25. Daniela
I am not prey.
I won’t let Mat find me like this.
Kill him, Dani.
Inside my head, I’m screaming at myself, writhing and squirming.
Only the fucker throttling me won’t budge. His muted green eyes drill into mine like he’s racing to suck out my soul before my last breath.
Carina wriggles and mutters under me, doing her best to wrangle herself free. From the corner of my wide eyes, she thumps her fist into the shredded muscle of his bicep and digs her nails into the wound.
It only makes him angrier.
His pupils dilate to pin pricks and he snarls, the vice-like grip around my throat tightening.
My lungs burn and I’m sure my face must be purple by now.
The flashing images of Matheus come and go, giving me something else to fight harder for. I deserve happiness.
That dark desire of ours intensifies and feral power burns through me.
Somehow, I manage to slap my palm onto the side of his face and bring the pad of my thumb to his eyeball.
I am not prey.
Internally repeating my mantra, I shove my thumb into his eye and push hard, hearing him growl.
To stop me from blinding him, he’d have to let go of either my throat or my shattered arm.
Take your pick, motherfucker. I’m not backing down.
In a standoff of wills, he locks on tighter, and I push in deeper. My chest convulses as my lungs protest and my energy starts to fade.
Carina continues to thump and finally frees one of her legs, using it to push and kick him. Though it’s not enough.
My eyes roll and my mouth widens to inhale the slightest wisp of air. My hands go fuzzy, and my body betrays me by going weak.
“No!” An echoey roar kick starts my heart. “Get the fuck off her!”
I shoot my eyes left where a blur of white comes into view and the guy on top of us is dragged backwards like he’s swept up in a cyclone.
Sucking in a lungful of air, I scramble to sit upright, coughing, heaving for air, and a little disorientated.
Carina rolls out from under me and rips the balaclava off my face to help me breathe.
“Run…go…” I look her square in the eyes and fumble for the dripping knife at our knees. “Take…this. Hide.”
My hoarse voice is barely a whisper, but she hears it. I know she does.
I drop the dagger in her lap and touch my throat, lightly massaging the bruised skin. My lungs work fast and my blurry gaze lands upon the brawl unfolding next to us on the stairs.
Two men, both wearing balaclavas, wrestle in a one-on-one, unarmed battle.
One a scorpion.
The other a crow.
Matheus.
Goosebumps prickle all over me. My heart is thumping double time and the awareness of pain trickles through me as my senses return.
Shaking like a stupid leaf, I inhale long, deep breaths, flaring my nostrils to take in even more air.
While I recover, Carina stays beside me and rubs my back instead of leaving.
“We need to go…come on,” Carina mutters next to my ear. “I won’t leave you like this.”
She slides her hand around my shoulders and gets me to my feet.
“We stick together. Let them fight it out. Matheus can hold his own.”
People often underestimate me. It’s a common misconception that women aren’t as savage as men. I’m not a sweet little angel in need of a hero.
I’m the controlled breath living in every shadow. The creeping darkness patiently waiting. A dealer of death by my own hand.
I am Daniela Blanco.
A killer.
And I’d burn in hell for Matheus Souza.
“Go…” I straighten, glaring at her. “This isn’t over.”
I angle my torso towards the stairs as the balaclava Matheus has on is roughly dragged off his face. Fists fly and matching blows are followed by animal-like grunts.
“There’s no loyalty between hitmen,” the masked man growls, his Irish accent thick. “And no honor among the Souzas, either.”
I frown at his statement and suddenly it hits me. I know this fucker.
Matheus doesn’t falter. He just keeps fighting as if someone flicked a switch in his brain and he can’t stop.
In one expertly timed sweep kick, he brings his opponent to his knees, maneuvers him into position and locks himself around his body, hooking an arm around his neck from behind.
With his ankles locked around the traitor”s thighs, he digs out the switchblade I’d given him earlier from his pants pocket.
I swallow the ache in my throat and inch closer, watching him work. Not caring how brutal he is in the moment when he repeatedly stabs the guy’s chest, or how blood coats his hands and seeps into the fresh white fibers of his expensive shirt.
From here, he’s magnificent—a god of destruction.
