We sprint to the trucks while Santo gives us the dummy’s guide to shooting from one of these babies.
“Don’t try to duck a shot. Trust that you’re protected, cocooned. They won’t get you. The most important thing to do is to focus on your aim, not your location or where they’re aiming. Pretend like you’re invisible and there’s nothing but air between you and your target.”
“Bring one of them in alive,” Romeo growls. “You kill ‘em all, we got no one left to interrogate.”
I shut the door and get my gun ready. Feels good to be behind the wheel of a machine like this, and I don’t fucking care that Romeo’s beside me. He’s one of the best shots in our company.
“Follow Santo,” Romeo says, pointing his pistol at the wheels of Santo’s ride going left. “As soon as you see them, tell me. I’ll shoot.”
“Why’d you come with me, boss?”
He grunts. “Because you’re the one they’re after, brother.”
Jesus.
True, though.
“We’re less than a minute out,” Romeo says. “Anything else you need to tell me?” he asks quietly.
I shake my head. “No, I’ve told you everything.”
He gives me the side-eye. “Everything?”
I swallow. “Yeah.”
But it’s a lie. Nothing I’d get punished for, though. I did tell him everything he needs to know. That I took her. I made her mine and that if I had the chance, I’d make her my wife.
But I didn’t tell him how sweet she looks when she sleeps, her hands tucked under her chin. The way her hand felt in mine when I held it. How she melted into me when I dominated her. The way her voice grew soft and resonant when I told her how beautiful she was. Or how the slow, sweet smile spread across her face and she became putty in my hands when I praised her.
“You love her,” he says with surprise. “Don’t you? This isn’t just about your role, or increasing your rank, or anything like that at all, is it?”
I shake my head and say earnestly, “It isn’t. And yeah, I do.”
He nods slowly, but then quickly draws his pistol to shoot. “There they are.”
We’re at the end of the road that leads to The Castle. With the four of us lined up like this, it’s a goddamn fortress for them to have to get past. But I won’t sit here and build a wall and wait.
“Dario,” Romeo begins, but I ignore him. I crank the engine and roll in the front. Weapon drawn, I wish this was a real tank with real guns that would destroy the shit out of these motherfuckers. I know they’re the ones that came after Vivia and me, and today they hurt Orlando.
They’re coming at full speed toward us. The others pull back, but I hear gunfire all around me. Romeo shoots, and one car spins wildly out, the tire shredded. He shoots again, this time hitting the windshield but the armored glass only fractures and doesn’t break. Again, and again, and again he strikes but he needs more lead. It isn’t enough.
They came after Vivia.
I wrap my fingers around my M134 Minigun, a sweet, handheld machine gun designed for helicopters and armored vehicles.
“Take the wheel,” I tell Romeo.
He sees what I’m holding, leans over and takes the wheel, slides into the driver’s seat and starts to drive. I kneel on the leather seat beside him, take aim, and let loose a barrage of bullets toward the oncoming vehicles. Wheels explode. Even the armored glass splinters and shatters, and I don’t let up. I shoot at the driver. Glass fragments into shards, blood splatters the window. Without a driver, the car spins wildly out, and a second crashes into it.
And still, I shoot. The bullets pump out, too many to count, a volley of fierce, impenetrable metal that does damage in a fraction of a second. One car’s driver is gone. A second. A third spins wildly out and slumps over the seat.
“Wait! Jesus, we need someone alive to interrogate!” Romeo screams, but I’ve already pulled the trigger. I hit my target. Santo and the others quickly and efficiently round up the others.
“You should’ve saved one, brother,” Romeo says quietly. “I’d have let you have him.”
“Got one survivor!” Santo screams. He pulls the truck over and launches himself out of it.
“Santo, no!” I yell, but he’s already gone. Gunshots pepper the air around us, making the lone survivor an easy target. Santo ducks, darts, then throws himself into the car. He comes out a second later with someone bleeding from the head. He’s caught in a headlock.