Page 87 of Lunar Crest University

“You said hewasJavier’s errand boy.”

If he tries to remain stoic at all when he looks up at me, he fails. I see the tiniest falter slip over his features, and I know my answer. Nausea bubbles inside me as I try to swallow it down, but my head is spinning as I try to make sense of what this means.

“He didn’t leave town,” I mutter, my hand coming up to fumble with my lips as I inhale shakily.

“Finley—”

“Did youkillhim?” I whisper-shout through taut lips as I struggle to contain myself. The realization is washing over me,and it doesn’t feel good. My hands shake—hell, my whole body is trembling as I start to panic.

“Please,” he begs. “Plea?—”

“Youmurderedsomeone?”

My voice cracks as a sob bursts through my chest, and I clamp a hand over my mouth as I stare up at him. I can hardly see through the tears that blur my vision. My heart feels like it could thrash right out of my body. He killed someone. Hekilledsomeone.

“Please, let me finish.”

Tears spill down my cheeks, trickling down my hand, which acts as the only thing keeping me from crying so loud that the entire house will hear us. I stumble backward until I hit the bed, falling onto it and burying my face in my palms.

What thefuck?

“I was a hitman.”

A whimper escapes me, and I shake my head. I’m shaking my head over and over and over because what the fuck? I’m crying so hard, I have to press both hands over my mouth now, staring up at Luca like he’s a stranger in my room. Heisa stranger. He’s amurderer.

“I murdered people for Javier and got paid to do it. He promised me that my family wouldn’t want for anything. I only wanted them to be safe, to be taken care of, but I had to do horrible things to do it.”

This can’t be happening. This can’t be real.

I can hardly breathe through my nose, and for a second, I hope I’ll just pass out. Maybe I’ll stop breathing and justdie. I feel like dying. It would feel better than this; anything would feel better than this. My hands press so hard over my mouth that my jaw hurts, but I don’t care. If I let go, all hell will break loose. I know it will.

He’s a dangerous man, but I knew that, didn’t I? I saw the signs. They were all there, right in front of me, like flashing red signals all the time. I found him in analley, for fuck’s sake. He pointed a gun at Rosco. He warned me, and I didn’t listen.

I didn’tlisten.

“I stopped.” His voice cracks. Why does that make me feel bad?Whydoes it make me feel bad for him? “I didn’t want to do those things anymore, so I got out. I got this teaching job to pay him back and be done for good. But then you saw something you shouldn’t have, and you were suddenly involved. Just like that. I couldn’t be done anymore. I had to keep you safe too.”

I really can’t breathe.

No, really, I can’t.

My hands go to my chest as I lean forward, gasping for air my lungs can’t seem to find. I see him walking toward me, his hands out to pull me to him, but I scramble away from him. I hurry toward the other side of the bed and slide off, slamming my back into the wall as I point my shaky finger at him.

“No,” I warn, but it’s barely audible.

“Finley, please.”

His eyes are watering, and Ifeel bad. I can’t do this. I can’t process this and be in the same room as him. I’ll fold because I’m weak, and Ilovehim. I love a murderer. I’m in love with someone who used to kill people for a living.

Oh my God.

“Get out.”

“I’m so sorry, Finley,” he grits out. “I didn’t want you to find out like this. I didn’t want to keep this from you, but I…I didn’t want things to get this far. They weren’t supposed to get this far.Please. I’m sorry.”

“I need you to getout.”

“I—”

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