Page 43 of Vow of Sin
I can feel the blood thrumming through my veins. Standing my ground against this man who has found away to turn me inside out isn’t easy. I turn back to the computer ignoring him.
“Fuck it.”
He leaves the room, the door crashes into the hinges on the way out. I wasn’t kidding with Sofia this morning. This is absolutely going to be my new purgatory.
I spent the last few days either avoiding Nico or actively causing fights with him. His buttons are easy to push. Anything to keep from having to deal with him. For year Luis lied to me, I should be used to it by now. Which is why I can’t explain why it hurt so much more to find out that Nico had continued to lie to me over and over again, even when he swore he’d told me everything.
Nico isn’t just as bad as Luis, he’s worse. At least worse for me. I thought I loved Luis, now that my heart wants Nico, even after everything he did, I know he could hurt me much more than Luis ever could, even in death.
Arguing and snapping at him seems like the better solution to my problems at the moment. At least until I can’t take it anymore. Sofia’s words “you’re falling for him” chasing me everywhere I go in the house.
After days of arguing, I need to get out of the house. Away from everyone.
Since it’s Sunday, I decide to go to church. I dress and head downstairs, hoping my attitude the last few days keeps everyone at a distance until I’m out the door.
When I turn to the door, I find the additional guards waiting, not necessarily for me, by the door. This is their job and somehow I need to convince them not to do it.
“Good morning, gentleman”
“Morning Mrs. Romero.” I bristle a little at the name, no longer feeling like it’s a part of me. “Where do you need us to take you.”
“I’m going to church this morning. Neither of you need to come, I’ll be fine.”
Juan stands up from this seat. “We can’t let you go alone. Orders directly from Carlos and Andreas.”
“I know. And normally, I would have you both up front in the car. Between time at the jewelers and the other business that we’ve had, you deserve a morning off.”
They still don’t look convinced, so I keep pushing. “It’s only church. What could possibly happen to me there. I’ll leave right after mass and be back here in no time.”
They both look at each other, then back at me. “All right Mrs. Romero,” Juan says. “Church should be perfectly safe, but call us if you need anything.”
I smile. “I will.”
I step out the door and let out a deep breath. For some reason get past the extra security seems more daunting than walking into the church of the DeLuca family.
The time I have out of the house without someone coming to look for me is short. I don’t waste anytime climbing in the car and taking off down the road.
Church is the same as when I was here last week. The mass is simple and I spend the entire time with my gaze on Frankie singing at the front of the choir.
The church’s page mentioned another luncheon immediately following church. I wait as the people file out, hoping that Frankie will hang back again to clean up the papers.
For the briefest of moments I think he is going to follow the crowd, then I see him wave to someone and go back to the papers. My instinct to come was right. I get up from my seat and walk down the aisle.
About halfway to the front everything goes black.
* * *
Where am I? What happened?
I try to open my eyes and can’t. Too much pain. I feel like I’m moving. Moving where? I attempt to focus. The darkness is pulling me back under. There’s no stopping it, so I let it take me into its sweet embrace once again.
* * *
A throbbing pulse pulls me from a dark hole. It’s not the soft wake up from sleep or even the brightness of a morning with a hangover. My head pounds at the back of my skull.
The last thing I remember is seeing Frankie at the front of the church. My heart races in my chest. Something’s wrong. I open my eyes and nothing. Everything is dark.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. My heart races in my chest and I worry that it is loud enough for whoever hit me over the head to hear.