Empress Of Wrath, Blood And Desire

Chapter 30: Mission

A week cruises by

The night is torn apart by a deafening explosion that reverberates through the night air, a violent roar that drowns out everything else. The chaos is immediate and unforgiving shrieks pierce through the cacophony as flames consume everything.

The blinding flash of the detonation illuminates the dark sky, casting grotesque shadows over the devastation.

Shards of glass, chunks of debris, and twisted fragments of metal are hurled high into the air, spinning wildly before plummeting back to earth with loud echoes.

Each impact shatters them further, scattering jagged remnants across the ground. The acrid stench of smoke and burning material suffocates my senses.

"Let's go," Marcellous deep voice utters to me and we both hop to our feet after sheltering behind a large container from the destruction we caused. Our feet hurry against the ground as we approach the flamed building, screams of pain still hollering inside it.

Even though the explosion tore through half the building, the other half remains untouched, standing defiantly amidst the destruction. The part we destroyed was the storage unit- a warehouse filled with cocaine, guns, and other contraband, as well as a handful of the enemies we've been tracking.

The rest of them, including the man we're after, are gathered in the adjacent building for a meeting that he's hosting.

Juanpa Ortega made a bold move three days ago, stealing a nine-million-dollar shipment from Marcellous. The heist cost Marcellous some of his soldiers, but fortunately, one of the men he'd sent to handle the delivery escaped with their life, bringing back enough information to set this plan into motion.

Before we detonated the storage unit, Marcellous sent five of his men inside, disguised as part of Juanpa's crew.

Their mission was to recover some of the stolen packages and cash, and plant the bomb.

They pulled it off cleanly, slipping out unnoticed after convincing the men inside that Juanpa had arranged an urgent shipment to one of his other partners tonight. It worked long enough to get them clear before we detonated the explosives, reducing the storage unit, and everything inside it to ash and rubble.

Men pour out of the building like a flood, shouting orders and gripping their guns, their movements frantic and uncoordinated.

The moment their weapons are raised, Marcellous and I respond with precision, our guns spitting fire before they even have a chance to blink. Bodies hit the ground rapidly, but more emerge, and with every wave, their firepower grows bigger guns, louder blasts, and more determined expressions.

"Marcellous, four o'clock!" I yell, spotting a sniper perched on a third-story rooftop. Without hesitation, I pull the trigger, the bullet slicing through the air and hitting dead center in his forehead. His body slumps forward, tumbling from the window to the ground below with a sickening thud.

Marcellous pivots and takes out the man I called out, but not before grabbing another man by the neck. His grip is like iron as he presses his gun against the man's forehead and pulls the trigger without flinching.

The body crumples at his feet, and I'm already ducking and rolling to avoid the hail of bullets flying in my direction. Three shots whistle past me, close enough to feel the heat of the metal as they miss their mark.

I roll to my knees, firing off two quick rounds and taking down the advancing men. Another squeeze of the trigger, and two more enemies collapse. The sound of gunfire crescendos as Marcellous's soldiers join in, their bullets ripping through the enemy ranks, giving us the opening we need.