Monster Inside Me: Volume II (A Dark Mafia Romance Book 2) Page 10

  “Yes, Boss,” he declares with a nod and makes his way swiftly out the door.

  For the next ten minutes, I pace while Piper gathers her things. When she reappears in the main room, I pause. “Let me get those,” I say gently, removing the suitcases from her hand. “Just have a seat.” After her three cases are stacked by the door, I resume pacing.

  “You’re going to wear a hole in the carpet,” she says from the sofa.

  I pause and glance at her. “Probably, but this is the best I can do right now. My Spidey senses are tingling.”

  She stands, her eyes looking more alert. “Should I be concerned?”

  “Yes,” I say swiftly, then regret it. “I mean, yeah, you should, but you should also know that I’ll never let anyone hurt you. Ever.”

  “But what if it’s not up to you, Dante? What if they hurt you first?”

  “That’s a valid concern, and the main reason we’re getting the fuck out of this city. Soon,” I say, moving to stand before her. “Leaving the hotel needs to be handled carefully, and I’m sure some things will confuse you, but I promise to explain everything once we’re in the air.” Her brows purse together, but I brush my thumb across the wrinkle to smooth it. “It’s nothing big, just part of my cover.”

  Before we can get into it any more, two firm raps echo from the door. I’m pretty sure it’s Lorenzo, but I can’t take any chances. Grabbing my gun, I move Piper over where she isn’t in the line of fire and approach the door in the same careful manner as before.

  When I’m sure it’s my crew, I swing the door wide and return to start collecting Piper’s bags. “How are we going to do this?” I ask, glancing at the three men who’ve stepped in behind me.

  “Go put these on and we’ll discuss it,” Lorenzo says, shoving some clothes into my arms.

  I chuckle and slip the jeans up my legs, standing right in the middle of the fucking floor. Then I toss the robe aside and slip the T-shirt over my head, completing the look by sliding my feet into the pussy-ass loafers.

  “That work for ya?” I ask, giving Lorenzo a smirk. “Now, what’s the deal?”

  “Ivan’s enacted an automatic check-out for tomorrow morning for John and Steve over here,” Carlos says, tilting his head toward Lorenzo and Riley. “At separate times, even. And we’re going to check out as we leave.”

  “Sounds good,” I say, looking at Piper. “And nothing for you, right? Just leave your keycard here?”

  “That’s what Ivan told me before I came, but surely, he knows by now that we’ve run into each other?” she says, glancing to the others, specifically Carlos since he’s the one who answered my questions.

  “Yeah, I told him. He said you’d know what to do,” Carlos replies, giving me a questioning glance. “Are we ready?”

  “Yep,” I say, tilting my head toward her third bag. “Grab that bag, Riley.”

  We make our way to the elevator with Piper walking right in front of me, my eyes and ears on high alert. It’s as if I’m expecting a gunman to charge around the corner any second. Every muscle is tense and ready to toss the bags and go on the offense. Even the monster is sitting quietly, tuned in to everything around us.

  Carlos, Piper, and I get inside as soon as the elevator opens while Lorenzo and Riley wait for the next one so we don’t arrive in the lobby at the same time. I don’t give a fuck what happens after we check out, but until then, our covers need to be maintained.

  “Listen, Piper,” I say, sitting down her cases and brushing her arm. “When we step off this elevator, I’m Antonio and this is Carter—my lover.” Her eyes widen and flick to Carlos, but I keep going. “I want you to walk straight through the lobby and out to the parking lot on the side. We have untraceable cars parked there for situations just like this. Walk slowly, casually, and Riley and Lorenzo should be right behind you. Got it?”

  She tugs her bottom lip between her teeth and holds in a smile. “Walk slowly to the parking lot,” she says, barely holding in a laugh. “Got it.”

  Wanting nothing more than to wipe that look from her face, I press close, pushing her against the wall as I lean in. “You know this is just a persona, right?” I purr, my lips right up against her ear. “A way to hide my evil deeds.” I close my teeth over her lobe and tug.

  Her hands grip my neck and she yanks, pulling my lips to hers for a kiss way too indecent for Carlos’ eyes. But I don’t have the strength to resist her. I’ve missed this so fucking much. She makes me lose all sense of reason, and it’s only when Carlos grabs my shoulder that I remember where we are.

