Page 78 of Hearts Of Darkness

I drink myself into oblivion before I commence my bloody retaliation.

“The less you know about that the better.”

She pauses. “Because you don’t trust me?”

“No,mi alma, quite the opposite.” My expression relaxes as I tug her back into my arms and nuzzle down deep into her hair. “It’s because I don’t trust myself.”

Exitingthe bunker through the main house is too risky. The fires are nearly out but the joists have warped, and the roof has partially collapsed. It’s going to take months to rebuild. Until then, I’ve instructed Joseph to source and purchase another fortress—this time a private island off the southern coast of Australia—to serve as a base while we set about planning our counterattack.

There’s another reason, too. All the men that I left here to protect Eve have been mutilated and dumped in a bloody pile on my driveway, all except for Manuel.

Every single one of these men have earned my thanks and abiding respect. Their families will be exceptionally well compensated for. No one talked. Not one of them let slip the location of my secret bunker, despite hours of torture. My men fought and died like fucking soldiers.

“This way.” My hand tightens around Eve’s as I drag her along the tunnel toward a second concealed entrance near the beach. I can feel her wincing at my grip, but I don’t loosen it, not for a second. Her touch is the only thing that’s stopping my darkness from overwhelming me.

I punch another code into the wall. The door slides back and we’re blinded by the sun’s harsh glare. The sound of crashing waves is acting as some sort of conduit as we stand there waiting for our eyes to adjust.

“I know this place,” she says in surprise, blinking and looking around. “We’re next to the beach by the house. You had men stationed here.”

Not anymore.

Joseph steps into view. He nods briefly at Eve, and I watch her eyeing up his bloody head wound. “Medics are here. Everything else is arranged.”

“Good,” I say briskly. “Let’s get to the aircraft. We’ll discuss more, then.”

We move in single file along the narrow path that cuts through the dense vegetation. I’m mindful to keep the house and Emilio’s parting gift out of view at all times. The stench of death and smoke is ripe in the air, and the palm trees either side of us are charred and smoldering.

My brother meant to destroy everything before he panicked and ran. Somehow, he got word we’d escaped, though I’m fucked if I know how. We killed all his men and left his mansion burning. We’ve effectively razed each other to ground, and now we’re locked in a deadly race to see who can rise from the ashes first.

Did he align himself with our enemies to pull this off? How long has he been plotting my downfall? This isn’t just about business… I see that now. He meant to hit me harder, and that’s why he came for Eve.

“Dante, the horses!” she cries suddenly, yanking me to a stop. “Did you manage to save them?”

I shake my head slowly. As I do, I catch Joseph’s eye. If what my brother did to my men was bad, what he did to my horses was unimaginable.

“Can we double-check? They might have escaped to another—”

“They’re dead, my angel.”

Dead.

Dead.

Dead.

Like every other fucker I give a shit about, except for her and Joseph.

I watch her face skip through a range of human emotions, from shock and disbelief until finally settling on anger.

“I see,” she says tightly. “More innocents caught up in the crossfire. When the hell will you people ever learn.” She goes to push past me, but I grab her arm and spin her around.

“There’s nothing we could have done for them.”

“You should have left them alone. You never should have brought them here!”

She goes to push past me again and this time I let her, even though the movement sends red-hot pokers through my shoulder. I deserve the pain. I know she’s not referring to the horses, and the worst thing is she’s right. If I’d carried on walking past her that night, I never would have given Emilio the ammunition he was seeking. None of this would be happening right now.

“Don’t say a fucking word,” I snarl at Joseph when I catch him watching me.

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