Emotion bubbles up from inside me when he mumbles next to the guy”s face, “You”re wrong. I’m loyal to her, motherfucker!”
The guy jerks, his body reacting to the blood hemorrhaging from his puncture wounds. Still holding him down, Matheus’ lashes flick up and our gazes snare.
The ferocious expression he wears softens a little, and he gently tosses the knife. It skids and drops down the steps, landing within reaching distance.
“Finish him, baby.”
Matheus doesn’t have to try to be the leading man in my life––he simply is.
The Souza before me thinks we’re equals––yet we’d never be on even footing. Because I’d always be in awe of him. Now––and forever.
I bite my bottom lip as a slow smile curls my lips. Not wasting time, I lower to my knees, wince a little to sweep the switchblade into my strong hand, and climb the stairs.
“Was that an order?” I whisper-croak. Keeping eye contact, I’m certain the man separating us is bleeding out, rendered helpless.
He’ll be dead in a few minutes even if I don’t do anything.
Matheus offers me a grin that dimples his blood-streaked cheek. My heart flutters.
“Cut his throat so I can get you to a doctor.”
I nod, the pull of redemption strong and the smell of coppery death thick in my nostrils. Before I end a life, I want to confirm the identity of the man who wanted us dead.
I tug the balaclava off his face and shake my head.
Fintan, aka Gator.
“Traitor scum,” I hiss, crowding him.
He grimaces, knowing he”s a goner, yet still smirks while he rasps, “S-surprise.”
I dig my fingers into his cheeks and lean in closer.
“It’s no surprise. I knew you were an asshole.”
Air shoots down his nose. “Even assholes…like money…isn’t that what…it’s all about?” He bares his teeth at me, blood blending with saliva at the corners of his mouth. “It’s what…the Souzas kill for…what they pay…professionals like us with…even when they’re already rich bastards.”
He exhales a rattled breath, then wheezes as he inhales.
“We’re no different, you and I…we murder for cash…blood for money.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Matheus yanks Fintan’s head back.
Deep down, I know he’s right. I’ve carried out countless kill orders for Blanco and earned a wage, plus all the extras. Ammo, weapons, flights, clothes––a room of my own in multiple mansions where I could safely lay my head.
Murder is a currency and I’ve become rich because of it. Not in the same billionaire stratosphere as the Souzas, but I have a comfortable lifestyle.
All because of Blanco, justice, and loyalty.
Fintan and I are not the same, though.
My breathing calms and a serene ocean wave washes over me, taking me to that shadowy place I lurk in the seconds before the devil inside of me collects a soul.
“You broke your oath to serve the Souzas. And you’ll die for your betrayal.”
A smug smile dances on Fintan’s dry lips.
“Last year,” he mumbles. “I set up my rifle…” He pants a little, pain becoming his master. “And followed a Souza order to kill a Souza.”
Last year? My skin prickles and I tighten my hold on the knife.
“Elias?” I ask.
Fintan just chuckles. “Bingo.”
Matheus goes rigid. My eyes cut to his, finding them void of warmth and tortured like the nightmares I had suffered for years. I sense it all running through his head, remembering the torment and emotional walls he’d faced from a man who wasn’t even his father.
Twenty-three years of feeling like he was never good enough. That he didn”t deserve a father’s guidance. And now the man who had killed Elias is right before him, keeping a secret.
My heart cracks and that deadly possessiveness I have for Matheus spills out of it.
“Who gave you the order?” I press the blade against Fintan’s jugular.
He chuckles, coughing at the same time. “Lozano.”
“Don’t fuck with me. You know I’m talking about Elias’ assassination.”
“That’s for…me to know…” he mutters. “And for you to keep on wondering. Go...fuck…yourself…bitch!”
Matheus snarls and jams the crook of his hand under Fintan’s jaw, squeezing.
“Don’t speak to her like that or I’ll burn the skin off your fucking bones while you’re still alive. Who paid you to kill Elias?”
“Tomás isn’t the only…” He sputters blood. “…Souza who pulls the strings. Good luck.”
Rage spikes in my chest. I glance at Matheus, silently asking him if he wants me to finish the job. His nostrils flare and his brows snap together, processing the cryptic clue.
He brings his mouth to the side of Fintan’s face from behind, still holding his jaw tight.
