The Devil's CrownPart Two - Monica James Page 0,92
quickly take the stairs to the living room. Moving the coffee table and rolling back the rug, I open the safe and retrieve the liquid GHB bottle and my Glock.
It seems a rather odd necessity to have on hand, but being who I am, this is just another day in the office for me.
The liquid swishes inside the dark bottle as I shove it into my back pocket and rearrange the rug and table. I hunt for the colored disposable cups in the cupboard and place the packet onto the counter. I’d rather we drink from something a little classier, but I can’t risk anyone detecting the GHB in their drink.
The potency is strong. One sip and they’ll be out in less than two minutes. I just have to make sure they drink it before they sense something fishy. We can only elude their advances for so long.
Once I hide my gun in the top drawer for easy access and place the bottle into the freezer, I make my way back toward Ella, who steers the yacht like a pro. “He’s slowing down,” she says over her shoulder when she hears me approaching.
“Good,” I reply, and on pure instinct, I bend down and press a kiss to her temple.
I’m expecting her to shy away, just how she’s done in the past, but she doesn’t. She peers up at me and smiles. “So, we play gracious host and drug them?”
Nodding, I try to play it cool. “Yes, exactly. The sooner, the better. Once they’re out, we grab what we need, and we take their yacht.”
“We can’t use the GPS system I saw? Being on their boat makes me feel sick.”
I understand her thoughts as my yacht is far more comfortable, and knowing how she sails does give me an advantage. But without a chart plotter, the autopilot is useless. I need a working GPS so we know where the hell to go.
Rodrigo slows down before eventually killing the engine. I do the same.
The need to protect Ella is almost suffocating, but I keep my calm as I need a level head. Even though the distance isn’t far, Rodrigo and Maria ride a Jet Ski to reach us. She dismounts from the back and jumps onto the platform.
Both Ella and I watch as Maria and Rodrigo come on board. The moment they climb the stairs, I wrap an arm around Ella’s waist and draw her into my side. “This is me marking my territory,” I whisper into her ear.
Before she can object, I add, “Rodrigo will see this as a competition. Trust me, he’s going to do anything to challenge me. But if it makes you feel uncomfortable, I can—”
“Don’t let me go,” she interrupts, pressing closer into me.
“That won’t be a problem, красавица.”
The moment Rodrigo sees us together, he smirks, but it’s not a friendly gesture. The way he hungrily eyes Ella has me wanting to rip out his eyeballs and feed them to him. But I slip my mask into place.
It’s game on.
Maria wears a black dress. I’m surprised she’s wearing clothes, to be honest. When she sees me holding on to Ella, she narrows her eyes.
They’ve been here for less than a minute, and they’ve already overstayed their welcome. “Come, let me show my gratitude for helping us out.”
I lead Ella toward the stairs, thankful Maria and Rodrigo are following.
Rodrigo has brought a bottle of scotch, which will not be drunk by Ella and I. I can’t trust that he doesn’t have the same plan for us. Once we’re in the living room, I let Ella go and make my way into the kitchen.
“Wow, this is even more impressive on the inside.” Rodrigo whistles, looking around.
“Eu te disse,” Maria says, which has alarm bells sounding because she just said I told you so in Portuguese.
Ella looks at me with an arched brow, but I subtly shake my head. We have to bide our time.
“What would you like to drink?” I ask, looking at Rodrigo over the counter. “I have vodka. Scotch.”
“Here, I brought a bottle. Let us toast with this.” He raises the bottle in question.
“Save your alcohol,” I say with a friendly wave. “You’ve done more than enough to help us. This is the least I can do to say thanks.”
Rodrigo shrugs. “Maybe for later then.”
“Yes. Is scotch okay?”
Everyone nods while I calmly go about pouring our drinks.
As expected, Rodrigo is too busy gawking at Ella to notice as I open the freezer with intent to grab some