Chapter Eighteen
eighteen
Selena
When I get home, the apartment feels too quiet. I throw my purse on the entryway table and flick on the lights.
Then I scream.
Standing in my kitchen is Warren, his pink mask glowing.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I yell out.
He rushes toward me and clamps his hand on my mouth. “Shhh. If you scream, someone will call the police. I’m going to remove my hand, but promise you won’t yell again.”
I nod, and he slowly removes his hand. I take a step back and catch my breath.
“You just scared the shit out of me. Why are you in my apartment?” I ask.
Really, I want to know how he got in here, but that will come later.
“I needed to talk to you, but using the phone isn’t safe right now,” he says. “Can we go sit down and talk?” He motions toward my living room.
I walk to my couch and sit down. Warren goes to the chair in the corner and sits down. It’s weird having him in my house and still wearing his mask. I feel as though we are past the secrecy now.
“Why can’t we use the phones?” I ask once we are both seated.
“Selena, I am going to tell you something, and I need you to promise just to let me say what I need to say. Can you do that?” he asks. Growing frustrated, I sigh, but nod yes. “I am in a really shitty situation right now, and I need your help.”
I narrowed my eyes on him. “Wait, you need my help?”
“You promised you would let me talk,” he huffs.
“Sorry, go ahead,” I say, rolling my eyes.
Warren shakes his head, but continues. “I told you that my world is dangerous. That I’ve done bad things before. Well, for once, I didn’t do anything bad, but I got myself in a situation that could destroy my life. Selena, I don’t just own Shadows. My family is in the mafia, too.”
His words feel like a punch to the stomach. Suddenly, the room feels too small, and I feel claustrophobic. Sweat beads on my forehead as I start to recall everything he’s ever said to me. Then the caller from earlier.
King Mafia.
“What did you do?” I ask. Tears prick at my eyes, and I feel as though I’m on the verge of a panic attack.
Warren crosses the room in a flash, and he kneels in front of me. Taking my hand in his, he forces me to look at him. “Selena, you need to calm down and breathe.”
“How. Can. I. Do. That?” I ask, my words coming out short and clipped.
He squeezes my hand. “Close your eyes and breathe.” He hesitates, and for the first time since I met him, he looks scared. Not movie scared. Real, cellular, the kind that leaks out in sweat and ruins composure.
I do that, but I still feel as though I’m being strangled. I open my eyes, and a tear slides down my cheek. Warren wipes it away with his thumb.
“I can’t calm down. Can you take off your mask? Please.”
I know it’s asking a lot, but if I could just see his face, it might help me relax.
He leans back, and for a moment, I think he’s not going to do it. Then, he slowly removes the mask, and I’m struck by the beautiful face staring back at me.
Sharp jaw, stubble around his mouth, dark eyes, and the most striking features I’ve ever seen. He’s so handsome that I forget my panic, and my breathing starts to return to normal.
He takes my hands in his and squeezes. “Is that better?”
“Yes,” I whisper.
“Do you want me to continue?” he asks.
“Yes.”
“I’ve done unforgivable things, and I know that. I’ve never faced consequences for my actions, but my brothers and I are trying to distance ourselves from that world. We are so close. Shadows is our ticket out of the mafia. But, my Dad asked us to help him with a new client and…”
He pauses and looks away for a moment. It’s almost like he’s ashamed to tell me the rest.
“It’s ok, you can go on,” I assure him.
Warren’s eyes flash to mine, and there’s a genuineness that I see that gives him a softer side. Behind the shell of a monster is someone with a soul.
“Selena, the other night, my brothers and I went to pick up a shipment for our Dad. It was supposed to be our last one, and then we'd be done with the mafia. However, what was delivered was…” he stops and runs one hand through his hair. I can tell this is difficult for him. “It was a dead body. Someone set us up. All we know is that another rival mafia family is trying to take down my dad’s operation. We’ve dealt with this for years from smaller mafia families, but we’ve never been set up like this before.
Whoever did this also tipped off the police, who showed up that night.
My brothers and I were able to escape, but now the police are questioning us.
” He sucks in a deep breath, and his eyes grow darker.
“They think I killed someone,” he says. “But I didn’t. I need you to believe me.”
He stops talking and watches my face. Another tear breaks free, and instantly, I feel myself crying. I try to hold it back, but this is all just so much to take in. Warren gives me a moment, and then when I pull myself together, he asks, “Are you afraid of me?”
I’m not sure why I’m so surprised by his question because any sane person would be. But I’m not.
“No, I’m not afraid of you,” I tell him.
He releases a heavy breath, and then his head falls into my lap. At first, I’m so stunned I didn't know what to do. Then, I gently reach down and begin stroking his hair. I realize that I may not be afraid of him, but he must be afraid of himself.
“Why not?” he asks.
I let out a nervous laugh. “Honestly, I don’t know. From everything you’ve done and told me, I should be. But I think there’s another side to you, Warren.”
He lifts his head and looks at me. “Selena, your opinion of me may change when I tell you the next part,” he says, and I feel my stomach drop.