Guarding Antonia Read online

  He slid into bed and pulled Antonia into his arms, curling his body around her before closing his eyes. Everything in this moment was right in his world.

  The dream came again, the one where Antonia was captured and had a gun held to her head. Only this time he managed to wake himself up before the gun was fired.

  Antonia still lay in his arms, sleeping. Safe. No gun to her head. No faceless guys holding her captive.

  He scrubbed a hand down his face. In all his time, with everything he’d seen, he’d never had nightmares about people he cared for.

  It was time he faced the facts. He cared more for Antonia than than any of his past relationships and those feelings had started the second she sidled up to the roulette table. He’d been down to his last fifty bucks and was prepared to call it a night, then he’d looked up and had seen her standing next to him. Her dark hair was curled around her shoulders. She wore a sexy black strapless dress that hugged all her curves. She smiled at him, it hit him fair and square in the chest and his dick hardened against the zipper of his trousers. When she’d said, in her sultry tones, to put it on thirteen, her favorite number, he didn’t give it a second thought and placed his own last chip on the number. Thirteen had come up and his winning streak began so he’d kept her close, which wasn’t difficult as she hadn’t seemed to want to move away from him.

  The idea of marrying her may have been a spur of the moment idea, but he’d been well aware of what he was doing and what he was asking of Antonia. He didn’t regret his decision then, and he didn’t regret it now.

  What did Antonia feel though?

  Last night she’d said she wanted it all, but did that mean she only wanted his body, or did she want to make their marriage real?

  Was the possible threat hanging over her head the reason she wanted to sleep with him or was it because she finally faced her feelings for him?

  Fuck, he needed to stop this merry-go-round of thoughts before he went insane. Sliding away from Antonia, and making sure he didn’t wake her, he reached down and grabbed his jeans, pulling them on as he exited the bedroom.

  He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. Looking out the window, the early morning fingers of dawn were stretching across the courtyard. This was where Antonia was standing when she witnessed the murder. The area was still shadowed so he couldn’t see if there was still evidence of the crime.

  Warm arms slid around his waist. “Why are you up so early?”

  He put the bottle down and stared out the window for a few seconds more. Did she know how having her seek him out made him feel? Probably not, as he was only now coming to the conclusion of how important Antonia was to him. Like her, he’d denied it for so long it had become second nature to him.

  He turned and hooked his arms loosely around her waist. “Question is, why are you up so early?”

  He lowered his lips to hers and pulled her tight against him. His cock reacted immediately to her closeness. Her nails dug into his back and he welcomed the sting of pain. He needed the closeness they’d shared the previous evening again. Bending his knees, he scooped her up in his arms and strode back to her bedroom.

  Once they got over the threshold he slid her down his body, her silky robe bunching between them.

  “I could get used to this,” Antonia murmured as she reached for his waistband and pulled his zipper down. His hard cock sprung out and he inhaled deeply when her fingers closed over him.

  “I could get used to this,” he responded when she went to her knees, anticipation firing through him waiting for the second her mouth took him in. He groaned when his wish came true.

  His fingers entwined in her hair, holding her head in place. Her fingers squeezed the base of his cock as her tongue swirled over his tip. Closing his eyes, he gave himself over to the sensations of her fingers stroking and squeezing him while her tongue laved his engorged flesh. He was lost in the magic her tongue was creating, and willed himself to keep it together so he didn’t lose his load in her mouth.

  As much as he loved what she was doing to him, he wanted to sink into her body. Reaching down he pulled her away from him. His lips found hers with unerring accuracy and he frog marched them back to her bed. He opened her robe, delighted to see her naked body.

  “God, you’re so beautiful, T,” he said as he leaned down and took a nipple in his mouth.

  Everything about them was right. He would do whatever needed to keep her right by his side.

  Forever.

  The sun filtered through her blinds when Antonia opened her eyes. Thank God, it was Friday and all she had to do was get through the work day then she’d have the weekend to look forward to. She stretched, her body aching in all the right places, reminding her just what she and Robot got up to during the night. She couldn’t believe he had come to see her on his return.

  Why had he done that? Not that she was complaining, but why didn’t he go home? She would’ve thought he’d be anxious to sleep in his own bed.

  She sat up, holding the sheet against her naked body. The room was empty, the only sign of his presence was the dent in the pillow beside her.

  Grabbing up her robe, she tied the sash as she walked out the door. “Robot? Are you here?”

  Surely, he wouldn’t have left her, not after coming to her place in the middle of the night. The shower wasn’t running so he wasn’t there. Disappointment flowed through her when she found the kitchen was empty. Had he just come to her in the middle of the night to slake his need? Why had she thought their relationship was changing? Just because she wanted it to happen, didn’t mean Robot felt the same way.

  She couldn’t believe he’d actually upped and left her while she was sleeping. No sooner had she finished the thought, her front door opened and the man in question stepped through, drink carrier in one hand and a brown carrier bag looped over his other hand.

  “Where the hell did you go?” She blurted out, the second he closed the door. Relief flowed through her even though she was annoyed she’d woken up and he hadn’t been there.

