Spring Break is going far better than I expected now that Adrianna is staying here for it.Oak assured her father that he'd keep an eye on her, even though he's not even going to be here for the first week. Instead, he put me in charge of watching her for the week, despite knowing how much I've wanted her all year. He doesn't realize that Adrianna finally submitted because of a bit of blackmailing on my end. If he did, he'd probably kill me.Adrianna insists she can't see me much since she's spending time with Eva while Oak is away. Apparently Eva would get suspicious if they're not together during the week twenty-four-seven. I find it hard to believe that she won't be able to get away.Bly is in his cabin outside, chopping wood with an axe like some cave dweller. I approach, a shudder racing down my spine at the look of him with an axe like that. He may be my friend, but I've always thought he's got murderous vibes."Bly!" I shout his name.He doesn't seem to hear me as I get closer,
I hum to myself as I stand over a pot of my marinara sauce.Adrianna should be here any minute, and I've cooked her dinner. One time, I joked she might fall in love with me if she tried it. I can't deny that I hope that's the case. Her response was upsetting.Lunch was awkward, but I'm thankful she sat with us. As while it didn't take my mind off of her, it satiated the desire to spend time with her until tonight, just.The bell to my apartment rings. My heart pounds a little harder as I turn down the stove, walking down the stairs to open the door. Adrianna is standing there wearing a little black dress that flaunts all her assets and enhances the tanned quality of her skin. "Hey, baby girl."Her cheeks blush. "Hey." She's holding a bottle of wine. "I bought this."I take it from her. "Perfect, we'll drink it with dinner. Come on." I lead the way into the kitchen."What smells so good?""My marinara sauce."She licks her lips. "Looking forward to that."I laugh. "How do you have any
Eva spins around in the dress she tried on. "What do you think?"I smile. "I think you've changed a lot since we met."She pauses then, brow furrowing. "Is it a good or a bad change?""Good. You've loosened up." I arch a brow. "Perhaps that has something to do with fucking your hot husband."Her cheeks turn red, and she flings a shoe in my direction. "Don't be an idiot."I can't deny that Eva has grown on me a lot since she first started here. When Nat invited her to join us, it felt like we were replacing Giorgia, but now I realize she'll never replace her. They're both so different and it's amazing how well she's become part of our group."Sorry." I hold my hands up. "How is married life, anyway?"She looks thoughtful. "It's weird, to be honest. Good, but weird that I'm married so young. You know?"I nod. "Yeah, I can understand that.""But I love Oak so much I couldn't imagine life any different.""What happens when you finish at the academy?""What do you mean?"I shrug. "Do you w
I can feel Archer's eyes on me as I polish off my fifth slice of pizza that evening. Pizza twice in one day is an overload of carbs, but right now I don't really give a shit."You can eat as much as me," he muses."And your point?"He shakes his head. "No point, it's just an observation." He sits up straighter and opens up one box, grabbing his fifth slice to keep up with me. "I can't believe you went to Fratelli's for lunch and didn't mention it when I suggested ordering pizza.""Can never eat enough pizza in one day."He laughs and takes a bite."Plus, this is American-style pizza and Fratelli's is Italian. They're totally different."He sits back and watches me with a flicker of amusement dancing in his dark eyes. "Right, not similar at all."It's funny how our sense of humor aligns so perfectly. Archer is never serious and I rarely am, except for when in competition and then we both get serious."How about a movie?" I ask, glancing at his huge flatscreen TV on the wall.He runs a
I slam the fridge door and Bly arches a brow. "What is up with you?" he asks, shaking his head. "Normally, it's me stomping around and slamming doors."I shrug. "Can't I have a bad day?" It's been two weeks since I last had Adrianna in my bed and it's driving me insane.He chuckles. "Yeah, it's just funny, as you are always being an asshole when I'm in a bad mood. Maybe I should return the favor.""Well, you seem to be in an oddly good mood." I unwrap my meatball sub from the deli up the road and bite into it. "Maybe the universe is fucking with us both."He nods. "Perhaps."I eat my sub in contemplative silence, which seems to bug Bly as he keeps glancing in my direction. Funny really. He moans when I speak too much and now he's unnerved by my silence."Seriously, what's the problem, Arch?""What? I'm just not in the best of moods.""I'm not used to you being so quiet," he complains.I shake my head. "I can't win with you. I'm either chatting too much or too fucking quiet. You can't
Two more weeks pass by with Adrianna ignoring me entirely after the encounter in the hallway, and it feels like I'm being torn apart. Time is slipping too quickly through my fingers. She only has five weeks until graduation. I want to forget about it and pretend like I don't have feelings for her, but it's practically impossible.Every time I see Adrianna, she acts like nothing has happened. As if we didn't spend the better part of the academic year together in such an intimate capacity. They say men aren't in touch with their feelings, but Adrianna is as cold as ice to feel nothing at all.Instead of looking forward to senior gym class, I dread it. And it's about to start right now."Everyone select your partners," I instruct, keeping my eyes anywhere but on Adrianna.Adrianna pairs up with Azira, thankfully. I did not want to see her wrestling with any guy. Combat training today is going to involve getting pretty close with partners and I think I'd snap if I saw Nik rubbing up again
Just as the bell rings, Coach approaches."Adrianna, can I have a word?"I stiffen at the sound of his voice. I've been trying to avoid him since the encounter we had in the corridor. Stubbornness is both a strength and a weakness for me.Azira lingers, a look in her eyes that says shall I stay."I'll catch up with you later."She shoulders her bag. "Sure, see you later."It is impossible for me to admit that I felt something for him. I don't know how or why I'd feel anything but hatred toward him, but unfortunately, I do. And so the only way to avoid dealing with that is by ignoring him.I grab my bag and turn to face him. "What's up?" I ask, trying to seem as detached as possible.His jaw is clenched, and there's tension running through his body. "I want to call a truce."A truce.I wonder what exactly he means by that."It's been very awkward between us ever since... Well, you know." He clears his throat, looking uncomfortable. "So, can we clear the air?""There's no air to clear."
I walk out of the front entrance of the academy, and every muscle in my body turns tense.Damien Vazquez, Adrianna's father, is getting out of an armored SUV. I try to keep my cool, continuing my path toward the woods down by the ruins, where evidently I'd hope to bump into Adrianna.Oak mentioned only yesterday that Adrianna was being pulled from the academy early, but I didn't know it was going to be this early. I feel panic rise inside of me as I really thought I had longer to figure this all out. There's no way I can let her go that easily, and yet trying to force her to stay when her father is here is suicide.Damien Vasquez is renowned for being the most ruthless cartel boss of all time. He is insane and bloodthirsty, which means if someone gives him a reason for him to murder, he'll take it.The air is warm at this time of year as spring closes in on summer and it's the perfect weather for a stroll by the stream. Adrianna needs to know that her father is coming to take her earl
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