Chapter 6 - The Shield of Flesh
The world inside the SUV devolved into absolute chaos.
The deafening roar of gunfire battered the exterior, accompanied by the metallic scent of burning oil and hot rubber.
Underneath Daniel’s heavy, protective weight, I curled my body into a tight ball around Leo, burying his head against my neck, covering his tiny ears with both of my hands to block out the terrifying noise.
"Matteo!" Daniel shouted over the din, his voice booming in my ear. "Status!"
"Driver is hit through the windshield seal!" Matteo yelled back, leaning out his window and firing three rapid shots from a heavy rifle into the treeline. "We're stuck against the barrier! Second escort team is engaging from behind!"
Daniel shifted his weight off me slightly, reaching down to check Leo. His face was a mask of pure, lethal fury, his eyes blazing with an unholy amber light.
"Is he hit?!" Daniel demanded.
"No! No!" I screamed over the noise, tears streaming down my face. "He's just terrified! His nervous system is overloading!"
Leo was turning a dark, dangerous shade of purple, his tiny fists flailing against my skin, his airway constricting from acute panic.
"I need to bag him!" I yelled, reaching frantically for the portable oxygen bulb tucked in the seat pocket. "He’s stop breathing!"
"Do it!" Daniel ordered. He reached past me, unlatched his door, and kicked it wide open, stepping out into the line of fire to draw the shooters' attention away from our side of the vehicle.
"DANIEL, NO!" I screamed.
Through the narrow gap of the open door, I saw Daniel Russo step out into the rain like a demon unleashed. He fired his heavy silver pistol with terrifying, mechanical precision, dropping two men in tactical gear who were advancing through the trees.
A stray bullet caught him across the left shoulder, ripping through his dark jacket, spraying bright red blood across the leather seat beside me.
He didn't even flinch. He racked the slide of his weapon with one hand and kept firing until the treeline fell into a sudden, eerie silence, punctuated only by the groans of dying men and the crackle of burning tires.
Matteo rushed around the back of the SUV, his weapon lowered, covered in mud and soot. "Clear! Rear team eliminated the flank!"
Daniel stepped back into the SUV, slamming the heavy armored door shut. His face was pale, blood soaking rapidly through the left side of his white dress shirt, but his eyes never left his son.
I had the tiny plastic oxygen mask held over Leo’s face, squeezing the small rubber bulb in a slow, steady rhythm.
Squeeze... release... squeeze... release...
"Come on, Leo," I sobbed, tears dropping onto the baby's forehead. "Breathe for me, baby. Breathe for your daddy."
For three excruciating seconds, nothing happened.
Then, a tiny, ragged gasp escaped his lungs. Pink color rushed back into his pale lips. His small chest rose, caught the oxygen, and expanded.
He let out a soft, wet cry, his tiny fingers curling around my thumb.
I collapsed against the leather seat, letting out a breathless, weeping laugh of pure relief. "He’s got it. He’s breathing."
Daniel dropped down onto his knees on the floor of the SUV, resting his forehead against my knee. His broad shoulders shuddered as he let out a long, ragged breath, his bloody left hand reaching up to gently touch Leo’s tiny foot.
"You saved him again," Daniel rasped, his voice raw with pain and awe.
"You took a bullet for us," I whispered, reaching out with my free hand to touch his wounded shoulder, feeling the warm, sticky blood under my fingers.
Daniel looked up at me, his amber eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made the rest of the violent world fade into background noise.
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"I would burn this city to ash before I let anyone hurt either of you," he said softly.
And looking into his eyes, surrounded by blood and spent casings, I realized with a terrifying shock that I believed him.
