AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I grunted, trying to pull out of his hold. Through the haze of panic, I remembered this particular lesson with Romero. Though his arms had felt like steel around me, it hadn’t filled me with the same level of terror I felt now. I lifted my foot and drove it down on Jared’s as hard as I could.
Hissing, he shoved me forward, causing me to trip. I righted myself. Brian stepped away from me, features twisted with disdain.
“What, you only spread your legs for your stepdaddy?” Jared sneered. One of his eyes was bloodshot, the skin around it beginning to purple and swelling fast.
My teeth ground together, irrational anger burning hot in my veins. I lunged for him, winding my fist back a split second before throwing it into his smug face. This time I hit his mouth, feeling the skin of his lip split under my knuckles. Blood gushed from the wound and he fell onto his ass, screaming like a little bitch.
My lip curled in disgust as I shook out my throbbing hand.
Brian rushed behind Jared, pulling him up. “Come on, man, this bitch is just as fucking crazy as her slut mom.” But Jared’s gaze remained fixed on me the whole way out. His face was battered, and my skull ached just recalling the hit to my head. I rubbed the tender part of my scalp and winced.
I turned toward the exit and pushed through the rest of the bags, deciding to take the steps instead of the slide. A dark figure stepped out from behind a cluster of bags and sent me to a stop, my stomach dropping.
Romero’s gaze was hard. For a moment, I thought he was angry with me. Until he spoke. “You handled that well, given the circumstances, but you need to be faster at delivering the punches.”
My heart fluttered at his praise. Then my insides twisted into a knot. Tears burned my eyes. “You saw. You let them attack me and didn’t do a fucking thing.”
I looked away, shaking my head as I started for the stairs. He snapped an arm out in front of me. “I fully intended to step in if you couldn’t handle it, Julietta,” he murmured. “It took every bit of my restraint not to snap their bones one by one. But this is why I’ve been training you. Better I’d been standing by if you needed it than for them to pull this shit somewhere you’d be completely alone.”
He had a point, I knew. But if he’d stepped in, they probably would have shit their pants. Romero was a big, intimidating man. Now, however, they might back off, knowing I was semi-decent at defending myself.
“At what point would you have stepped in? After they broke a bone? When they managed to knock me out?” I couldn’t keep the bite from my voice, and Romero’s eyes flashed in response.
“I won’t always be there to fight your battles, Julietta. It pains me to say that, but it’s true. By letting you draw fear from them on your own, they’ll be less likely to try something so foolish again.”
“Or they’ll just bring more of their friends to jump me next time,” I quipped.
Romero’s lips quirked to one side. “Men can always be counted on to protect their pride above all else. If their friends knew you were able to fight off the both of them, it would wound their fragile egos.” He stepped closer, pulling something from the inside pocket of his suit. A small, carved switchblade with small script down the center sat in his outstretched palm. “I should have given this to you sooner. It’s a worst-case tool, you understand?”
I took the knife, inspecting the elegant font that read: Sé valiente, Julietta.
Be brave, Julietta.
I flicked the blade out with ease and couldn’t stop my lips from curling up. My eyes lifted to his.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“We’ll train harder, starting tomorrow. I’ll teach you the best knife techniques, including how to turn a blade pointed on you back on your opponent.”
I nodded, my stomach flipping at the thought of more training sessions.
His lips twitched. “How’s your head?” He brought his knuckle beneath my chin and tilted my head to the side to examine it.
I sighed. “Fine, I think. I heard those fried cinnamon things can cure most injuries.”
Romero blinked, processing my joke. “Funnel cakes?”
“Yeah,” I answered with a laugh.
His hand dropped and he snorted a laugh. “I think I can arrange that.”
Chapter Eleven
JULIETTA
The alarm on my phone blared far too soon. I whipped from my back to my side, shooting daggers at the offending piece of technology. It was Saturday, but I needed to walk to the bank as early as possible to be there before noon. I shucked off the blanket and stood to get dressed. Deciding it was unwise to cart around ten thousand dollars in cash in my backpack, I left without checking my hiding spot.
When I started down the stairs with my backpack slung over a shoulder, I paused, hearing the sounds of bacon frying in a pan and the clink of dishware. My eyes went wide.
