Page 72 of Wicked Tricks

She scoffed, “yeah, right.”

“Rome, please,” I begged, reaching towards her.

“You tricked me!” she spat, pulling a gun out from the back of her jeans and aiming it at my face. Her hand trembled but she kept the barrel trained on me regardless, she was clenching her jaw but I saw the tears fill her eyes.

“You did the same to me.”

“No!”

“Yes,” I said, putting my hands up as she gritted her teeth, “you did. We both had a job to do, but things changed. I changed, because of you.” I stepped toward her.

“Nothing changed,” she shook her head.

“Rome, please, I care about you, I wouldn’t hurt you like that.”

“No!” She screamed again, her voice cracking.

An angry tear escaped and streamed down her face.

I stepped towards her again, slowly - needing to wrap my arms around her and hold her. Instead, she closed the gap between us in one swift step, pressing the barrel of the gun to my temple.

“Don’t touch me,” she said, “don’t you fucking touch me. You were a moment of weakness. Nothing more. Who you are, is the entire reason why I swore never to trust a man. You made me look like a fucking idiot -”

“Rome,” I whispered, unmoving.

“No! Shut up!” She dug the metal into my skin.

“You won’t hurt me, Rome.”

She scoffed, flashing a mischievous grin that made me melt as she cocked her gun.

“You want to fuck around and find out?”

18

Chapter 18

Rome

Antoni closed his eyes and raised his hands into the air.

My hand trembled, and I willed it to steady as I pressed the gun against his head. The tears welled in my eyes, blurring my vision, and as much as I wanted to fight them - I had to blink them away so I could shoot the motherfucker.

“Never again,” I choked.

“Rome,” he said, reaching towards me, “you don’t want to do this. I know. I know you’ve been hurt, I know you’re broken inside. But I will not hurt you. I swear on anything and anyone, that I will never harm you, I will never letanyoneharm you - not again. Whether you kill me now or not, I will protect you - even if I die. I will do anything in my power, to ensure you never hurt again.”

I shook my head.

My heart screamed at my head and my head screamed at my heart.

I wanted to both run, and kiss him.

I wanted to spend my life with him, and at the same time, put a bullet in his head to erase the physical manifestation of my weakness.

I stared silently, and he grew frustrated. Antoni put his arms down, no longer showing fear as I trained my gun on him. He reached out, trying to take my face in his hands as he had done before - and I almost let him do it.

Instead, I pulled away and smacked him across the face hard with the cold metal of my gun.

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