Page 68 of The Pakhan's Forced Bride
“Sir, it's Marcus from warehouse seven. We’ve been attacked. We fought them off but lost two men. And warehouse five also took a hit.”
“Is the security team there?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ll send a medical team now. Do what you can. I’m at Warehouse One. There was an explosion here.”
“No explosion here, sir. Just heavy gunfire.”
I press my fingers into my eyes. There is a headache building, but I can’t let it distract me. My team needs me.
“Alright, Marcus, are you in control there?”
“Yes, sir. We are in control here.”
“Stay in touch,” I sigh before the phone call ends, then slip my phone back into my pocket to carry on dealing with the mayhem of what looks like several explosive devices that went off simultaneously across this warehouse.
There are fires raging in the two separate areas. Men are fighting them with extinguishers, yelling instructions to each other. Other men are dragging products away from the flames, and others are carrying their friends to safety.
For a moment, I pause and survey the scene, and a sense of pride overwhelms me.I have an incredible team.
It takes hours to get the fires out and to clear the area of injured men, and to clean up where the products can be saved.
Apart from the loss of five lives at this warehouse and another four at the other locations, we have done okay considering the size of the attack.
We didn’t lose much product, nothing that will impact business, and we managed to get things under control.
The injured have been taken for care, and the security team has been rotated, sending the tired men home to rest, so the guards on duty are fresh and patrolling the area to prevent any further attacks.
Emmanuil and I are sitting on the upper deck of the warehouse, looking down over the floor area. The air still smells of smoke, and we’re both covered head to toe in dirt, ash, and blood.
He hands me an ice-cold beer.
I crack the top in silence as my eyes wander over the scene.
“It could have been a lot worse,” Emmanuil sighs.
“It could’ve. I just don’t understand how they got past the first line of defense.”
“These guys are good. They’ve been good from the beginning. I think I should head home soon and start upping my defenses there in San Diego. We might need to change the initial plan a bit, too.”
“Thank you for your help tonight, man, I can’t tell you how much it means to me.”
“You would do the same for me. I don’t doubt it.” He throws his head back and takes seven long gulps of beer. “Man, I needed this.” He sighs again, wiping his hand over his mouth and smearing dirt across his cheek. He chuckles when he realizes. “Shit, I need a shower. And ten hours straight of sleep.”
Emmanuil stands with a groan, his body aching as much as mine is. I think we lifted, moved, carried, and pushed a thousand tons of weight tonight. It certainly feels that way.
I stand too, stretching my neck back, letting out a long sigh.
“A hot shower. Food. Sleep.”
I don’t say it, but I’m thinking about her. The things I mentioned are on my list, but what I really want, over anything else, is to be in her arms.
I throw the rest of my beer back, down it, letting the cold liquid rush down my throat, then I set the bottle on a nearby table and follow Emmanuil down to the parking lot.
It’s much quieter now. Most of the men have gone home already. After checking in with my head of security for the new watch, I leave, finally heading home.To Belle.
When I push the front door open and walk into my mansion, the lights are all on, glowing and welcoming.
