Omerta- Book I (Winner of the 2015 People's Choice Award)

2) Candy Packs a Punch

“We need to talk,” I managed to get out evenly, emphasizing my last word with a finger pointed at the ground. “Now.”

         

            Neighbor from Hell’s eyebrows crunched together. “About what?” he asked, as if he was unaware of everything that had occurred the night before. His eyes were two heavy, shadowy weights on me. “There shouldn’t be anything left to talk about.”

        I was now unbelievably aware of the knife I stuck in the waistband of my underwear, like a cold lick of protection against my skin. You should have never left your apartment, I thought.

        Maybe it was the sudden flash of anger in his eyes, or the way his jaw clenched together, but I knew he was about to snap. I started to take a step back from his door, when Neighbor from Hell lunged forward and grabbed me by the pullover sweater, hauling me inside his apartment. He slammed the door shut and tossed me like a rag doll against the front door, pinning me there with his body.

        “Who the fuck did you tell?” he barked out, face inches from mine. I was too stunned too move, too stunned to take out my knife and protect myself. I was inside of the killer’s home. I was inside of the killer’s freaking home! “Who the fuck did you tell?” Neighbor from Hell repeated. “ANSWER ME!”

        “I---I.” My heart was an orchestra in my ears. His smell was intoxicating: sweat and some sort of pricey cologne. “I didn’t—“

        “Then why are you here?” His open palm slammed against the door, inches away from my head. “Don’t lie to me, candy! Who did you squeal too? Was it your mother? Father? A sibling?” Suddenly, we were nose to nose. “So help you God, if you called the God damn police on me—!”

        “I didn’t tell anyone!” I cried out, tears brimming my eyes. “I didn’t tell anyone, I swear! I couldn’t! I was too afraid, and—and confused! I mean, did you have to bring sex into this? I’m at a very hormonal stage in my life! I shouldn’t be conflicted about helping a criminal get away with murder!”

         It’s amazing what you blurt out when an insanely hot criminal is face-to-face with you.

        He ignored my outburst. “Why did you come here, candy, huh?” He shook me once, startling me. “Why haven’t you left this building, like a smart girl? Are you tryin’ to snoop around? You work for someone I should know about, sweetheart?”   

            “I j-just wanted to talk to y-y-you about it,” I stuttered out. “I d-d-didn’t—“

        “Don’t lie to me!” He dragged me into his kitchen, and I caught a glimpse of the expensive furniture in his living room, numerous fancy cooking appliances. “You’re going to tell me who you work for, candy, or I’m going to cut it out of you. Understand?”

        I don’t know why I hadn’t done it until then, but when eyes honed in a set of massive steak knives, I let out a blood-curdling scream. My neighbor threw a large hand over my mouth, but I bit down on it, hard, and kicked back with all my weight, nailing him right in the genitals.

            “Ooof!” He let go of me and fell to his knees. “Cheap shot!” he gasped out, clutching himself. “Jesus, Christ, I think you broke someth—ow! Damn it, candy!”

            “I’m sorry!” I blurted, and my niceness got the best of me. As I stood there, staring in horror at the hurt man on the floor, he had put on a big show and lunged for me with a growl.

        “I’LL KILL YOU!”

         I stumbled back with a scream, grabbing a plate out of the sink and swung outwards, nailing my gorgeous in the head.  SMASH! The plate broke on his skull. It was as if fly had hit him and he shook it off, Neighbor from Hell kept coming at me, so I grabbed another plate and—SMASH!

        This time, Neighbor from Hell stumbled back a little bit eyes crossing, before he fell backwards, hitting the expensive wooden floors with a loud thump.

        I stared at my gorgeous neighbor for the longest time, expecting him to rise upwards onto his feet or something and attack me again. Instead, he remained as still as death. Cautiously, I took out the knife from my clothes and knelt down on the floor, giving his stubbly cheek a soft tap.

        I let out another shriek when his eyes fluttered slightly open.

            “Omertà,” the beautiful man muttered, and then his head rolled to the side and he went unconscious.

           

            It was going to be a long night.