Page 180 of Unspoken Truths

“Are you sure you want to miss the dance?” I ask Lili and Nacio after Emil and my mom leave.

My stepfather said the school is doing whatever they can to make his life difficult, but watching some pampered kids at a school dance isn’t the end of the world. There are plenty of guards along the perimeter of the mansion. We should be safe.

I’m not naive, I know what day it is and what that means. Nacio says he’s been ignoring their calls today, telling them Emil has him working. While that is true to an extent, my stepbrother has been spending a lot more time with Lili and I as well.

“I don’t want to go to a dance without you,” Nacio says with a shrug. He’s currently in the kitchen making us dinner, something that surprises me. He asked the chef to show him how to make a meal that he saw online.

There’s no bounds to how sweet he truly is. It’s hard to remember his cruelty before.

“I don’t either,” Lili says, shrugging.

We’re all in comfortable clothing as we hang out in the kitchen, and Lili and I are washing dishes as Nacio finishes with them. He’s making us a lasagna with bechamel sauce for dinner. There’s even bread that he made before he went to school, waiting for us to eat.

“If you’re sure,” I murmur.

Sliding the lasagna tray into the oven to cook, he sets a timer before walking over to me.

“I can dance with you just fine here,” he says with a smirk, taking my hand to tug me closer.

Chuckling under her breath, Lili puts on some music as she watches us. I guess if we have to wait for the lasagna to cook, we may as well dance. This kitchen is huge, offering more than enough room for it as he turns me into a slow spin.

“Okay, Casanova," I sigh dreamily, happily tucked in his arms.

“Come here, Lili,” he says, and soon we’re both swaying with him, his arms easily surrounding us.

I love him, plain and simple. It didn’t happen immediately, and I’m not ready to say the words out loud yet, but I know it. Lili and I still have our time alone while Nacio is doing things for his father, allowing us to talk together.

Sometimes, that means discussing our feelings for Nacio as well. I love that neither one of us is weirded out by it, because it helps me to figure out what I’m feeling. Lili says it helps her as well, since she hasn’t had much experience with dating.

Sex? That’s something she has a reputation for being willing to experiment, even though that isn’t true. The high school grapevine isn’t nearly as accurate as people think.

Finally, the food is ready, and we spend dinner laughing and talking. There’s a small ball of anxiety in my stomach I’m firmly ignoring, but it becomes more difficult once we’re snuggled in bed watching a movie.

“Nena,” Nacio whispers in my ear. “You’re so tense. Tell us what’s wrong.”

“What if something happens today?” I ask, blinking away the tears I’ve been struggling to keep at bay. “I’m scared. Things have been so good lately.”

“Lili and I are both sleeping with our guns in the nightstand on either side of us,” Nacio says. “The men on the property have been asked to be extra vigilant as well. I don’t think they’ll be able to get inside the house.”

“I’m going to talk to Mr. Emil about a safe room like Dad has,” Lili grumbles. “Is it too late to just sleep at my house?”

“At this point, there’s a higher possibility that they may run us off the road,” Nacio mutters. “We’ll lock the door, push the couch in your room against the it, and go to bed.”

“If something happens, we’ll fight to keep you,” Lili says, hugging me.

I’m laying between them, the two bookends of my heart vowing to protect me. God, my life is so fucked. They’re right though, I just have to survive tonight.

“The bet expires tonight,” Nacio says, as if reading my mind. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised. “If they fail, it’s game over.”

Somewhere along the way, he chose me over his friends. That’s a sobering thought, and one that makes me sigh as I nod. If the only way the Kings can get what they want means I die, then they can choke on their fucking defeat.

I want to live, enjoy my life, and no longer live in fear.

“Okay,” I sigh. “So the sooner I go to sleep, the sooner it’ll be over?”

“Yeah,” he says softly, seeing what I mean. “It’s already after ten, let’s call it a night.”

Getting up, we all get ready for bed. We’re already in pajamas, so it’s just a matter of brushing our teeth and using the bathroom before climbing back into bed.

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