  I pull away just as the elevator doors open. “Shit!”

  “Remember what I said,” I mumble as I pass her on the way to the front desk.

  As per routine, Antonio leads Carter from the elevator with a gentle touch to his back. He roams around the lobby while I take care of business, and I even notice him keeping an eye on Piper as she exits, which makes me feel a little better. But not enough not to snap at the punk who takes his time checking Antonio out. By the time I turn to leave, my patience is non-existent, and I’m barely able to pretend anymore.

  My whole body relaxes when I realize Riley and Lorenzo have already joined Piper in the parking lot. By the time Carlos and I reach them, the bags are already loaded, aside from the two I’m carrying. I pass them to Riley, who stashes them in the back of their SUV.

  “Let’s get the fuck out of here,” I say, my eyes scanning the dark night.

  Riley and Lorenzo jump into one SUV while Carlos, Piper, and I get in the other. Normally, I fucking drive, but with Piper here, I release the reins. If anything goes bad, I need to be free to defend her.

  With Piper under my arm and my eyes on the road ahead, I’m able to relax with every mile we put between the hotel and us. It’s only when we reach a dark stretch of highway that I realize how wrong I am.

  Car lights swiftly close in behind Lorenzo and Riley, and my pulse quickens. I push Piper onto the floor without a fucking thought and draw my gun, knowing Lorenzo has several powerful weapons at his own disposal. The sound of machine-gun spray fills the silence, and I roll down my window.

  “Step on it, Carlos!” I order as I lean out the window, aiming for the car trying to pass the SUV behind us. The bullets ricochet off the windshield, sending a chill searing through me

  An armored car.

  The car floors it, and in a fake-out move, passes Riley. As it moves in closer, I take aim, looking for a weak spot. The passenger window inches down and two swollen eyes peer at me. The sexual assaulter is smirking as the armored car tries to get in front of us. With hatred boiling through my veins, and a dead shot, my bullet slips through the small crack, and his head explodes.

  I dive back into the car as gunfire erupts from behind and beside us. By the time the sounds cease, the armored car has almost taken the lead. I lean out the window once again, and with the precision of a razor, I send two bullets flying. The car spins out of control, two tires exploding as it careens down an embankment.

  End over end, it flips, and the monster rejoices.

  But it’s too little, too soon because up ahead, two more cars are blocking the roadway.

  NINE

  THE LIGHT

  Everything around me comes into sharp focus as time seems to move in slow motion. Carlos hits the brakes, allowing Riley to floor the gas and overtake us. Meanwhile, I stretch for the glove box and remove a Ruger .380 pistol. Once I’m back in my seat, I meet Piper’s startled eyes.

  “Take this,” I say as I shove it into her hand. “Just point and squeeze if it comes down to it.”

  “What are you going to do?” she asks, grabbing my arm as I move back toward the window.

  I pause and brush her cheek. “I’m going to kill these motherfuckers.”

  Her eyes are intense as she looks at me, but with a firm nod, she grips the gun properly and folds herself back into the tight space of the floorboard. By the time my window is down and I’m out far enough to gauge our current situation
, the roadblock is just a quarter-mile ahead.

  We’re situated directly behind Riley and Lorenzo as we speed toward the blockade, bullets spraying from Lorenzo’s automatic weapon toward the armed men who’re ducked behind the two cars. Headlights close in swiftly behind us, so I take aim and watch as my bullets ricochet off another armored vehicle. The moment I hear the screech of metal, I dive back inside as Carlos steers us through the hole created by Riley and Lorenzo’s SUV and turns the wheel sharply to avoid running into theirs as it careens out of control.

  As soon as we slide to a stop, Carlos and I both exit the vehicle, him moving toward Riley and Lorenzo, me crouching behind the fender and taking aim. A few men scramble around, and I pick them off one by one. By the time three have dropped, two more men are out of the car that was trailing us and firing in my direction.

