let these bastards get a taste of good old American firepower!" Ron shouted, pounding the ground with excitement.
Arthur didn't wait for Hank's concerns and hit the launch button. The multiple rocket launcher in their pickup bed immediately sent a volley of rockets streaking across the sky, trailing fire and whistling death toward the drug runners' position.
"With all due respect, Boss, this is still America," Arthur said, grabbing his HK416 and stepping out of the truck just as the first rocket impacted.
The massive explosion turned night into day, making Arthur's shaved head look absolutely menacing in the firelight.
Ron gave the dramatic bastard full points for style.
"Maybe so, but we're bringing them some All-American justice!" Ron shot back, surveying his assembled team.
Arthur clutched his German-made assault rifle with two Glocks tucked in his belt. Hank's face was mostly hidden behind night-vision goggles, carrying an M79 grenade launcher with an MP5K slung across his body.
Gisele carried only a lightweight Uzi, looking impatient to get moving. And there was Ron with his remote control for the drone.
Ron couldn't help but think—how long had he been in LA? And finally, his strike team was ready for action.
"Boss, give the word."
Ron's expression turned deadly serious. "Alright, here's the deal. Everyone down that mountain. Kill them all—except for that crew leader I was watching, and make sure Dom gets out alive!"
(End of Chapter)
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Power Stone or Review!
P@atreon/Soulforger (45+ advanced chapters)