Chapter 133 Catch me if you can
Dante's POV
The screen looked way too bright the more I stared down at it, buzzing and creating that still tension.
I stepped towards it slowly, picking it up carefully as the phone felt cold in my palms, and heavier than it had any right to be.
I stared at the cracked screen while my legs carried me slightly further towards the door.
Marcus and Nico followed me slowly, still breathing heavily from the fight and probably expecting the next order.
I kept my face blank, but inside, something had already grown tight as I stared at the sender.
It was a text, and from no other person but Luca.
I tapped the message open and read it slowly. “Keep them busy inside. We'll have the building surrounded and round them up in five.”
I read it again, only realizing then what we had found ourselves in. That was it, no names, no much talk.
“We need to move,” I muttered but still had my feet rooted to the spot I stood.
This was Luca telling his guy to stall us while the trap closed in on us.
My stomach dropped as I realized that Luca knew we were coming, he’d probably planned the whole thing from the get go.
He probably noticed the paper trail we'd been following and dropped some men here in wait.
“We need to go, now,” I repeated in a much firmer voice this time around as I started moving.
Marcus moved faster and got into step with me before placing a hand on my shoulder gently. “Don? What's up?"
I couldn't repeat it, so I turned the screen to them so they could both see it for themselves as Nico peered through too.
Then after a few seconds, my voice came out flat. “Luca’s been keeping us busy all along, the building could be surrounded any second now. He knew we’d show, whole thing was bait,” I ranted as we skipped towards the way we'd entered from.
“Son of a bitch,” Nico muttered as we approached the door.
Marcus didn’t say a word, but his hand had drifted to his gun like it always did when something wasn't right.
Just as I had my hand stretching for the door handle, the air outside flared up immediately.
Deep, heavy sounds came from outside as what seemed to be large tankers swung around the building from both sides.
The warehouse barely had windows but the little it did showed us all we needed to see.
“What's that?” Marcus asked as we all stared around.
The headlights outside served as the only hope for lighting as the heavy sounds kept increasing.
Then just as quickly as they started, they stopped. Everything went still for a moment, maybe too still.
I didn't like it and was about leaning for the door again when bullets broke through the warehouse from all ends.
They punched through glass and metal, shattering windows above us as we ducked quickly and made our way back into the main part of the building.
The bullet just about grazed my shoulder as I had been in front. I threw a hand to it when we got to a safer spot, whining in pain.
I dove left behind the nearest forklift with my back hitting the steel hard. Nico rolled right behind a stack of crates while Marcus slid behind a metal workbench, already returning fire.
I watched from the small window to my side as the first wave came from the front, loads of them with at least ten men storming out of the large truck, placing the rifles up and laying down to take aim at us.
Glass rained down in its numbers and sparks flared off from the forklift cage inches from my head.
I saw a window of opportunity and popped up, squeezing off three quick shots, and dropping one guy behind his door.
I did again at another opportunity, taking out a couple of shooters from the floor, but the sound of their shots deafened me, messing with my aim.
“Let’s file back!” I shouted over the roar and we moved without waiting.
Nico laid down and fired carefully, forcing their front line to duck.
Marcus took out the nearest headlight with one clean shot, plunging half the yard into darkness.
I sprinted with my head low along the left wall, picking off the man trying to stalk through the side door.
I sent another to an unexpected enemy to his chest as I dropped the next guy who stepped through the door.
A bullet struck the crate beside me and the wood exploded in my face.
I tasted blood on my lip where the wood had hit, but I didn’t slow.
We reached the back together and Nico kicked the emergency door open.
Cold air rushed in as we stepped through the door, but Luca’s men were already there, waiting for us.
“Shit, run!” I yelled as they opened fire at us again.
“Inside stairs!” Marcus called from where he was hiding. “Roof access or nothing!” He added and I knew he was right.
We spun back into the building at his words, using the crates as cover all the way.
I took the way down the left aisle while Marcus followed the same path on the right.
Nico trailed behind me, the way it used to be when the three of us cleared buildings alone.
I heard shooting from below before one struck the wall beside me.
I rushed forward and jumped over a low stack of crates and landed, rolling away a bit and came up shooting back at them.
I got one of them as he dropped before I shot another who tried climbing through a broken window.
I turned and found Marcus taking on one of them from the other side with a knife flash nearly taking hisneyes.
But he recovered quickly, grabbed his hand and fired a bullet straight into its head.
Meanwhile, Nico dropped the guy trying to circle me from behind as we met at the door.
The door was locked and Nico shot the handle off in a split second.
We burst through and started rushing up the stairs with our boots hammering against the metal steps.
The building was two floors up and the shooting below grew louder and louder as we climbed higher.
They must have gotten their way inside now.
My lungs burned as beads of sweat rolled down my head and stung my eyes.
But the only thing that mattered was getting out before they boxed us in completely.
We hit the third-floor when the door above flew open. Five more men poured in with their rifles raised.
There was no time to think. I rushed into one, slamming my shoulder-first into the guy and driving him back into his partner.
He struggled with me, attempting to get his gun before I freed myself fast and fired him straight between his eyes.
Firing his friend too as I turned in time to see Marcus putting two rounds in the second man from close range.
Nico dropped the third before the guy could even aim.
The last one got a shot off and the bullet caught Marcus in his side, shifting him back and spinning him hard against the railing.
He staggered against it and for one sick second I saw him tilt back as the rail gave way till it gave out.
“Marcus!”