Lorenzo’s forces have lost at least five.
The numbers are shifting in our favor, but not fast enough.
“Where is he?” Sophia asks, her blue eyes scanning the warehouse. “Where’s Lorenzo?”
That’s when I see him.
He’s moving along the catwalk above us, using the chaos as cover.
And he’s heading toward the old office up there.
Bullets ricochet off metal, sparking in the smoke.
I dive behind a stack of crates, returning fire.
Beside me, Sophia appears, her gun raised, her blue eyes fierce.
“You’re insane,” I tell her, even as I’m checking her for injuries. The cut on her throat is shallow, already clotting. “Completely insane.”
But there’s a smile lifting the corner of one side of my mouth and pride swells my heart.
“I learned from the best.” She shoots me a grin and fires twice, dropping one of Lorenzo’s men. “Besides, someone has to save your stubborn ass.”
Despite everything,
I laugh.
We’re pinned down in a burning warehouse, outnumbered and outgunned, and she’s making jokes.
This woman will be the death of me.
Or my salvation.
Tony and Ricardo’s men push forward, their tactical training evident in every movement.
They advance in coordinated pairs, providing cover fire for each other.
Lorenzo’s soldiers are skilled, but they’re not prepared for this level of organization.
“Cover me,” I tell Sophia, already moving.
“Like hell.” She’s right beside me, matching my pace. “We do this together.”
There’s no time to argue.
We sprint across the open floor, bullets whining past our heads.
We reach the stairs just as Lorenzo disappears onto the upstairs office.
I take the rest of the stairs three at a time, my lungs burning, Sophia right behind me.
The metal groans under our weight, damaged by the explosions.
Lorenzo waits for us just inside the office doorway.
His face is red and his eyes burn with manic determination.
“You just don’t know when to quit, do you?” He raises his gun, aiming at Sophia.
