Page 52 of Eyes Like Angel (Eyes Like Angel #1)

Promptly reaching closer the gap between Eva and me, there was Romano, blocking my way like a fucking wall I’d wish to break with a hammer budging on his ribcage.

If only I could cut his body to pieces, or hacked his dick off and shove it into his mouth, force him to watch his own guts overflow and dusted on a grated dirt, that’d be a sight to behold, or destroy his hands and fingers with a thumbscrew, let them bleed and scar for him to revision his past mistakes, how he ambushed my darling angel.

Wits are essential, I thought, reminded.

Wits are essential to win this war—my mantra I accorded to stimulate and conquer the impossible day and days to come.

Wits are essential to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and she’s my light to my darkest tunnel, and I won’t let someone like him take it away from me.

Romano’s shoulder blades stiffened. “Seriously, dude. I don’t know what the deal is with you and you watching me at the church like a bald eagle, like you fuckin’ own me or something. I do what I want in my break time. I suggest you fuck off.”

Amused by his rant, I tipped my head back, eyeing him gleefully like a rascal.

Ah, I wondered when he shows his true colors.

Holding back my laughter, I leaned in, leveling his petty countenance.

“Careful, you’re at the church,” I began playfully, “if my mom hears this, she’d fire you on the spot.

She doesn’t like filthy sinners eyeballing on woman’s breasts and ass.

Looks like you’re about to…” my eyes flickered to Eva before facing Romano with malice, “commit a heinous crime. Like, you wanted to…murder me. Or…drank your way to trouble.” Then I took an exaggerated, dramatic sniff at him.

“I could smell a shitty alcohol into your mouth. You fucking reek as shit, did you even shower or do you decide to spray with Axe cologne?”

Romano’s nostrils flared, breathing harsher and harsher, like I could see the vein on his head popped outward, his skin gotten redder, reminded me of a bull aiming for a red flag.

Doubted, Romano dipped his head and sighed in defeat, his expression morphed to an uglier expression, his tone darkened for a split second. “Fuck you.”

On the sidelines, Eva watched the scene unfold, never minding the other women and workers and countless homeless people eyeballing us, listlessly munching on today’s breakfast.

“I was only joking, how insensitive of me! I was trying to be friends with you. You know, what’s been hanging and banging,” I claimed, mocking with a cheeky smile and closed lids after a prolonged silence, hands up in the air.

“You’re free to go. Break time’s almost over, anyway. So use your time wisely.”

Romano’s frame shuddered and churned, boiling at the mishaps I’ve purposefully given him.

His fuming was a success.

For now.

Humiliation wasn’t a suitable choice in this moment.

Romano huffed and departed, leaving Eva alone with me, unsure of Eva’s next reaction, depending if she’ll hate me or not—a quiet angelic soul conflicted as she conflicted me, but it’s perfect to a certain degree.

“I’ll see you later, bro ,” I called out to him in a feign pleasantry.

Once he’s gone back to his inner circle of close friends, I rushed over to Eva without making myself too obvious.

“Are you okay, Eva?” I asked earnestly, my head crouched in to hear her answer.

Her plea, her voice—last drop of patience begged.

I begged for discovery, anything from her to appease my appetite.

“I’m…fine,” her voice was shaking.

I hated how she tried to act tough. A weary look on her face was screaming for someone to aid her or to handle Romano’s craving distraction. She could flee, but Romano might not back down regardless of what Eva resolve on.

My brows knitted in concern, still perplexed of the whole ordeal. “Are you sure? I can talk to him, if you—”

“Hey, I’ve been looking all over for you!” a high-pitched feminine voice intruded. Waved her hand up in the air, Amelia—Emily—approached me, without greeting Eva as if she doesn’t exist. “I was actually having a hard time carrying something. Would you mind helping me?”

Rotated my focus on Eva, she’s already gone in a speed of light, and left no trace.

“What are you looking at, Adrian Rivers? I hope you’re not seeing a ghost or an angel,” Emily teased, still in a high-pitched, nice girl tone, her hand reached for my bicep, slithering it light on her fingertips. “I need help with something heavy. My shoulders might break if I carry it longer.”

Eva’s tormented face flashed in my vision.

“I couldn’t. I have to—”

“Come on. Please help me,” she whined, like a newborn puppy, except grating for my sensitive eardrums.

Avoiding her touch, I marched ahead, not minding her calling out my name, wishing I could light up the cigarette, but my mom laid the rules in advance for smokers.

“Sorry, I have other stuff to do,” I told her, monotone. “Get some stuff done. Maybe you should ask Micah. He’s better at carrying heavier boxes.”

“Please!” she begged with puppy mode eyes on.

My thin brow flicked, eyeing her in suspicion.

