Page 39 of Wicked Tricks
Antoni was in a white button up shirt, again, with his sleeves rolled up to the elbow. His hair was just as windswept looking as it was the night before, but his stubble was thicker. He had a small smile on his face as he examined me, and I felt the heat rush to my cheeks.
“Wow,” he said simply, before extending his arm out for me to take it.
I smiled, looking down as I felt his eyes assess me.
In my head, I thanked Sierra for making me change out of my jeans.
He led me out of the building and to the street, where his car was parked - very illegally. I frowned, pursing my lips.
Antoni opened the door for me with an exaggerated bow and I slid into the low seat. He got into the driver’s seat, rubbing his hands together before turning the key and sparking the car to life.
We drove for a while, again in silence.
“Where are we going?” I asked, mainly to fill the void.
“You showed me a new place the other day,” he looked over to me, “I thought I’d do the same for you.”
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
We had only spent a limited amount of time together, but something was off - I could tell. The most intriguing thing about this man was his contradictions. I knew of him to be a ruthless mob boss, I had heard stories of the things he had done, but so far he just kind of seemed like a goofy, normal guy.
We drove to the suburbs, among little middle class homes and duplexes that felt nostalgic, but still foreign since I had acclimated to the city. Tucked in the middle of one of these suburbs, was a small shopping market, which was a few tiny buildings pieced together that shared a parking lot.
I frowned at him, and he chuckled.
“Come on,” he said, slapping me lightly on the thigh.
We were both truly overdressed. A bell rang as he smirked, while pulling open the sliding glass door. There was a plain looking counter, and old, grey carpeting. Only a Chinese menu hung on the plain wall behind the counter, and a single, month old newspaper on the counter and two old chairs. I gave him a suspicious look.
“I was right,” I mumbled.
“What?”
“You are going to murder me.”
He chuckled, and pushed the newspaper to the side, revealing a button. He pushed it, and a loud chime boomed from the hallway. I tried to see around the corner, as I heard the shuffle of footsteps emerging.
A small lady saw us, and her eyes creased as she smiled when she recognised Antoni.
“Toni,” she said affectionately, clasping her hands in front of her.
“How are you, Suyin?” he asked as she lifted the side of the counter to let us in.
“Fine, fine,” she waved her hand dismissively, “who is this?” she gestured to me.
“This is Rome, she’s a new friend,” he smiled down at me.
The small woman rolled her eyes and then winked at me, taking my hand warmly as she guided me down the hall. Antoni stuffed his hands in his pockets and followed us, keeping his eyes on me with a smirk on his face.
He was obviously enjoying my confusion.
Suyin led us through the steamy kitchen, and then to the side, opening another sliding door behind a curtain. I gasped as she opened the door - the dingy little takeaway shop transformed into a beautiful restaurant. It had lush, red carpeting and golden pendant lights hanging from above. The large, traditional paintings were framed in gold and each table had a velvet tablecloth. There were two bars, and an elderly man playing the piano tucked away in the corner. The whole thing felt like it belonged in the city, but here it was, tucked away in the middle of nowhere.
I looked up at Antoni and he nodded as he read my mind, he seemed very impressed with himself.
Suyin left us, and Antoni said, “come on,”
He led me by the waist to an even more dimly lit area of the restaurant, to a booth in the corner. He slid in first, and I joined him, keeping my distance.
