Giovanni (Blood Brothers Book 6) (14 page)

“Miss Lewis? Are you okay?”

She shook her head to clear it from the fog that seemed to fall over her. “I think so.”

“Please let me. I have a trick that can get rid of headaches by touching the right pressure points,” Romeo offered.

Unlike before, this pain didn’t quickly disappear and it felt like it was getting worse. Whatever he could do to make it go away would be welcome. She felt him in front her before he placed strong fingers at her temple.

“Sleep,” he whispered.

Slowly she drifted out of consciousness.

Chapter Fifteen

Dante knew what Romeo was going to do before he did it but it was something that needed to be done. While Sydney seemed forthcoming enough, he had a feeling that there was something she wasn’t telling them. It even seemed as if she was trying to remember but couldn’t. He definitely got a strange vibe about this house and its residents. He’d felt it the second he stepped over the threshold.

Romeo lifted an unconscious Sydney into his arms and carried her to the couch. GianMarco and Niccolo vacated their spots so Romeo could lie Sydney down. He then placed his fingers at her temples again and closed his eyes. Dante watched as his brother attempted to extract whatever information was locked away in Sydney’s mind when Romeo pulled back abruptly.

Romeo’s incisors descended as he hissed. “What the fuck!”

Dante jumped to his feet. “What’s happened?”

“Someone’s been tampering with her mind. I can’t get to whatever it is she knows. It actually hurt to get past the blocks that were in place.”

“Who do you think has been tampering with her mind?” Niccolo questioned, speaking for the first time since their arrival.

Romeo shook his head. “I don’t know but this house feels eerie. There’s a dark force here but I couldn’t begin to pinpoint where it originates. I’m not that familiar with black magic but it kind of feels like when we were in Adonis’s castle but not as strong.”

GianMarco nodded. “I got that too. Did you notice something strange about the way Ida and Dylan acted? They seemed pretty hostile toward our presence and were very defensive when we brought up Giovanni’s alias. I wonder if Giovanni and Dylan had some kind of confrontation. It would certainly explain why Dylan would have hard feelings toward him.”

Dante paced the sitting room. “I don’t know but we’re not going to get any more answers here. But like you I felt darkness as well. I wish we’d brought Sasha with us. She might be able to tell us more about what was happening.”

Though the women had traveled with them, they stayed behind at a nearby hotel, ready to converge if needed. Dante didn’t think it would be a good idea for all of them to show up here because such a large group might have intimidated the house’s occupants.

Dante pounded his fist in his palm, frustrated that Giovanni wasn’t at his last known location. During their family meeting when they’d all agreed to search for their estranged relative, Sasha had managed to reach her brother Steel who had directed her to the twins. It was then she’d learned of his location and that they’d had contact with him. They also found out about the incident between Giovanni and Sydney—an incident she clearly didn’t remember.

The woman lying on the couch, oblivious to the world around them, was Giovanni’s bloodmate and she was in trouble.

“We need to get her out of this place,” Dante declared. “We can keep her at the hotel with our bloodmates. Perhaps Sasha could perform a ritual to help Sydney’s memory.”

Niccolo frowned. “I’m all for that idea but how do you think she’ll react when she comes to? Sydney might not take too kindly to being removed from her home.”

“I for one think we can’t get her out of here fast enough. Between that shriveled old prune and that asshole, it might be best if she was away from them.” Romeo grunted. “I wanted to punch that guy in the face. Did you see what he did to her? There’s something unnatural about his relationship with Sydney considering what the twins told Sasha. She’s Giovanni’s bloodmate and I know if Christine were in trouble, I’d want you three to help her by any means necessary.”

Dante nodded. “Then it’s settled. She’s coming with us.” Just then his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw that it was Isis. “Yes,
belissima
?”

“Are you near a television?” Dante frowned doing a quick scan around the room. He was sure his bloodmate had a good reason for asking such a random question.

“No. Why?”

