To Heaven and Hell

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Eden

My foot taps impatiently on the ground as I wait for Luca. I have been here for over ten minutes now, and I am beyond pissed off. I swear if he stands me up, I'm going to kill him. I will, with my bare hands if I have to--

I spot his red hair as he strolls around from the side of the building. "What the hell Luca? Where were you? You were supposed to meet me here about"--I check my watch--"seventeen minutes ago. What the fuck?"

He stops in front of me grabbing my arms. "Shh, no shouting. I'm here now, aren't I?"

I look up at him, pressing my lips into a thin line. "What was so important that you had to keep me waiting? I should be your first priority." My voice starts to shake toward the end, but if he notices, he doesn't let on.

A smirk plays across his face as he glances back in the direction he came from. "I was spying. I had a little...hypothesis and I wanted to see if it was true." His arms slide around me and pulls me close. He keeps me pressed against him; he bends down so our foreheads touch. "Besides, I wouldn't stand you up. You're mine, and no one else can have you."

"I can't tell if that was supposed to be a compliment or not."

"Trust me," he winks, "it was."

**

Luca pulls me closer to him, his arm wrapped tightly around my waist as we walk down the street. I feel almost content. Almost. I just feel anxious. Something isn't right. And I can tell that Luca knows that I feel this way too. Judging by his silence and his nervous tapping fingers at my waist, he is waiting for me to speak first. But I have nothing to say. All I have is an uneasy feeling. Nothing has happened. Yet.

But as usual the pattern will continue, as it has this week. I spoke too soon.

Aspen's new whore comes out of a shop on the street, and her eyes lock onto mine. She starts toward me, her gaze not breaking from mine. I stop walking and Luca looks slightly alarmed. Andromeda stops right in front of me, and I see Aspen just over her shoulder, coming up behind her.

"You were in charge of the newbies this week, weren't you Eden?" Her eye brow raises up as she stares me down. She is older than me, and has done worse, but I have been here longer. I have the upper hand here.

I cross my arms and glare back. "Does it really matter? Why do you want to know?" She is half a head taller than me so I have to look up at her. I should have worn higher heels.

Her tongue runs across her bottom lip. "You brought Nix in, didn't you? You must have, you were the one working the gates." She shakes her head. "She should be dead. She shouldn't be here. Why is she here?" She looks at the ground, her fist clenching and unclenching. Then her muttering stops, and she looks up at Luca. "How's it going?"

"Same as always Andi." Luca's hand squeezes my waist to assure me that it's nothing. "Now if you don't mind, I would like to get dinner before all hell breaks loose." Luca pulls me past her.

"You think you are such a comedian," I look up at him.

He laughs. "I try."

We keep walking, but I can't help but glance over my shoulder. And I see Andi still staring at me.

Luca

I reach out to grab Eden's hand and she flinches. I've noticed it before. I blame it on my temper, it's frightening really. It's not like I've done anything. To her at least.

"The hell is that?" I say.

"What?" She does the thing where she squints her eyes. It reads ask me again, I dare you. She may do this but I don't like the sign it have me. I reach back again.