Page 133 of Dark Breaker

Massimo clears his throat. “We could use a little help here.”

Fabio and I break apart. I hurry toward Luciano and begin working on his binds with my letter opener. Meanwhile Fabio searches one of the guards and finds a knife.

“Hereyou are,” he says, his lips upturning into a grim smile. With the knife, Fabio moves quickly, freeing Nicolo and Massimo in turn.

Then he comes to me. I still haven’t released Luciano. The letter opener is giving me trouble: must be getting duller by the second.

“May I?” Fabio asks.

I step aside so he can finish the job, and with three quick swipes he’s freed Luciano.

“Got company,” Massimo announces. He’s standing by the door, covering the entrance.

I hear footsteps rapidly approaching from outside. Sounds like a small army.

I retrieve my handgun from where I left it on the floor and give it to Luciano so that he, Massimo and Fabio are armed. The three of them converge at the entrance and begin firing.

I retreat to the far side of the room, next to Nicolo. I feel useless. A quick glance at Nicolo’s face tells me he’s experiencing the same feeling.

The enemies return fire and my brothers and Fabio duck behind the doorframe. Fragments of wood break away and rain down on them as bullets riddle the entrance.

The gunfire essentially pins them. When breaks in the incoming attacks come, they do return fire, but only to duck again moments later.

I know Fabio and my brothers won’t be able to do this forever. Those handguns have limited ammunition. Which partially explains why they’re returning fire so sparingly.

I glance at the ceiling. It’s covered in tiles, like the other area of the warehouse. That means there’s another, separate crawlspace up there.

I hurry over to where Fabio is crouched near the entrance.

“I have a way out!” I say above the gunfire so that everyone will hear.

Fabio glances at me and waits expectantly.

“The dropped ceiling!” I tell him. “I used it to get away before.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t think it will support our weight. We’re not as light as you, Rosa.”

“We have to try!” I tell him.

He glances at Massimo, who nods.

“All right,” Fabio says. “But someone will have to stay behind to keep them occupied. And that someone is me.”

“I can’t let you do that,” Massimo insists. “I’ll stay.”

“This is nonnegotiable,” Fabio tells him. “You’re going to be a father…”

“No one stays behind!” I declare.

Luciano ignores me and says: “It has to be me. I’m the only one who’s not married.”

“No, I’ll do it,” Nicolo says. “I’m not married either.”

Fabio shakes his head fervently. “I won’t have my little brother die for me. Nor the brothers of the woman I love. It’s going to be me. And that’s final. This is my redemption for a lifetime of crimes. And for what I did to your brother, Rosa. Putting him in jail like that. I had no right.”

Tears come to my eyes. “But my brother is free, now. Please don’t do this. No one has to stay.”

“Yes, someone does,” he insists. “The moment we stop returning fire, they’ll rush the entrance.”