Page 24 of Skating Towards Danger

Momma’s words echo in my head, and my stomach hurts. I never did the competition because she died two days later, two stupid days later and my whole world as I knew it changed.

Don’t get me wrong my aunt and uncle tried their hardest but living without my parents, my brother, I felt lost, lonely even.

I allow myself two minutes—that’s it—to cry before I try to control my emotions and stand straight. I take deep breaths, wipe my cheeks, and close my eyes, allowing the music to wash over me again.

I shouldn’t have agreed to do this.

How am I supposed to get through this routine without falling apart?

Holding my head high, I bring my left leg out to my side, place my hand on it, and look down before starting the routine again.

Half an hour later, I wipe my cheeks again and shake my head.

I’m not going to be able to do this without falling apart. I’m going to have to cancel, I just know it…I’ve spent the time rehearsing or trying to devise a routine but end up crying every time.

The memories are too much, the pain too consuming. It’ll set me back, I just know it but then that’ll mean I’m letting Momma down and that thought just sucks!

“You need to get the fuck outta here!” I hear snapped before me, and I look up in shock but nearly slip when I lock eyes with Dante, the electricity I felt last week pulls me and pulls me hard scaring the crap out of me.

My heart races, my palms sweat, and the urge to ask him to hold me overtakes me even though I don’t know him and that thought is just plain old creepy.

Oh, crap, I didn’t imagine it….

I swallow hard, and Dante growls, “I mean it, Paige, get the fuck outta here. This time is my time and you’ve just skated on my fresh fucking ice, so fuck off!”

I flinch at his hard tone before slender hands wrap around his waist, red nail polish coming into view. I don't know why but hurt fills me as my stomach tightens.

Damn…

I swallow hard and nod once as Dante smirks my way, clearly happy that he’s shaken me like an asshole he’s beginning to be, but I ignore his look and turn, skating to the exit where I left my sneakers, trying to ignore the heartache I suddenly feel for a man I don’t even know.

What the hell is wrong with me?

I huff as I bend and swap my skates for my sneakers.

Maybe because my period is due or something?

Shoving the safety covers on my blades, then throwing my skates into my bag, I turn and make eye contact with Dante, who hasn’t moved, while the woman now licks along his neck tattoo, making me swallow hard.

“You don’t need to be such a prick. I don’t care what your schedule is. I have a show to train for, so start learning to share, something your parents obviously never taught you to do,” I snap before turning and walking out to the woman’s cackling.

Momma was wrong, the one doesn’t exist out of story books, she just got lucky with Daddy and maybe what I’m feeling is just gas.

I groan as I climb the last stair to the sixth floor of my apartment building, a building that technically should have been condemned ten minutes later, just missing the bag of needles at the top of the stairs.

Shaking my head, I search my bag for my keys, but as soon as I find them, a voice asks, “Does Rocco know you live here, Paige? " and my head shoots up in shock as I lock eyes with Roman.

Ah, crap….

I groan again and mutter, “Great first, Dante, and now you.”

Roman raises a brow and asks, “You saw my brother and look at that, you know his name?”

I snort, “More like your brother snapped at me and told me to ‘fuck off’ off his ice and not skate when it’s his time before some woman basically climbed him like a Christmas tree and everyoneknows his name, he’s the biggest‘player’on the team.” Roman winces, and I shrug and ask, “What can I do for you this time, Roman?”

He smirks and holds out a check, and I groan again. He chuckles, “Did you really think I wouldn’t know you didn’t cash your father’s check?”

I scrunch my nose before admitting, “I didn’t want to lose the only thing left with his handwriting, it’s in my box of memories at Uncle Rocco’s.”

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