Ethan slammed me behind his frame, his back crashing into the cold stone pillar as a heavy hail of machine gunfire tore through the space where we had been standing a second before.
He didn't hesitate. Pulling two heavy sidearms from his tactical rig in a single, fluid motion, he leaned out into the open courtyard and opened fire. Continuous, deafening suppressive rounds exploded from his weapons, targeting the automated turrets mounted along the high marble walls.
Shredded metal, concrete dust, and endless shards of heavy glass rained down on us in a thick, blinding cloud. The air turned white and bitter with the smell of burnt gunpowder and pulverized stone. Every time an explosive round hit the pillar above our heads, the shockwave rattled straight through my teeth, but Ethan didn't g
