Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 109562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
He walks to the door and, after looking through the peephole, unlocks and opens it.
Livy stands on the threshold, wearing heeled slippers and a pink robe with feather trimmings. “Oh, dear.” She drops her gaze to Saverio’s underpants before cutting a path over his chest to his face. “I came at an inappropriate time.”
I pull my robe around me and tie the belt to cover myself.
“Don’t worry, my dear,” she says, stretching her neck to address me over Saverio’s shoulder. “Sex is perfectly natural. I won’t keep you from what you were busy with. I just came to check if the police told you what happened.” Mumbling to herself, she says, “Isn’t that a romantic mood killer?” before she finishes with, “I did call, but your phone went straight to voicemail.”
“She dropped it,” Saverio says. “I’m afraid it’s dead.”
“That’s not good.” Livy scrunches up her face. “You can’t go around without a phone, Anya.”
“I’ll replace it.” Saverio gives me a panty-dropping smile. “I’m here now to take care of Anya.”
“Best you do that.” Livy wiggles her shoulders with an animated quiver. “With all the murderers running around, it’s no longer safe anywhere.”
“In the meantime, you can call Anya on my phone,” Saverio says. “What’s your number?” He walks to the chair and retrieves his phone from the pocket of his pants. “I’ll text you my contact card.”
Livy looks as if she may swoon. “Aren’t you a sweetie?”
She rambles off her number, making him repeat it twice to be certain he got it right.
“Do you want to come in?” he asks. “You must be as shocked as we are.” He adds with a sheepish smile, “I’ll put on some clothes. I can make you a cup of tea.”
“Oh, no.” Livy lays a hand on her heart. “I’m not going to intrude when Anya finally has a naked man in her apartment. I just wanted to ask what the police said. Maybe they told you more than me.”
My chest squeezes when I think about Mr. Lewis and how shocked Livy will be when she learns the truth. Fighting against an onslaught of tears, I blink to clear the moisture that pools in my eyes.
“They only said there was a homicide,” Saverio says. “We’ll probably know more tomorrow.”
“Yes.” Livy frowns. “I suppose we will. Well, then. Take care of this young lady. At least she has a strong man to protect her.” She gives a little wave. “Good night, kids.”
“Call me if you need anything,” Saverio says before closing the door.
I stare at him with hatred churning in my stomach. “You’re unbelievable. Did you take acting lessons? You could’ve won an Oscar with that performance.”
He crosses the floor in a few long strides. The mask of serenity he donned for Livy is gone. In its place is an expression of urgency.
Gripping my shoulders, he turns me toward the bedroom. “Come.”
“What are you doing?” I cry out in alarm.
He pushes me ahead of him without replying. Inside the room, he sets me free to go through my dresser. Perplexed, I stand rooted to the spot as he selects leggings, a T-shirt, and a sweater that he lays out on the bed. He takes my sneakers from the closet and puts them on the floor in front of the chair.
“Get dressed,” he says, heading for the door.
“Why?” I ask to his back.
“You need to see a doctor.”
“Are you kidding?”
He stops and faces me. “I threw you against a brick wall and pushed my full weight against your stomach. I could’ve injured you. The baby could’ve gotten hurt.”
I gape at him. “You can’t be serious. First, you came after me to kill me. I heard what your friend said. Then you threatened me with my landlord and used me by forcing me to be your alibi. Now you want to make sure my baby is okay?”
Frustration creeps into his tone. “Just get dressed. I’ll order a car and call an ob-gyn.”
“At this hour?”
“At any hour I want.”
“This is absurd. The baby is fine. She’s well protected inside me.”
The set of his jaw hardens, drawing his face in stark, perfectly symmetrical lines. “You don’t know that for sure.”
It’s unimaginable that I register his handsome features in such a moment. It’s inappropriate that I notice the shocking contrast between the glacier blue of his eyes and the onyx black of his hair. I have no idea why the thin gold hoop he wears in one ear draws my attention or why I internalize everything about him. Maybe it’s survival instinct that compels me to take stock of the threat facing me.
Standing all but naked in front of me, I notice other things too, things like the lean, hard body decked in muscles and the big hands that wield a knife so effortlessly. He can easily crush my windpipe by simply wrapping his fingers around my neck and squeezing them into a fist. My mathematical brain automatically catalogues the information as it weighs up my options, and the sad conclusion is that I’m trapped. Not all the self-defense training I dabbled in during high school can get me out of this mess.