Page 84 of Hostile Love
While I grab Carina by the hand and swing her behind me, Letterman shoves India inside the elevator for cover.
Focusing on the threat, I keep cool and pinpoint the enemy, easily popping a cap in each of their heads.
The elevator dings and Carina gasps.
“Oh, my God… who’s bleeding?”
My gaze drops to the floor where a fresh trail of blood streaks the vinyl, leading beyond the closed doors.
“Shit,” I mutter, a twinge of concern for India twisting my stomach.
Something about the girl reminds me of myself.
“Time to go, Carina. Once you're outside, I’ll come back to help the others. I promise.”
A sickly feeling creeps over me. Finding myself solely responsible for Tomás Souza’s kryptonite, my heart races. Once upon a time, this reality could have had a different outcome.
Perhaps I would have shot her in the heart for being in the Souza circle…dragged her kicking and screaming to a window and thrown her out…done really bad shit just to hurtTomás.
Then again, my past wasn’t her fault. And as haunting as those memories are––her hero was mine once upon a time too.
That toxic hunger for revenge isn’t my driving force anymore. I turn into Carina and stare at the worried creases lining her brow and the way her chest lifts and falls as she tries to control her breathing.
She’s vulnerable––and today I’m going to help her.
“What if they killed Indy?” She brushes her fingertips across her top lip, her eyes wide and panicked. “Or Letterman.”
“We’d better get to the ground floor and hope the lift isn’t stuck again.” I snatch her wrist. “We need to get to them before anyone else does.”
Long silky hair flicks out as her head whips around to decide which way to run.
“Sinéad needs our help, too,” she says, a little breathy, conflict etched across her pretty face. “Fuck…I can fire a gun.”
“Do you want to see Tomás again?” I squeeze tight and yank her in the direction I’m heading.
Her face falls and she nods. “Of course I do.”
“I don’t have a spare gun. If you hang around trying to help, you’ll be dead by the time he gets here. It’s that simple,” I tell her straight. “I’m sure you’ve dreamed about him seeing you in your wedding dress?”
Even though I ask the question, I’m not interested in the answer. We both know she wants to be his wife. There’s no questioning it. I’ll do whatever it takes to fulfill my promise to Matheus.
Carina whimpers and willingly trots along beside me, both of us pushing into the cold stairwell.
I unhand her, content she understands our mission to evacuate immediately, and cautiously check around the curve of the banister.
She descends with me, hurriedly clipping each step in her fancy heeled sandals.
After another set of stairs, we’ve hit the fourth floor. One more flight and we’d be on the same level as Matheus.
My ears prick, the loud wail of an unoiled metal door cracking wide catches my full attention.
I glance over my shoulder where Carina teeters a few stair steps higher than me. I gesture to her to keep quiet by pressing my forefinger over the buffalo emblem and my mouth.
Ready to shoot, I stay frozen and wait. My strong pulse thumps in my ears.
A tall figure appears over Carina’s left shoulder and comes to a stop.
Immediately, I blink in the dark combat gear and wool mask. Slowly inching into the dim light, a set of dull green eyes observemy silent inspection, and I’m greeted with a familiar scorpion emblem.
