Page 52 of Wicked Tricks
“That’s not it,” I looked away, trying to get away from him.
“Honey,” he said, pulling my face back to his, “you can trust me.”
My eyes narrowed, “is that right?”
“Like I said last night,” he said softly, “I’m not playing games anymore, Rome. I know what I want,” his breathing was steady and I tried to read his expression. He was giving nothing away, and if I were a fool - I would’ve believed the words he spoke.
He leaned down, closing the large gap of height between us, and I held my breath.
Antoni was so much bigger than me, he was tall and his shoulders were wide, and I felt so small in comparison. And not just physically.
Something about his presence made me feel so tiny, so breakable, so vulnerable.
“Stop fighting it, Rome,” he said against my lips.
I inhaled shakily, the logical side of me was losing the war, before we were luckily interrupted by a loud, urgent knock on the door.
Antoni growled as I slipped out of his hold, and I stumbled over myself as I rushed to the back entrance.
“Please,” the voice begged.
“Grace?” I asked from the other side, undoing all the latches as quickly as I could.
I opened the door, and Grace stood there in the same clothes from the other day - except with a black eye and bloodied lip. Her baby screamed in her arms, and I hurried her inside. Her hair was wet, and splotchy lines of black mascara stained her pale face.
“What is it? What happened?” I asked, putting my arm around her and guiding her to the couch.
“It’s Luca, he -” she started, her trembling fingers brushing her hair from her face.
She stopped in her tracks and stumbled backwards as she looked up and her eyes found Antoni.
“Oh no,” she said softly, her eyes wide.
Antoni put out his hands, as if to surrender, “Grace?”
His eyebrows were clashing together in confusion as his eyes flickered between the two of us.
Grace flinched as he stepped towards her, and I put myself between them.
I reached for the gun behind my back, pointing it towards him.
“Stay away from her!”
“You don’t understand,” he said, his hands still in the air.
“I can’t be here,” Grace said, her voice high with panic.
She turned and rushed back towards the door.
Antoni crossed the room slowly with his hands still up, glancing around me to get a better look at her. My heartbeat was audible in my ears, my breathing was shallow as my mind raced with worst case scenarios. I felt sick to my stomach looking at him now, seeing the fear that he caused instantly within Grace.
“Grace, did Luca do that?” he asked softly.
She paused at the door but didn’t turn to face us, her eyes were set on her own hand on the doorknob, but she nodded her head. My eyes flickered quickly between her and Antoni, not wanting to let him out of my sight for a second.
I couldn’t let my guard down.
I couldn’t be the reason that Grace would get hurt when I was supposed to protect her.
