Page 58 of Hostile Love
“You’re Blanco’s daughter, Daniela. Do you seriously expect me to believe you were blind to his plans?”
“It doesn’t matter what I tell you, your mind is made up,” I say, exasperated. “I swear I had no idea about Mat’s father. And for the record, I tried to keep your brother at arm’s length. And I sure as hell didn't intend to fall for him like I did.”
“Fall for him?” My admission receives a dark chuckle. “If you really had feelings for my brother, you wouldn’t have manipulated the guy and tried to fuck up his life.”
“Mat…” I shuffle forward, still wrangling my wrists. “Take that off his head and let him speak, for fuck’s sake!”
Tomás stops me with two stern words. “Kill him.”
Chills scurry across my scalp. My empty stomach curdles and the pulsating sensation in my skull almost blinds me with scattered blobs.
“Wait…what?” My head shakes side to side, confused. “You wouldn’t…”
Giovanni positions his gun at his youngest brother's temple.
“This is a joke, right? You want me to admit to that bullshit…to lie? You’re not giving Matheus any credit here. He has his own mind…he’s not stupid.”
Tomás takes a step back, the white-collar criminal putting a measure of distance between himself and his victim.
“Do it, Gio.”
“No… please…” I beg, panting hard, suddenly absolutely fucking terrified. “You’ve got it all wrong.”
Tomás stays still, unmoved by my urgent begging, his face forged with cast iron.
“Traitors die, Daniela.”
“He’s not a traitor!” I scream, my voice shredding the gentle lullaby of the distant lapping ocean. “If you have to prove a point…kill me instead…shoot me…not him…please… don’t hurt him… I’ll do whatever you want.”
I barely hear my rambled plea under the pounding of my heartbeat. By the time I’ve darted onto the terrace, hot tears are streaming down my face.
I can’t breathe properly. Panic scorches my veins like hellfire.
On my next breath, seconds away from Matheus, Giovanni pulls the trigger and my world grinds to a halt.
“Noooooooo!” I shriek, the word scraping its way out of my throat. “Holy fuck…Matheus!”
The sharp decibel of his name echoes in my ears, rips through the coastal serenity, and shoots to the stars above us.
Matheus face plants the slabs and a pool of dark red blood forms a puddle around him. Shock petrifies every braced muscle in my body.
“W-w-what have you done? N-no…”
My knees buckle, causing my legs to crumple like they’re made from jelly. I sink before him, folding into a destroyed heap.
Staring at his motionless body, pain slashes my heart, the hurt deeper than any blade could ever cut.
“Y-you k-killed him…?” I croak, blinking tears and choking on the words. “W-w-why would you do that? He’s your brother.”
Every part of me trembles and all I can hear is my uncontrollable sobbing. Acid surges up from my churning stomach, burns my throat and spews out of my mouth.
I’m rendered completely helpless. All the pep talks I’d given myself over the years, the internal chatter that had built me into a strong, independent killer––a lethal woman who didn’t need a partner in this life––it was bullshit.
I lied to myself and the way I can’t stop whimpering would be embarrassing if I gave a fuck about anything other than the intense ache behind my ribs.
These fuckers haven’t just broken my heart––they’ve devastated my whole life.
Things were different when Mama died. She had suffered for years. Her spirit had withered while her body wasted away, and pain consumed her every waking breath. It was her time to leave me.
