Page 82 of Sinful Bargains

I had promised to protect Ma. I thought I’d done so. I had encouraged her to be with Joey because I wanted her to be happy. But in the process of falling for Joey, she’d turned into someone unrecognizable at the hands of him. And I had to be the one to save her from herself.

Even if it meant destroyingeverything.

It wasn’t that he’d killed my biological father so brutally. It was that he’d moved my mother into a huge house and brainwashed her into believing the best way out was violence. The very thing that she reprimanded and grounded me for because of Giovanni, and yet here she is, okay with Joey murdering for her. I had justified it when I thought she’d done it in self-defense, but this was premeditated. And she had helped Joey do it, even if she hadn’t been the one to pull the trigger.

ANTONIO

TWO DAYS LATER

My bedroom door cracked open. I tossed myself back into bed, yanking the blankets up to my chest before Ma’s voice called out. “Antonio?”

I forced myself to sound weak. “Hey, Ma.”

She stepped inside, her brows knitting as she reached out to press her palm against my forehead. I held still, letting her check for a fever she wouldn’t find. “You feel warm. You still not feeling well?”

I shrugged, looking away. “Just tired.”

The door creaked open behind us, and my muscles tensed as Joey stepped inside. He stood in the doorway, arms crossed, brow raised. “So, the kid’s a faker, huh?” My throat went dry, but I forced a weak laugh, ignoring the bitter taste it left behind.

“He’s warm, Joey,” Ma said.

“I’m fine. I just need some rest,” I muttered. “I’m going to go to bed. The two of you go out. I’m fine.”

“Rosa’s downstairs if you need anything,” she said, brushing a strand of my hair from my forehead. I gave her a fake, weak nod before she pressed a kiss to my forehead and then slipped out, shutting the door behind her.

Sneaking out of my bed, downstairs, and out of the house without Rosa knowing was almost too easy. Rosa was busy cleaning—putting fresh flowers everywhere, fixing the garden Ma had started. She was humming an old tune under her breath, lost in her own world, which made it easy for me to slip past her.

Giovanni was waiting outside for me when I slipped out. I yanked open the door and slid into the passenger seat, barely getting settled before he slammed his foot against the gas. My forehead almost bounced against the dash. Luckily, I had my seatbelt on. I was sure that was done on purpose by the way he snickered next to me.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” I snapped, gripping the door handle. “Are you trying to kill me before we even get there?”

Giovanni snickered, his hands loose on the wheel. “What? You had your seatbelt on, didn’t ya?”

“Listen, asshole, don’t pull anything stupid,” I growled, taking the gun out of my waistband and putting it on the floorboard.

“Chill out,” he muttered. “I was just practicing for later.”

“Yeah, well, practice on your own time,” I shot back. “Where’d you get this car from, anyway?” I asked as he coasted down the street toward Davidson’s.

“I told my grandfather I needed it to pick up a girl,” he said. I let out a snicker. “It wasn’t a lie. I did before I came to get you.Mia, in fact.”

I side-eyed him. “You know, after this is all done, it’s going to be nice going back to hating your fucking guts.”

“Oh, I know,” he said back. “Tomorrow, I’ll wake up hating you again. And it’s really all I look forward to.” We pulled up outside Davidson’s, and he glanced over at me. “Last chance to back out, paperboy.”

I shook my head. “If you’re a pussy, just say so.”

“Fuck you!” he spat.

I let out a breath and leaned my head back against the seat. “I still can’t believe I’m stuck here with you. Out of all the people in the world, why did it have to be you?”

“You’re the one who came to me for help,remember?” He turned to face me, raising an eyebrow. “So, really, this is just an equal exchange of suffering for both of us.”

I sighed, rubbing my temples. “Jesus. I should’ve just tried to take Joey out myself.”

“Yeah, because that would’ve gone well,” he snarled.

I exhaled and glanced back toward Davidson’s. Joey’s car was parked outside. People came and went as they always did, but we still had no sign of Joey. And every passing minute made my pulse drum faster.

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