I have no more lessons for the rest of the day, so I head to the library to meet with Natalya."Hey, over here?" She whispers.I smile when I see her surrounded by books. "Hey." I take a seat next to her. "What are you studying?" I ask quietly."Interrogation," she replies.I raise a brow at the response.She shrug. "It's a useful skill in the Bratva."I nod in reply, twiddling my fingers anxiously as I need to ask her a question. "Can you keep a secret?"Her eyes shoot up to meet mine, and she smiles wickedly. "What kind of secret?"I shake my head. "A very important one. Can you keep one?"She nods. "Of course. You have my word."I swallow hard. "I don't want to be a part of my parents' business or lives."Her brow furrows. "Really? What do you want to do then?""I want to become a vet, but I'm not naïve enough to believe running from them would be easy."She contemplates. "No, it wouldn't be easy." Natalya puts down her book, looking at me seriously. "Your parents are renowned for
What the hell have I done?Five years of planning could all go to shit. I kissed Eva Carmichael. A terrible act that I can't stop replaying over and over. It has consumed every waking thought for the past three days.Thankfully, it happened on a Friday, so I had the weekend to sulk in my cottage over it, but now it's Monday.Somehow, I've avoided running into her since I don't have classes with her on a Monday, but tomorrow I will have to face her in leadership strategy class and law.The despair was written all over her face when I threw her out of my office and canceled the rest of our one-on-one lessons. Her little speech shocked me to the core and for a horrible reason.It made me realize why I'm so drawn to her. She reminds me of myself at her age, desperate to escape by any means necessary—desperate to be better than the people who raised her. The innocent daughter of my enemies reminds me of myself.How can I destroy someone so innocent, so utterly against all that her parents
The bar Archer picked is heaving with kids, as it's popular with the local college. Typical Archer always makes sure there are a lot of hot young college girls around for him to pick from.Bly looks as uncomfortable as I feel as we step inside. "Is this the best place for us to grab a drink?"I nod in agreement, glancing around. "It's a little loud."Archer shakes his head. "Sorry, grandpa, but this is the hottest place in town."I glare at him. "In case you forgot, we're teachers at a nearby school, not frat boys."He laughs. "Both of you need to lighten up." He shakes his head and leads the way toward the bar. "It's not like we'll run into any of our students."Hopefully, he's right. None of us are stupid enough to believe that students don't sneak off campus. The students aren't permitted to leave the grounds unless they have permission, but that wouldn't stop them.We've caught kids doing exactly that, but it doesn't mean we'll run into any here. There are another ten clubs in the
"Get dressed. We're going out," Natalya announces, waltzing into my room with Azira and Adrianna following close behind, all of them in dresses.My brow furrows. "Going out where?" The idea of going out right now makes my stomach churn.All I want to do is curl up into a ball and sleep. It's what I did all weekend since the kiss with Oak, and I can't face the idea of going anywhere. I saw him in the corridor today, but he didn't see me. My heart ached at the sight of him, and tomorrow I have to sit in his class, twice."Alexander has hired a minibus, and he's invited us to join him in town," Natalya says, shrugging. "As well as ten other people."I glance at Azira, wondering what's going on. "And you think it's wise to accept an invitation from that nutcase?" I never told Natalya about what happened in the corridor when he accosted me and only let me go because Oak interrupted us.There's a flash of something in Natalya's eyes as she shrugs. "We're eighteen years old and stuck in this
The door at the back of the laundry room leads to an enclosed courtyard where the minibus is parked. Alexander is leaning against it with his arms crossed over his chest. His nostrils flare the moment he sees Natalya. "Kept me waiting, Gurin," he says, pushing off the bus and walking toward her. He wraps an arm around her and claws her against his side. "Never do it again," he says, his tone menacing.My brow furrows, and I'm about to say something when Azira yanks me onto the bus. "What's going on with those two?"Azira shakes her head. "I don't know, but when I questioned her, she got all defensive."Adrianna leans forward. "If I've learned anything about Natalya, let her reveal things in her own time. If you push her, she'll snap."I sit down next to Azira and ask, "You once asked Natalya if she'd told me about what Alexander did to her. What did he do?"Azira meets my gaze and then glances at Adrianna.Adrianna shrugs. "It's not exactly a secret."Azira sighs. "Alexander tormented
A beautiful laugh catches my attention.Eva.I search the bar for her, desperately trying to find the source of that laughter. Perhaps it's someone who sounds eerily like her, but deep down, I know that's not true. No one sounds like her. My eyes land on a large table near the back, where quite a few of SA's students are gathered, but I don't see her.I nudge Bly. "Looks like we have some rule breakers."The smirk that twists his lips is devilish. "Oh, I do love punishing rule breakers." He rubs his hands together, making me shake my head."Perhaps we can have some fun with them?" I suggest.Bly's brow furrows. "What do you have in mind?""Sit with them a while and make them sweat." I shrug. I know my suggestion is motivated by spending time with Eva. Since entering my classroom, she's been stuck to Natalya Gurin's side, and I can see Natalya from where I'm sitting.Bly runs his hand through his hair before smiling. "I like your thinking. The moment I sit down with them, they'll shit
