Page 109 of Her Guardian
“Then let me deal with these fuckers once and for all,” he growls, his lips crashing into mine.
Boyd’s kiss tells me exactly how much he’s missed me. How worried he’s been. That the love I feel for him is far from one-sided. I reluctantly let go of him when our lips part. This is what he does. And if anyone is going to be able to stop Solitude’s mercenaries and the Bratva, my money is on Big Mafia Boyd.
“Be careful,” I whisper, my fingers falling away from his shirt. “Please.”
“I will be,” he mutters, slinging his assault rifle around and gripping it.
Helicopters darken the sky and the Morandi family opens fire. A few go down, exploding when they hit the sand, but a lot more land. Men in black tactical armor and masks pour out of them. I’ve never been in the middle of a battlefield, but this certainly seems like one. Every time I peek, I see more bodies on the ground—on both sides, but I’m more worried about the ones in front of the smoldering bunker.
Jeeps and SUVs appear on the horizon, bearing down on our location. I’m assuming those aren’t more members of the Morandi family, because Massimo’s guys open fire on them. Grenades get launched and explosions rock the Morandi family’s position.
It seems like the gunfire rings out for hours, but I’m not sure how much time actually passes. I split my time between ducking in the back seat, covering my ears, and peeking out to see if I can spot Big Boyd. Every time I see him, still firing at the men in black, I feel a slight tremor of relief.
Then the shots start dying out. The men in black are retreating. They try to get a helicopter off the ground, but bullets shred through the exterior until it erupts in flames. Solitude’s mercenaries and the Bratva are in full retreat now. The SUVs and Jeeps start vanishing into the desert with the Morandi family giving chase.
Then it’s quiet. So quiet I slowly get out of the SUV and look around. There’s a lot of smoke. Sand has been kicked up. It’s hard to see clearly.
“Boyd!” I scream.
The smoke slowly dissipates, and I see him. He walks toward me, holding his stomach, and when I see blood, I start running, stumbling across the sand and almost losing my footing, but I get to him.
“You’re hurt!” I say hurriedly, trying to move his hand. “How bad is it?”
“Just a bullet,” he groans. “I’ve had worse.”
“Rowan got hit!” Dante’s voice rings out and I look past Boyd to see the mean motherfucker in a kilt bleeding on the ground. “So did Leo!”
“Get them back to Salvalagio!” Massimo orders. “Now!”
“I’ll take care of Leo,” Emilio says, dragging his brother off the ground and shouldering most of his weight.
“I can’t believe Leo’s here,” I whisper, glancing at Boyd.
“After you, Lea, and Cadence saved his life?” Boyd asks. “Man may be a priest now, but he wasn’t going to miss the chance to return the favor.”
“Emilio too?” I question as he walks back, guiding Leo toward one of the SUVs.
“Guess he’s back.” Boyd shrugs.
“Let’s get you to Salvalagio,” I say, motioning toward Boyd’s vehicle.
“I’ve got their location,” Cadence’s voice crackles. “They’re not far. I was able to use a satellite to trace where the helicopters took off from. It’s an old abandoned military base. Same one that used to operate the bunker.”
Boyd pulls away from me and staggers over to Massimo.
“Come on, boss. Let’s finish this,” Boyd urges.
“You’re not going anywhere except back to Salvalagio, Big Boyd,” Massimo says firmly. “I know you can take a few bullets without going down, but the rest of the guys can clean up what’s left. Besides, I don’t think Sarah will forgive me if I let you go.”
“No, I won’t,” I mutter, glancing back at Lea, who is still sitting in the back seat of the other SUV. “And your wife needs you, Massimo, so I hope you’re not planning on leaving her sitting over there all by herself.”
Massimo sighs and nods. He turns and gives the order for Dante to lead the attack on the military base. Dante looks thrilled with the plan and quickly rallies the men who will be going with him. After they mobilize, Massimo motions for us.
“Put Big Boyd in the front seat,” Massimo commands. “I’ll drive.”
“Wait, don’t leave my SUV here,” Boyd protests, clutching his stomach. “I can drive.”
“One of the guys will take care of it,” Massimo insists. “Come on.”
