Bones of Empire Read Online Free PDF

she’d seen others do so and understood the controls. So Alamy locked the driver’s side door, and was about to kill the engine, when the dust began to clear, and three men appeared in front of her. They were firing assault weapons, which sparkled as they raked the windshield. The bullets couldn’t penetrate the glass but left milky white divots where they hit. Alamy feared that one or more of them would eventually punch through.
    The act of putting the limo in gear and stomping on the accelerator was more a matter of impulse than careful planning, but the results were the same. Tires screeched as the vehicle lurched forward; two of the assailants went down and were subsequently killed as the car rolled over them. Then it crashed into the pile of debris that had been dumped into the street and came to a violent stop.
    Alamy’s heart was beating like a trip-hammer as the third assassin appeared to her left and began to fire at the driver’s side window. That was when she spotted a row of buttons labeled ANTIPERSONNEL SYSTEMS and touched each one of them.
    Alamy felt a sense of satisfaction as grenades sailed up into the air and exploded. A piece of shrapnel cut the gunman down as inky black smoke poured out of two dispensers located under the chassis and electrical discharges crackled all around the limo. Then, with nothing else to do, Alamy felt scared.
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    Livius was vaguely aware of the explosions behind him as he and four of his men sprinted back toward limo two. He was sorry that it had been necessary to leave the women on their own, but protecting Usurlus was his first priority.
    Livius had traveled only fifteen feet when he heard a loud whoosh , and a rocket hit the limo just as the second security team was getting out of it. The explosion killed three people and left another on the ground clutching his right thigh. A fifth officer was down on his knees, trying to help the casualty, when automatic-weapons fire swept the area. It was coming from both sides of the street, and even though his men were firing back, Livius knew all of them were going to die if they remained out in the open.
    â€œGet in the limo!” he shouted, and there was no need to repeat the order as a bullet punctured a man’s throat, and blood sprayed the road behind him. He went down clutching the wound in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding. Having spotted the action, an ITV camera drone swept in to get a close-up, took a bullet through its casing, and exploded.
    All of the survivors were inside the limo by that time, including the individual who had been wounded in the rocket attack and hit again as he was dragged to safety. The vehicle shook like a thing possessed as another rocket hit it—and bullets continued to rattle against the limo’s heavily armored skin. “Put some counterfire on those bastards!” Livius ordered. “Who’s the best shot? Give him the sniper’s rifle and open the moon roof.”
    There was a supply of both weapons and ammo under the floor, and it wasn’t long before an ISS agent named Cantos was targeting assassins in the buildings to the right. He was a true marksman, and soon thereafter the rate of incoming fire began to slack off. Livius took the opportunity to contact the war wagon. A quick glance at his watch told him that about six minutes had passed since the attack had begun. “Livius to Cato,” he said into the lip mike. “What’s your status? Over.”
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    The moment the demolition charges went off, and entire buildings fell into the street, Cato realized that they were up against professionals rather than a few wild-eyed fanatics. Knowing that the assassins wanted everyone to bail out, he insisted that they remain inside the war wagon while preparing to exit should that be necessary. Which was why Usurlus was wearing body armor and, at the Legate’s insistence, was armed with a submachine gun (SMG).
    Given his