“I think you”re full of shit, Fintan. As for luck, that’s the one thing you’re all out of.”
Matheus holds my gaze and nods.
This is it.
“Wait!” Carina calls out. “Tomás will want to know who killed his father. Keep him alive. He’ll interrogate him.”
Matheus shakes his head. “This fucker won’t tell us anything. He’ll be dead in a minute.” He points out, his voice void of emotion, but firm in its delivery. “He messed with Dani. She deserves payback. That’s the only thing that matters here.”
I dart my eyes to his, my heart beating out of my chest.
“Go ahead. Do it,” he urges, straight faced. “I sentence him to death for breaking The Covenant oath and for what he did to you, and you alone.”
Not Elias, just me.
In my head I’m whispering I love you. Thankful he lets me be me. Grateful he gives me independence while being a dominant force in my life too.
I nod and do as he had told me. Even though I have to use my left hand, I still manage to hack the blade from left to right. It’s a little messier than usual, but who cares?
Once it’s done, I sit back to watch life dissolve from behind Fintan’s eyes as blood pours out of him.
Matheus shoves the corpse off his front and sits himself on the step, placing his elbows on his knees and stares off into space.
I climb a couple of steps to sit beside him. Taking his blood-stained hand in my good one, I link our fingers together. His eyes find mine and his head cocks as if he’s found an anchor to stop his past from catching up with him.
“You, okay?” he asks, his deep voice a husky rumble.
I nod. “You?”
His eyes drop to our hands, a frown creasing his forehead as he thinks.
“I don’t give a fuck who killed Elias, or who gave the order to do it. If it was one of us, then it’s because they had more of a reason than I did. I was sixteen when I first thought about blowing his brains out with a rifle from my bedroom window. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it, because I stupidly wished he’d change when I turned eighteen. Mama bought me a cool motorcycle as my gift and my brothers took me to Vegas for a week. Elias didn’t even call to wish me a happy birthday.” He exhales sharply down his nose. “He didn’t try to be a father.”
I rest my head on his shoulder, not saying anything. Fintan’s words run through my head.
There’s no loyalty between Souzas.
He’s focusing on his pain, whereas I’m mulling everything over. Whoever issued the kill order probably had every right to assassinate Elias––but why wouldn”t they come clean and are they a threat?
I understand why Matheus demands all or nothing, and I’m fully committed to giving him what he deserves.
My loyalty, honesty, and my whole heart.
“We need to go,” Carina urges. “Lozano paid him off. Who else did they get to?”
At that moment, a voice booms through the hollow space and Carina charges straight into her fiancé’s chest.
“Tomás!”
The cartel boss wraps his arms around her body, tight and possessive, his lips pressing to the crown of her head.
His finger still rests on the trigger of his handgun, his shoulders moving up and down as if he’s out of breath.
The ferocious expression he wears comes across as unfriendly, even though I can literally feel the love vibrating from his suited body to hers.
Armed men spill into the stairwell. Some stay beside their boss and a few others scramble up the stairs past us.
“Are you okay?” he mumbles into her hair before cupping her jaw to secure her face before his. “Are you hurt?” His gaze drops to the blood on her clothes. A shadow of something dark and deadly moves across his expression. “Did someone fucking hurt you, Cari? I’ll get you a doctor?—”
“I’m fine.” Carina interrupts, setting her hand over the top of his. “Because of Mat’s girl. She’s the one who needs a doctor.”
Tomás’ black assessing eyes run the length of my body, pausing at our linked hands. I can’t quite read the unusual look he gives me, but when his gaze cuts to Matheus, his chest expands like he’s trying to contain a cyclone.
“Mat?” His eyes narrow and his jaw flexes. “Is any of that blood yours, brother?”
“No, Tommy,” Matheus replies, unlocking our fingers and sliding his hand to my waist. He helps me to stand next to him.
“That guy said he killed your father that night in the alleyway,” Carina announces. “He said a Souza paid him to do it.”
Tomás draws back his shoulders and I inhale a breath.
“Which Souza?” he asks, staring right at Matheus.
Every hair on my body prickles as I wait for Carina to tell him I cut the guy”s throat instead of torturing the truth out of him.