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“You gave me a month to prove my ability to parent Jinx. I’m going to use every second of that month to change your mind.”
CHAPTER 14
Zakiya
I’m so fucked!
Why didn’t I say no? If I had, I wouldn’t know the exquisite feeling of being consumed by one Sansone DeLuca. I touch my swollen lips, recalling the firmness of his mouth as we dueled.
I peek at him through lowered lids, wondering if he realizes one of my many secrets, but he betrays nothing except a self-satisfaction I’m hard-pressed to find annoying.
“Looks like Jinx is warming up to my brother’s family.” Sansone smiles in their direction.
Jinx is concentrating on her hand movements to mimic Tácito. Her stuffed bear lies beside her. Although it remains by her side, she hasn’t clutched it to her chest, as is her habit.
“Sansone, I’d like to finish our discussion.” Aurelio nods his head to a secluded area to the side of the house.
Sansone squeezes my shoulder before following him.
Alone, I find a place to watch Jinx interact with her family. Their acceptance of her is bittersweet. I love that she now has multiple people who accept her. At the same time, I can’t help the sense of inevitable loss shrouding me. She won’t need me much longer.
Lost in my musings, I jolt when a shadow falls over me.
Aurelio, my new and unwanted bodyguard, plops in the chair beside me and folds his arms behind his head. I seek Sansone who accepts his nephew and beckons Jinx closer. The organ in my chest spasms when the little girl takes Sansone’s arm and slings it over her shoulder.
“I think it’s only right to give you a heads up that you won’t be able to lose me as easily as you’ve dodged Sansone’s men.” Aurelio stretches his legs out to lounge without a care.
Without taking my attention from Sansone, I respond, “Aren’t you the confident one?”
“With good reason. My track record speaks for itself.”
I give up watching the family to focus on the man that will challenge my extracurricular activities. “And what would it say?”
“If I’m on your tail when you wake up, I’ll be there when you go to bed.”
“I like your optimism. I hope you keep this same energy when I prove you wrong.”
He chuckles, showing a hint of his white teeth. “Because some databases say you don’t exist, you think you’re a magician now?” His smile disappears, the absence of which conveys more than anything he could say that he’s as deadly as the family I’m entrusting Jinx’s welfare to. “Thing is, I stopped believing in magic a long time ago. And no sleight of hand is going to stop me from finding you wherever you go.”
A chill snakes down my spine. If not for him working for Sansone, Aurelio would pose a huge threat to my very existence. I’m a killer, and he’s a cop with no allegiance to me.
“It’s good to be optimistic.”
We sit in silence, but I can’t concentrate on the DeLucas. Aurelio peeks at me from the corner of his eye.
“Has Sansone seen your true face?”
I swing around in alarm.
Aurelio is too perceptive. “By your reaction, I guess he hasn’t.” He smiles. “I can’t wait until he sees what you look like without all that shit on your face. If you thought his attraction was passing before, you won’t be prepared for what he’ll do to keep you.”
“I’m more than my looks,” I grit, trying to dismiss his assessment despite it echoing Sansone’s words. “And if he’s so shallow, he doesn’t deserve me.”
“Right… because until now, his interest in you has been purely for esthetic reasons. You know, I’ll continue to be the optimist. I’ll offset your negativity.”
“I’m not—” I pinch my lips, unwilling to entertain him any longer.
“Don’t worry,” he says without disguising his humor. “Sansone isn’t the only one who knows how to wear a woman down. But I only offer friendship.”
