Page 97 of At The End Of The Day

“Holy shit, that’s fucking rad.”

I slid my palm over the top of his knuckles, finishing the snake with the head on my hand. “Now that is freaky.”

“That,” he said, lying down. “Is a sign.”

I slid back to the sheet, my other arm tucking beneath the pillow. “I thought you said you didn’t believe in signs.”

“Only when they’re right ones.”

“And this one’s right?”

He crawled closer, his arm curling across my back. Resting his cheek on my forearm, he whispered even lower. “I’m here, ain’t I?”

Adrenaline rushed my blood, my heart pumping faster. “Yes, you are.”

“Then this is right.”

Grinning, I carefully pulled my arm from beneath his head to drape it over his back, scooting the last couple inches closer. Our noses now touching, both our heads on the same pillow, I breathed, “I think you’re right.”

“I’m always right,” he teased.

“I like this, Dash. I…really like this.”

His smile faltered a bit, his fingers gently swiping up and down the dip of my spine. “Yeah, me, too.”

“I’m gonna be good for you, I promise.”

It spread a little wider. “You always have been.”

“I mean it, I ain’t never gonna do nothing to make you regret taking this stand with me.”

Craning his neck, he dropped a tiny kiss to my lips. “Ain’t never doubted you before, no reason to start now.”

The quietness was back, coating us in a blanket of comfort. For several minutes, neither of us moved as we continued to gaze at one another until he eventually drifted to sleep. His eyelashes fluttered and his breaths shallowed into a steady rhythm. Every now and then, a soft snore would catch his throat, small breaths pushing past slightly parted lips.

A heaviness sank my chest, pushing my heart to my throat with anxiety. Never, in my life, had I had so goddamn much to lose, and it was terrifying to think one blink of an eye could rip this all away. What if I put all my hopes and dreams into this one man and he flaked out on me, treating me just like Billy? I barely survived losing him, I’d not make it back if I lost Dash.

Tightening my hold, I stretched my neck so my lips were against his. Not closing my eyelids, I breathed into his mouth, “I love you, Dario. Love me back.”

Closing my eyes, I released the breath from my lungs and quickly slipped into slumber, my leg tucking between his to mesh our bodies together. This was how I wanted to fall asleep every night until I took that final rest. Hopefully, Dash would keep his promise and go with me wherever I went.

Chapter 41

Vincent da Silva

Tuesday 10.08.2019

Riddled with anxiety, I stood on the porch of Dash’s house, my stance wide, arms crossed, while watching the chief of police’s SUV slowly rock along the bumpy drive. My teeth gritted so hard my jaw was aching, I exhaled through my nose, bouncing a knee. I was not ready for this shit.

The vehicle stopped, the engine cut off, and the older man climbed out. His expression hard, he snatched off the sunglasses, folded them, and hook them over the pocket of his uniform. My vision tracing over him, I shook my head at his large, massive frame. Even at sixty, he had a full head of thick, black hair, his complexion naturally tanned, his eyes nearly black. Wide nostrils at the end of a long nose, his lips were full, a cleft in his chin. Old enough to be my father with the strength of someone younger than me, he was a fucking beast of a man who had everyone in this town quaking in fear when he was in a foul mood.

Looked like today was a bad day. Son of a bitch.

The silence was almost deafening, if not for the birds chirping in the trees. Coming closer, he stopped just before the steps and matched my stance, the thick veins in his massive arms sticking out. Tipping his head back, he peered down the length of his nose with intense disapproval.

“Chief Murphey,” I grumbled with a small nod.

“Mr. da Silva.” He shook his head. “What the hell do you want? Why did you ask me to come here?”