She leaned in and whispered, “Be careful. If anyone makes a pass at you when I’m gone, kick them in the nuts and then holler for me.”
I stifled a giggle. “Oh please. Like college boys are gonna hit on the junior? You take care of yourself. There are some hungry eyes for you here.”
“C’mon, I’m serious, and you don’t look like a high school junior,” she winked at my boobs again, “not in that dress.”
I didn’t know why I kept blushing every time she did that or why Nicky was acting like we were at a bar, not at one of the most prestigious schools in town. But that was who she was. Always protective of me, and I loved her for it.
A man was wrapping up his speech, a representative from Bellomo. I wondered why the owners of such a huge organization—they didn’t just own the academy. They technically owned Chicago—never showed up at any events or gave any speeches, not even at school or at a big ceremony such as this one.
It was so weird, and it made many of my friends believe the rumors were true; The Bellomos were the Mafia, and all this, the academy, the scholarships, the companies, the restaurants, was nothing but money laundering.
For me, it was so hard to believe. Why would the Mafia invest in elite education? Do charity? Make people’s lives better? There were a thousand other ways to launder their money. It didn’t make sense, but nothing was impossible. Maybe they did it to gain the respect of society, to create an unquestionable front and make it hard for the police to take them down, to confuse people like me and make them think the Mafia wasn’t all that bad…
I shrugged, refusing to believe that our great benefactors were gangsters. I liked to think they truly cared about the future of Chicago’s children. But what did I know? For someone who secretly believed the murderer of her father was a good man, I should never have a say in classifying who was good or who was bad. My villain-hero concepts needed adjustments.
When Nicky’s name came up and she got to the podium, I was so proud and vibrating with joy and excitement I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs and get freaking pompoms to cheer for her.
I shoved my hands under my thighs to stop myself. I wouldn’t want to embarrass Nicky with my fanatical pleasure in front of her future teachers and peers.
Suddenly, my stomach fell with the feeling that someone was staring at me. My heart did a backflip when I whipped my head to the side and saw there was a man one seat away, and his eyes were locked on my face.
Our gaze connected for a split-second before he broke it and hurriedly left his seat. What the hell?
Blinking after him—his back—I felt so cold like all my blood had left my body. Scared? Definitely. Why? Not sure, but there was something in his eyes that made my heart skip a beat and held me in place even after he was no longer looking at me.
Could that be…?
My eyes widened. The distance between us kept growing with every one of his strides. Shoot. I barely got a glimpse of his face in the dim light. I wouldn’t be able to recognize him if I ever saw him again. And if that was…him…
I wanted to go after him, ask him who he really was and why he was staring, but my legs wouldn’t budge. I swallowed, balling my hands into fists under me, closing my eyes for a second to get a grip. I couldn’t just let him disappear. I needed to know if it was him.
I took one glance at Nicky and trailed my eyes back on the man about to vanish in the dark. Summoning every shred of courage I had inside me, which wasn’t much, but was enough to get my butt off the chair, I followed him.
Chapter 7
Lina
My feet raced the air as I followed him outside the auditorium, but I couldn’t keep up. His long legs allowed him wider strides. Any second now, he could slip away from my sight.
Afraid he’d vanish, I took off my heels to gain more speed. I must have looked like a crazy person, running barefoot at a sophisticated event such as this, but I didn’t care. I had to see his face. I had to know.
How I was gonna talk to him, I had no clue. What exactly was I supposed to say? Hey, are you my father’s killer? Have you been following me for the past four years? Are you a stalker like my sister says?
Like if he were, he’d simply confess? And what if he was just some random guy stealing a glance at the girl next to him? What if it wasn’t him at all?
What if it was?
My mind and heart raced, but I kept running. I just had to meet him to end all doubt. To put an end to my confusion. My fear.
The more I ran, the darker the halls became, and the crowd thinned with every corner. A sudden awareness in the form of Nicky’s voice kicked in.
What the hell are you doing? What if he was a stalking psycho killer, luring you into a dark, isolated area? Are you thinking at all?
My breath caught, and I had to slow down for a second or two as I realized it was really dark in here, and there was no one here but me and—
My eyes darted around the emptiness surrounding me and then squeezed shut. My heartbeat pulsed in my temples, anger and panic taking over me. Was he gone?
“Hello?” I asked the silence, desperate. “Are you here?”
I waited for an answer like an idiot, but after a few long seconds, it was clear there was no one here but me. Dammit.
Why did I have to be such a coward and slow down? I couldn’t believe I lost him just like that. I was so fucking close. I tilted my head back and swore again.
Maybe it was for the best. Maybe he was truly a bad guy I should have never chased into the dark like that. But in this moment, I didn’t care if he was. Nothing bothered me but the fact that I missed my chance to really see him.
I shouldn’t think that way. It defied all logic. For some reason, though, I knew in my heart, he wouldn’t hurt me. Not like that.
My lips puckered as I spun, cursing my luck, not even sure how I’d get back to Nicky. I was totally lost in this deserted part of the hall. I started walking away, but I glanced over my shoulder one last time and sighed, no idea what I was hoping for. He was long gone. “If that was really you, I wish I could’ve seen you.”
Then I rolled my eyes at the heels in my grip, as if I’d forgotten I’d taken them off. I bent to put them back on. When I straightened my back, something warm and soft fell on the side of my neck.
A breath.
A gasp fled my throat, and I froze for what seemed like an eternity.
“Don’t move,” he barely whispered. His low voice was strained and hard. His breath kept falling hot on my skin.
Everything in me shuddered, and all the air escaped my lungs. A Horrible wave of fear crippled my mind, and the ridiculous thoughts about him not hurting me shattered with his command. I should try to run. I should scream. I should do anything other than just stand there and wait for his next move. Whatever that might be.
But I obeyed him. I didn’t move. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. My limbs had gone cold, unmoving just like they were at the auditorium when he looked at me.
“A-are yo-u…gonna…?” I couldn’t finish, tears choking me.
“Am I gonna what?” he asked with the same low, hard voice. So deep and masculine and terrifying.
Kill me? Rape me? Kidnap me? All three? I didn’t say anything so I wouldn’t put ideas in his head. Besides, I was hiccupping through the tears I could barely breathe, let alone speak. I closed my eyes, pretending this was a bad dream like I always did.