“Stay down, don’t move,” I order, trying to keep the girls alive.
Boots stomp over the earth, the sound of leaves and branches breaking, like a thunderous applause heading our way. It’s not one or two foot soldiers, but dozens of them waging war.
We’re overpowered, once again.
I don’t see where they’re coming from. There must be a base or some type of foothold they have nearby. Could it be just beyond the shipping container?
Bullets ricochet and blood scrapes at the girl’s skin as bullets spray everywhere from the frontline, hitting all four vans wildly and without abandon.
There’s no control or precision to their attack.
Alessandro, one of Halsey’s soldiers, shoots from behind the farthest van, and a spray of bullets charges at him.
He’s pinned down, but he’s trying to draw the men away from the girls.
He’s going to get himself killed.
“Cover me.” Ashton doesn’t even give me time to answer as he darts out from behind the van’s back door toward the next awaiting vehicle.
Halsey and the team shoot at the enemy, giving Ashton enough time to run without getting hit.
It’s a dangerous tactic, and I can’t help but wonder what he’s planning.
He tries the back door of another van, but it’s locked. “Anyone inside?” He hits the door with his fist.
I can’t hear anything over the sound of bullets, but I glance at Ashton from around the back of the van’s door, making sure not to be seen.
He’s gesturing and nodding, making it clear that there are more girls inside the second van.
“We need to draw DeLuca’s men away from the vehicles.”
“We do that, and we’re all as good as dead.” Halsey shakes his head, not in agreement.
If we can’t drive off with the vehicles, then we need to disable them and keep the girls on the property. It’s the best chance we have of stopping them from being moved.
I bend down and retrieve the blade tucked into my boot.
“Cover me.” I work on the vehicle I’m closest to, ripping the back two tires, shredding into the rubber with the dagger.
I stay out of sight, slicing the front driver’s side tire. It’s the best I can do, three out of four without being a target myself.
I retreat behind the vehicle, the men never noticing me as they’re shooting at Alessandro.
He’s still pinned down but alive.
Bruno has skirted around the vehicles and deeper into the woods, taking out men as quickly as he can, unseen. He picks them off, one at a time, and his movements are quiet and swift, constantly changing, making sure he himself isn’t a target.
Ashton and Alessandro notice what I’ve done with the vehicle, and they both slash the back tires of the vans in front of them.
It’ll slow down the men if they try to leave, but it does nothing to stop the assault of bullets on us.
I’ve yet to fire the gun Halsey gave me. There are too many men shooting as soon as I glance around the edge of the vehicle.
Fuck.
Dante’s men are trained for this type of assault.
Behind Halsey, I catch sight of a man in a suit fleeing on foot. I don’t see who it is, but the attire, the fact he’s fleeing, makes my skin crawl.