  “Good morning to you too, T. And I would’ve thought it was obvious—I got us breakfast” The corners of his mouth lifted as if he was amused with her affront.

  “You could’ve at least left a note.” She grumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her stomach rumbled as the aroma from the bag he carried reached her.

  He placed the drinks and bag on her side table, before walking over to her. He cupped her chin. “I’m sorry I didn’t leave a note. I thought I’d be back before you woke up.” He dropped a soft kiss on her lips. “Now you need to eat then get ready. You’ve got to work today.”

  “Tell me something I don’t already know,” she grumbled and pulled away from his touch. If she didn’t, she’d drag him back to her bedroom and have her wicked way with him.

  He chuckled as he collected the items again and headed toward her kitchen. As he walked past, she stayed right where she ewas and admired the fit of his jeans around his ass. The ass she’d finally been able to sink her fingers into.

  “What the fuck is this,” he demanded and walked back into her line of vision. In his left hand was the note she’d received the previous day.

  Oh shit.

  What had she been thinking leaving it in the middle of her kitchen table? Well, she hadn’t expected a midnight visit from Robot. That’s for sure.

  She straightened her spine and looked him head on. No way was she going to back down from him. “I think it’s pretty obvious what it is.”

  The paper crumpled in his hand as he strode toward her. “And when did this lovely piece of mail arrive? I know for damn sure you haven’t told Tex about it either. Jesus, Antonia don’t you know how fucking serious this is?”

  Now her own anger was spiking. He had no right to speak to her like that, regardless of the fact that, in the eyes of the law, they’re a married couple. Or that they’d spent the night together. “Of course, I know how serious it is. I’m the one who w
itnessed a murder. I’m the one who received threatening phone calls and now threatening letters. Not you. So how about you back off with the over protective Navy SEAL shit.”

  “I will not back off. This is who I am and how I do things.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “I’m going to call Tex.

  He stormed out of the room, the slamming of her front door echoed through the apartment.

  “Well, that went well.” She muttered as pulled one of the cups out of the cupholder. Taking a sip of the brew the warm liquid flowed through her. Robot’s reaction shouldn’t have surprised her. His unexpected arrival at her apartment had made her forget all about the note for a few hours.

  She could just imagine the conversation going on between Robot and Tex right now. Both men would be angry at her for not calling them straightaway. Tex would’ve blown off her concern at calling too late. She wondered if the man actually slept. Or if he was ever off the clock. From what she knew he worked from home, there was no knocking off at five-thirty and walking out an office building for Tex.

  Robot was the same, never totally off the job, always waiting for the phone call to come that could send them away without much notice. Now, she’d given Robot something else to worry about, when he didn’t need. Antonia had no idea what the mission he’d just been on had been like. He was probably still decompressing after everything he’d seen and the last thing he expected when he came to her was to find a threatening note.

  Why had she left it on the table? Why hadn’t she thrown it away. Or burned it even. Out of sight out of mind and Robot would never have known about it.

  Sometimes she wondered how different her life would be if Erin and Carlos had never reunited. She never would’ve seen Robot again and got reacquainted with him.

  If she didn’t know him, he wouldn’t be on the phone now to Tex talking about this situation.

  And if you didn’t know him, you’d be facing this all by yourself and you’d be at the mercy of cops who had numerous other cases to deal with.

  A shiver wracked her body and she wrapped her arms around herself at the truth of her inner thoughts. Alternatively, if her life hadn’t taken the road it had, she wouldn’t have witnessed the murder and wouldn’t be in this situation.

  She’d still be in New York. And, yeah, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t have witnessed some other nasty crime if she’d stayed there.

  “Oh my God. Just stop it Antonia.” She practically yelled the words to the empty apartment. Her heart beat erratically against her chest and her breaths came in short, sharp bursts. Was she having some sort of panic attack? Life hadn’t been kind to her in Virginia. But she was stronger than this. Nope, she wasn’t losing her mind.

  “Stop what?”

  Of course, he’d return when she was going through a small mental breakdown. “Nothing. It’s nothing. Everything’s great.”

  He hands closed over her shoulders and she willed herself to stay a stiff as a statue. Why was he being so nice when ten minutes ago he was so angry?

  Her eyes drifted shut when he kissed the back of her neck softly. His hands now looped loosely around her waist and he tugged her so her back rest against his chest. “I’m sorry, T.”

  This Robot, the man who was sweet and gentle, was so hard to resist. Yet she needed to. After last night, hell the past two weeks, she’d been battling with keeping her heart closed off from allowing Robot in. Her family history proved that relationships didn’t work out for the Rocca family. She had to remember that.

  Yet, she was failing miserably at it. Last night, the way she’d been so happy to see him, had shown her she’d fallen in love with her Vegas husband and that scared the crap out of her.

  Chapter 10

  Robot looked around the group of men seated at his dining room table. “You there, Tex?”

  “Yep. Hey guys.”

  A chorus of ‘heys’ went around the table.

  “Right, let’s get started,” Robot said before anyone had a chance to ask questions. He wanted this meeting over and done so he could get back to Antonia. After their argument this morning, she’d accepted his apology then got ready for work. He’d followed her there then went back to his place to arrange this meeting.

