30
Aleksandra
Did I tell Antonio that I love him?
He carries Sophia to the car, and I guide Liam into the back seat before climbing into the passenger side.
In the back, are two booster seats. Antonio prepared to bring the twins home. Does he know what he’s getting himself into, having a family? Is he ready to be a father to my children?
I can’t stop shivering from the icy chill in the air. My dress is not the least bit practical to wear in winter. Not to mention my lack of footwear.
Antonio starts the engine when he’s in the driver’s seat and cold air thrusts out of the vents. I push the vents away, aiming them anywhere but on me.
“It’ll warm up soon,” he says.
Soon can’t come quick enough. I’m freezing, and my hands are red and numb. I glance back at the twins as they buckle their safety belts. They know the routine.
Although I’m not sure they understand what’s happening, one day I’ll be able to explain it to them when they’re older.
“Are you my daddy?” Sophia asks.
Antonio hits the gas, and the engine roars. “I hope you boys are back,” he says.
What boys? Did he bring his men with him?
There’s a muffled response, and I glance around, wondering where the hell that came from.
The trunk?
Antonio glances at his watch as it buzzes with a text message. I can’t read it from my seat, but I imagine it’s some type of indication that it’s time to go.
Mikhail just let us leave. Something feels amiss. No guards are chasing us with guns drawn, and as Antonio lurches the car forward toward the gate, the guard on the opposite end opens the metal doorway, letting us leave.
We breeze past the guard gate, and I glance in the side mirror.
Mikhail is nowhere to be seen.
“That was too easy,” I whisper.
“Agreed,” Antonio says as he grips the steering wheel, his knuckles white. Every so often, he glances up in the rearview mirror, like he’s looking for Mikhail or his men tailing our ass.
But they know where he lives.
It won’t be difficult for them to find us. And it isn’t over; I know my brother. He’s not going to leave things unsettled.
* * *
We arrive back at the compound. The house is just as we left it, except my bed has been made, my clothes put away, and the sheets changed.
I never thought I’d be relieved to be here under his roof. But maybe I was wrong, and Antonio isn’t so bad.
“Thank you,” I whisper, staring at him as I linger in the entrance to my room.
He’s in the hallway escorting me upstairs, but I’m not sure why. Does he intend to lock me up, or does he have something he wants to say in private?
Sophia and Liam are playing in their bedroom, preparing for a talent show. Though what talents they have, I don’t have the slightest notion. It’s sweet that they want to perform for us and have shut the door, making us promise not to come in because they want it to be a surprise.
“Can I come in?” Antonio asks.