Curiosity got the best of me and then, as I opened one part of the box I started to panic. Was there a bomb inside? Holy crap! Boxes always had bombs! With a shriek, I tossed it to the floor and pulled my feet onto the bed, as if somehow that was going to keep me from getting killed.
The door flew open as Sergio made a hero-like entrance. With his gun held in the air, he shouted, “What happened? Are you hurt? Is someone in here?”
Suddenly feeling stupid and horribly embarrassed, I tried to think of a lie, but what was I going to say? Sorry, I screamed because I saw a spider? Lame.
“You’re going to think it’s stupid.” Heat danced across my cheeks.
“Try me.” His eyes narrowed as he put the safety back on his gun and tucked it into the waistband in the back of his jeans.
I pointed at the box. “I didn’t order anything from Neiman Marcus, and that box is addressed to me and… I just panicked.”
Sergio slowly made his way over to the box then picked it up. “Can I ask why?”
Yeah, he was going to think I was an idiot. “Well, don’t bombs come in boxes?”
Thankfully, he didn’t burst out laughing; instead, he smiled down at the box in his hands and gave it a hard shake.
“No!” I ran at him, then swatted the box out of his hands. “It could be like, live ammo!”
“Live ammo?” he repeated, his grin widening. “In a box?”
“Yes!” I put my hands on my hips, “You know like live… wires and… such.”
“Wires and such?” His eyebrows knit together. “Is that what makes bombs these days?”
I scratched the back of my head. “Yes.”
“You’re sure?”
“Absolutely.” Whatever, I was holding my ground, even if I was wrong; I was going to go down in flames.
“Or…” Sergio knelt down and picked up the box. “It could just be a gift.”
“How do I know the difference?”
He handed me the box. “Live on the wild side, Val.” He stood to his full height. “Besides, do you truly think, after all these years, we’d let a Neiman Marcus box take us out?”
I sighed, and some of my tension eased. “Man’s got a point.”
He chuckled. “Val, just open it. I’ll wait just in case.”
“Promise?” I liked him this way, he made me forget he was a horrible human being, he made me forget the hate… when he smiled.
“Yup.” He held out a knife and pressed it against the tape. “Any last words?”
“Oklahoma.”
Sergio pulled the knife away. “What the hell kind of last word is that?”
“It slipped!” I said defensively, and looked down. “And it was my safe word when I was little… you know, like when you get scared, you’re safe—” I frowned. “Why are you laughing! This is serious!”
“Holy shit. Do you know what it means to have a safe word?”
“Yeah.” I nodded slowly. “Like a word you use when you’re in trouble, why do you keep laughing at me!”
He full on belly laughed.
I felt his laugh everywhere.
And knew it was a life changing moment, hearing Sergio laugh, hearing him really laugh.
Maybe people like him lived their lives in darkness so long that they forget what it meant to lose yourself completely to the insanity or humor of a moment. Maybe in darkness a lot of us were just waiting for something to make us feel — something to make us laugh.
“Okay, what, why is it funny?”
“Never mind.” Sergio seemed to gain control of himself again. “Go ahead, open the box.”
“I’m asking Dante.” I started for the door.
“The hell you are!” Sergio raced after me and blocked the door. “If you mention safe word around Dante, you’ll never live it down. I can promise you that.”
Warmth rushed my face again, and I knew I was turning red, but I wasn’t sure why. “Okay, fine, so tell me what the real meaning is, and just for your information, I’m right too!”
“You are… kind of.” He licked his full lips, and smiled brightly, like it was the best day of his life. His eyes roamed around the room, until he must have located what he needed. He reached for a piece of rope that I’d turned into a fun, wrap bracelet, and then quickly grabbed my hands. Before I was aware of what he was doing, he’d tied the rope around my wrists.
“Um, what are you doing?”
“Pay attention,” he whispered, his lips pressed together as he tightened the rope and then tugged me toward his body. I swayed a bit as he gently pushed me back onto the bed.
Confused I looked around. “I’m tied up.”
“Right.” He nodded, crossing his arms. “Remember your word?”
I looked down. “Oklahoma?”
A feral smile twisted his lips. “Good. Now only say it if you mean it.”
“Okay?” My voice warbled.
You’d think I had just told him the funniest joke known to mankind. He burst out laughing then turned around with a flourish, tugged his T-shirt over his head.
I let out a gasp.
So many muscles greeted me that my vision went blurry.
My palms were pressed together, creating a clammy sweat that ran between my wrists. The sight of the bonds had me nearly panting on my own bed.