I knew exactly what he was up to, but I saw the slight confusion on her face as he pulled the door open and ushered her inside. Before he could shut the door and turn towards me, I was already walking away.
He had obviously fooled Sienna’s father, but not me. I’d met men like him before. Many times. Bullies bloated with their own self-importance, but ultimately cowards who would crawl on their bellies to beg for their life.
“Hey!” he called.
I stopped in my tracks and glanced back at him.
He lifted a finger and beckoned me with it. The gesture was meant to aggravate and establish who was boss.
The reason I had taken this job was because of the ability to use the pool at my convenience, late in the night, and for the fact that it would always keep me on my toes, but I had not foreseen this! A constant battle to restrain myself from punching someone’s light out. I did nothing, just stared at him, wondering how he would dig himself out of the hole he had dug.
Glowering at me, he closed the distance between us and stood in front of me. He was a good one foot shorter than me and he didn’t like that one bit either. “Take that cap off,” he ordered sternly. He was all puffed out like an animal that makes itself look bigger to appear more formidable than it is.
If he was hoping to scare me into submission, he was sorely mistaken. “With respect, I don’t think I will,” I said sarcastically.
Although it was already dark, I could see his face redden with embarrassment. Something about me irritated him and he’d tried to dominate me, but had failed. Now his pride was at stake.
Sienna rolled down her windows. “Fabio,” she called with a note of desperation in her voice. “We should get going. We’re going to be late.”
She had given him a nice out, but of course, the jerk couldn’t just take it and leave. He scoffed, then tossed his car key into the air. I sidestepped it and it fell to the ground. He glanced at the key fob on the ground then back at me in disbelief. He was livid. “Can’t you fucking catch?” he exploded.
“I didn’t know I was supposed to, Sir,” I said with maddening calmness.
His whole body stiffened with fury. Clearly, no one had ever disrespected him in that way, and in front of his date too. It was more than the spoilt prick could bear. “Pick the key up!” he spat, the tendons in his neck starting to bulge with tension.
I stared curiously at him. He seemed utterly unaware of the fact that I didn’t take my orders from him. To be honest, I was quite interested to see what would happen next. How he planned to make me pick up the key when it was blatantly clear he didn’t stand a chance in any fight against me.
Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Sienna jumped out of the car and hurried over. “For God’s sake,” she muttered as she bent down to retrieve the key herself. She smiled tightly at the bastard. “The plan was for Angelo to ride behind us in a separate car, but your idea is actually better. He might as well just come along with us.” Then she turned to me and held out the key.
I looked into her eyes.
Don’t make a scene, her eyes pleaded.
I took the key without a word and started walking towards the asshole’s SUV.
“I don’t like him,” I heard him mutter to her.
“Well, you don’t have to. Papa believes he’s the best man for the job of protecting me and after the way he reacted to my attempted kidnapping the other day, I agree with him.”
“He needs to be taken down a notch or two,” he promised.
Be my guest, asshole. Be my guest. I got into the driver's seat, started the engine, and waited for them to get in.
Chapter 25
Sienna
I sat in a vehicle with two men who sure looked like they wanted to go at each other’s throats, and I knew I was the reason. At some primitive, instinctive level, Fabio had understood the threat Angelo represented.
I watched Fabio as he stared out of the window, his hand to his mouth as though he was lost in thought, but his right foot kept tapping rapidly against the floor. He was fuming … and planning his revenge.
Angelo on the other hand drove like he didn’t have a care in the world. Focused solely on what he was doing, he seemed oblivious to us and everything else, but I knew this was a lie. He was very in tune to even our slightest movement.
I turned to stare out of the window. It was Nonna who had convinced me to go on this date ... to give Fabio a chance. My confidence had taken a severe beating after my previous escape attempt and I hadn’t needed much convincing. I knew now how dangerous my situation was. And worse, how much pain I could so easily cause to my whole family. I couldn’t just think of myself and what I wanted to do … I had to think for my family. Besides, everyone had tried to convince me that Fabio wasn’t as bad as I thought.