CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
It happened when as I was walking back to the living room with Tony’s glass of water in my hand. My heart started thudding in my chest from adrenaline, and luckily, I didn’t falter in my step when I picked up the pace.
“Tony, there’s someone at the window,” I whispered loudly, my voice shaky, as I sat on the sofa bed.
“What?” he grumbled and I dropped my head to hiss in his face, “There was someone looking in the window.” Tony shot up in bed and his eyes went straight to the windows near the front door. When I looked again, there was nobody there. Tony jumped off the bed, found his jeans on the floor and tugged them on.
“Are you sure you saw someone?” he whispered.
“Positive.” My voice shook.
“Stay here,” he ordered and ran out of the living room and down the hall. How he did all that without making any noise I had no idea. I jumped off the bed, searched in the darkness for something to throw on and came across his t-shirt. I wasn’t staying here by myself.
As I made it to the hallway, Tony was running out of his room, and he held a gun in his hand. My steps faltered.
“Stay in my room and don’t come out until I come back,” he ordered as he ran by me. I stood frozen, not moving an inch.
How could I let him go out there?
What if Tony got hurt while I was just stood there and let it happen? What if there was more than one person outside? I needed to do something, but I didn’t know what.
And I was too scared to move.
I stood there, for god knows how long, but it was long enough that my mind became overloaded with so much worry that I refused to stand there any longer, especially not knowing if Tony was okay. I shuffled my feet down the hall and tried not to make any noise. I made it to the living room and I tip-toed to the front door.
Just as I started to turn the knob, the door swung open and I let out a blood-curdling scream.
“Fuck!” Tony shouted as he lowered his gun. “What the fuck were you doin’?”
I stood there trembling. “I thought you might be hurt,” I whispered, shaky and uneven.
“And you thought the best thing to do was go outside and get yourself hurt too?” he asked, still shouting at me.
“Please stop yelling at me. I didn’t know what to do and I was worried about you,” I replied in a soft, shaky voice. My body still trembled, my heart still pounded and I was still scared to death.
Tony walked further into the house, kicked the door shut with his foot, locked it, walked straight toward me and pulled me into his embrace as soon he was in reach.
I felt safe in his arms.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you, but you scared the shit outta me. If I tell you to stay somewhere, please listen to me. I need to know you’re safe,” he said. His hands rubbed my back to comfort me.
“You’re an ass,” I said because I was still freaked out.
“I know,” was his response because he clearly already knew. “Come on,” he continued as he grabbed my hand, led me back to the hall, stopped right in front of my bedroom door and turned me to face him.
“I need to call Larry so he can check on everyone in the apartment and maybe get one of the boys to do a drive around the property. You’re sure you saw someone?” His tone didn’t hold a hint of disbelief; it only searched only for confirmation.
“I’m positive. The curtains are sheer in there.” I pointed to the direction of the living room. “It was dark, but there was just enough light coming from the porch that I could easily make out the silhouette of someone.”
“Did you see anything else? Could you tell their size or if it was a man or woman… anything?”
I shook my head. “No, just the outline and it was only a quick glance because I didn’t want whoever it was to know I saw them.”
Tony rubbed a hand down his face and sighed.
“Whoever was outside that window better pray I never find out who they are,” he finished in a voice so scary I got chills.
“Are you okay?” he asked as he reached behind his back to tuck the gun in his waist band and he moved to rub my upper arms soothingly.
“Who do you think it could have been? Do you think it was that Zacharias guy or someone that works for him?” I asked.
“No, I don’t think so. He’s not one to hide from anything and I don’t think creeping windows is his thing.”
“Could it have been BJ or one of your other girlfriends?” His eyes narrowed on my face and I narrowed mine back. It wasn’t out of the question. Surely he had a stalker or two.
“Mi reina, I haven’t had a girlfriend since you. And no, Bobbie Jo would have no reason to come here.”
“Girlfriend or not, she’s in love with you,” I informed him.
“She might be, but that’s not my problem. Everyone in this small ass town knows I don’t have girlfriends. I’ve known Bobbie Jo since middle school and I only hooked up with her a few weeks ago, so if she’s in love with me, that’s her problem.”
“But the other night--” He cut me off with a quick kiss, pulled back and mumbled, “Seems that’s the only way to shut you up. I like it.”
I glared at him.
“The night you came back into my life, she was gone. I told her about you and told her that whatever I’d had with her was over. She was upset, but said she understood. I never expected to see her again, but when she called the other night and said her ex trashed her place, she was worried he might come back. I had to go. The guy used to beat her. I didn’t want to go, I didn’t want to leave you, but she really is a sweet person and I wouldn’t want anything to happen to her. I think I’d already hurt her enough, but she knows to call someone else now.”
“But she spent the night here that first night. I saw you kissing her the next morning. And the diner--”
“Trish, that first night her truck wouldn’t start. It was late and she stayed in one of the guest rooms. And she kissed me before she left, but you obviously missed the part where I set her away. I don’t want to give you an explanation for everything, so just like you want me to trust you, you’re gonna have to trust me.”
I was speechless. I knew he was telling me the truth. He’d never lied to me before and he had no reason to lie to me now. That was a lot to take in; especially after I’d been thinking his relationship with BJ was so much more.... but he still fucked her.
“Come on,” he said, grabbed my hand, pulled me into my dark room and turned on the bedside lamp. “I’ll go get the blankets and my cell. I’ll only be a minute, but don’t think too hard while I’m gone.”
I sat on the bed when Tony walked out lost in thought, but it didn’t last long. He walked back in about a minute later with a bundle of blankets and his phone tucked between his ear and shoulder talking to Larry. He threw the blankets on the bed and I had them arranged by the time he hung up.
“Everyone’s accounted for there. He’s asked Joe to drive the property,” he said, set the phone on the nightstand, pulled the gun from the back of his jeans, set it next to the phone and unbuttoned his jeans.
“You’re just going to leave that out like that?” I asked, looking at the gun.
“Yeah,” he said as he pulled his jeans off one foot at a time.
“You’re beautiful,” I blurted and immediately felt like an idiot. I felt my cheeks get hot as he stared at me.
“Men aren’t beautiful,” he said.
“You’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen,” I responded so fast he nearly didn’t finish his sentence.
His response was to walk to the bed, scoot in next to me and drag my body across his. He completely blanketed himself with me. Then, obviously not liking what he felt, he lifted me and pulled off the t-shirt I still wore. I sat and straddled his waist.
“You have this face…” He ran his fingertips across the apple of my cheeks. “…this body…” He ran his hands from cheeks to my neck to my chest, down my stomach and wrapped them around my hips to grip my ass. His eyes bore into mine. “…and you get to look at yourself in the mirror every day, yet, you look at me and think I’m beautiful?” he asked as his hands crept up my back, between my shoulder blades and pressed me down to his chest.
“You’re so much more than beautiful to me, mi reina… you’re perfect,” he whispered against my ear and the sincerity in his voice made me squeeze him tight. I was never going to let him go.
“I love you,” I whispered, and I knew he wouldn’t return the sentiment. And he didn’t, but he also didn’t freeze up. He shifted, drew the blankets over our bodies and caressed my back until I fell asleep.