Page 22 of Ends of Being

As we walk over to the car, he rests his arm on my shoulder in silent reassurance. “Alright, lay it on me.”

Toni

Here I am again, in a car, with a strange man.

At least this one is undoubtedly much more approachable than Chief Shields. On the flip side of that, I’m also relatively confident that taking anything he says seriously is a mistake. He seems like a real jokester, and sometimes this crazed look in his eye catches me off guard. I haven’t decided what to do with that.

I shift my body in the seat, looking over at Tony as I say, “Can I ask you something?”

He glances at me and smirks. “Well, you can ask.”

I can’t help but laugh, shaking my head as I say, “But no guarantee you’ll answer, eh?”

“No guarantees at all, I’m afraid.” He shakes his head at me.

“Do you think Dare is unhinged?”

For some reason, this has him laughing out loud, which makes me a little suspicious that maybe he is also unhinged, but there’s not much I can do about it now.

So, I throw my hands up in the air in defeat and mutter, “You’re all fucking crazy.”

“We’re all crazy in our own special way, sugarplum.” He glances at me, a teasing glint in his eyes.

I have nothing to say to that. I feel like I should be nervous in my current situation, and I’m not certain I can trust Tony. But for some reason, I feel comfortable with him. He’s one of those unassuming guys with subtle handsome features that turn full-on electric once he focuses his gaze on you. The dark, skillfully styled tousled hair, the gold-green glint in his eyes, straight white teeth behind those full, smirking lips. I would even go so far as to call him panty-melting, if I was at all inclined.

It isn’t until we’re pulling up to my building that I realize this motherfucker has driven me home without asking for my address.

And once again, I’m questioning everything I think I’ve ever known about Darius.

I take my seatbelt off and then turn my body to face him, staring at him expectantly. He turns to me and raises his brows like he’s waiting for me to say something.

“How did you know where I live?”

He grins and says slowly, “Dare told me?”

Now, maybe I would’ve believed this if he hadn’t worded it as a goddamn question, but at this point, I also know that all these guys are completely full of shit. At least when it comes to me. I don’t know why, and I don’t know how, but somebody’s going to have to give me some fucking answers.

Sensing my unease, Tony puts his hand on my arm, getting my attention. “Listen, Antoinette,” he says quietly. “You’re right to be suspicious and angry, perhaps even a little scared, but I promise everything will come to light, and everything will work out.”

I peer at him quizzically, contemplating how to take such a strange declaration from someone I don’t even know. Common sense would have me calling bullshit at this point, running from the car screaming, but this little tiny voice in my head keeps telling me to go with it. That it’s not bullshit.

So, I simply nod and say, “If you say so.”

I start to get out of the car when his voice gives me pause, so I turn back to look at him again as he says, “Do you have a parking spot available?”

I frown at him. “Yes, I have a parking spot. What does that have to do with anything?”

He gives me a very patient look and answers, “I need to park my car so I don’t get towed.”

I laugh, shaking my head as I reply, “You’re not coming in.”

All humor vanishes from his features. “Yes, I am.”

“No, you absolutely are not. That is entirely unnecessary.”

Tony just gives me a look and then starts the car. The locks click as he starts to look around, almost like he’s going to pull back into traffic. “Where the fuck are we going?”

He shrugs. “You’re not gonna let me come up, so you’ll just have to come with me, then.”

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