Page 69 of Brutal Queen

“Twenty five, split across three teams. Two teams of ten and five have gone to support Enzo, Sinclair, and Benny.” Clad in full tactical gear, I almost don’t recognise Stefano’s number two, but as soon as I hear his voice, I know it is Marcus. I’m fucking relieved to have him at my back. He’s a rottweiler when it comes to close combat. I know he won’t let anyone past him at this entrance.

“You taking the lead out here?” I ask.

“Yes, Don Bianchi. Just tell us what you need,” he says, bowing his head. I’m about to tell him to cut out the head bobbing. No one's got time for that shit right now when another fleet of cars pulls up behind us.

Dom is jumping out of the front SUV with a wave of bodies following suit, running towards us. For someone who spendsthe bulk of his time behind a desk, he sure as shit knows how to carry himself with a weapon. At six foot, he’s by no means the tallest here but, fully kitted out in black combat gear, he cuts an imposing figure.

“I’ve sent two teams to cover the other building exits. We’re at your disposal,” Dom barks.

Nothing in the world can prepare you for how it feels to hold the lives of so many people in your hands. It’s truly humbling to have the trust of so many and a privilege I do not take lightly. This is not a frivolous crusade, this is a battle to protect our way of life. Sure, it has the added bonus of destroying a monster, but above all things, what we achieve tonight will protect us from any major threats for a long time to come.

“Any word from the other raids?” I ask.

“So far, so good at the warehouse, minimal casualties and maximum destruction. They were able to save a considerable number of women, but Vittoria doesn’t have the go ahead from Leandro to get them out yet. They’re still securing the building.”

“Any news on the compound?”

“Luc has them under siege. Dante’s men are on their way there now to provide support.”

I look over the sea of faces before me and tilt my head towards the building. “Dom, your guys are with me. We’ll split into four teams and take out the last of De Luca’s men. No one touches Max. He’s fucking mine.”

Nico pulls out spare comms from his side pocket and starts handing them out as Dom splits his men, nominating a person in each to coordinate the team. I take that opportunity to check in with the teams inside. They start rounding off their locations, and I’m more than a little relieved when I hear Enzo,Nico, and Benny confirm their positions. I see Dom nodding along, and then jumping into action, assigning his teams to any uncovered areas and floors.

He waves over five guys and says, “They’re with you.”

There’s nothing left to do… time to go on a husband hunt.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

BENEDICT

For a moment, before Stefano’s men arrived, I thought we were more than a little fucked. Pinned down in the corner of the open warehouse, the upturned table was rapidly failing as a decent cover. While a heads up on the grenade Aurora threw would have been nice, I appreciated that it took out at least one of the threats against us and finally getting the go ahead to blow the device I set on the eastern wall really turned the tables.

By the time Max’s men rolled in through the loading dock, we’d got half the place cleared and taken strategic positions against the next wave. Admittedly, he brought more reinforcements than I expected, but with Stefano’s men and now Dom’s, it’s only a matter of time.

I split off from Zo and Sinclair to join one of Stefano’s teams. Since they had no one on comms, I’m bringing up the rear behind our main home security detail. They’re good guys and spectacularly well trained.

As we pass through a doorway on the upper floors, it leads us out onto the metal gantry, where we’re met with a heavily armed group approaching us from the other end. The men at the front are instantly mown down in a shower of bullets. There’s no cover here, so there’s no option for us but to retreat. Down three men and with at least one injured, it leaves three of us hightailing it back through the fire-damaged offices scrambling for cover.

I’ve barely made it behind an overturned metal filing cabinet when the door bursts open. They’re funnelled through the entryway, allowing us to take out a few of them, but the rest either drop behind the bodies for cover or hug the door frame. I’m beginning to worry, but let out a sigh of relief when I see Dom approaching them from behind.

The metal gantry gives them away, but it doesn’t matter. The remaining targets don’t stand a chance now that they’re sandwiched between us.

I drop back behind the cabinet to reload, poised to open fire again when the doorway to my left fills with shadows a moment before Max appears.

I’ve seen his face a thousand times before, but it feels like I’m seeing him for the first time. The real him. All hard angles and soulless eyes. He’s not a just monster, he’s the fucking devil. A manic sneer flares across his face when his eyes lock on mine, and it highlights every sinister aspect of his features.

He takes aim and shoots.

Everything happens in slow motion. He’s taken out the two men to my right before I can make the shot against him. As soon as I have him in my sights, I’m pulling the trigger, but my aim goes wide when he ducks for cover, the bullet hitting the man behind him.

But his? His lands on target.

As the bullet rips through my hip, I heave in a breath andforce out an anguished cry. My hand flies to my side, aware that he’s deliberately aimed below my Kevlar vest. I fall to the floor, scrambling away from the back of the cabinet to hide behind the smallest end. Max has a better angle on me from the door and this filing cabinet is terrible cover.

As he pushes into the room with his men, Dom's team enter from the warehouse gantry, forcing Max’s men to take cover in the hallway. Someone’s bent over me where I’ve propped myself in a seated position, and he’s lifting my shirt, checking my injury. I can’t hear what he’s saying because there are too many people screaming my name over the comms.

Bringing my fingers to the earpiece, I push it further into my ear, trying to decipher what they’re saying. That doesn’t help at all.

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