DECEPTION | MAFIA ROMANCE | SMUT

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Loud arguments belted out of seventy-nine, a war of hurtful words between a man and a woman. Doors slammed, objects shattered and shrieking crescendoed. A domestic dispute as a result of binge drinking, it would seem.

The top floor is a stark contrast to the lobby. I thought the skyscraper was a rare treasure until rowdy tenants exposed themselves. Trust my brother to align himself with craziness. I doubt he slept without disturbance here.

Another bang, smash, wallop echoed in flat seventy-nine, followed by an explosive burst of profanities and incoherencies. The man, whoever he may be, threatened to leave his wife and take their children with him. Her revolting, stomach-churning response is unutterable.

Merry Christmas, I thought, as the scent of marijuana crawled beneath the door and whirled to my nose. Good Lord. I will be stoned in no time. Kush had never smelt so strong, so good.

Predicting more arguments or a mass supply of throwing knives, I stared at the door numbered eighty with an anticipatory breath. I heard indistinct conversations inside, a combination of men and women.

This moment, circumvented by fear and anxiety, is easily attainable. I could choose the easy option, free of explanations and responsibilities, turn around, walk back to the car and vanish into the night. Or, I can embark on the hard path and face the consequences of my actions once and for all.

Giving my head an imperceptible shake to unload disconcerting thoughts, I brushed a strand of hair out of my eye, raised my fist hesitantly and rapped the door with whitened knuckles.

There is no going back now.

Although laughter escalated inside the flat, as if people were too preoccupied to hear someone knocking on the door, I detected one set of footsteps rushing to greet an unexpected visitor.

When the lock clicked out of place, and the door slowly creaked open, I drew in a ragged breath and prepared myself for the worst.

My twin loved me with every molecule in his body. It's been us against everything and anything since we entered the world together. But after months of rejection, he earned the right to be angry, to berate me and slam the door in my face.

However, Benjamin is not the person to meet and greet. Ethan, wearing a gaudy Christmas jumper and over-elaborate reindeer antlers, is by the threshold. His jaw quite literally hit the floor when our eyes met. He stared penetratingly, with brows elevated and lips compressed.

I smiled at him.

"Emma?" Placing the beer bottle on the half-stocked bookshelf in the flat, he stepped into the hallway, wary at first, dodged the presents on the floor and approached me. "You are here."

My face is ablush with apprehension.

"Who is here?" The door opened wider to reveal fiery red hair and sky-blue eyes. Quinn looked at him, then shot me a double take. "Emma?"

I gave her a meek wave.

"Oh, God." Quinn, in a beautiful, sequinned dress and high-heeled shoes, put a hand to her mouth. "It's really you."

My lips quivered. "Can you make room for one more?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Quinn squealed, throwing herself at me for a loving hug. I should have been prepared for the unbreathable squeeze. Her arms strangled the life out of me. "I missed you so much."

Staring at the ceiling, I blinked back the tears promising to slide down my cheeks, patting her back with the palm of my hand. "I thought you'd be mad at me."

"How can I be mad?" Her head tilted back so that she could look at me. "You are my best friend."

And I abandoned you. "I'm so sorry."