Page 22 of Merciless Attraction

“What do you mean someone was watching you and Antonio through the window?” Natalie frantically questions as we Facetime while I pack my bags.

“I mean some asshole was staring at me and Antonio through my bedroom window. Antonio jumped out of the window and chased the guy away. He thinks it might be the same guy we saw on the security footage.”

“What happened?” Damian questions from behind Natalie.

He immediately annoys me. “You put all of my black clothes on one side of my closet. That’s what happened. Stay out of my stuff, Damian!”

Damian points a finger at me from behind her. “Natalie was taking forever trying to get your stuff together. I needed to do something. Stop complaining about me cleaning and tell me about this pervert watching you through the window.”

I grumble and look at Antonio who’s inspecting my windows as I speak to Natalie and Damian. “I can’t tell you anything other than what I just said. But Antonio’s insisting on putting an alarm system in the house. Did you get to Casper in time?”

“Casper is fine,” Damian says. “Is this Peeping Tom asshole related to our problem from last night?”

“They might be.” Antonio says, still running his fingers over the window frame.

“Antonio hopped out the window and chased him down the street,” I tell them with a sense of pride rippling through me. His athleticism is surprising, especially after fighting Frankie off last night, fucking me senseless twice today and getting rid of a body.

Exhaustion washes over me the more I think about the past thirty-six hours.

“I’ll catch them.” Antonio’s voice is low, dark, and as menacing as his glowering glare.

“I have to get a hold of my parents,” Natalie says. “They should know we’re adding a security system to their house.”

“Is that going to be a problem for you, Nat?” I ask her. The relationship with her parents is tumultuous at best because she’s not on the life path they put her on.

“Our safety is more important than their spiteful manipulation tactics. Don’t worry about it. We’ll get the security system put in and tell them about it later. Are you going to work today, Gem?” she asks with a slight raise of her eyebrow.

I look over at Antonio who’s swiping his phone’s screen while taking pictures of my window. He walks out of the bedroom, intently scrutinizing the entry and exit points of my apartment.

Damian interjects, answering the question for me. “Yes, you’re going to work, Gemma. You and Antonio can’t do things out of the ordinary. It’s going to show Verducci you were lying about that engagement if you just disappear from your regular life. Maybe the guy in your window was one of Verducci’s people trying to intimidate you and let you know Verducci’s watching.”

“Well, if he was, then I’d say that me and Antonio put on the perfect show as an engaged couple.”

“No, I don’t want to hear about any of that. My baby sister making out is not on my list of things to know about.” Damian walks away from the call.

Natalie grins and leans close to the camera, glancing over her shoulder as she whispers. “He’s scrubbing his countertops. It was more than a kiss, wasn’t it?”

I look over my shoulder and lean in just as close. “It was everything and I feel like it only gets better.”

I hear Antonio coming back toward my bedroom and pulling away, I change the topic. “Are you going to come to the cafe to play this week?”

“Damian says he can get me a residency kind of gig at one of his places in Vegas. I can write my songs and even perform a few. With everything happening here, it might be good to get out of the city for a while. Are you going to be okay if I take off for a few weeks?”

“Of course, Natalie. I love you. You’re an amazing singer, writer, and musician. With Damian managing you—”

“He will not manage me,” she adamantly corrects me. “The last thing I need is Damian trying to negotiate a contract for me and then stopping to mop the floor.”

“That’s not how this works,” Damian shouts off screen. “I’m a professional with everything my hands touch.”

The blush spreading across her face at his statement pushes me to end the call, telling her, “I don’t want to hear any more about what my brother handles. I love you. Get whatever you need out of here. Antonio’s going to take care of putting the security system in. We’ll talk soon.”

“Love you, talk soon, and stay safe, Gemma. I mean it.” Natalie ends the call, and I turn to see Antonio in the doorway, still scrolling on his phone.

“I can drive you to work. What time does your shift start?” Antonio asks before I can say anything to him.

“You don’t have to drive me. You have to go to work, too. The last thing either of us wants is you having to worry about me finishing my shift and you’re stuck at the hospital.”

He offers me a grin of appreciation. “Don’t worry about me, Gemma. I can get around.”

---