Page 58 of Devotion

Spinning the cab and the entire structure around, I build speed, dragging the enormous metal ball around, straight at the wall. The impact nearly unseats me, bashing through old brick.

“Holy shit!” I hear in the haze of dust ahead as I stumble down, raising my gun to pick off a couple of shadowy figures inside.

“Ciro!” I yell, scrambling over the rubble.

He and Fyo shoot out of the hole in the wall like bats out of hell. Which means any other shapes in the gloom are targets. I empty my clip, skidding as I reverse directions to follow my guys.

Fyodor is already in an old truck, coaxing the engine to life.

“Into the bed!”

I almost squeal as Ciro swoops an arm around my middle, lifting me effortlessly and tossing me over the side of the truck. He hops in behind, slapping the fender.

The chain gate barely puts up a fight as Fyodor bashes us through, out onto a gravel road. We barely make the end of the drive before I hear the sounds of cars firing up to follow us.

Leaning around the side, I shout to Fyo, “We need to get word to Pyotr and the others!”

“You try to call again?”

“Net. No signal.”

“For me too.”

Ciro nods, flapping his hands and shaking his head.

“You think they have jammed communication?”

“Da. This is not just a ring of smugglers. This is a full-scale invasion.”

The realization sinks into my gut as he says it. Confirmed almost immediately by the view to my right. We fly out along the wharf, hauling ass right beside the water.

Across the way, I see boats lining the dock. Dozens of gun-toting men in black form up on the shore.

Not to mention the caravan of trucks and SUVs that swerve out behind us.

Fyo takes a hard left, veering back into the industrial zone, backtracking and buying us time. After several minutes without a sign of a tail, he screeches to a halt right next to my Jeep.

“Come, we will get back to compound, regroup,” I affirm, rushing for the driver’s side door.

Fyo slams it as soon as I get it open.

“What the hell?”

“This is not protocol.”

“I do not care about protocol, our people need to know!”

“If our scouts are not already aware of the problem, we are already dead.”

Anger wells up, frustration taking control. With a furious snarl, I turn away, pacing. “I will not hide.”

“Uh, anyone wanna fill me in on ‘protocol’?”

“Fyodorwants us to split up. Go to meeting points. Wait for instruction from base.”

“Sounds smart.”

“I will take Jeep. Lead them on goose chase. See if I can find out who they are. Gather men along the way.”

---