Page 52 of Vengeful Sins

“Don’t worry about it. I won’t breathe the word.” Narrowing my eyes, I add, “I would like to see him pay for everything he’s done.”

“Why do I get the feeling there’s much more to it than I’m aware of?” Dad asks, arching an eyebrow.

“There is, but it’s not my story to tell.” As much as I would love to tell him, Maya would be humiliated—and if anybody ever told me I would one day want to spare her humiliation, I would’ve laughed myself sick. Who the hell am I becoming? “I should warn you, he knows she’s staying here.”

“I enjoy the fact that you made an announcement like that without clearing it with your mother and me.” He might say he enjoys it, but his scowl tells a different story.

“I had to do something. He was demanding she come home, threatening her. It was ugly. She was?—”

Dad makes a slashing motion with his hand. “Please. I already have more than enough reason to loathe him. I don’t need any more.”

I can’t help the question that comes next. It’s only natural I would be curious. “Dad, you didn’t… I mean, he didn’t convince you…”

“Now that is insulting.” He stands, arms folded, and I remember he doesn’t like having his pride wounded any more than I do. “What have I always taught you? If something seems too good to be true, it is. I only wish I could have stopped the others who had to learn the hard way.” Scowling, he shakes his head.

Well, that would explain why the bastard has been determined to make money off of Maya. It’s like another piece of the puzzle slides into place, and the result is getting uglier all the time.

Buttoning his suit jacket, Dad adds, “Come on. You better get moving. I have to get to school, and you have to go get her something to wear. What else does she need? Do you want to take her shopping?”

“I’ll take care of it.” Because she is mine. Mind to protect, to provide for, to shelter. I’ve never been so sure of anything in all my life as I am of that. There is a reason I’ve never been able to get her out of my head, and this is it. Somehow, in some way, I must’ve known she would need me someday.

And one thing is for sure: I am not going to let her down.

If I get the pleasure of watching her father crumble, it will be an added bonus.

24

MAYA

“Wait. What are you doing?” Looking down, I find Tucker’s hand closed over mine as we leave the parking lot to cross campus.

“What do you think? I’m holding your hand. Try to relax and go with it.”

“Why? You do realize we’re not actually boyfriend and girlfriend, right?” I offer that with a brief chuckle, like it’s a joke, but the way my insides are quaking is no joking matter. I can’t help but look around to make sure nobody’s watching.

“Yeah, I know that, but you could try to not be so insulting,” he mutters. When a pair of girls eye us with surprise, he jerks his chin in greeting, and they look away. Almost like he’s daring them to say something. But why? What is he up to now?

“You could try to stop acting like I’ve got cooties,” he mutters through his teeth. “It’s for the best right now that we do this. Just trust me, okay?”

Sure. Why not ask me to live without breathing while we’re at it? Trusting him is the one thing I know I cannot do, but on the other hand, what choice do I have? He’s the closest thing toa protector in my life, which is really saying something. Things have gotten pretty bad if he is my salvation.

“You know everybody is going to have opinions about this, right?” Why do I care what they think about him? I don’t owe him anything. I didn’t ask him to protect me last night. I didn’t ask him to lie to his parents today about us being together. Maybe I need to stop trying to make any sense of him, since it’s impossible.

The recent memory of Wren’s guilt over telling him about the club makes me sigh as we walk. Like I need something else on my mind. “He was determined to get the truth out of me,” she explained in a whisper while we were in her room, grabbing things for me to wear. “Really, he was so upset. I sort of got the idea he likes you. Is that true? What is happening with you two?”

If only I could tell her, but that would mean understanding it myself. In the end, she only did it because she cared—I’m still not super happy about it, but I know things would have gone so much worse if he wasn’t there. It’s one thing to have pride, but I’m not going to be a stupid jerk about it.

And why would I bother, anyway, when there are so many people willing to take the job for me? Like the girl who barks out a laugh when she sees us coming. “You are fucking kidding, right?”

I know that voice. I know the complete disdain dripping from it. I still hear it sometimes in my dreams, like I’m back on that bathroom floor, forced to pose for a photo she’ll send to half the school.

“Don’t give her what she wants,” Tucker warns, squeezing my hand a little harder as we continue walking while Tiana waits for us, standing directly in our path. She folds her arms, popping one hip out to the side, snickering while staring at our joined hands. “Is it April Fools’ Day? Did I miss it on the calendar?”

“No, it’s Be A Bitch For No Reason Day,” Tucker retorts. “And it looks like you’re totally prepared.”

Oh, no. I don’t know if I want to laugh or cringe when Tiana turns her rage filled gaze on me. She’s going to make me pay for that remark. I just know it. Even if it was kind of fun to watch him take her down a peg or two, like she deserves. She deserves a lot worse than that, really.

Waving a hand at me, she demands, “Her? You’re seriously holding hands with her?” By now, she’s attracted a lot of attention, which I’m sure was the general idea in the first place. There are plenty of people now pausing instead of passing by and minding their own business. Since when is my life open to the public? Why does anybody care?

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