“We’ve found Giovanni. And it’s worse than any of us could have ever imagined. Much worse.”

<><><><><><>

Giovanni shouldn’t have left his room but the tiny walls seemed to be closing in on him. He grew claustrophobic with each passing second. His fever was nearly unbearable and his thirst needed sating. As soon as he was outside, however, he regretted not first stopping by one of his safe houses to get a vehicle. Too much temptation littered the streets. There were a group of scantily clad women on the corner stopping cars and asking if the drivers wanted a date.

A few hooded figures loitered around the parking lot and sidewalks talking on cellphones and making deals. Giovanni licked his lips as he wondered what their blood tasted like, and how long it would take to drain every single drop of the crimson gold flowing in their veins.

As that thought entered his mind, he immediately pushed it away. These urges to kill and maim were becoming more frequent and he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to hold them off. He should have gone to a more isolated area, but this illness wasn’t exactly conducive to thinking clearly.

Giovanni kept his head down as he walked off the hotel property and down the street. He was stopped abruptly when a woman in a leopard cat suit stepped in front of him. She was extremely skinny, almost to the point of emaciation. He was certain an outfit like hers was designed for a more voluptuous woman with curves. On her it sagged in places where it should have clung. The only thing of note on her body was a pair of large breasts that sat on her bony chest like two rocks. Nothing about them appeared natural.

The woman’s skin was sallow and her dirty blonde tresses were so thin he could see her scalp through the hairs. Nicotine stained the tips of her fingers, and the way she shook told him that her body was going through some kind of withdrawal. The look of desperation in her washed-out blue eyes might have made him pity her in other circumstances, but all he could think about was snapping her neck for getting in his way.

“Move,” he said with a low growl.

“Do you want, some company, big boy? For twenty dollars I can make you feel so good.” She ran her finger down the length of his arm.

“I’m not interested.” He attempted to walk around her but she once again halted his progress. “What are you? Some kind of homo?” She seemed incredulous that he could turn down her brand of charms, although in his estimation he’d have to question anyone desperate enough to take this woman up on her offer.

He didn’t bother dignifying that stupid question with an answer. Once again he walked around her but she grabbed his arm. “Okay, fifteen. Fifteen and I’ll suck your dick like you’ve never had it before, baby. You know you want this.” She smiled to reveal all of her front teeth missing.

Giovanni’s stomach turned in revulsion. Now completely out of patience he shoved her away. He didn’t put too much force in that movement but apparently he didn’t need to because she went flying. She landed so hard, one of her leucite heels flew off.

“You son of a bitch! You’re going to be sorry,” she screamed, scrambling to her feet.

Giovanni continued walking, desperately trying to block out the sounds that whirled around his head. He could hear and see everything at a much more enhanced level. It was even sharper than it had been before he’d lost his powers, and he couldn’t tune everything out.

He wasn’t sure how much longer he walked before someone yelled, “Hey, man!”

Giovanni ignored it because there were other people on the street the person could have been calling to. He doubted the person was talking to him until he felt a hand aggressively grasp his shoulder. “I was talking to you, fool.”

Giovanni spun around so fast that it must have surprised the man who had grabbed him. “What?” he roared. By now his incisors had dropped and by the heat he felt in his eyes he knew they were bright red.

“Man! What the fuck? This ain’t Halloween.” A tall dark-skinned man glared at him. “I don’t care what the fuck you are. You don’t fucking touch one of my girls unless you’re paying or want some problems. So you can either compensate me now for manhandling my bitch or I’m going to take it out on your ass.” The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small handgun.

Rage tore through Giovanni. This bottom feeder had the nerve to threaten him and thought he could live to tell about it?

Do it. Kill him. Give into the darkness
. The voice that floated through his head was Adonis’s.

And then Giovanni saw him. Standing behind the pimp was a Adonis smiling. His eyes were glowing and he looked on eagerly. Giovanni blinked and he was gone.

“Do you fucking hear me, man?” his aggressor interrupted Giovanni’s thoughts. “Pay me my money.”

