Page 86 of Lunar Crest University

“Are you okay?”

He clears his throat as he nods, but it’s not very convincing.

“Did I…do something wrong tonight?” I ask quietly, chewing at the inside of my lip.

Did the age gap comment bother him? Maybe he thought about it and decided it was a problem for him. Did he not like seeing me with his family? Did he regret bringing me?

“I have to tell you something.”

I have to tell you something.

Those were the worst words you could say to someone. That seed of doubt that continuously blooms in my stomach zips like wildfire through my veins until it’s claiming my heart in its grip. The dread that weighs me down makes my shoulders sag in defeat. I don’t want to hear this. I don’t want to hear him say anything to make me feel any worse than I do right now. The wince consumes my features before I can stop it, and I press my cheek into my shoulder as I gaze down at the ground.

I’m not ready.

Is he about to rip my heart from my chest?

I can’t do this. Not right now. Not here.

“I’m not who you think I am.”

My eyebrows pull together as I peek up at him through my lashes, and the goosebumps that erupt across my body make me shiver. It’s not what I was expecting him to say at all.

“What does…” My voice shakes as I try to form a coherent thought. “What does that mean, Luca?”

I watch his jaw clench as he swallows, and somehow, my stomach drops even more. His dark eyes plead with me, but I don’t know what for.

“I didn’t bring you here because of the reasons I told you.” Punch. A punch to my gut. “I brought you here to keep you safe.”

The blood in my veins runs cold as I gape at him. Wrapping my arms around myself to ease the shudders rippling through my body, I slide from the bed and stand. My knees are wobbly, but I can’t sit down. I need to stand. I need to be able to flee. Iwantto flee.

“Keep me safe?”

He doesn’t say anything. He just…looks at me.

“Javier?” I squeak. “Or Rosco? I thought you said he left town. I thought you said Iwassafe. I d-don’t… I don’t understand.”

“I wish it was that simple, Finley.”

My fingers thread through my hair, digging anxiously into my scalp as I start to pace back and forth. If I don’t move around, I might pass out. It actually feels like I might be floating because I can’t even feel my legs at this point.

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to tell me, Luca.” A breathless laugh bursts from my lips, even though nothing about this is funny. “Tell me everything.Makeme understand, because I’m kind of freaking out here, okay?”

Luca steps closer to me hesitantly, like I’m some wild animal to be contained, but I take a step back. His mouth parts as he gazes down at me, and his entire forehead wrinkles as he frowns. He tries to reach out to me this time, but I dart further away from him, my arms crossed over my chest. The hurt is evident in his dark eyes, but Ican’t. He doesn’t just get to ease his way out of everything by touching me.

“My job from before—” He stops as he drops his head. “I did things I’m not proud of. For Javier. He was my boss. I needed money. Myfamilyneeded money, but I only ended up owing him money when I decided I didn’t want to be a part of it anymore.”

I blink slowly up at him, even though he won’t meet my eyes.

“That’s why you stumbled on us in the alley that night.” His voice is gravelly. “Rosco was Javier’s errand boy, sent to get the money from me. I teach so I can save up the money to pay him back.”

Out of that whole thing, I only cling to a single word.

Was.

“Was?” I whisper.

“What?”

---