Page 80 of The Enforcer

“Baby. Oh, my baby,” she whimpered. “I need to help him.”

“No. Get inside,” I told her.

“I’m not leaving him.”

“Think of your little boy.”

“I’ll be fine,” Dimitrios told her. “Do as Christos said.”

“I don’t want to leave you,” she muttered again.

“Take care… of our… son.” He was gritting his teeth from the agony.

She sobbed but finally nodded, allowing me to push her toward the back door. More gunfire and another blur to my right. Without hesitating, I dropped and rolled, firing off several rounds.

Fuck this. I should have believed my instincts. I should have stopped this atrocity before it began. What the hell was wrong with me? I continuously scanned the area as I struggled to move him closer to the house and behind a group of bushes. It was limited cover, but better than nothing.

“Goddamn it,” he muttered.

“Are you going to be okay?” I asked my brother.

“Get them. Get the fuckers.” He already had his weapon in his hand. While I wasn’t certain about his injury, the front of his shirt indicated an exit wound. He managed to crawl to his knees, firing off several rounds of his own. “Go. I’ll handle it here.”

I fired off again. “Stay put until it’s safe.”

He laughed, coughing almost immediately. “Not a chance.”

Two more enemy soldiers dropped, but I could see at least three of ours were down.

“Stay low, brother.” I continued pushing and searching for Valencia, my heart thudding. What if something had happened to her? Jesus Christ.

I finally caught sight of her, bending down and trying to help one of the fallen guests. As soon as she saw me, she rose to a standing position.

Just as another intruder jumped into view, his weapon aimed directly at her head.

“No!” I threw myself toward her, knocking her to the ground a split second before the bullet would have slammed into the back of her head. After rolling a few feet, I reacted instantly, jerking to a sitting position and firing off a half dozen shots into the man.

She screamed again, gasping for air almost immediately.

I searched the darkness, firing my weapon once again.

“Oh, my God. Are you alright?” I yanked another magazine of ammunition into my hand, jerking the one from my Sig out and tossing it away before slapping the other one into position.

More gunfire. More screams.

Smoke was still billowing from the fire, the acrid smoke burning my eyes.

Valencia continued to gasp for air, clinging to me. “What’s going on?”

“Listen to me, baby. Get inside. To the bunker I told you about. Don’t argue with me. Please.”

“I need to help your family. The injured. I can help them.”

“Not if you’re dead. Go.” I helped her up. “Just do as I say. Stay low. Go.”

She moved quickly toward the house and I took off running, firing off indiscriminately at every enemy soldier. As another approached, I didn’t have time to get off a shot before he was on me.

I ripped the katana from its holster, bellowing as I dragged it across the man’s throat. The force was enough it almost took off his entire head.

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