Page 81 of Hostile Love
I nod my response as her eyes flash to mine and her forehead scrunches.
“Did you see Indy on your way in? Cari dropped off a change of clothes for me…and Indy brought this.” She waves the gun. “I’ve been on edge ever since it happened. Torn between my husband and my wee ones. I do my best to split my time between them…but I don’t want Dré to wake up and me not be here.” She swallows hard. “He gave me this gun. To protect myself. Funny how I’m using it to protect him now.” A ghost of a smile dances on her lips. “I needed it with me, to give me back the power that bitch stole from me.”
A slight shiver tingles down my spine. I understand how she’s feeling, more than I’d care to admit to anyone.
“They didn't steal your power, Sinéad. It’s still there. Trust me. Dig a little deeper and pull that trigger if someone tries to fuck with you again.”
Her glassy eyes cut to the good-looking guy laying under a white sheet. Tattoos decorate his neck, arms, and hands, and a few days’ worth of jet-black hair covers his relaxed jaw.
“He’s myeverythingand without him…” Her quiet words fade, and she takes a micro breath, staring at the beeping heart monitor.
She clears her throat and steels her spine, visibly morphing into the mafia queen worthy of her crown.
“No one comes for my family and gets away with it. I declare war on the whole Lozano organization. Not a single one of those fuckers will survive this. My husband will slaughter those bastards once he gets out of this hospital.”
Confidence strengthens her voice, and she brings her jade eyes in line with mine.
“We’re all in danger, Dani. Even you. By now, all of Colombia knows Matheus is in love with you.”
My body warms all over and a little shiver prickles my scalp. Deep down, lurking in the womanly part of my being, I’m on cloud nine. I won’t show my hand, though. It’s way too soon for me to bond with another Souza.
“If colluding with you to kill one of his own associates wasn’t enough, setting fire to an Italian palace and exploding a Souza owned transportation company for you should do the trick.”
Pushing down the flutters in my chest, I keep this conversation strictly business.
“When did the girls leave this room?”
“Those two are in love with my babies. I’d be lost without them.”
The corners of her mouth curl, brightening the darkness of her stern expression.
“They left a few minutes before the alarm went off.” Her face blanches and she palms her belly. “They had a bodyguard escorting them as usual. A new guy…Oh, fuck, Dani. What if...”
Rolling the balaclava over my face again, I march into her personal space and snatch the gun out of her hand, checking that it's functional.
Pretty looking weapons aren’t always reliable. Although this one is locked and loaded, ready for use.
“I’m sorry, Sinéad. Mat told me to stay with you, but we’ve no idea if their bodyguard is a traitor. You know how to use this thing properly?”
“Yeah.” She sighs. “I’m used to pulling a trigger.”
“Okay.” I glance over my shoulder at the door. “There’s no security out there. I’m guessing they were paid to disappear before the alarm went off. Don’t trust anyone. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Hopefully, the girls are with Matheus now.”
I give her the gun back and swivel in my biker boots, ready to leave.
“Dani,” she calls after me. “Thanks.”
“I’m just doing my job,” I call over my shoulder. “And…I appreciated the flip-flops.”
A flicker of a smile graces my lips even though she can’t see it. She offers a small smile too. I nod in her direction, exit the room, and slide the door shut behind me.
Beeping noises fill the eerie silence, and a distant clatter has me reaching for my gun.
I jog back to the nurse’s station and peer around the corner. Thankful no one is around, I move behind the counter, pluck a tissue from a box, and rub all the handwritten names off the whiteboard to confuse the enemy.
The girls didn’t pass me on my way up to the sixth floor, which means they used the elevator instead.
Getting my bearings, I follow the signs for the lift, intermittently dropping to my haunches to stay out of sight.
