Page 12 of Rome for the Holidays
Lola sneered, “Anywhere but here. How about Italy? You have that boy so wrapped around your finger it’s disgusting.”
Harper bit back a sob, and Alfonso turned with Saul’s body in his hand, going to the back door and throwing it into the snow.
Harper watched as her dog’s body hit the ground and she bit her knuckle to keep from crying.
Her mother watched Alfonso, then she turned back to Harper with a sneer, “You should have left a long time ago. You were never wanted.”
Harper bit her lip, then whispered, “H-how d-did y-you k-know a-about V-v-vincenzo?”
Her mother laughed, “I found your little box a long time ago. He is a delicious specimen, I give you props, but he is way out of your league. You don’t know what to do with a man like that. You are pathetic.”
Harper bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. She didn’t want to cry. Not in front of her mom.
Not like this.
Alfonso came back and grabbed Lola by the hips, “She doesn’t have to leave. She might be fun.”
Lola pushed away from Alfonso, “I fucking knew it. She won’t stay here another second. Not with you looking at her like you are. Get out of my house too.”
Alfonso raised his hand, hitting Lola so hard, she stumbled back into Harper’s bed, and she cried out.
Alfonso advanced, grabbing Lola by the hair, wrenching her up until she was standing.
“You don’t tell me what to do. You are my bitch. I give the orders around here. If I wanted to fuck your daughter and have you watch, I will.”
Lola whimpered as Alfonso’s grip tightened in her hair as he brought her face close to his, “Maybe we should test that theory.”
Harper shook her head, and Alfonso glared over at her, “You don’t have a choice.”
Harper nodded, “Y-y-yes I-i d-do.”
Alfonso let go of Lola’s hair, letting her drop to the floor, and he advanced on Harper, who pulled her knife from under the pillow, holding it like she had practiced.
He looked down at it, then back up at her, his eyebrow raised, and Harper shook her head once more, “Y-you w-w-on’t t-t-touch m-me.”
Alfonso raised his hands, and took a step back from her, his eyes amused. “Whatever you say,” he said, but then rushed her, causing Harper to hold the knife out, a feeling it sink deep into his stomach.
Her eyes went wide, and Lola started screaming, and Harper let the knife go, trying not to gag when the knife stayed in Alfonso’s stomach.
Lola rushed to Alfonso, who dropped to his knees, his eyes wide.
“You little bitch.”
Harper covered her mouth with her hands, and Lola ran from the room, then back within seconds, a cell phone in her hands, dialing for help.
A few minutes later, an ambulance was there with police cars, and they were taking Alfonso away on a stretcher.
Lola was screaming that Harper stabbed him and Harper leaned back against the wall on her bed, covering her mouth with her hands.
One of the cops walked over, after another pulled Lola from the house, “Can you tell me what happened?”
Harper looked up at her, “I-i w-will t-try.”
The cop, a young woman nodded, “Take your time. There is no rush. I have a feeling this is a story I want to hear.”
Harper took a deep breath, knowing the cop was doing her job, and that she needed to know what happened.
“I-i was sleeping, w-when A-alfonso w-walked in. M-my d-dog normally h-helps keep m-men a-a-way from m-me, b-but he i-is getting o-old and d-didn’t hear h-him,” she bit back a sob as she thought of what happened to Saul.
