This man is like Goliath, taunting the little shepherd boy.
But he's wrong about one thing.
I'm not some meek boy hiding behind sheep with a slingshot.
And if that boy can fell a giant with a single stone, imagine what I can do with my munitions and my soldiers.
"On my mark," I whisper into my radio.
I feel my men collectively tense as I start the count down. "Three, two, one?—"
I rise from cover and fire.
The first shot hits the man in the chest, dropping him before he can react.
My crew opens fire from three directions, catching Antonelli's men in a crossfire.
Muzzle flashes light up the night.
The sound is deafening, a cacophony of ricocheting rounds and booms from pistols and rifles.
Two of Antonelli's men go down and the rest scramble for cover, returning fire blindly.
Bullets bounce off the freight containers, sparking in the darkness.
Luca moves to my right, his rifle barking in short bursts.
One of the enforcers in my crew takes a round to the shoulder and goes down, clutching the wound, so Enzo lays cover fire while I drag him behind the SUV and press a rag against the bleeding.
"Stay down," I tell him. "We'll get you out of here."
He nods and grimaces, grunting as he puts pressure on the wound.
It's superficial.
He'll survive, but it reminds me how I have to be more careful.
My father's death left me scarred, and I can't do that to Sofia.
She's not even gotten a chance to know me yet.
I reload and move back to the edge of the container.
The convoy's in chaos now.
One of the SUVs has its engine smoking, bullets having punched through the hood.
Men are scattered behind vehicles and debris, firing wildly.
I signal two of Kemal's men who are positioned on the opposite side of the overpass.
They throw grenades toward the second SUV and the explosions are massive, twin fireballs that engulf the vehicle and the men sheltering behind it.
The heat washes over me even from this distance as I watch two men burst into flames and run screaming through the onslaught only to collect a few rounds in their bodies before collapsing.
The remaining men break.
Some try to retreat back toward their vehicles.
