I turned back toSebastian.His eyes were soft as he surveyed me,but I didn’t want to see his pity.
I glanced towards the hallway. It was time to do the thing I’d been avoiding all night.
Chapter 22
I stood on the threshold of my parent’s bedroom. Memories flickered into my mind from the last time I’d been there… An uneven trail of blood leading towards the bathroom. A beige heel lying discarded on the floor, spotted with trickles of red. And then…
I blinked, and the carpet was back to its pristine cream color. My mother wasn’t lying on the floor with her swollen hand clutching the bump on her stomach. No, the maid had scrubbed out any reminders of that scene from eighteen years ago.
“You okay?” I hated the softness in Sebastian’s voice.
God, I wished I had someone in my life who could handle this for me. Go into the room of my nightmares, so I wouldn’t have to face them. Instead, the person standing next to me would be more apt to turn the very guns he’d collect in my direction.
So I ignored him and finally stepped into the room. My eyes caught on the baby blanket my mother had been crocheting for… I shook my head, and continued towards the door at the back of the room. I came here to grab weapons, not confront the memories of the past. I had enough nightmares I dealt with on a day-to-day basis.
“I’m sorry,” Sebastian said as he padded behind me. Of course, he’d known about what had occurred, there hadn’t been a single person unaware when my father gutted anyone who might have been involved in my mother’s murder. An apology was ironic coming from Sebastian, because my father was still convinced the Amato family was behind it. However, facts had proven that it hadn’t been a hit. Just a random act of violence.
Trying not to think about the implication too hard, I typed my mother’s birthday into the gun safe’s panel. The door swung open and revealed wall-to-wall guns. I really should grab a duffel bag so I could grab more, but I couldn’t bear to open my mother’s closet and look at the dresses she’d never wear again. Instead, I opted for a brown leather holster hanging nearby.
After I grabbed an Uzi and tucked a Draco into my waistband, I fled the room as quickly as I could. Sebastian was smart enough to keep his mouth shut until I was ready to speak again.
“Time forbed,” I said.
He nodded. I shoved themachine gunintothe holster while heading down the hallway. At the third door, I turned the silver handle and headed in.
A painted white metal bed leaned against the wall. I moved towards the mirrored armoire and pulled out a black men’sV-neck t-shirt and matching sweatpants. After tossing them to Sebastian, I nodded my head towards the en-suite bathroom.
“If you eventhinkabout attacking me when you come out, I’ll shoot you,”I said.
“Attack you?” he scoffed. “What do you think I’mgoing to do? Strangle you with a landline?”Sebastian noddedhis head towards a transparent corded phone sitting on a dark wood night stand.
I inclined my head towards the bathroom, and he went in wordlessly. When I heard the water turn on, I moved back towards the guest room’s armoire. Nothing in my old bedroom would fit me. All of the clothing in my bedroomwassized for an eight year old.
I pulled out long black cotton socks, and a greysweatsuit combo. There weren’t any gloves in there, so I’d have to re-use the ones I’d been wearing all day. I glanced back towards the bathroom.I couldn’t take a chance Sebastian wouldcall his brother the second I fell asleep.So how was I going to make sure that he didn’t go for my guns and the phone in the middle of the night?
As I listened to the water sprinkling inside, a plan formed in my mind.
A few minutes later, hesteppedout of thebathroom.Dark hair glistened on his face, and water dripped onto his tight black shirt. His arm musclesstrainedagainst the short sleeves of the v-neck.My fingers itched to feel his corded muscles-
I shoved that thought away.I needed to stay focused. I’d beentoo impulsiveearlier:throwing my gun away, allowing him to get physically and emotionally close. He could have snapped my neck or used my gun against me.
When we reached the door at the end of the hallway, I nodded at him to open it.Sebastianflicked on the lights, and hot pink walls stared back at me.
“Nice decor,” he said, nodding at the butterfly stencils circling alongmy plastic kitchen set. I rolled my eyes and motioned him further into the room.
“Lay there,” I said, pointing at the floor near the bedpost of my canopy bed. The bed still looked exactly the same as the last time I’d been there. There were four white metal legs, and at the headboard the metal twisted from multiple places, forming the shape of a wide triangle. Above it, a purple mesh canopy encircled the bed. Thankfully, my parents had given me a queen sized bed. I wouldn’t have been in the mood to attempt to fit into a child-sized bed frame.
Sebastiansnorted as helaid down on the neon green rug beside the bed. I kneelednext to himand dropped my pajamas near a hotpinkstuffed animal.
“Put your hands together,” I saidwhilepicking up a black silk scarf I’d found in the guest bedroom.
He laughed, his face breaking out into a large smile that showed off dimples.
“Are you seriously tyingmeup?” His entire body was shaking with laughter.
“Put your hands together, near the leg of the bed,” I said.
The laughter continued.“I can’t wait to see this.”
