Page 73 of Lunar Crest University

“I’ll meet you in the car.”

And before I can protest, he’s unlocking the door and slipping back outside as he talks to someone on the other end of the phone.

No.

No. No. No.

That guy knows my name. I told him that Sundays aren’t busy at the café. I very stupidly gave him that information, and for all I know, he could be just like Rosco. Something in my gut tells me he is worse, what with the way Luca just reacted.

Leaning forward, I prop my hands on my knees as the panic consumes me. My hair cascades around my face as I focus on breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth, but my heart is beating faster than it’s taking me to get my breathing under control. Tiny dark spots speckle my vision, and my ears start to ring as the heat creeps up my neck.

I’m going to pass out.

I’m going to pass out and?—

“Finley?”

Is that Oscar’s voice?

“What’s wrong with you, girl?” His voice sounds far away.

I try to respond, but nothing comes out. The speckles turn into tunnel vision as I hear someone pounding on the front door. More noise ensues, but I can’t make out what’s going on around me, because everything finally goes black.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

FINLEY

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH, 2023

Through a squint, I can see the ceiling fan of my bedroom.

How did I get here?

The last thing I remember is being at work and?—

My eyes flutter open languidly as I sit up, and everything comes rushing back to me at an overwhelming pace. Dread seeps into my veins, but I don’t have time to process that as I gasp at Luca’s figure sitting on the edge of my bed. His brown eyes watch me carefully, and I notice the way his hair is disheveled, almost as if he has been tirelessly messing with it.

His hand comes down to rest on my ankle, giving it a tender squeeze before moving up my calf. “How are you feeling,Princesa?”

I swallow, grimacing at how dry my mouth is. “What happened?”

“You passed out.”

“At work,” I recall.

I can only imagine how worried Oscar must be, considering I remember hearing him talking to me right before everythingwent black. The thought sends my stomach twisting into a nauseating knot. This is such a mess. Once again, he has sent my life into a downward spiral of chaos, but I need answers this time, without the suffocating mirage of his soft touches and teddy bear eyes that can get me to do almost anything he asks.

His gaze averts down to his hand on my leg as he licks his lips. “Finley?—”

“Tell me what’s going on, Luca.” Pulling my leg out from under his touch, I scoot back against the headboard as I bring my knees to my chest. “I want to know the truth.”

The way he’s looking up at me through his dark lashes is lethal. Those big, beautiful brown eyes are like kryptonite when they look at me like that. My heart and my mind are not nearly on the same page. I’m trying so hard to cling to the rational thoughts telling me to get the answers I deserve, but I’m on the precipice of slipping as his face softens even more.

“His name is Javier.” His voice is low. “The man you met.”

The goosebumps that take over my body are so strong, I have to fight off the shudder that ripples through me.

“Yeah, he told me.”

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