It's an irresponsible move. As their school principal, I shouldn't be buying these underage students drinks. However, Eva's presence here only hazes my judgment and makes it hard to think of anything else."So, how the fuck did you lot sneak off campus?" I ask, glancing between every pupil at the table.A few of them pale, most grin in drunken pride."I'm afraid if we told you that, professor, we'd have to kill you," Alexander says, grinning at me with that cocky smirk I'd love to punch off his face.To my surprise, he has his arm lazily draped over Natalya Gurin's shoulder. The same girl he has spent years tormenting. Natalya looks a little uncomfortable, suggesting that perhaps she's not here by choice, or at least not in Alexander' arms by choice.Alexander has a lot to prove. He may be part of the Estrada Cartel family, but he's only a cousin and doesn't share the Estrada name. It means that while he's a big fish at this school, out there in the real world, he's not such a big dea
I made a big mistake coming out here alone.Oak followed me. And now, he's staring at me like an angry, hungry predator ready to tear me to shreds. His beautiful blue eyes look almost silver in the dim streetlight and pale moonlight creeping through the clouds.As he approaches, I take a few back steps, only to find myself caged in against the club's wall."Are you okay, principal Byrne?" I ask, not wanting to use his first name. It's too intimate for this setting, being that we're outside of school, and the way he's looking at me scares.He stops when he's merely a foot from me, tilting his head. "Am I okay?" His voice shakes with anger. "What the fuck are you doing here?"The tone makes me wish I could disappear into the bricks behind me. "Natalya invited me," I murmur, wishing my voice didn't sound so insignificant compared to his. "I'm sorry for breaking the rules."His eyes flash with something I can't quite discern at my apology as his gaze moves to my lips, then lower to my dre
Archer holds my hand as we pad barefoot through the sand, the sun just setting beyond the horizon and casting a warm, orange glow over the beach.Natalya's wedding was beautiful. And even though I still can't believe she's married the man that tormented her for years, I'm happy that she is happy."It's beautiful, isn't it?" I ask, stopping to watch as the sun dips slowly lower.Archer smiles at me. "Shall we sit down and watch?"I nod in response. "Sounds good." I sit down in the sand and he sits behind me, placing his legs on either side of my thighs and his arms around my waist. "This is nice," he murmurs into my ear.I lean back into him. "It is.""Did you enjoy the wedding?" He asks."It was beautiful, even though I still can't quite believe that Nat ended up with Elias after he was such a bully."Archer moves my hair to the side and skims his lips over the back of my neck. "Is it any different to you being with me after I blackmailed you?"I stiffen at the reminder. "Not sure it'
Motherfucker.I search the closet for something to pick the bedroom lock with. If Archer is facing my father and his goons, then I need to be by his side.Another shot echoes through the air, making me tense. I work even harder to focus on the lock, knowing I need to get out of this room. Finally, the lock clicks and I'm thankful I took the class on safe breaking two years ago when it was being taught.Quickly, I run out of the room and down the corridor, hardly thinking about what I'm doing.My heart skips a beat when I see my father and Archer standing outside of the window, each pointing a gun at one another. "No." I rush out of the cabin without a second thought. "Stop!""Adrianna," my father growls, pointing the gun at me. "What the fuck are you doing?"I freeze at the other end of his gun, knowing that he would without a doubt shoot me dead. "I'm not coming home to Mexico," I say.He growls. "Like hell you aren't.""I don't want to be married off to some mobster.""No, you want
I pull my jeep off the main road in the middle of nowhere, driving down an unmarked track. It may be secluded, but I know the path to this place like the back of my hand. After all, I spent just under two years living up here in my cabin.I notice Adrianna shudder."Are you cold?" I ask.She shakes her head. "No, this place just gives me the creeps.""The creeps?" I never thought of it as creepy."Yeah, like maybe you are actually a serial killer and this was your elaborate plan all along."I laugh, shaking my head. "You have a wild imagination." The woods open up to a clearing where my cabin is, and it's not just any old cabin. It's modern and sophisticated."Wow, do you own this place?" Adrianna asks.I nod. "I bought it when I needed to remain low while my family was looking for me." It was a difficult time in my life. One fraught with loneliness and a little too much alcohol, but this place saved me. "It's actually how I met Oak. He owns a cabin near to here and we met while we we
