Page 154 of My Sweetest Temptation

"What?" I asked, alarm bells ringing in my head.

"Something's not right," he said, his eyes darting at the screen nervously.

“What the fuck was—” I was cut off when a violent explosion shook the ground, sending shards of glass flying and twisting metal echoing through the warehouse. My heart raced as I heard the guards shout through the earpiece, "We're being attacked!"

We scrambled off the ground and ran to the window; the lead car was engulfed in flames. Smoke surged into the air, and debris rained down.

I had no time to respond before a second explosion rocked the rear vehicle, knocking us off our feet. "What the actual fuck?!" Matteo shouted.

"Get your asses down!" I roared, already diving for cover. Bullets whined past, seeking flesh, as we scrambled for safety. I threw myself near the front window, gun at the ready, and lay flat, peering through the broken glass. Matteo returned fire from the opposite window.

A bullet pinged off the wall next to me, sending concrete shards into my eyes. I blinked, cursing, and raised my gun. Through the scope, I saw movement—a man dressed in black, his face obscured by a mask. "Fuckers!" I spat, pulling the trigger. The glass shattered, offering me a clearer view.

"Fuck!" Lucas shouted.

"Lo! Lucas! You hit?" I called out, scanning the room.

"We're good!" Lo replied.

We could hear shouting outside but couldn't see shit. We were going in blind. I raised my weapon, scanning for the targets through the gaps in the window.

I yelled through the earpiece, "Blue, report!"

"No movement on my end," Sniper Blue replied. "But I see the driver in the truck."

"Red here. We have casualties. The package is secure, but we're taking fire from multiple angles."

"This is Green. I have a visual of an unarmed man heading toward the truck. Black hoodie, plain mask."

"Take him alive," I ordered through gritted teeth. "Green, I want him breathing. Understood?"

"Copy that."

"This guy's either the bravest or the dumbest son of a bitch," Matteo shouted, his gun spitting fire.

"Lo! Luca! Get your asses up here! We need to flank these bastards!" I needed eyes on the target, and these two were the best.

They moved while using a table as cover. Lo adjusted his scope, his eyes never leaving the gap in the brick wall. Lucas slid along the wall, his back against it.

"I see him," Lo muttered. "What the hell is he doing? Stupid fuck. Doesn't he realize he's surrounded by snipers?"

Another loud bang erupted through the air like thunder.

The sound of a shot, and then silence.

"Blue's down!" Green bellowed. "Taking fire from an unknown position."

"Fucking shit! Get the hell out of there, Green!" I ordered. Another shot rang out, and the line went dead.

Where the hell were they shooting from? And how many were there? Just then, as if in slow motion, the man in the truck raised his gun, his eyes fixed on the window. But a split second later, a bullet pierced the windshield, and the driver slumped over, dead.

My men outside. All gunned down. My blood ran cold. We were being hunted.

"Luca, we need extra eyes. Can you check the cameras to see where these assholes are hiding?" I watched the man on foot drag the driver’s dead body out of the seat, crumpling to the ground.

Luca snapped into action. "I'm on it." He dashed toward the computer, which had been knocked off the table but was still working. His fingers flew across the keyboard as he accessed the security footage.

"The cameras are good," he panted. As if on cue, a hail of bullets rained toward our building.

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