Page 43 of Hostile Love
Or maybe she wouldn’t notice since André is undergoing life saving surgery, and his recovery is all that matters to any of us.
“You’re excellent at what you do.” I saunter towards my men and stop beside her. “I’m sure I’ll knock on your door again in the future. I might even send a few friends your way too.”
“I’d like that.”
She nods and looks oddly nervous, even though she had her hands on me for hours.
Bored already, I cover my eyes with a pair of black aviators and leave her standing in the cabin, bewildered and a few thousand dollars richer.
I'm guessing it's not every day she’s dragged onto a private jet owned by the Souza cartel and flown across the world.
It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I had to make a quick detour en route to the hangar where my jet waited, fueled and ready to fly.
There was still the pressing matter of a snuff film floating about on the internet. After I’d stopped off and sent the SIMS via a courier to my buddy Luke in the states, I saw the woman in the window, under a neon sign.
My security detail and I disembark together, leaving the air conditioning and hitting blistering heat. A few guys lead me down the steps and a couple more follow behind.
This is the protocol now, even if I’m a Covenant agent. I’m a Souza first and foremost.
Our whole family is on high alert.
Because of me.
I’m ushered toward a waiting SUV and one of the guards opens the passenger door for me. When I duck inside, tinted windows block out the bright sun and trap me in the same uneasiness I’ve suffered for hours.
My knee bobs up and down, guilt chewing me up inside. On the seat next to me lies a small tin and a silver zippo left there at my request.
I couldn't smoke while I was in the air. But now that I've landed, a blunt should ease the tension from the mental pressure of everything taking its toll.
When Elias died, there was a collective sigh of relief from all of us. But André, my brother—I couldn’t imagine a life without him in it.
And then there’s Dani. I’m secretly praying she’d fulfill her oath to The Covenant and join us in Sicily, just so I could torment her.
I’d fuck her sexy little holes while she pretends it’s not what she wants. Kiss her reluctant wet lips when she’s moaning into my mouth and telling me we don’t belong together.
My dick grows thick at those horny thoughts.
What a pussy-whipped asshole. Even though I won’t chase love if it’s not there, I don’t think I’m done with her yet.
I dig out my new phone and unlock the screen, stupidly wishing I’d have a missed call from her.
Except she doesn’t have this number. Or any way to contact me.
The screen shows a few text messages waiting from Mama and Tomás. Both of them announce the early arrival of André and Sinéad’s healthy twins.
A boy and a girl.
While Sinéad was in labor, her husband was in the operating room, fighting for his life.
My head falls back to the headrest and I take off my sunglasses, scrubbing my eyes—exhausted.
I should have swallowed a few pills and slept on the plane or even drank myself into oblivion.
The return flight without Dani was always going to be a challenge. I wanted a clear head to think everything through, so I passed the time in other ways.
Aware of the dull ache spreading across my shoulder blades, I crack the window open a fraction and spark the tip of a pre-rolled blunt, hopeful it would cure the knots in my chest.
I inhale the marijuana deep into my lungs and hold it there, closing my eyes to settle my whirling mind.
