#Chapter 74 - We’ll Bring a War

Layla I resisted the urge to pace as the sounds of the attack raged on above. Shouts, gunfire, explosions … Even though the thickly reinforced walls of the basement, I could tell things weren’t going well. But I couldn’t let Eli see me scared. I didn’t pace. I sat him down on the floor and opened up a brand-new Lego set. “Let’s build a pirate ship, okay, baby?” It seemed ridiculous, to be spreading colored blocks out on a concrete floor while a few mere feet above my head, men fought for their lives. But I was a mother, first and foremost, and today, that was my job. Whether or not Eli realized how ridiculous my efforts were, he didn’t let on. Maybe he was glad of the distraction, or maybe he was doing the same thing for me that I was for him—feigning normalcy. Whatever his reasons, we whiled away the minutes while overhead, the fighting raged on. “Is Daddy okay?” Eli asked, tilting his head up from his half-built pirate ship. His voice came out steady, strong. Just li