The Creepy Antagonist from Wicked Rage
Invite Only
PLEASE NOTE: This is a chapter from my currently in-production book - Wicked Rage (A Sam Wick Thriller Book #12)
This is the first draft so it might have errors that will be sorted out during the editing round.
Please read it keeping this caveat in mind.
"Hi Valentina."
"Leo?" Valentina's reaction was one of sheer disbelief as she saw Leo standing at her doorstep, a smile playing on his lips.
"Surprised to see me?" he asked with a smirk.
For Valentina, 'surprised' was an understatement for what she felt. Fear, apprehension, curiosity all mingled within her at the sight of him.
"I thought you'd be on your way to the States by now." Her smile was tight, strained.
There was something about Leo that had always unnerved her.
But it wasn’t always like this. Leo was a quiet boy who always focused on mastering anything and everything he put his mind to until a few years ago and then something started to change in him. As he became trained in martial arts and other fighting styles and gained muscles, he started behaving differently around Valentina and Amira.
Valentina was around sixteen years older than Leo and Amira was around twelve and they had worked at the penthouse since Leo personally asked for them. The move from the ranch to the city also came with a substantial pay raise that helped both Valentina and Amira to up their lifestyle.
But as Leo's physique and interests shifted, so did the atmosphere around him. The way he looked at Valentina and Amira changed too. She could feel the difference but Leo never said anything unusual to them. He was always a reticent boy who followed a routine that was simple for Valentina and Amira to adjust to. Most of the time, he stayed out of the apartment. Training, Gym, More training, learning different languages, Reading unusual books mostly in English which Valentina and Amira never seemed to understand because of their own limited understanding of English.
So it was nothing in particular that she could pinpoint in Leo’s behavior but her sixth sense was always heightened when he was in and around the penthouse.
Yet, Valentina's intuition screamed that there was more to Leo's quietude than met the eye. Her fears were not grounded in anything he said or did explicitly, but in the subtle shifts in his behavior
And now, here he was, his gaze piercing, as if seeing through to her very soul. "Won't you invite me in? I brought wine and food," he asked with a hint of challenge in his smile.
There was an edge to it that Valentina couldn't ignore.
Despite every alarm bell ringing in her head, Valentina knew she couldn't refuse him. Leo had always had a way of getting what he wanted, his requests somehow turning into commands without ever crossing the line into overt demands. It was this control, this subtle assertion of power, that unsettled her the most.
"Of course, come in," Valentina found herself saying, stepping aside to let him enter her home.
As Leo stepped past her, the familiar yet now unnerving scent of his cologne filled her senses.
Valentina felt a knot of apprehension tighten as she closed the door behind Leo. She couldn't shake off the feeling that this was more than a simple social call.
Leo took a moment to look around the living area, his eyes sweeping over the well-appointed space that reflected a level of affluence not common in middle-class Colombian houses. He walked over to the center table, placing down the wine bottle and the food with an ease that spoke of his elite upbringing.
"Not bad, Valentina. Looks like my dad's been good to you," Leo's words carried a hint of sarcasm as he surveyed a large, framed photo of Valentina with her sister in the living room.
Valentina offered a tight-lipped smile, unease bubbling beneath the surface. "Yes, he's been generous," she said, her voice steady despite the turmoil churning inside her.
Leo's gaze lingered on the photo a moment longer before shifting back to Valentina. "How's the weather been treating you? It's been quite the talk around town, unusually warm from last year."
"It has been warmer than usual," Valentina replied, finding the small talk oddly out of place as she saw Leo walking to the kitchen. Her home suddenly felt too small. She remained in the living room waiting for him to come back. It was her house and she was feeling as if he was its owner.
Leo returned with two glasses in his one hand and a plate in the other. Putting them on the table, he took out his phone and put it on the table too.
Then he grabbed the wine bottle. "And your family? How are they?" He asked while he poured the wine in the glasses.
