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from his brow.
 I don t see a house, or even a gate. He was so damn close. Oliver could feel it
like quicksilver in his blood. But  close in the middle of a tropical jungle on top of a
mountain range didn t mean he could see it from where he stood. Nor did he feel
comfortable letting the guide go just yet.
The small man looked nervously about, as if he expected to be chastised for what
he was about to say.  Senior Sem Coração owns much land. It begins here, I swear to
you.
 Prove it.
The guide walked over to a tree and rapped his knuckles against the trunk.
 Here. This is his mark.
Four deep gouges had been carved into the bark. It looked like some beast had
clawed through the wood, leaving a trail of rot behind.  That s not exactly a welcome
sign, Oliver pointed out.
Kira Stone Deadly Sins: Envy - 43 -
 No, it is the sign of a devil, the one you wish to see.
Oliver had dealt with enough natives in various parts of the globe to know that
sometimes superstition overrode logic. And when it did, he wasn t likely to gain
anything by pointing out the fallacy of their beliefs. Instead, he simply accepted that he
had to go on from this point alone.
He got sketchy directions to the manor house, gave the guide the remainder of
his fee, and waited until the man was out of sight before setting his pack down and
taking a long drink of lukewarm water from a jug he d extracted from his pack.
God, this sucked. Being eaten alive -- and not in a good way -- by a variety of
insect life he couldn t even name. Hiking into the Brazilian jungle, looking for what
shouldn t exist. Maybe his mother was right, maybe he should give up this crazy quest,
find a nice boy and settle down.
Then again, he didn t want nice.
He wanted Rafe.
The bastard.
Oliver poured the remainder of the water over his head. Even sun-warmed, the
liquid felt good against his hot skin. He shook his head to remove the drops and clear
his vision before he picked up the pack and slung it over his shoulders. On the other
side of the next rise, seated in the deep crevasse of the valley, was where the guide said
he d find the manor house. Another mile at most. Then he d be face to face with his
dream.
He brushed the mark left by some territorial agent. His fingers tingled as if they
had come in contact with electrical current. He was just getting over the shock when he
experienced another.
The muzzle of a gun pressed against the base of his spine, and a voice said,
 Don t move unless you want to lose your cojones.
* * *
 Got him. Static prefaced the words, and left dead air in their wake.
 Bring him in.
Kira Stone Deadly Sins: Envy - 44 -
Rafe recognized the response by Malika, his chief of security. He didn t know
why they d confronted Oliver so fast. Normally the vast, deadly jungle was enough to
deter most visitors. Only those who breached the inner compound typically came up
against Malika s men.
And yet, for some reason, they now had Oliver.
Shit.
Rafe left his room and made his way into the living quarters of the manor house.
He passed through the halls at a fast clip until he reached the security command center
in the heart of the building. It was almost like walking back into the Agrippa chamber,
with the exception that the lady who resided there wasn t a demon.
Although she sometimes acted like one.
 You heard? the fierce-looking brunette asked. She didn t glance up from the
bank of small monitors in front of her.
 Yes.
 What do you want me to do with him?
Rafe had an answer to that, but he wouldn t ask her to deal with his personal
problems. She had far too much on her plate already.  Treat him as you would any
other unexpected guest, but hold him in the lounge when you re done vetting him.
 Okay.
He got the feeling her attention was focused on more than one impending
disaster, but he trusted her to do as he requested and to ask for help if she needed it.
Since she didn t say another word, he returned to his room to wait.
Leviathan watched him. He could feel her heavy presence in his mind. It was an
old burden, but one he didn t take lightly. What will it take for you to set him free?
You already know my terms, Raphael. Your death or his. It matters not to me.
Rafe used the act of changing from his workout clothes into casual attire to hide
the tremors in his limbs. He d been called on to do some ugly things in the past. This
one would be the worst yet. Oliver s death would give Leviathan a banquet meal of
Kira Stone Deadly Sins: Envy - 45 -
fresh, innocent meat upon which to feed. Once again, Rafe would have to fight to
survive, if only to spare others a far more unpleasant fate.
The lesser of two evils was still an evil deed.
You care about this one, Vi projected into his thoughts.
Knowing how bad things could get for all of them if Vi sensed he had a
weakness where Oliver was concerned, Rafe chose his words with great caution. I find
his tenacity admirable. That s all.
We shall see. I will be watching.
Of that, Rafe had no doubt. He was about to reply to that effect when Malika s
voice came over the intercom, ending their conversation.  St. John is ready for you.
Rafe had serious doubts about that as he walked down the stairs to greet his
guest. For one thing, the man still didn t realize Rafe was known to most of the locals as
Senior Sem Coração. Rafe could handle the anger, but he didn t want to see the pain in
Oliver s eyes when he learned Rafe had betrayed him yet again.
Rafe braced himself for the confrontation by removing all trace of emotion from
his face, then he walked into the lounge and faced his former lover as if they d meant
nothing to each other.  You shouldn t have come.
Chapter 7
Cat and Mouse
Oliver shuddered, though he suspected it had little to do with the air
conditioning which kept the interior of the luxurious house at a humane temperature
amidst the humid Brazilian climate. No, he was pretty sure it was the frigid gaze of his
former lover that had him quivering.
And he didn t like it one bit.
 Hello, Rafe. It was the only thing he could get around the anger choking his
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