Page 115 of Forging Caine

Wesprintedacrossthelawn, toward the pond, voices shouting in the distance. No one had seen us yet, other than the guard at the end door Jason subdued. I kept my eyes on Antonio’s back, thirty feet ahead of me and getting further away.

We were outside the reach of the house lights, illuminated by the pale moon. Once we got to the trees, another hundred feet ahead, we’d be under total cover and safer. We’d also have to slow down and watch out for roots.

I put a hand on Cam-ron’s back, trying to help him move faster. He was already sucking wind. “Move your ass.”

“I.” He gasped. “Am!”

We passed the small rowboat, and a high-pitched whistling noise blew past me.

Fuck.

The first bullet. They’d spotted us.

There was no gunfire, but I heard a dull thunk in the ground ahead of us. They had suppressors on their guns.

“Faster!” said Jason, only feet behind me. He grunted and was no longer there.

I did a quick shoulder check.

He was on the ground, holding his leg.

I cut short and spun back to him, keeping my head down. A popping noise came from the little dock next to the rowboat, splinters flying into the air.

“Don’t stop!” Jason ground out through gritted teeth. “I’ll distract them. You three get to safety.”

“No.” I grabbed his arm to pull him up, but he was ridiculously heavy. “We wouldn’t leave Cam-ron and we won’t leave—”

He shoved my hand away as another bullet whizzed past us. “They’ll have spotlights on any second and they won’t be firing into the dark. You’re too big a target.”

“And you aren’t?”

Jason grabbed the collar of my shirt in his fist. “I’ve protected the Ferraro family for over a decade. I’m not about to slink back to Italy and tell Cristian I failed him now. You and that man up there are my job.”

I understood that too well. The sense of duty. Putting yourself in harm’s way. I kept telling Antonio all these crazy investigations were my job, but none of them really were. It was something important inside of me. Like it was inside my father. But in this case, Jason was right. Thiswashis job. “I can’t leave you here to die.”

“Don’t underestimate me.” He released me and his grimace shifted into a near-smirk. “Pasquale’s been doing that for far too long already. Now go.”

I knelt back on my haunches. Another bullet hit the ground, close enough to us that dirt hit me.

“If nothing else, maybe the police will react to gunfire.” He pulled out his gun and turned to aim at the house. His first shot echoed through the night and took out the light over the door. “I’ll buy you a couple of minutes this way.”

Two more lights went out, the sounds of gunfire no doubt traveling for miles along the water, let alone through the neighborhoods surrounding Fiori’s property.

“Samantha!” called Antonio.

“Coming!” If I didn’t hurry, he’d run back to grab me, putting himself in the line of fire. I wanted to pat Jason’s arm, but he was aiming again.

Antonio and Cam-ron stood behind a nearby tree waiting for me. When I caught up, I saw enough of Antonio’s angular face in the moonlight to know he wanted to lecture me. But we had more important things to do.

"Let's go!" I swatted his shoulder and the three of us ran in the dark until faint lights appeared in the distance. House lights. Neighbors! “Look!”

“My ankle!” Cam-ron howled and grabbed me, taking me to the ground as he fell.

I clamped a hand over his mouth. “Swallow it, or you’ll tell them exactly where we are.”

He mewled, obviously in a lot of pain. “You two go. I’ll get their attention.”

“Goddammit.” I smacked his shoulder harder than I should have. “We’ve already had one martyr. I refuse to lose another.”

---