Page 17 of Life

I take the stairs at a dead run.

Eli is speaking as I’m hitting the last few steps, but I can’t decipher what he’s saying. My goal is clear. Get to the door, get in a cab, and bail. Now.

“Hey, Spicy, I ordered pepperoni on one half and combo on the other. I didn’t know what you’d…”

I rush to the front door. “I’ve gotta go. I have to run!” My fingers slip and slide over the multiple locks on the door, trying frantically to get them open.

“Babe, what’s wrong?” A strong arm wraps around my waist and hoists me into the air and away from the door. I scream at the top of my lungs.

His hand wraps around my lips. I bite down on the flesh until the coppery taste of blood fills my mouth.

“Motherfucker!” He roars like a wounded animal and drops his hand.

“Let me out!” I try for the door once more.

Everything around me is blurring and mixing together. My heart is pumping so loud it’s deafening. Then there are sirens.

“Stop! Just stop and breathe. Maria, breathe goddamnit!”

No sirens. It’s a man. It’s Elijah’s voice yelling at me a few inches from my face. His hands are holding my hands up against the door, and something wet is dripping down my forearm. I glance at it. It’s blood, but not mine. His.

“That’s it, baby. Breathe. In and out.”

I follow his breathing pattern until I realize where I am. Eli’s hard body has mine pinned against the door. He holds my wrists above my head. His eyes are on mine.

“There you are. Welcome back to the land of the living. Care to tell me what the fuck triggered this episode?”

Chapter Five

Iswallowdown the bile rising up my throat. Eli’s face is only a few inches from mine. His breath is hot against my misty skin.

He eyes me as though I’m a wounded animal. I flinch. That is not how I want him to see me. Taking a few blessed moments, I breathe in and out, focusing on pulling my strength to the surface bit by bit. I am not weak. Antonio should not get to have this control over me. The simple problem is that fear is winning, and I can’t deny I’m scared. Scared out of my mind he is going to find me and finish what he promised he’d do all those years ago. I close my eyes and search for the remaining scraps of pride nudging at my psyche.

“What happened?” His voice is soft, gentler than I’ve heard from him before. “You can talk to me. Better yet, you can trust me.”

Trust.

Such a simple, one-syllable word that means more than any other. Could I trust this stranger? Just because he is Tommy’s brother doesn’t mean he automatically gets carte blanche status in the circle of trust. Technically, he’s Tommy’sestrangedbrother. I hold on to that bit of information and duck under his arms to put space between us. When his body is surrounding mine, I become downrightestúpido.I’ve always been a sucker for a handsome face, and Eli takes the prize for sexy-as-fuck faces—and bodies, for that matter.

I cross my arms over my chest and lean against the back of the sofa. “Tell me why you and your brother haven’t talked for years.”

Eli chuckles. “This isn’t I share, you share. I’m not the one who’s got a violent ex threatening me. That would be you, Spicy. How’s about you tell me what spooked you so I can set about handling the situation, yeah?”

I roll my eyes and glance at the bookcase across from the couch. The shelves are filled to the brim with books—so many that some are stacked sideways on top of the upright titles. He has quite the collection, too. A mixture of everything.

“You like to read,” I state.

He sighs and runs a hand through his dark hair, making it fall into even messier layers. One lock falls over his forehead. I itch to shift the hair aside and let my finger graze across the worry lines appearing there.

“Yeah, babe, I read. A lot. What of it?”

“Just, you know, making an observation. You like suspense and autobiographies?”

“So?” His voice is tinged with irritation, but I press on.

“Nothing.” I sigh.

“How is this helping you come clean about what had you making a doubleheader to the door as if your feet were on fire?”

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