I approach Adrianna, who is standing with all her friends. My nerves are fried, mainly because I'm practically kidnapping the princess of the Vasquez Cartel. Thankfully, I saw Damien Vasquez leave ten minutes ago in his armored SUV. I'm pretty sure he hardly even said a word to Adrianna after the ceremony.I clear my throat. "Adrianna, can I have a word?""Stil not giving up?" Natalya teases.It's clear no one knows about us among her friends, except for Azira, and that was my fault.She meets my gaze and nods. I can tell from the look on her face that she's just as nervous as me. "Sure."I nod toward the exit of the hall and she follows me out of it."What's up?" she asks, as I lead her into an empty classroom and shut the door."I just wanted to double check you are all set for the plan?"She nods. "Of course. I'm packed, only essentials and no tech.""Good. And your father has gone. I watched him leave."She purses her lips. "I don't even know why he bothered to come. He didn't say
My father is standing at my door half an hour before the ceremony."Hey, Adrianna." He looks at my outfit. "You look well."I swallow hard. "Thanks for coming." I glance down the corridor. "Where is mom?"He shakes his head. "Your mother couldn't make it."It hurts a bit, I must admit. Out of the two of them, I'd expect my mom to be here over my father. She may not have ever been emotionally supportive, but she's always been a little less cold than him."Oh, is she busy?""No, but I don't enjoy traveling with your mother. You know that."I clench my jaw. "I know that." He doesn't like to travel with her because he likes to pay hookers whenever he stays away from home. The man disgusts me, but my mother isn't much better. Their marriage is a sham, and it has been all my life. Exactly what I want to avoid by escaping, as that was my future. My mom was married by arrangement to my father, hence the toxic relationship between them."Shall we get going then?" I say.He nods. "Lead the way.
Adrenaline has been racing through my veins since I woke this morning.It's sickening, but today is the day. Graduation is this afternoon and then all my friends and I will go out to celebrate. My father agreed to my plan and told me he'd booked into a hotel twenty miles away in the nearest city, as he's above the little inn in town and the motel near here. It actually makes the plan easier, as he won't be nearby when I make a run for it.However, after the celebrations are through, Archer and I will disappear. Our friends will know that we've left for good, but not where we are going. No one knows that, not even I do. I've let Archer figure the entire thing out and where I'm going to go.It's been hard trusting him in this way, as I've always relied on myself alone. He can't disappear with me, though. He has a life here at the academy, and so he's going to set me up with my new life and then leave. That's the part I've been trying to avoid thinking about entirely.I'm not sure how I'
I walk up to the door of Archer's apartment, my heart thumping at a hundred miles an hour.Am I crazy for being here?Perhaps. I knock on the door and wait a few moments and then I hear the thud of footsteps descending the stairs. Archer opens it and smiles at me with a smile that could stop most women's hearts. "You are here."I smile back at him. "I didn't get murdered.""I'm glad," he says, stepping aside to allow me in.I pause for a moment, knowing that now I'm coming to him of my free will rather than because he's blackmailing me. I'm not sure how to feel about that. It changes everything.His brow furrows. "Are you going to stay there or come in?"I purse my lips. "Still trying to decide."He laughs and grabs my hand, yanking me into the apartment and against him. "Don't be an idiot.""I'm normally the one saying that to you."He leads me up into his apartment, where he has a table set with candles alight. "I was prepared since I hadn't heard of any murders on campus." There is
My plan to get my revenge on Archer is backfiring.Why the hell do I feel so excited whenever I see him?And when he touched me earlier by the stream, he was trying to comfort me, but his touch ignited butterflies fluttering in my stomach and made my head spin. He keeps talking about feelings and how he wants us to continue after I graduate, which is insane.I can't work out if he's only saying it because I've never admitted I want him. All the while, I've made sure I keep detached and cold, even when he talks about his feelings.As I walk into the academy, I'm ambushed by my father. "Where have you been?"I cross my arms over my chest. "I went for a walk. Is that a crime?"He sighs heavily. "I'm here to take you back home."My brow furrows. "But what about the academy?" I ask, wondering why he didn't come to get me during spring break, especially as he said he had a meeting set out for me the week before.He yanks my wrist and drags me into an empty classroom, slamming the door behin
I sense Adrianna isn't used to relying on anyone for anything."Seriously, Adrianna. Let me help." I need to help her as I need to know her plan. She's so pigheaded. It wouldn't surprise me if she disappeared forever and I couldn't find her. It's the only way to ensure I keep tabs on her."Fine, you can help."I smile, relief coursing through my veins. "Good, as I have quite a few ideas.""Such as?"I pat my lap for her to come and sit on it.Her eyes narrow, but she sits anyway."Your father is coming to graduation, and that's a complication, but not the be all and end all. I mean, you dictated to your father before, so do it again.""What do you mean?""Tell him that you are going to celebrate with your friends. They're all going to be celebrating, right?"She nods. "Yeah.""Then tell him to book a motel and you'll leave with him the next morning."A crease forms in between her brows. "I'm uncertain it will work, but I can ring him beforehand. It's an option, I guess.""Well, tell m