Page 75 of Hostile Devil
She shakes her head, horror tugging her brows together. “No… what are you doing? Keep calling him. Do not go up there, Gio.”
“He’s not answering, and no one knows this place like I do.” I explain, taking a measured step back and wishing I could walk out with her. “Get as far away from here as possible, and I’ll find you later.”
André stands beside us, quietly glaring at me. I offer him a slight smile and steal the blunt from his fingers, placing it between my lips.
Inhaling the marijuana smoke, I move further away, hoping the lethal concoction that’s held in my lungs and spiking my bloodstream would get me up the stairs without collapsing.
“Go! Hurry the fuck up. No hesitation, India. Remember?” And then I brace myself, step onto the first tread and turn, trusting André to do what’s right for her.
“Gio…” There’s a scuffle behind me and I know she’s trying to follow me. “You’d better come back for me, or I’ll kill you myself,” India calls after me. “I mean it, Giovanni!”
But with every step I climb, I have to stop myself from looking over my shoulder. From letting her see just how scared I am of never seeing her again.
I don’t want my last memories of her to be heartbreak or anger. No, I want to remember her beautiful face next to mine on the pillow—happy, pretty, and all mine.
Tomás and Leo should be outside by now. André and India are exiting Blackwater through the front door, and I have no clue where Matheus is.
When I reach the landing, I shout his name and listen. Nothing. I yell again and hear a muffled voice.
“Mat? Where the hell are you?” I yell, my stomach muscles aching. “This place is about to explode.”
Then I hear him again, but I don’t see him anywhere. I lurch forward, dipping in and out of the moonlit rooms at either side of the landing.
By the time I’m at India’s old bedroom, I hear his voice again. “Christ, Gio. I couldn’t find Tommy and Leo. And then I bumped into this fucking thing.”
Matheus stands in the middle of the adjoining bathroom, the door wide open and a silver casing next to his boots. “That asshole must have paid big bucks for this. It’s high-tech. I tried to find a switch to deactivate it, but it’s still counting down.” He frowns. “Didn’t you find Tommy and the kid?”
“They’re all outside.” I stare at the streamlined cylinder. “It’s just me and you, Mat. I’d never leave a Souza behind, especially my little brother. Now let’s go.”
Matheus grins, his face splattered in blood and his eyes dark. He reaches for the blunt hanging from my lips. “I’m really your favorite brother, aren’t I, Giovanni? Not Dré?”
“Fuck you.” I shake my head and sigh. “I should punch your pretty boy face for not listening to me.”
He shrugs, his playful expression slipping. “You won’t need to when this thing blows.”
“How long have we got?”
Matheus sucks the tip of the blunt and holds the smoke in his lungs. “As of right now, less than four minutes.”
Fuck.
Together we dive into the bedroom, where my obsession for India raged out of control following her arrival into my home. There was something about her I couldn’t resist, no matter how much I’d tried to ignore the chemistry. I knew I was toxic to her. And so did she.
It wasn’t just that tight, womanly body of hers that had snared my attention. It was the whole package. The brokenness inside of her had called to me. The sense of staunch loyalty she’s always had for my family, and her dauntless warrior spirit.
Writing the contract was my way of proving to her, beyond the words I find hard to find, that these big feelings I have for her are real. They’re forever.
Dark spots scatter in my vision and I scrub my eyes to get rid of them. I need to get out of here before I end up the same way as Reno. She’d never forgive me for that.
“Gio?” Matheus says my name, his voice deep and uncertain. “You good?”
I turn my eyes on him and grunt, pressing a hand to my side. The white padding turned red, I’m covered in sweat, and it feels like my heart is about to beat out of my chest.
“I’m okay… just working this out.” I look at the panel doorway. “Going that way will take too long.”
Matheus runs his fingers through his hair, combing back the lengths and blowing out loudly. “So, what’s the plan, big brother? We’re cutting it close.”
“You afraid of heights?” I stagger toward the lead-lined window, unintentionally smearing the glass when I press a hand to it, and exhale heavily.
