LENA’S POV
I caught a whiff of his musky scent, and for a moment, I was entranced. But then I snapped out of it, pulling away from him quickly.
He cleared his throat, looking at me with a serious expression. "Okay, can you explain your mission in my house?" he asked. "Were you sent to spy on me or kill me?"
I looked at him weirdly like he suddenly had horns grown on his head. "Your house? Excuse me, but this is my house. I live here, and I paid for it fair and square." I gestured towards the room. "This is an Airbnb, and I'm the one who's renting it for the next two weeks."
He stared at me, his eyes narrowing. "An Airbnb? That's funny, because I don't recall putting this place up for rent."
I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Well, someone did. And I paid good money for it, so it's mine for the next two weeks, whether you like it or not."
He shrugged, wincing slightly. "I'm sorry, but that doesn't change the fact that this is my house. I don't know how you managed to book it through Airbnb, but it's not yours."
"Look, I don't know what's going on here, but I'm not leaving," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt.
He narrowed his eyes, studying me intently. "You know, you're awfully stubborn for someone who's trespassing in my house."
"And you're awfully rude for someone who just barged into my rented place and passed out on the floor. Are you a criminal? Why were you bleeding?"
“That’s none of your business sweetheart,”
My heart raced as I watched in horror as a gun suddenly slid out of the stranger's back pocket. I quickly grabbed the knife lying on the floor.
"Oh my God," I breathed, my eyes wide with fear. "You're armed?"
He glanced down at the gun, then back up at me. "Yeah, I am," he said calmly. "Problem?"
I swallowed hard, my hands all shaky as I held the knife in front of me. "I'm also armed," I said, trying to sound confident. "And I'm not afraid to use this."
He raised a brow, looking a bit amused. "Oh, I don't doubt that. But let's be real here, sweetheart. One cock of this gun, and your brains would be all over the floor before you could even raise that little knife of yours."
I felt a chill run down my body at his words, and I couldn't help but notice the way his physique dwarfed my own.
Still, I refused to back down. "Excuse me?" I scoffed. "So you're admitting that you're a criminal then? Were you sent here by Francine or Marcelo?"
He shot me a scowl."Who the heck is Marcelo or Francine?" He shook his head, then quickly slid the gun back into his pocket. "Look, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done it the moment I opened my eyes, not wasted time chatting with you."
I backed away from him."So what, you're just here to rob me or something?"
He let out a frustrated sigh and walked over to the fridge, pulling it open. "No, I'm not here to rob you. In fact, I'm just here to lay low for a while." He grabbed a can of my favorite mojito and cracked it open, taking a long sip.
I stared at him, dumbfounded. "Lay low? And you think you can just barge in here and make yourself at home? Besides, I did not give you permission to drink that."
He shrugged, taking another sip of the drink. "Well, one of us has to leave, and it sure as hell ain't gonna be me." He gestured around the room with the can. "This is my place, after all. Also, show me the site where you found this house for sale,"
Reluctantly, I pulled out my phone and showed him the Airbnb listing for the property. He squinted at the screen with a frown.
"Huh, that's interesting," he murmured. "It must have been my younger sister who put this place up for rent.
I guess the little brat thought she could make a quick buck while I was out of town."
I blinked, caught off guard by his casual admission. "Well anyway I’m calling the police. I’m not staying with a stranger."
He let out a humorless chuckle. "Good luck with that, sweetheart. I doubt they'll be too eager to help you out."
I was starting to get really frustrated now. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
He fixed me with a serious look. "It means that the cops aren't exactly on my side. And if you try to involve them, well, let's just say it might not end well for you."