  Antonia was safe at work. Her building had good security and he made her promise she wouldn’t leave the office by herself. She rolled her eyes and started to protest until he’d told her about the car Tex had seen lurking around her work place. He hated seeing her face go pale and fear creep into her eyes, but she needed to know exactly how much the situation had escalated.

  “Why are we here, Robot, and why is Tex on the phone?” Italy asked. “Not that we don’t like talking you, Tex, but we just got back last night. I wanted to spend time with Erin and Kieran—”

  “I know,” Robot jumped in. “And I wouldn’t have called you guys here if it wasn’t important. Antonia’s in danger.”

  Immediately, the five men at the table sat up straight and leaned forward. “What the hell, Robot? What’s going on?” This was from Italy. His concern was understandable seeing as, out of all of them, he’d known Antonia the longest.

  “I’ll let Tex explain. Go ahead, Tex.”

  “Right, thanks Robot. Here’s what we know so far. The person who killed the woman at Antonia’s complex is still at large and the police don’t have anything concrete to go on, other than identifying the woman and speaking to her family. Even Antonia’s statement and brief description haven’t helped. It’s like this guy’s disappeared.”

  “But I’m guessing he hasn’t?” asked T-Rex.

  “No. The day you guys left, Antonia received a phone call. All I know is the guy said for her to watch out. Did she mention anything more to you about it, Robot?”

  “Negative, all she said was that she’d received threatening calls. But we were arguing at the time so any chance of her giving me any information about it freely was slim.”

  “Fuck, Robot, is arguing all you and Antonia do?” This came from Red. “You guys have a weird ass type of relationship.”

  The last thing Robot wanted to do was get into the ins and outs of his and Antonia’s relationship. Admittedly, they had a lot to work out, but he wasn’t going to walk away from her.

  Not now.

  Not ever.

  “We’re not here to discuss our relationship. Go on, Tex.”

  “Right, she received a call. I traced it back to a burner phone, but then the lead went cold, which pisses me off, because usually I can find anything. My thinking is, this has to be gang related. That said, the deceased woman’s family believe she wasn’t involved with anyone from a gang.”

  “We all know how threatening these guys can be. She was probably scared shitless to say anything to anyone in her family,” Cowboy commented.

  “More than likely. Or her family knows and are scared they’re going to come after them so they’re keeping their mouths shut.” The sound of Tex clicking away on a keyboard sounded over the line, before continuing. “I’ve had Antonia’s place under surveillance and the past four days a car has been lurking around the place during the day. Parks in different places each time.”

  “When she’s not there?” Joker asked. “That makes no sense.”

  “You’re right, Joker. From what I’ve been able to observe they leave about an hour after Antonia arrives home. I agree their actions don’t make any sense. The bastards are smart though. They park in different places and in a way that makes getting eyes on the plates impossible. I’ve tried every possible camera angle, zoomed in as far as possible and still nothing. Initially, I thought it was a person visiting someone in the complex, but no one gets out of the car and it’s parked there for over eight hours.”

  Robot sat back and mulled over what Tex said. When they’d left this morning, he hadn’t noticed the car and he’d looked at every vehicle they passed. “Is it there now, Tex?”

  “Let me check. While I do that, why don’t you tell them about the letter.”

  Ro
bot reached into his back pocket and pulled out the piece of paper. He unfolded it and placed it in the middle of the table. “She read it yesterday and said it wasn’t postmarked so it had to be hand delivered.”

  The guys looked at the letter, fists clenching and lips thinning in anger even more as they each read the words for themselves. “This is bullshit, Robot. We can’t let anything happen to Antonia again.” This came from T-Rex. A few months ago, T-Rex and Brielle had been captured from her apartment building, so Robot could understand the underlying venom in T-Rex’s tone.

  “That’s why we’re all here—to make sure nothing happens to her.”

  “The car’s not there, Robot.” Tex’s tinny voice boomed around the room.

  Robot pushed away from the table and stood. Immediately his lower back began to itch. A signal when shit was about to hit the fan during a mission. “What the fuck? This is making no fucking sense at all. A car sits outside her place all day. No one gets in and out, yet a note is put in Antonia’s mailbox at her apartment. Now you’re saying the car’s not there? Something’s not right.”

  “Robot?”

  The seriousness of Tex’s tone didn’t abate his intuition, it magnified it a hundred percent. “Yeah, Tex?”

  “The car’s outside her work.”

  Robot’s heart lurched to his stomach. “Fuck, I should’ve stayed with her. Kept a watch on her. What was I thinking?”

  A hand landed on his shoulder and he looked up to see that Italy was beside him. His friend’s gaze intense but resolved. “She’s going to be fine. Can you get eyes on her in the building Tex?”

  Adrenaline pumped through Robot’s veins, he wanted to rush out the door, jump in his car and go to Antonia. The need to see her and know she was safe threatened to overwhelm his normally cool head. He’d never felt this way before and now he fully understood everything Italy and Joker had gone through when their women had been taken.