Dawn Evans

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"I- I know!" I heard a familiar voice shout into a whisper, waking me from my sleep. It was still dark out and I laid there with my eyes shut trying to eavesdrop on his conversation.

"Dad, I'm trying." he said furiously before his voice became apologetic as he murmured, "Yes sir, I understand."

Talk about daddy issues.

Your dad literally sold you for a couple grand.

Oh right, I forgot.

My phone started ringing and I felt his stare. I heard his footsteps getting closer and closer until I felt him hovering over me. "You gonna get that?" He mocked.

He knew I was awake? He knew I was listening to him?

I sat up, rolling my eyes before I grabbed my purse to get my phone. I read the number that was on the screen and immediately answered.

"The seven keywords, Ms. Evans?" A gruff voice said through the cell.

"Must I live loving enemies rewarding sacrifice," I said as I got up from the bed, walking past Antonio and into his bathroom, shutting the door behind me.

"We're connecting you to Anne Miller, ma'am." The voice said.

Anne Miller was at the bottom of the food chain when it came to holding power in the mafia. She had two brothers and three sisters who all came ahead of her. So, they kept her at the desk to assign me and others like me, people to kill.

"Agent one-seventeen?" She asked rhetorically.

I still answered, "Yes ma'am."

"Your mission this week is to eliminate the chief executive officer of H8 Technologies, Gregory Hanes."  

I was once assigned this same mission about two months ago, but Hanes and The Millers allied. So, my mission was terminated. If they wanted Hanes executed it either meant that he wanted an out or he fucked up. Either way, I had to kill him.

"Understood," I said.

"I want this done by Saturday," she responded before ending the call.

I looked at the time and date that appeared across my phone screen.

Tuesday, 3:47 A.M.

I opened the bathroom door to find Antonio standing on the other side of the room shirtless. "Who was that?" he asked.

I didn't answer his question. I was too busy staring at the tattoos that ran along his chest and down his triceps. My eyes widened when I looked down to find a six-pack and veins that popped out of each of his forearms.

"Dawn?" He said impatiently. He was angry.

"Yes?"

"Who was that?" He repeated.

I don't know what he thought I owed him, but I was sure that I didn't agree to giving him any explanations.

I walked back over to the bed, sliding my phone back into my bag.

He followed me and collapsed onto the bed, forming a diagonal line with his body.

"Move," I said seriously.

He chuckled as if my sleep was a game to him.

"Who were you speaking to on the phone?" He asked again with a smirk.

I laid down vertically on the bed resting my feet on his tattooed chest.

"Who were you speaking to on the phone?" I copied him.

Are you dumb? His dad! Remember, daddy issues?

I quickly remembered that he was talking to his father and I facepalmed myself.

Antonio chuckled and unexpectedly grabbed my leg pulling me towards him as he got on top of me, holding all of his weight up with his available hand, while his other hand was placed on my lower back.

"Let me take you out," he said.

This is weird...

"I'm in your bed right now. What else do you want from me?" I joked.

"You know what I mean. A movie, restaurant, things normal people do." He said emphasizing the word 'normal' as if I was abnormal.

I didn't have time for boys in my life. But Antonio was different, he made me want to make time.

I grinned slightly. "So, tomorrow?" He asked.

"I can't this week," I told him, remembering that I had a mission.

"Why not?" He asked me leaning in so close that his lips were almost touching mines.

I pushed him off of me and he rolled onto his back. I got on top of him and leaned to his ear and whispered seductively, "Take me home."

I got off of him and walked towards his walk-in closet. I pulled out a blue hoodie that would fit like a dress on me and walked back out smiling brightly, silently asking if I could wear his clothes.

He nodded nonchalantly as he grabbed a shirt off of the sofa and put it over his torso.

I was about to change my clothes before I remembered Antonio was still in here. So, I quickly walked back into the closet.

"How do you think you got into that hoodie?" He yelled so that I could hear.

He was implying that he'd already seen me. I quickly tossed the red hoodie off and replaced it with the blue. Then I stormed out of the closet and glared at him.

He realized my anger and quickly said, "I'm just joking." He chuckled, but I still didn't believe him. I squinted my eyes trying to find any signs of deceptions.

If he didn't change my clothes, then who else could have?

It's almost like he read my mind, "I had Mrs. Gulgar change you. If you don't believe me, I can call her up here." He said.

"Who's Mrs. Gulgar?" I asked. Honestly, it didn't matter who she was. I was insecure about my body and I didn't want anyone to see me. Not a man, not a woman, not my mother, not anyone.

"She's my maid." He said.

"A maid?!" I asked in shock. He nodded casually.

Who is this guy?

"Why do you have a maid? How do you have this big ass house? Where are your parents? Who pays the-" He cut me off.

"One question at a time." He said as he sat on the sofa.

I sat next to him and we locked eyes for the seventieth time since we've met, "Call Mrs. Gulgar." I demanded, breaking our stare as I rolled my eyes.

I honestly didn't care how he got his money, we all had to get it somehow and I definitely didn't care about his family because family sucked.

He didn't respond. Instead, he leaned across the coffee table that sat between two sofas and grabbed a remote. The remote had multiple different colors and he pressed a red button that was placed on the top left-hand side of it.

I instantly heard loud footsteps coming towards the door. "Am I in trouble, sir?" A woman said as she stood directly in front of Antonio, looking up at him.

"You will be if my house isn't cleaned by dawn." He said.

"Be nice," I said as I walked over, extending my hand, expecting her to shake it.

Be nice? Well, you're one to talk.

She turned to me and smiled brightly pulling me into a bear hug.

I patted her back repeatedly until she finally released me from her tight grip. I turned to look at Antonio and he stood there smirking.

I took a step back and in front of me, I saw a chunky, pale, middle-aged woman.

"Hi, I'm Loui Gulgar!" She said in excitement.

"Hi, I'm-" I was cut off by the sound of her voice.

"Ms. Evans. It's nice to officially meet you," she said. I'm assuming she was referring to her seeing me in nothing but panties and a bra.

"You can call me Dawn," I said.

I mean you've seen me naked, might as well.

"It's nice to meet you too," I told her.

"Where could you be going this early?" She asked me as she glanced at my attire.

I didn't respond. I hated questions.

"Well, I can prepare breakfast." She said before I gave her a blank stare.

Or I can cut out your talkative tongue and feed it to you.

I forgot how much I hated people. Being with Antonio made me forget things about myself that other people reminded me of constantly.

Antonio must have felt me getting annoyed because he quickly said, "Loui, finish cleaning up. We'll be down."

She walked out of the room and Antonio shut the door behind her. "You alright?" He asked.

I rolled my eyes, "Can you take me home?" I responded.

"Dawn, when I said I'll drop you off in the morning, I meant at sixish-sevenish."

"I have to take care of some things," I told him.

"Some things?" He questioned.

"Yes," I said blankly.

Again with him expecting explanations for everything I do in my life. I didn't even know him!

"So, are you gonna take me home or am I going to have to walk?" I asked. "Alone in the dark," I added.

He stared at me blankly before he finally grabbed his keys from the coffee table and walked out of his room and downstairs.

After sliding into my sneakers and grabbing my bag, I gladly followed.