Page 109 of Lunar Crest University

“You’re nervous. I get it.” He tsks, running his tongue over his teeth in a way that makes me want to take my chances and run. “But come on, Finley. You had to know this was coming.”

“Why are you doing this?” I whisper.

Javier gives me a pointed look, and a smirk tugs at his lips.

“Let’s not waste each other’s time by asking questions we already know the answer to.Sí? I have a car waiting out front for us.”

My brain struggles to sift through all the different ways I could escape, but there’s no telling if he has his men surrounding this place. I could run out front, keep running as fast as I candown the street—until one of his men catches up to me. I could run into the kitchen, escape out of the back door that leads to the dumpsters in the alleyway—but his men could be waiting there for me too. There’s nowhere for me to run without him catching me.

“I’m not going with you.” My voice betrays me as it shakes.

Distancing myself from him, I back up until I hit the opposite counter, and my hands reach behind to brace myself.

“If you want to see your friend again, you’ll rethink that statement.”

Levi.

I haven’t heard from him or seen him?—

“You’re lying.” I jut my chin up.

“Am I?”

My eyes flicker to the front door again. Would he be quick enough to catch up with me if I just suddenly darted in that direction? Throw something at him on the way?

“You run, I’ll kill him,” Javier warns.

Swallowing thickly, I drag my gaze back to him. My breaths are unsteady, and I wonder if he can tell my chest is heaving shakily as I try to breathe. My hands are trembling as the adrenaline rush from fear pulses through me.

“You think I’m bluffing?” he asks as he raises his split brow.

I can’t risk it, not when the possibility of Levi being alive or dead depends on the decisions I make from here on out. It terrifies me down to the bone that something bad could’ve happened to Luca, but I have to keep it together. For him, for Levi…for myself. The actions I make, the words I say—everything is critical now.

“You won’t hurt Levi?” I ask breathlessly. “If I come with you. You won’t hurt him?”

“If you behave, I won’t touch a single curly hair on his pretty head.”

The last thing I want is for him to see that I’m scared, but I can’t stop the tears as they well in my eyes. The thing is, the fear for my own well-being is last on my list. I’m scared to death that Luca has burnt up in a house fire, and my best friend’s life is on the line if I don’t cooperate. Two big chunks of my heart are at risk of being ripped from my chest.

I have to believe Luca is okay, though. It’s the only thing I have left to cling to. The only hope there is for me. If I don’t have that, I have nothing.

Pushing off the counter, I suck in a deep breath as I round the register until I’m only a few feet away from Javier. The bile rises in my throat, the vile taste exploding on my tongue as I cross my arms over my chest. His mouth quirks in the corner at my submission.

“Good girl, Finley.”

My watery eyes can’t contain the dam behind them, ready to burst at the pet name that makes my gut twist coming from his lips. I want to come out of my own skin as he rests his hand on my lower back, guiding me toward the front door and outside to the large, black SUV waiting on the curb for us. Climbing into this car feels like signing my death warrant.

Once we’re seated in the leather upholstery, Javier puts his hand on my knee.

“I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.”

My bottom lip trembles.

“This all started because you witnessed too much, but now…” He clicks his tongue as he rubs my thigh, and the panic feels like someone sitting on my chest. “Now, it’s much more than that, Finley. You see, Luca killed my men. He thinks he can go around doing whatever he wants, and I have to remind him he’s not in charge here.”

By burning his house down?

It’s on the edge of my tongue, but I don’t speak.

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