Page 10 of Born Sinner
Stay in Mexico and marry a nice boy, Lola.
Well, screw that.
Since my brother left, I’ve moved heaven and earth to follow him—which includes somehow convincing my overprotective parents to let me attend college in the heart of a warzone.
Making my way to the bathroom, I turn on the shower full blast. Before the water is even hot, I step inside, letting it wash away my sins. Even the ones I don’t regret.
At least they were mine to make.
Control and freedom are two words I’ve craved but have been denied for years. Equal opportunity may be a right in the States, but things aren’t so cut and dry where I’m from.
Not that women don’t hold power in my world. I’m just not part of that exclusive club.
I’m Valentin Carrera’s daughter. The king’s innocentcielito—his little sky. I’m much too fragile to be tainted by the blood staining the hands of every member of my family.Ay Dios mío,I couldn’t even cross the border and go to college without two huge bodyguards and my brother lurking behind every damn tree.
Maybe that’s why I did it.
After stepping out of the shower, my mind spins like a Tilt-a-Whirl as I rush to throw on a pair of loose-fitting shorts and the least wrinkled shirt I can find.
I bite my lip while towel-drying my hair. My rebellion last night was stupid, but exhilarating. I’ve kept a low profile since arriving on campus, so when my friend, Avery, suggested we blow off some steam, I was all in.
Party?Hell yeah. Booze?Bring it.Rich boys?Even better.
Then she saidhisname.
Sam Colton.
Slipping on a pair of sandals, I grab my phone and car keys and rush out the door, my hangover and stinging skin already forgotten. Instead, my head fills with a pair of watchful dark eyes.
Eyes so black I’m not sure there’s a beginning or end.Just infinite night.
Taking the stairs two at a time, I keep a check on the time as I race across the parking lot toward my white BMW. I’m halfway there when a cool breeze licks down the back of my neck, causing my steps to falter.
My father’s words ring like a church bell in my ears.Always trust your instincts, cielito.
“Is someone there?”
Of course, no one answers. The majority of the campus is still sleeping away their hangovers. Still, my feet refuse to move, cemented to the ground by a fatal curiosity.
I know all about the statistics of campus assault. I’m a prime target.
Young girl alone…
No one around to hear her cries for help…
It’s a thought that should terrify me, but it doesn’t.It excites me.There’s something familiar in the air. Something forbidden and dangerous, yet tantalizing and enticing.
Tightening my hold around the key fob, I hover my thumb over the panic button. “That’s it,” I mutter, shaking my head. “No more alcohol.”
After settling behind the wheel, I lock the door and let out an unsettled breath. I can’t shake the feeling I’m being watched.
Stalked.
Hunted.
As if my every move is a choreographed step in someone else’s dance.
“You’re losing it, Carrera.” Starting the ignition, I turn to back out of the parking spot, when the wound on my stomach stings under the crude bandage I fashioned earlier. The corners of my mouth turn down, my momentary euphoria tanking at the bleak reminder.
