Page 76 of His Angel

I bite my bottom lip, hating every second of this. “I need to go up there.”

“No. You need to stay with me.”

“Everly, I need to keep them away from you.”

“Isaia, please. I can't lose you, too.” Her voice drops to a whisper, hitting me like a punch to the gut.

I step closer, cupping her face and thumbing away the tears that escape. I’d give anything to erase this moment and take us back to the clearing where it was just us. Where the war and the lies took a back seat to our love, our hope. But that’s not a luxury we have now; the only thing that matters is making sure they don’t take her from me.

“I love you, baby girl. With everything I am. But you have to let me do this.”

“I love you, too.” She chokes up, her fingers delicately touching the vial around my neck. “You better come back. You promised me forever.”

I nod, my throat tight as I pull my hand free, my heart shattering at the thought of leaving her here, but I have no choice, not if I want to keep her alive.

Grabbing a rifle and a radio from the supply box, I hold out the radio to her. “This radio is linked to the mainland. Give it an hour or two. If I’m not back,” I swallow hard, “use it.”

“Isaia—”

I kiss her. I kiss her like it’s the last fucking time I’ll ever have the honor. Sweeping my tongue, deeply, desperately, through her mouth, I commit her taste to memory, letting it sink into every corner of my being. And when I break the kiss, I don’t pause. I don’t hover.

I rush up the stairs, and with one last glance at her, I close the door, locking it with a heavy thud, the sound echoing in my ears like a death knell. I turn, sprinting back through the villa, my rifle in hand, my blood roaring with adrenaline as I head for the deck where Talon is waiting, shouting orders over the chaos of the battle.

I burst onto the deck, the night alive with the sound of war, the choppers hovering overhead, their searchlights blinding as they sweep over us, the boats now docked at the north beach, the motherfuckers spilling onto the sand, a swarm of armed men moving with deadly precision.

Bullets light up the night, flashes popping like crazy fireworks. My guys scramble for cover behind the dunes, blasting back at the Paladino soldiers charging in with numbers that make my gut churn. Those soldiers mean business. You can tell by how they move, like nothing will stop them.

Next to Talon, I hunker, rifle steady as I aim toward the beach. I squeeze the trigger and feel the kickback slam into my shoulder. One of those black-vested goons drops like a sack of bricks, blood seeping into the sand, and a rush of adrenaline floods me. But his buddies just keep coming, yelling like madmen fueled by pure grit and fury.

Talon fires beside me, his aim steady, his voice a growl, his words cutting through the chaos of the gunfire and the roar of the choppers.

“They’re pushing hard on the north flank. We’ve got maybe ten minutes before they breach the perimeter.”

“We need to fall back to the villa if they get through. We can’t let them reach the safe room,” I order, my jaw clenched, scanning the beach as I fire again, taking down another man, his body jerking as the bullet hits him in the face. Still, there are too many, their numbers growing with every second as more boats arrive, their engines a relentless drone that fills the air.

A scream rips through the air from the east, one of my guys crumpling behind a dune as those Paladino soldiers push forward.

Bullets fly, kicking up sand and debris as their choppers hover closer, making it tough to see clearly. I squeeze off another shot, hitting my mark, and aim at the next.

Their yells get louder, bullets whizzing dangerously close, shattering the wooden deck railing above us. I gesture urgently to Talon, my voice cutting through the chaos.

“Tell the snipers to aim for those choppers. We gotta take ’em out before they unload more motherfuckers.”

Talon nods, shouting orders into his radio, his voice steady despite the chaos, and I turn back to the beach, my rifle aimed at a man in a black balaclava, his gun trained on one of my men as he advances, his movements precise and deadly.

I fire, the bullet hitting him in the back of the head, blood exploding as he falls, but another takes his place, their numbers endless, their gunfire relentless as they close the distance, their shouts a mix of Italian curses and orders to push forward.

I hear the crack of a sniper rifle from the roof, the sound sharp and precise, and one of the choppers lurches, its tail smoking as it spirals out of control, crashing into the ocean with a deafening explosion, the fireball lighting up the night, the heat of it washing over us even from this distance.

But the victory is short-lived. The other choppers adjust their positions, their searchlights pinning us down as they open fire, their machine guns tearing through the night, bullets ripping into the deck, splintering wood and forcing us to scramble for cover.

Diving behind a crate, Talon’s beside me, firing as he shouts into his radio, his voice urgent as he speaks. “We’ve got two more choppers incoming from the west. They’re dropping men on the cliffs. We’re surrounded, Isaia. We need to fall back now.”

Cold dread settles in my chest, the reality of our situation sinking in, and I fire again, my aim steady despite the chaos. My mind races with the need to protect Everly, to keep her safe, to keep my promise.

I glance at the villa, my heart pounding as I think of Everly in the safe room, her face flashing in my mind, her voice echoing in my ears, and I know I can’t let them get to her, not now, not ever.

I turn to Talon, my voice a growl, my resolve hardening into steel, my fear giving way to a fierce determination that burns through me.

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