Two Kings

Chapter 43

No sooner does Harper leave the bedroom, Dom enters. He stands near the door in a stance, legs spread, and arms folded across his chest as if he's ready to stay in that spot all night.

"What are you doing in here?" I ask.

"Monitoring you, as Grey asked me to do."

I throw my arms out at my sides. "Can't I have some fucking peace to grieve for the man I love and lost tonight?"

He does a weird eye roll and something in me fires up and I grab the vase from the dresser and hurl it at him. He doesn't move as it hits his forearm, falling onto his boots without breaking.

"Was that meant to hurt?" He grins. Suddenly, he boots the vase across the room and into the wall where it hits with a loud thump, ceramic falling into multiple places over the carpet.

My heart beats up and I squeeze my fists shut tight. I don't want him in here and I will fight until he leaves. "Get the fuck out, Dom, before I throw something else at you!"

He still doesn't move, and about ten seconds later, his phone pings with a message. He pulls it from his shirt pocket and reads before he looks at me. 

"That was Grey-he said to leave you be. So, for that reason alone, I'll go." He slips the phone into his pocket again and grins. "But not because you want me to."

Bastard!

Once he exits the room, I grab the black chair from the dresser and drag it across the white carpet to block the door. As I'm fixing the back of the chair under the handle, a sudden tap-tap startles me, making me jump. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" I yell.

The handle turns. "Alexis, open up. We need to talk."

It's Grey and at the prospect of him wanting in, I push my weight against the door. "No! You're the main reason I'm barricading the door. So stay away from me, psycho!"

 I scan for something to protect myself but find nothing at first glance.

"You think a barricade could keep me out? If I wanted in, nothing could stop me."

"GO AWAY YOU NUT CASE!"

"Baby, you couldn't even fathom the scale of nuts I am for you. Now open the door and stop upsetting yourself any more than you already are. You've had a traumatic night and if you plan on staying pregnant, you need to calm down or you won't be pregnant for long."

"Like you care about me being pregnant. And you don't get to tell me to calm down when you're the reason I'm like this. No sane person could remain calm after being taken from the man they love, only to find out that his insane brother killed him. I'll never be right again after what you've done. Not while I'm under the same roof as Rico's murderer. You've hurt me so much tonight that I don't care what happens to me anymore, just as long you don't touch me before I die."

"Stop talking like that."

"Why, it's true! The only bit of happiness I have is being reunited with Rico. Then I'd never have to worry about seeing you again."

He doesn't respond and I'm not sure why, but I don't care enough to ponder it a second more. I flick the light switch off, hoping they won't see me as I cover my face with my hands and cry.

Within seconds, I'm sitting on the end of the bed and staring at the blackness surrounding me. I can't seem to have a rational thought, let alone consider sleeping. The pain of losing Rico is too much. And the more time that passes, the stronger the urge to be reunited with him becomes.

I'm not sure how I get from one minute to the next, let alone hour to hour while my mind torments me with images of him being gunned down. Eventually, the darkness recedes and light creeps across the white walls to reveal a new day.