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Another soldier released a firestorm, bullets flying in every direction as he sprayed the room. Either the fucker was terrible at aim, or he wasn’t trying very hard to gun us down. Why were they toying with us, a message?
A threat.
“Go. Go. Go.” I pushed her hard, getting her out of harm’s way then shifting to the other wall, pressing my arm against my nose and mouth. There was no chance at focusing, but I took aim, trying to make out any sounds above the roar of the fire.
There was no way to recognize who they were, but I’d bet my life they weren’t agents of any law enforcement. They were too polished, all wearing expensive suits. Maybe Spanish descent. Maybe not. The smoke was far too thick to determine. A single noise drew my attention. Without waiting, I fired several rounds, a smile curling across my lip in hearing his grunts, the hard thud of his body as it dropped like a lead weight.
One more left. The fucker was mine.
The last assassin had remained quiet. Within seconds, I found out why. He lunged forward, tackling me to the floor. The gun flew out of my hand and in the damn smoke, it was impossible to see where it landed. Another blast tossed debris over our heads. It also created additional fuel for the fire. Within seconds, flames surrounded us. We pitched and rolled, the man strong as an ox. I managed to issue sharp jabs, but I wasn’t making any headway. He smashed his fist under my chin, but seconds later I wrapped my arm around his neck, jerking his body backward. He struggled, his body flailing as I squeezed.
I heard Giada’s sharp scream and my patience was demolished. With a single twist of my arm, I snapped his neck, the hard crack barely heard over the roar of the fire. I shoved him aside, not bothering to search for my weapon. Instead, I yanked the knife I always carried, racing down the hallway.
She was surrounded by flames, blocking her from the door to the office. “Stay right there.” Goddamn it. I yanked off my coat, shoving my knife into my pocket. I headed for the fire, jumping over the flames. She didn’t fight me as I picked her up, tossing the coat over as much of her body as possible.
Then I said a silent prayer, which I hadn’t done for most of my life. There was no point in doing so. I lunged through the weakest spot, kicking open the door to the office, putting her down then slamming the door. The emergency lights were on, but that provided nothing more than an eerie red glow.
“Are you hurt?” I demanded, not wasting any time before heading to my safe.
“I… I don’t think so. Who were they?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,printsessa.”
“What are we going to do?” she asked, her voice shaking.
“We’re going to get the hell out of here. Then you’re coming with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you!”
I took two long strides, yanking her by the arm. “Do you hear the sound out there? Did you pay attention to the gunfire? We are under attack. I don’t give a fuck who’s responsible or why. The idea is to stay alive. We have one chance to get the hell out of here and that one’s dicey at best. So you are going to listen to me and you’re going to do exactly as I say. Do you hear me?”
When she didn’t answer, I hissed, returning to the safe, my hands so damn sweaty I had trouble getting it open. I could hear distant bellows even over the roar of the flames. I grabbed another weapon and several clips of ammo.
“How are we getting out of here?”
I glanced at her and in the crimson glow of light, she still looked beautiful. “As I said, you’ll need to trust me.”
“Fat chance in hell.”
“Then you will die. As I said, one chance. Now, come on.” I moved toward the hidden door, praying to God the underground electric lines were still operational. I’d spent a small fortune on providing what I’d thought was top level security. Then this. As soon as the door started swinging open, I snapped the gun into both hands, half expecting several goons to race inside. After taking a quick glance, I threw out my arm. “Grab my hand.”
“Don’t I get a weapon?”
“Not a chance, sweetheart.”
I couldn’t believe she was hesitating. Was she out of her mind? I threw my arm out again, hissing my dissatisfaction. The building was cracking all around us, the door into the hallway expanding from excessive heat.
She didn’t react right away, acting dazed.
“Giada!”
Finally, she snapped her head, lunging toward me and gripping my hand. I dragged her through the door, taking off running, my gun fully engaged. My speed was hindered by her damn high heels, but at this point we couldn’t take the time to find her appropriate footwear. Sirens were coming from every direction, which meant the streets would be blocked off by fire engines and cop cars. The nightmare was going from bad to worse.
We hit the corner of the street and I looked around the side of the building. She was right behind me, her body shaking and her fingers digging into my palm. I had to give her credit. Some women would have fallen apart by now, but she was taking it all pretty much in stride. Maybe she wasn’t so helpless after all.
I took a deep breath, half laughing. I kept us both as close to the side of the building as possible. We walked another block, prepared to cross the street when a reflection in one of the storefront windows caught my attention coming from behind. Christ. How many of the assholes were left? I reeled, pushing her down and immediately getting off two shots.
Giada moaned, holding her hands over her head. “Where are they coming from?”
