Page 43 of Hostile Secret
Her time with me is temporary.
Knots wrangle in my stomach, the uncomfortable ache spreading through my muscles.
When I stalk closer and find India on her knees at the mercy of a man who’s unzipping his pants, a sharp pain in my heart knocks me off course.
Motherfucker!
Panicky breaths lift her cleavage high, visible under the scooped neckline of a bright yellow form hugging dress. At the end of bare thighs, her delicate knees are bleeding, scraped and raw, but her hands––they’re fisted, ready for warfare.
Even the silky strands hanging by her cheeks glide across the curve of her tits like golden serpents. Yet her poker straight backbone and rebellious glare projects a fierceness that can’t be taught.
She bares her teeth at him and in that moment I witness a wisp of regret in her huge ocean eyes.
On quick inspection, there are two guys on lookout, their stance signaling to me they could be guards. Whoever these men are, they’re no match for me––or my family.
The third fucker, who thinks he has the authority to touch Souza property, has no idea his execution is imminent.
I swallow hard when her gutsy voice whispers through the night air, holding so much promise for a fight she’s ill-equipped to win on her own.
My fingers curl around the gun in my hand, a sense of pride washing over me.
These men picked the wrong woman to fuck with.
My feet move with ghostly strides. There’s no delay to my thought process or my actions. I go straight for the main threat.
Darkness conceals my movements until I’m directly behind him. In a flash, the barrel of my gun points to where the base of his skull meets his spine.
There’s zero hesitation.
I pull the trigger.
His knees buckle and his body hits the dirt. Immediately, his buddies draw their weapons, but I’m too fast. Too accurate. There’s no mistaking my skill when I take them all out in quick succession. Pumping a bullet into each of their foreheads, they meet the same fatal end as the ringleader.
India scurries on all fours, until I’m bent over her, hooking my arm under her belly, and rotating her featherlight body out of harm's way.
I drop my mouth to the side of her face, my veins scorching when all I can smell is the sweet exotic scent of perfume. “I’ve got you, baby.”
“Gio…” Her breathing is ragged. “How did you find me…”
A bullet hurtles through the air, narrowly missing me when I duck sideways and crowd her body. Whizzing lead shatters the windows of vehicles around us.
Instinctively moving in front of her, I use my torso as a shield and continue to fire. I confidently prowl toward the van while deliberately controlling each breath to contain my wrath.
The crack of intermittent shots being fired are quickly followed by the muted woosh of my own bullets.
Behind me, her body shadows mine and her hands lightly fall to the pockets of my utility pants. She doesn’t slide her arms around my torso, rather, she pats me down, searching for a weapon to use.
Jesus fuck…thiswoman.
My lips curl into a smile before I can stop them as a glint of metal snaps my attention back to the mission. Taking aim, I target the final two shooters and blow matching holes in their faces.
“How many were there?” I keep my aim pointed at the van.
“Five.”
I quickly count the corpses scattered in the silver glow under the high moon. “Are you sure?”
“I only saw five…” She stays close, the heat of her body a forbidden aphrodisiac. “That’s it. You got them all.”
