Chapter 7 - The Battle on the FDR
Muzzle flashes erupted in the grey morning gloom like blinding strobes of light.
RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!
Bullets slammed against the armored body of Camden’s SUV, spider-webbing the reinforced glass but failing to penetrate.
"Get down!" Camden roared, throwing his body over Hannah and Eli, shielding them with his broad frame as heavy rounds hammered the roof.
Outside, Camden’s rear guard vehicle exploded in a fireball as a shoulder-fired rocket struck its engine block, sending a shockwave that rocked their SUV onto two wheels before slamming back down onto the pavement.
"Jackson! Reverse!" Camden commanded, his voice sharp as a whip.
"Transmission is shot, boss! Radiator's blown!" Jackson yelled, kicking his door open and returning fire through the gap with his semi-automatic rifle.
Camden turned to Hannah. His face was inches from hers, his dark eyes burning with absolute, protective fury.
"Stay under the seats," Camden ordered, pulling a second weapon from beneath his jacket. "Don't move until I tell you."
"Camden, no!" Hannah cried out, grabbing his sleeve. "There are too many of them!"
Camden reached out, cupped her face in his broad hand, and pressed his lips firmly against hers in a brief, fierce, passionate kiss that tasted of rain and copper.
"No one touches my family," Camden whispered against her lips.
He broke away, kicked his door open into the pouring rain, and stepped out into the storm of fire.
Camden moved with the lethal, terrifying efficiency of a man born for war.
He fired with incredible precision, taking down two shooters advancing along the concrete barrier before ducking behind the rear tire of the SUV.
"Jackson! Cover the left flank!" Camden shouted over the roar of gunfire and thunder.
To the right, threeMoretti hitmen rushed the passenger side where Hannah and Eli were hiding.
Camden saw them. His eyes went entirely black with rage.
He stepped out from cover, completely ignoring the bullets whipping past his ears, and fired four rapid shots. Three men dropped instantly into the dirty rainwater pooling on the highway.
From down the road, the wail of police sirens began to echo through the buildings of Lower Manhattan. Dozens of NYPD cruisers were approaching fast from the south, their red and blue lights flashing against the wet pavement.
"Boss! The cops are here!" Jackson shouted. "We need to move now!"
Camden ran back to the open door of the SUV, reaching inside and pulling Hannah and Eli out into his arms. He wrapped his broad heavy coat around both of them, shielding them completely from the rain and glass debris.
"We walk from here," Camden said, his deep voice calm despite the chaotic warzone around them.
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"Walk?" Hannah gasped, holding Eli tight.
"The courthouse is two blocks away," Camden said, looking toward the high stone pillars of Foley Square visible through the rain. "And Victor Moretti is about to sign his life away."