What the fuck is wrong with her? One minute she’s cheery, the next she acted like she got killed into an accident—boo-boo getting bruised up badly.

Are girls like her really this…fragile? Or was she feigning that? It’s obvious she was. Everywhere I go or step I take, she kept an eye on me intensely, like how a predator kept an eye on a prize—a vicious wolf eyeing on a harmless lamb. Now it felt like I’m being hunted and gutted to pieces.

Ugh, girls, knowing which spot to hit, their egos are easily getting scratched as a tool to benefit them as they please.

The minute a girl’s cries go off, it blared like an alarm system.

And they used it good as they play along.

Mom watched by the great distance, shaking her head, the tiring posture reflected from her sunglasses.

And my dad, well, his unreadable expression in his gaze darted towards me, his only son, heightened the anticipation in its grasp.

I couldn’t breathe; trapped and readied myself from an extension in backlash behind closed doors.

Who knows what they might do next. They can be unpredictable when it benefits them, and toss them like no problem.

Their conflict resolute briskly, if done right.

“Fine, after that, I have to go,” I told her in a flat tone.

“Wonderful!” Emily clapped her hands as she hopped in place, currently wearing heels.

Grunting, I paced ahead. “Where’s the stuff you want me to carry?”

Emily paced faster and shoved the box to me. In my arms, the box was lighter than a feather.

“I can’t do it in my heels. It was, uh, a spur in a moment,” she clarified, stuttering. “I-I mean, you know, cause, I’m a girl. And girls can’t carry heavy stuff. I might break my ankle.”

My eyes averted elsewhere, uninterested.

Fucking ridiculous.

Are girls like Emily this dramatic, portraying as a damsel in distress? At least Eva could carry heavier trays in a total of thirty, despite her scrawny appearance.

If only Eva was under my watch, she wouldn’t be cleaning or following my mother’s orders in order to get a source of income.

“Hey, are you listening? I was telling you about how we could spend some time together to get to know one another,” Emily suggested merrily.

My brows scrunched. “To where?”

Emily chuckled dryly. “Well, my mom wanted us to hang out at the park or something, have a deep conversation or something. Sharing an ice cream or go shopping.”

“Why would I want to shop? There’s nothing much out here,” I said, my tone carried in a hinted bore.

Emily’s brown eyes darted with melancholy, her lips formed a pout, intentionally trying to look chic and adorable, but appeared more like a scary bug. “Are you sure want to do…something else? I mean there’s not much to do in Fort Heaven, anyway.”

“I—”

The speakers boomed as the crowd gathered, with Romano climbed up on stage, my full stomach twisted.

The crowd cheered when they spotted Romano grabbing the mic from my dad, giddied and eccentric, like he was on drugs or something.

Romano took the stage and snatched the megaphone from Dad’s hand.

“Since I’m back in this great town, I would like to say a few words, regarding to the event.”

The crowd listened.

“I would like to say, I’m back,” Romano resumed. “And it’s great to be back to such wonderful community who are kind and welcoming with hospitality, to see all the shining smiles and pretty faces.”

The crowd cheered.

The girls fussed in delight—filling “ oohs ” and “ aahs ”.

And I was tense.

“Hold on, hold on, folks. I haven’t finished my sentence, so don’t interrupt me,” Romano demanding on the mega-phone, his palm rose, signaling for the claps to halt, to cease for his soliloquy to be over, but some assumed it was heartfelt, couldn’t hold his speech in like he was dying, saying his last words before taking his final breath.

“I had to say that this has to be greatest day of my life, and possibly the greatest decision I have ever made. The Rivers Foundation was a great success, if it wasn’t for special someone, and that someone special is…”

At a full speed, Romano locked into the crowd, jumped out from the stage and rushed over to grab Eva’s wrist without consideration or having her consent and dragged her up onto the stage and looped around her shoulders as he said, “This person is the reason why this is the greatest day of my life. And without her hard work, her dedication, we wouldn’t be making it this far, this event wouldn’t be successful without the beautiful, the saintly, and ever so graceful, Sister Eden! ”

It’s Eva, damn it! Get it right, asshole!

Her teeth gritted and grinded in a gradual, harsh movement, hands tucked and crumpled her fingers on a purple apron. In an instant, Romano clutching her around her shoulders and hauled towards to a closer proximity was no great help.

The anger lingered inside me was winning, a spiraled flame engulfed at the back of my hand as I steadied my hands for a calmer effect, but it was no use, I had to fight it off as much as possible before I explode like a fucking time-bomb.

But I wasn’t alone.

Other folks, like a group of girls, not only they got pissed, it’s also my mom, Bjorn, then the members of the Divine family, their eyes daggering onto Eva’s direction, who was petrified.

By the time, Eva had her eyes on me, I was gone.