He didn’t wear an expense watch or fancy black suit.
He didn’t need those things. His mere presence was all he needed to command attention, and at that moment, he had mine—every ounce of it.
His eyes were trained on mine as I asked, “Who are you?”
“I already told you.” He eased the covers back on the bed. “I’m Billy.”
“That’s not what I meant. I’m asking...who are you? What do you do for a living?” I knew I was pushing for answers I may not want, but I had to ask, “Why are you working with Antonio DeLuca? Are you some kind of sex trafficker or something? Does he know I’m here? Does he want you to sell me? Is that why you saved me?”
“Is that what you really think?”
“I don’t know what to think.” His eyes remained locked on mine as I muttered, “In some ways, it makes sense that you would be, but...”
“But what?”
“I don’t know,” I repeated. “You just don’t seem like the type.”
“That’s because I’m not.”
“Then, what was up with you and DeLuca? Were you working together?”
“It’s nothing for you to be concerned about.”
“I wish I could believe that.” I reached for the covers and eased them over me as I told him, “I learned the hard way that any connection to Antonio DeLuca is a bad one.”
“Does that include yours?”
“Oh, most definitely.”
“Is that right?”
“Hm-hmmm. It was the worst.”
My shower and all the moving about had taken its toll, and my eyelids were growing heavy. I closed them for a moment, just to give them a quick rest, but that’s all it took for Billy to say, “You’ll have to tell me about it, but for now, you need to rest.”
Without saying anything more, he stood and walked out of the room. After a few deep, soothing breaths, I drifted off to sleep. When I woke several hours later, it was dark and the room was cold, but I was warm and comfy in that bed. I was considering going back to sleep, but then the questions started trickling into my mind, like where Billy was and whether or not I could trust him.
I didn’t feel like I was in danger, but at the same time, I knew nothing about the man. Hell, I didn’t even know his last name or what he did for a living. Most of all, I had no idea how he’d found me or why he’d gone to so much trouble to help me.
None of it made any sense to me. I kept mulling it all over, and then I hit the tranquil spot where I couldn’t tell if I was actually awake or asleep. I was drifting in my own little world until I heard the faint sound of a woman’s voice in the distance. At first, I thought my mind was just playing tricks on me, but then I heard it again just outside the bedroom door.
She was talking with Billy, and even though I couldn’t make out exactly what was being said, I got the impression that the two were close. I was pretty sure I even heard Billy laugh, which was something I wasn’t sure he was capable of, especially after how intense he’d been with me.
I lay there quietly listening to their muffled voices, hoping I might catch a bit of whatever they were saying, but sadly, that didn’t happen. They spoke for about twenty or thirty minutes, and then, after a door opened and closed, the house fell completely silent.
I was starting to worry that Billy had disappeared on me when suddenly I heard pots and pans clanging together. The water turned on and was followed by the sound of more banging and clanking. The commotion continued for several minutes, and then, the bedroom door eased open and Billy quietly stepped into the room.
“You awake?”
“Hm-hmm, I am.”
“I made dinner.” Concern marked his handsome face as he asked, “You think you could eat a bite?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“I can bring you a plate in here, or I could move you to the sofa.”
“Oh, umm...” As much as I didn’t want to move, I thought that seeing a bit more of his home might help me get a better feel for him, so I replied, “The sofa would be good.”