  I stay low behind the tire as bullets bounce off the asphalt near my feet. When there’s a break in the spray, I hunker down low and peer under the SUV. Three men are moving in my direction. I zero my focus and squeeze the trigger, my bullets slicing through a knee, causing the man to slump to the ground, where I put another bullet between his fucking eyes.

  An explosion rocks the air, and I duck as debris from the SUV Lorenzo and Riley were traveling in clatters to the asphalt. Smoke and burning metal fill the air, and I use it as my cover as I move from behind the SUV. My eyes scan for movement, and I notice it just as a body sails through the air, bringing us both to the ground. My shirt rips as my shoulder grates against the hard rock beneath me, but that isn’t my only fucking problem.

  A fist flies, cutting across the edge of my brow, rocking my head to the side. I shake it off and send my palm upward, shoving the fucker’s nose as far into his forehead as I can. He reels from the blow, his head jerking back as he reaches to cover his face. I fit my hands between his arms and latch on to his throat, squeezing tightly.

  As I sit up, I bring his face close to mine. “Who. Sent. You?”

  His mouth moves, but I’m choking him too goddamn tightly to speak, so I release him just a fucking touch. “G-go to he—”

  I clamp back down, intent on draining his fucking life, but footsteps against the asphalt reach my ears the same time as the words. “Let him go!” I smirk and with a quick twist, snap the motherfucker’s neck before dropping him like roadkill. “Get your hands up, you motherfucker! Get up!”

  Holding up my hands slowly, I locate the source of the voice. A dark figure is a few feet away, and there’s no mistaking the metal glinting in his hand. He approaches swiftly and delivers the butt of his gun against my temple, making me see stars for a brief second, but it doesn’t affect my goddamn ears.

  “Step away from him before I blow your fucking brains out,” a cool feminine voice says, and my fucking cock twitches, because mother of fuck—it’s Piper.

  The man freezes and turns slowly toward her, but he doesn’t have a fucking chance. By the time he’s facing her, I’ve drawn a blade from my sock and stood. One swift slice from ear to ear keeps her from ever having to follow through on that threat.

  “Dante,” she says, rushing into my arms. “Are you okay?”

  I hold her tight. “I’m fine, baby. Let’s go check on the others.”

  She gasps, pulling back. “It blew up. We saw it.”

  “Shh,” I soothe, brushing her cheek. “It was most likely as a distraction, but I imagine there are injuries. Come on.” I take her hand and keep her by my side as we kick debris out of the roadway. “Let’s get to the SUV.”

  Hurrying back, I help her into the passenger side and jump in the driver’s seat. “I’m going to swing around and shine the headlights on the ditch. Keep your eye out.”

  “Got it,” she says, and her hands are shaking.

  I reach over and touch her arm. “It’s okay, baby. You did good. Now let’s get the others and get the fuck out of here before their backup comes.”

  I swerve through the metal littered roadway and swing around just past the still-burning frame of the SUV, the headlights beaming toward the woods. One figure stands immediately while two more are on the ground, and I can’t tell if they’re even moving.

  “Stay here,” I say, giving Piper a stern look. “If anything else happens, I want you to get in this driver’s seat and leave. Get the fuck away from here and back to Chicago.”

  “No,” she says forcefully. “I won’t leave you.”

  “Piper, I won’t let you die for me!” I growl, my frustration growing.

  “Then you better hurry and get them in the car.” She crosses her arms and lifts her chin, giving me a defiant glare. I fucking sigh. She’s just as fucking ornery as me, and that’s not a very good combination.

  I smack the wheel, frustrated with her stubborn ass, but also secretly pleased that she cares enough to stay. “I’ll be right back.”

  As I scurry down the bank, Carlos bends and helps one of the figures into a sitting position. The lights from the SUV are shining above their heads, but I’m fucking relieved when I recognize Lorenzo’s familiar frame.

  I slide to my knees in front of him. “Lorenzo, are you okay?” I notice a makeshift bandage wrapped around his head made from Carlos’ torn button up. The blood has already made a stain. “Can you stand? We’ve got to get the fuck out of here.”

  He waves me away. “Get Riley. I can make it.”

