Page 96 of Hostile Secret
I glance back over my shoulder and see headlights in the distance. The faster he drives, the quicker the car behind us catches up.
“We’re going to take a detour,” he says, unflinching. “They picked the wrong guy to follow and I sure as fuck won’t lead them anywhere near Blackwater.”
The higher we climb, purposefully changing direction, the more speed we gather. After a few sharp turns, left and right, the Jaguar swerves across the coastal road and stops after a bend.
My stomach turns queasy, knowing we’re far from home and exposed.
“Get out.” He orders. “Come on.”
He takes a beat to make sure I open the door and nods at me when I do. Cool sea air tingles over me. My heart is thumping against my ribs when my feet hit the gritty dirt underfoot.
By the time Giovanni marches to the trunk, it's open and he’s removing a long hard case. He opens it and takes out a sniper rifle unlike anything I’ve seen before. It’s magnificent, just like him.
The whites of his eyes glow in the darkness as he grabs my hand and starts walking quickly. “Stay close.”
“Give me a gun. I can help.”
A slight curve to his lips changes the seriousness of his mood. “I’ve got this.”
Together, we dart behind a mound of lush thicket and hunker low. It doesn’t take long for the car that’s following us to slow and stop.
From this distance, it’s impossible to identify the driver. However, I don’t mistake the lead slugs spewing out from the rear passenger window. Bullets batter Giovanni’s car with the intention to annihilate, but fail to penetrate the bulletproof exterior.
I glance over at him. His face is relaxed as he stares through the rifle scope, breathing slowly.
He’s not fazed in the slightest. This is his battlefield, and he’s the warlord in control.
In the brief lull of gunfire, when the shooter climbs out from the back seat of their car, I sense the seconds of calmness in Giovanni’s soul.
He gently squeezes the trigger, precisely blows a hole in the front of the guy's head, and swiftly lines up the driver, who’s next to meet his fate.
Waiting a second, he scans the car for more shooters and once he’s content the threat is gone, he pulls out his phone from his pocket and taps the screen.
“All clear,” he exhales an audible breath. “Blackwater is secure. It hasn’t been breached.”
When he stands, I rise too, my adrenaline pumping and my awestruck gaze unable to leave him. I’ve seen guys shoot weapons countless times in the past and it's never turned me on. But right now, I’m burning up and he’s the reason.
“Do you recognize them?” For every confident stride he takes, I match it by two of my own.
Stopping at the Jaguar, he inspects it for damage. Under the silvery moonlight, I can see bullet dents in the doors and circular pressure cracks in the windows.
“No. But I’m sure it has something to do with David Castillo.” He turns to me. “Someone must have given them your name after the incident at the bar.”
My chest tightens. This is all my fault. “I’m sorry.”
He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear and tips my chin upward so all I can see is his ruggedly handsome face. I breathe him into my lungs and inwardly curse myself for needing him like oxygen.
“If you thought I was overprotective before now, this only ups the ante.”
“If you sort out a jet for me, I’ll go to Italy tomorrow, Gio. They’re coming for me, which puts you and Leo at risk,” I murmur. “Phone Dré and tell him I’ll agree to be homeschooled. It’s for the best.”
A low growl rumbles in his throat as he leans into me and presses his lips next to my ear. “It’s not that simple.”
“They won't be able to send asicarioafter me if I disappear.”
“I can deal with a sicario, India. That’s easy.” His warm hand skates down my bare arm and our fingers link. “Letting you leave, that's the tricky part.”
“But I’ve put you and Leo in danger.” I swallow hard, emotion thick in my throat. “Look…” My eyes cut to the dead body lying on the roadside. “They’ll keep coming for me.”