"They're fine, thanks," Valentina answered, her unease growing.
"And your sister? How's she doing?" He handed her a glass of wine, their fingers brushing.
Valentina stayed silent, taking the glass.
"She seeing anyone?" Leo leaned on the wall that had the photo of Valentina and her sister hanging, casually sipping his wine.
Valentina felt as if a noose was closing in around her neck.
“This is Pinot Noir. A delicate and complex red wine from Melbourne, Australia. It's a crime not to enjoy it.” Leo shifted gears when he saw that Valentina was still not sipping the wine.
Reluctantly, Valentina took a sip, hoping it would make him leave.
"I see that you are still enjoying the single life." Leo's questions now ventured boldly into territory that made Valentina's skin crawl, yet she felt compelled to answer.
"I'm content with my life as it is," she said, hoping to steer the conversation away from such personal inquiries.
Leo, undeterred, pressed on. "No thoughts of settling down? Or perhaps the challenge is finding someone willing to settle down with you?" His tone was probing, almost mocking.
Valentina felt a flush of anger but kept her composure. "My personal choices are just that—personal."
Undaunted, Leo ventured further, his voice dropping to a more intimate tone. "How old are you? Thirty four maybe or is it thirty-five?
The question was rhetorical and even if it wouldn’t have Valentina wasn’t going to answer that.
“You do know it gets harder to have kids at your age, right? Time's ticking." Leo grinned.
Valentina was taken aback by the bluntness of his remark. The audacity of Leo left her momentarily speechless.
“Want some noodles? These are the best.” Leo grabbed the plate from the table, put some noodles on it, and walked to Valentina.
“I’m not hungry.” Valentina protested.
But Leo ignored it. "Here, hold this for a sec," he said, stepping closer and handing her his wine glass, effectively occupying both her hands.
"You'll miss out," he teased, twirling noodles on a fork and then looked at Valentina. “But how will you… Your both hands are.” He said looking at Valentina’s hands that were holding both of their wine glasses now.
“Let me help you.” He raised his hand that had the fork and brought it closer to her lips and then looked as if asking her to open her mouth. Valentina’s mouth remained shut.
“Remember, when my mother had gone missing, you and sometimes Amira used to feed me.” He said and Valentina had to open her mouth.
Her eyes locked on his.
Leo slid the fork in her mouth and she slowly closed it. He then slowly took the fork out, leaving the noodles in her mouth. Then he put the same fork in his mouth. Valentina’s eyes widened.
“This is really good. Help me with the wine?” He smiled.
Valentina raised Leo’s glass and brought it closer to his lips. He sipped it with a smile. His eyes still did not leave hers.
Then he nodded as if asking Valentina to sip hers too. She did what he expected her to. Leo’s smile widened as he saw sweat beads forming on Valentina’s forehead.
He slowly turned, put the plate on the table, and picked a paper napkin that was given with the food parcel. He then brought the napkin closer to Valentina’s forehead when she suddenly snapped from her docile state.
Taking a step back, she put the glasses on the wooden shelf behind her. “I’ll do it.” She looked at Leo who smiled and handed him the paper napkin. Valentina wiped the sweat in a swift motion.
“Thanks for the food and the wine. Your flight. You must be getting late.”
Leo laughed as if Valentina had cracked a joke. Then he turned to walk towards the main door and casually left, leaving Valentina to breathe a sigh of relief.
Valentina felt her heart would come out of her mouth as she slumped on the floor. The encounter with Leo had left her nerves frayed. She downed her glass of wine in one desperate gulp. She needed one more.
Pushing herself off the ground, she moved towards the center table for the bottle, her movements shaky.
That's when she saw it—a phone lying amidst the clutter on her table.
It wasn't hers.
A moment of confusion gave way to a chilling realization: Leo had left his phone behind.
Panic etched its way onto Valentina's face, her thoughts racing.
If Leo's phone was here, that means he would come back.
And as if on cue, the doorbell rang.
