Page 24 of Liberated By Sin
“How did you get my number?”
“Good morning to you, too,” he said with a chuckle. “And you’re in the club’s database.”
Of course.
“That’s right. Is this about the meeting?”
There was a pause before he replied. “Cambri assured me she’d let you know, but I wanted to see to it you got the message personally.”
“Message received.”
Another chuckle. Santino’s indifference to my shit attitude irritated the hell out of me.
“I won’t take up any more of your time. I look forward to seeing you again, Amara. And I hope last night’s incident didn’t give you the wrong impression of me.”
“No, you’re exactly who I thought you’d be.”
I said nothing else and ended the call.
Maybe I’d come off as a bitch. But lines needed to be drawn, like I had with Luca. While Santino didn’t give off the sameperverse vibes as his cousin, I knew what the extra attention and the flirty smiles could lead to. He’d quickly learn I wasn’t a woman interested in romance, or one-night stands.
And I never would be.
By the time I’d eaten breakfast, I’d forgotten about Cambri until another series of messages popped up where she threatened my life. But almost comically, soft knocks at my door diverted my attention again.
When I brought up the footage of my unexpected guest, it surprised me to see my negligent neighbor on the other side of my door. Despite the morning's warm weather, he was dressed in a blazer.
I debated briefly whether to pretend I wasn’t home, but living two units away from each other would make avoiding him forever an impossibility. And I refused to be uncomfortable and on alert in my own home.
“Good morning,” he said, sporting a cordial smile.
I nodded a greeting, my door open, only just enough so that we made eye contact, hoping he’d get the hint that I wasn’t one for neighborly small talk.
“I want to apologize for last night and thank you for saving my boy. I’d had a long shift, picked him up from the sitter, and didn’t secure the safety lock when I got home. I’d hate to think what could have happened if you hadn’t found him when you did.”
“He was at the elevator and nearly ran into the stairwell.”
Fuck, Amara, can’t you just say you’re welcome and get this shit over with?
“I know, I know.” He hung his head and sighed. “I’ve been reeling over the what-ifs all night. Thiago is all I have left.”
Send him away. This was getting too personal.
“Well, nothing serious came of it. Glad I could help,” I said in a rush, stepping back as I motioned for the door.
His hand shot out. “Wait.”
Heat moved through my veins at his intrusive gesture. And without thinking, I reached for the blade in my back pocket while he tuckedhis free hand inside his blazer. Just as the steel edge of my knife would have become visible, I caught the silver detective badge clipped to his waistband, followed by the small white business card pinched between his fingers.
“I’m Raymond Braga. Your neighbor.” He chuckled. “Also, lead homicide detective at the 10th precinct. You can reach me here if you ever need anything—anything at all.”
His mouth was still moving, but nothing processed beyondhomicide detective. My neighbor, whose attention I had inadvertently garnered, specialized in imprisoning people like me.
The fucking irony.
“Your…name?” he prompted, and I snapped back to his face, where the crinkled corners of his eyes narrowed, friendly smile fading. “Is everything okay?”
Nodding, I put on my best good girl act and returned the smile. “Yeah…yeah. I’m Amara. I’ll be sure to take you up on that,” I lied.