Page 7 of A Sinner's Saint

“Get me out of here, please,” I ask him quietly.

For a moment, I think he’s going to shake me off, ignore me. And then, without a word, he takes hold of the hand I’m offering him. “Let’s go.”

He steps in front of me and starts leading us through the crowd—they’re all still staring at us like we’re the most entertaining thing in the world. Which, I guess, Vin De Bellis holding the hand of a girl is new. I’ve never seen him with a girl. I’ve seen his friends in all states of undress at parties with girls, but Vin is usually just sitting around with that unreadable expression on his face.

That’s not to say he doesn’t or hasn’t been with any of the girls at school. I’ve heard the rumours; girls like to chat in the bathrooms. Although I think a lot of them also like to make shit up, so I don’t know if any of what they say is true.

Like, is he really hung like a horse? Who knows? Does he have a thing for tying you up? Again, who the hell knows? Do I want to find out? I think I do.

My mind is reeling with things I want to know about this guy, and then there’s a tiny little warning flashing back there as well. Telling me to be careful, to watch out for whatever darkness lurks within him.

It’s not until we’re walking down the street that I dig my feet into the ground. “Wait! Where are we going?”

Vin turns back around to look at me. He tilts his head, and his hand squeezes mine a little tighter, as if he’s afraid I’m going to run in the opposite direction. “You asked me to get you out of there. We’re leaving. My car’s just up here,” he says.

“Okay. But if I come with you, you’re not going to like drive me out to a deserted forest and cut me up into tiny pieces, are you?”

“Do you have some kind of weird fetish about being cut into pieces?” Vin asks.

“No.” I shake my head from side to side.

“So, I just give off serial killer vibes, then?” Vin raises one eyebrow at me while the corner of his lips tip up.

“Well, I mean… you kinda do.” I shrug.

“And yet, here you are, in the middle of a dark street, holding my hand.”

“We all do reckless things when we’re young. It’s why so many teenage girls end up in a situation they’d rather not be in.”

“I would never do anything to you that you didn’t ask me to do,” he says, then turns back towards his car and continues walking, with me in tow.

Vin opens the passenger’s side door. “Nice car,” I tell him. I know Vin’s family is not short of cash. Again, the rumour mill runs rampant when it comes to what people suspect his family has their hands in.

“Thanks,” Vin says, closing the door once I’m fully seated in the car.

I have no idea where we’re going. Vin’s fingers tap on the steering wheel as he navigates us around the city. When he pulls into an underground car park, I decide I really should know where he’s taking me.

“Where are we?” I ask.

“We have an apartment here. No one’s home,” Vin says.

“Okay.” I look out the windscreen, staring at the cement wall in front of me. I’m about to go up to an apartment with Vin De Bellis. Alone.

“I can take you home, if you want. You don’t have to come up,” Vin says, as if reading my mind.

“No, I want to.” I smile at him, trying to convey that I do want to be here. With him. I open the car door and climb out before pulling my phone out of my bag.

“Who are you texting?” Vin asks, walking around the car.

“My mom. I need to tell her I’m staying at Elena’s tonight,” I explain as I press send on my message.

“Elena, huh?” Vin chuckles, his eyes drifting to my hand. I hold it out to him on instinct. His much larger palm closes around mine, his touch warm, and bolts of lightning run up my arm.

“Well, if I tell her I’m about to walk into an apartmentwitha boy andwithoutparental supervision, that wouldn’t exactly go over too well,” I say.

“Are your parents strict?” Vin asks.

“Not really, but they definitely still think I’m a virgin.” I laugh.

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