  After helping him to his feet, I leave it to Carlos to walk him to the SUV while I move to an unconscious Riley. There’s a piece of metal sticking from his leg, but Carlos has already tied a tourniquet around his thigh. I check his pulse, and it’s steady. Feeling around his head, I search for the injury that has him out cold. My fingers trace over a softball-size lump at the base of his skull.

  I sit on my haunches and sigh just as Carlos makes it back. “You wanna just leave him and call it in? Let the ambulance help him?” he asks, his eyes steadily scanning the road for any sign of more trouble.

  “Fuck no!” I snap, pissed that he’d even suggest it. “I don’t fucking leave people behind. Grab his arms and let’s get him in the SUV.”

  Riley isn’t a small guy, and being completely out cold, it’s not an easy job, but we finally make it to the vehicle. Carlos climbs in and ends up with Riley’s head and shoulders settled in his lap.

  I smirk as I shut the door. Serves him fucking right.

  The ride to the airport is quick and quiet, and I spend it with every cell in every part of my body on high fucking alert. We pull directly to the runway of the small private airport, located on the outer edges of Miami, and a dark car is already awaiting our approach. The doors open and two men get out, eager to help facilitate our speedy fucking exit from this godforsaken city.

  I slam the bullet-riddled SUV into park and cut the ignition, releasing a deep fucking breath. For the first time in the past couple of hours, I’m finally able to relax just the slightest degree. The goddamn plane is on the runway with the engine already humming.

  One of the men approaches my window. I roll it down and deliver my orders. “We’ve got two injured. Help get them on the plane, and I want this car dumped in the Everglades when we’re gone.”

  “Yes, sir,” he replies, and my jaw clenches, but I ignore his insolence in favor of assuring Piper.

  My eyes find hers, and they’re filled with the closest thing to an apology I’ve ever felt. “I’m sorry you had to be a part of this. I … I never wanted anything like this to happen.”

  She reaches over and brushes her fingers over my tender brow. I wince, even though the feel of her skin against mine is more powerful than the pain. “I know that, Dante. Now, Ivan on the other hand …” She trails off with a tiny giggle, which burrows inside my chest and swells to the size of a fucking watermelon, stealing my breath for one long second.

  “Don’t fucking remind me,” I say, resting my head against the seat and pinching the bridge of my nose. “Crazy, stupid, idiot, fucking nosy motherfucker.”

  “Hey.” She tugs my hand fr
om my face, prompting me to roll my head in her direction. “He meant well.”

  I sit up straight, intent on making sure she understands, and stretch my arm over, cupping her cheek. “Solare, if something had happened to you during this trip, though, I just …” I shake my head. “It would’ve been unforgivable.”

  Her soft expression tugs somewhere deep inside me, and it’s in that moment when I realize I more than care. There’s a large possibility that I may even love her on some foreign fucked up level, but it’s not something I can explore deeper right now because, in the same second, her softness transforms into alarm.

  Before I have time to fully fucking comprehend, though, her alarm has turned into action. She grips the pistol, which is still lying in her lap, and brings it up with a precision I recognize all too well, pulling the fucking trigger. The loud thunder of the shot echoes in the enclosed space, deafening me, as a bullet zips between me and the steering wheel and out through the open window.

  I can’t hear or even see why the fuck she did it, but I also couldn’t care fucking less. She’s in danger, and it’s my job to protect her. I dive across the space separating us, crouching over her body as I whip my eyes around, looking for the threat.

  Seeing nothing but Carlos rushing down the stairs of the jet, gun in hand, I relax slightly. Piper’s lips are moving, but all I hear is a beautiful hum, my ears still ringing from the blast.

  I shake my head and push my fingers into my ears, trying to dig out the bells that are clouding my hearing. “Boss! Boss!” I finally make out a strong male voice and pivot my head toward Carlos, who’s leaning in the window.

  “Yeah,” I say, and judging by Piper’s wince, I must’ve yelled it. I give her an apologetic shrug.

  “Got one dead.” He motions to the ground. “What the fuck happened? Are both of you okay?”

  I nudge at my ears once more before turning to Piper, who’s flattened against the seat with me all up in her personal space. “Are you okay?” I ask, not even concerned with the dead motherfucker outside my door. I’m concerned with her and the fact that she just killed someone. “Talk to me, solare.”