AllFreeNovel
Share Us
If I was a superstitious man I would’ve considered that even thinking those thoughts would bring bad luck. I didn’t believe in that bullshit, though. I did believe in good strategy and apparently so did Raul. The unmistakable popping sound, and splintering wood hitting me in the face, let me know that he’d had the same idea I did.
I was halfway up the staircase. Going back wouldn’t work, but I couldn’t stay put either. Bolting up the stairs, I quickly put two rounds in the men standing at the top, waiting to pick us off one-by-one.
The spray of bullets and shouting of men didn’t allow me to hear if anyone made it up behind me. No one else was in the hallway in front of me, so I spared a quick glance over my shoulder and saw Havoc and Paolo hot on my heels. We plastered ourselves against the wall. There were still at least two gunmen at the end of the hall, shooting down into the foyer.
All my other men had retreated back under cover downstairs. We’d have to take out the snipers up here in order to get any help.
The front door burst open and more men spilled in. They weren’t mine. A volley of bullets launched between the two groups downstairs.
Fucking perfect. Where had they come from?
Raul must have staged more of his men somewhere outside and told them to wait to enter. Smart. He was proving to be a worthy adversary.
“Stay here,” I muttered to the two behind me. I gave Paolo a pointed look. He nodded in understanding. The fact that I didn’t have to verbally tell him to hold Havoc back if she tried to follow me, just proved his worth as a made man.
Stalking down the hall, I kept my eyes on the men who were now hanging over the railing looking for an open shot. The indecision played on their faces and I knew it was chaos down there. They didn’t want to risk shooting their own guys.
Somehow, we’d managed to escape their notice amongst everything happening. As quietly as I could—so as not to attract their attention—I opened the door I’d been creeping up to. It wouldn’t make for great cover, but at least it was concealment of some kind. The movement caught their attention and they started firing in our direction.
I spared a quick glance back and saw Paolo covering Havoc with his body while he moved her further down the hall, away from the shooting. Focusing back on the men in front of me, I returned fire. With Havoc and Paolo safely out of the way I could take care of the threat.
Since these two men seemed to be guarding a door at the end of the hall, it was likely that was where Raul was—if he was even here at all.
One of my rounds hit the guy on the left in the thigh, and he went down to the ground with a cry of pain. He wasn’t out of the fight by any means, but I had a few seconds to focus on his partner. Aiming in, I let the breath fill my lungs and held as I squeezed the trigger. I didn’t stop until the man dropped his rifle and fell to the floor. Everything was quiet at the end of the hall. The man wasn’t moving. In the middle of taking out his partner, the first man had dragged himself behind a corner in the wall and I could only see a foot poking out.
I could wait here and wait for the shooting to start again, or I could bring the fight to him. Creeping slowly down the hall, I kept a close eye on that foot for any movement. I was going to have to get right up on him in order to get a shot off. Clenching my jaw, I moved forward.
He didn’t react until I rounded that bend. Both our guns were up and two shots were fired. Flames licked along my right arm, but I unloaded my magazine into his chest. He’d only gotten one round off.
Moving forward, I kicked the rifle away from the closest man and squatted to check his pulse while keeping my eyes and gun trained on the second. They were both dead. My bicep was on fire. A quick glance told me Raul’s man had gotten a lucky shot. I couldn’t tell if the bullet was still embedded in my arm or if it’d gone all the way through and there wasn’t time to check.
I glanced down the hall and didn’t see the others. They must’ve gone through the twin doors at that end. I’d clear the room in front of me then make my way over to them. My gaze focused back on the door in front of me. If this was where Raul was hiding, things were about to get interesting.
Chapter 38
Havoc
Paolo was shuffling me forward, away from where Nico was engaging two guys in a firefight. I wanted to go help him, but realized there wasn’t enough cover and he wouldn’t be able to focus with me there. It warmed my heart that Paolo was using his body to shield me as we scurried away. It also had fear filling every nook and cranny of my being.
One of the things I’d realized in the last few days was letting people into my life—into my heart—again, meant I could lose them. That fact was hitting home now as we left the man I loved—holy shit, I loved him—behind and another that I’d come to care for as a friend and father used his body to try and protect me. There wasn’t anything special about me and I didn’t want either of these men to die for me.
Paolo had a greater chance of being hit accidentally than Nico did since he was ducking behind a door. These guys were spraying bullets from their rifles in quick bursts. Wood and plaster were flying everywhere as the rounds impacted walls and doors around us.
We reached the end of the hall and I peeked around the corner. I let out a breath of relief when I saw no one there. Ducking through the set of double doors in front of us, I froze as soon as I got in the room. Paolo shoved me forward and shut the door behind us.
“Drop your weapons.”
My gaze darted between the three men who had rifles trained on us and the fourth who was leaning comfortably against the wall. He had a bored look on his face, and I immediately recognized Raul Guzman. Only a man who had others fighting a war for him could look so relaxed. It only made me hate him more.
My top lip lifted in disgust and he gave me a lazy grin. One of the men next to him barked the order again. I dropped my rifle and heard Paolo do the same from behind me.
“We meet again,” Raul told me in a warm voice as though he were speaking to a friend, not someone he’d threatened to kill.
I watched him as he pushed off the wall and walked over to me. He grabbed my chin and tilted my head so he could get a good look at my face. I said nothing, but I wished I’d brought my knife with me.
“Beautiful,” he murmured. “Nico does know how to pick his women, I’ll give him that.” Raul moved back across the room. “Paolo.” Disappointment laced his tone as he said my friend’s name. “You set me up.”
Paolo stepped up beside me. “I did.”
