Chapter 21 - Into the Fire|
The concussive force of the blast knocked the wind out of me. The lights in the safe room shattered, plunging us into near darkness, illuminated only by the red glow of emergency backup lights and the sparking wires from the ruined doorframe.
Through the thick, choking dust, I heard the rapid pop-pop-pop of suppressed gunfire. Marco was engaging the intruders.
"Stay down, Emma. Do not move," I whispered fiercely, pressing her small body against the cold concrete floor beneath the mattress.
I peeked out from behind our cover. Marco was pinned down behind the steel table, exchanging fire with two of Lorenzo's men who had pushed through the blown door. Lorenzo himself stood in the hallway, out of the line of fire, casually waiting for his men to clear the room.
Suddenly, Marco gasped. A stray bullet caught him in the shoulder, spinning him backward. He hit the floor hard, his gun sliding across the smooth concrete, stopping just a few feet from my hiding place.
The two mercenaries advanced, their weapons raised, moving to finish him off.
I didn't think. Instinct, raw and maternal, took over. I scrambled out from beneath the mattress, throwing myself across the floor. My fingers closed around the cold metal grip of Marco's pistol. It was heavy, much heavier than I expected.
I rolled onto my back, raising the weapon with both hands just as the first mercenary turned toward me. I squeezed the trigger. The recoil snapped my wrists back, the deafening crack echoing in the confined space. The mercenary dropped instantly.
The second man swung his rifle toward me, but before he could fire, Marco surged upward, tackling him by the knees and plunging a tactical knife into his side.
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The room went suddenly quiet, save for Marco's heavy breathing and the ringing in my ears. I kept the gun raised, my hands shaking violently, aiming straight at the ruined doorway where the dust was beginning to settle.
And then, Lorenzo walked in.