“Get the fuck away from me,” Giovanni roared and before the pimp could react, he grabbed the arm holding the pistol and ripped it clear off the man’s body.

The pimp screamed in shock and horror as he fell to the ground clutching the gaping hole where his arm had been.

“I told you to leave me alone,” Giovanni punctuated his words with a swift kick to the man’s ribs which produced a loud cracking sound.

Around him he vaguely heard the sound of screams. He turned away from the bleeding man and continued his walk, uncaring of the state he’d left his attacker in. Giovanni didn’t know how far he got before a loud siren got closer. A horn blared and a magnified voice yelled out to him.

“Freeze!”

Ignoring the command, he kept going.

“I said freeze!”

Once again he disregarded the order.

Suddenly the car sped up and swerved onto the sidewalk directly in front of him. Blocking his progress.

“You’re under arrest for disobeying a lawful command,” a uniformed officer yelled slamming his car door into Giovanni’s stomach as he slid out of the car. A hit like that would have winded an ordinary man but Giovanni barely flinched. The officer seemed to be caught off guard by his lack of reaction but he quickly reached for a device on the side of his belt and aimed it at Giovanni. He advanced on the officer and was met by several bolts of electricity. He shook and roared but remained on his feet. The little bit of self-control he’d been holding on to was gone. He grabbed the officer, lifted him off his feet and tossed him across the street.

Another officer ran toward him, gun drawn. Before Giovanni could react, several bullets plowed into his chest. The sting of the metal ripping through his flesh was painful but it wasn’t enough to stop him. When the officer saw that the gun had no effect, he turned to run. “Officer down. We need backup on 57
^th
and West,” he yelled into the walkie-talkie on his shoulder. Even as the policemen attempted to slide back into his car, Giovanni grabbed the door and ripped it off its hinges.

He yanked the officer out of the car and sunk his teeth into the side of his neck. The man screamed and yelled. “I have a family!” He cried. This didn’t matter to Giovanni because the beast within him needed to be satisfied.

More sirens blasted but he drank thirstily from the flailing officer whose heartbeat grew weaker by the second. More shots rang out and bullets rained into his back and neck. He released the bloodied officer with an agonizing yell. He turned to see several officers surrounding him with guns drawn. He flashed to the closest one and delivered a blow so powerful it caved the side of his face in.

More shots pelted him and he went to his knees as the pain became too great to ignore, not to mention he was fast losing blood which sapped some of his strength.

He looked around him and in the midst of the chaos he saw Adonis with a smirk on his face, clapping at the destruction Giovanni had wrought. “Leave me alone!” He screamed, springing back to his feet. Some officers had since retreated as they witnessed his supernatural strength. A few valiantly attempted to take him down with pepper spray and night sticks. Though these items slowed him down temporarily, it didn’t stop him. He gripped an officer in each hand and propelled them together, making their heads crack. They crumpled to the ground.

All he saw was red as he was tackled to the ground by a big brute. The officer rained blows with his stick on Giovanni’s head. Even in his weakened state the policeman was no match for him. He wiggled from beneath his attacker and flipped the officer over. He then clawed into the man’s cheek and ripping off half his face. The policeman screamed in agony. Giovanni would have eaten his flesh if he didn’t catch something out the corner of his eye. He saw his Papa. Standing next to him was a beautiful ethereal blonde. Maria.

They looked on at him with sadness in their eyes. In that moment of clarity, he looked around to see what he’d done. Several officers lay bloodied and injured, some he couldn’t tell for certain if they were still alive.

What had he done? He looked toward his papa and Maria. They were gone.

Two large black trucks appeared on the street with the word SWAT in big white letters. Not wanting to hurt anyone else, Giovanni wobbled to his feet, he ran knowing that when he picked up speed, they wouldn’t be able to catch him. He kept going and going and had no intention of stopping.

All the while he was running, he thought of Sydney, thankful that he’d gotten far away from her.