Page 84 of Mercy (The Sins Trilogy 3)
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ivy
Tony’s upset. He’s smiling, brushing his fingers over me lovingly and laughing at the jokes Yuna and I make at the dinner table, but I know him too well. There’s tension around his eyes and mouth.
I glance at Bobbi to see if she’s tense too. That’ll tell me if his mood has something to do with my safety, but she’s perfectly relaxed, if quiet. Then again, she isn’t much of a talker. Must run in the family.
After dinner, Yuna and I do some lively duets on the piano. When she’s finished, I practice some lyrical Chopin nocturne pieces. But their gentle melodies don’t seem to make any difference.
I wish I could ask Tony what’s wrong, but I don’t want to do it in front of Yuna or Bobbi.
Finally, we make it to our bedroom. As soon as the door is closed, I put my hands on his shoulders and massage the knots there.
“That feels good,” he says, closing his eyes.
“You’re tense.” I lead him toward the bed and make him sit on the edge. Then I scoot around until I’m kneeling behind him to continue the massage. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He breathes out heavily.
“Come on. You can tell me.” We promised to be honest with each other at all times. I don’t bring that up right now, though. There are things we don’t want to discuss immediately because we want to gather more facts first or need the time to process. Still, I hate the mood he’s in. “I might be able to help. I’m a helpful kind of girl.”
He laughs softly. “Are you?” He turns, resting his knee on the mattress, and holds both my hands in his, then kisses my fingertips. “I had a chat with Tolyan.”
Tolyan?He was gone for a few hours today, but I didn’t realize he was meeting with Tony. “About what?” There’s no way Tolyan met Tony to discuss a donation. He doesn’t do that kind of work for the foundation, probably because he looks like an extortionist rather than somebody who’s worried about feeding the hungry.
“He caught the two people who mugged you.”
“How did he manage that?” Then I wince because I can imagine how. With his fists. But it’s hard to feel sorry for the people who not only mugged me, but probably are connected to the recent break-in. “Did he get my bag back?”
“No. The guy is a junkie.”
Which means he got rid of everything for a hit or two. “Oh.”
“But Tolyan learned they didn’t target you randomly. Somebody paid them a hundred bucks to do it.”
Anger and confusion shoot through me. “Somebody wanted to mug me that bad?”
“I think they wanted what was in your purse. What do you carry in there?”
I scowl, remembering the nasty fall I took and getting seriously upset now. “Nothing worth stealing. Certainly nothing worth paying a hundred bucks for. My wallet, which did have some cash…but not much. A couple of credit cards and a debit card. My driver’s license. Phone. Keys. Compact and lipstick. A couple of tampons.” I shrug. “Who’d want those? My phone’s three years old.”
“Anybody upset with you since you came home? Even something that felt insignificant at the time? Maybe they didn’t let it go.”
I shake my head. “Not really. I mean—” I stop abruptly as I recall Margot’s venom. Marty’s anger.
“What?”
“Your mother was upset that I wouldn’t accept her help with the wedding stuff. And Marty’s angry with me because he thinks I got something from Sam. But I don’t know how that’d motivate either of them to mug me. Stealing my purse isn’t going to make me run to Margot. And Sam and I never had the kind of sentimental relationship that’d make me carry something he’d given me in my purse.” I tap my lip, remembering the greed burning in Marty’s eyes. “I’m pretty sure Marty thinks Sam gave me money. And there’s no way he’s going to get the fortune”—I roll my eyes—“his daddy gave me with a debit card.”
“Obviously somebody’s upset and is after you. And it’s not the same person as the driver. I’m going to have TJ watch you too.”
I put a hand on Tony’s arm, fear and anger tangling inside me. “No. I already have Bobbi.”
“But she couldn’t protect you when the mugger came for you.”
“TJ is your bodyguard. I don’t want anything to happen to you because you didn’t have him with you. I can’t even think about the possibility.” I hug him because I need to. I think I got over it. I told myself I would because I need to be strong. But it’s a lie to claim the memory of what happened in front of Julie’s apartment doesn’t haunt me at all. I press my cheek against his, shuddering.
The police haven’t caught the driver who tried to run us over. He’s after me, but he could target Tony first to make sure that next time there’s nothing standing between him and me.
“I have Bobbi,” I say. “I don’t need TJ. That’s the deal, remember?”
“Yes, I do,” he whispers.
I pull back and look him in the eye. “I promise I’ll be extra careful.”
He links his fingers with mine, our palms touching. I lean forward and kiss him.
He kisses me back, just a reassuring peck at first…but then suddenly the world turns sensual. He tangles his free hand in my hair, holding my head, pulling me closer. I use mine to unbutton his shirt, my fingers still nimble. A few more moments, they’ll start fumbling.
We strip, wanting nothing to stand between us. He tastes so good. All man. All Tony. All mine.
