Page 83 of A Mastery of Crows

Fuck.

He presses down on the accelerator, the car speed increasing until we’re flying down the road. The others behind us in the convoy do the same as I yank out my phone.

Dom answers on the first ring. “Luc.”

“They’re coming. We’re fifteen minutes out, and they’re coming up behind us.”

Dom hangs up.

I don’t say anything as the speed of the car creeps up further. “We’re going to make it.”

“Maybe,” he says grimly. “But they’re going to be right fucking behind us.”

37 – Caterina

We watch the camera footage. Lights appear on the road, the cars flying up way too fast.

“Open the gates.” Dom shouts it down the radio. “Now!”

Luc and Stefan barely clear them, the car doors scraping against the metal.

No sooner is the convoy through than they’re being pushed shut again. Nico and Johnno, blurry small figures on the screen in front of us, fly into action, wrapping the metal as quickly as possible. Several others begin loading up the road, tossing packages down seemingly at random.

Behind me, Vincent is organising, sending groups to go and help with the unloading of the convoy.

I check my weapons again on my way out to help. Guns are strapped to my arms, my legs, spare cartridges at my waist. My daggers are on my feet.

“They’re coming.” Dom’s voice makes me jerk back around. Dante and Gio crowd in behind me as we watch, the hall behind us falling silent.

The row of vehicles seems to go on forever. They don’tstop.

“Get out of there,” Gio mutters. “Come on.”

The small figures are still working. Still dropping those packages.

“Less than a minute.” Dom’s voice is strained. “How are we doing on the convoy?”

I turn to look. Boxes are coming into the hall, a group ripping them open as others hand them in. “It’s coming in now.”

“Thirty seconds.”

The figures scatter, disappearing into the darkness.

“Ten.”

We wait. The screen flashes white, the noise of the explosion hitting us a second later. Several others follow as Matteo’s men drive straight over the mines thrown down to welcome them.

“Let’s hope he was in front,” Dante mutters.

He won’t be. But as the screen wavers back into place, pieces of broken, smoking wreckage block the entrance. “How many did we hit?”

“Hard to tell.” Dom studies it. “But enough to buy us some time. They can’t drive through.”

Small packs of soldiers are leaving, directed to locations across campus by Vincent and Gio. My fingers clench around my phone as I check my messages. “An hour, Marco says.”

An hour until any reinforcements get here.

Stefano and Luc push through the doors with boxes in their hands, their eyes immediately moving to me.