Perfect Enemies

27

“Okay,” I croaked, my voice abandoning me. I brought my eyes back to Kane—a guy who was almost too pretty to be real—and let my emotions override logic and rationale. I wasn’t sure I was even interested in dating Kane, but the chance to show up at the dance with such a hottie made my head spin. He grinned even wider and nodded toward our sociology class. “Excellent, now we better get to our seats. I don’t want you to end up in trouble because of me.” “Oh, yeah.” I jumped into action, rushing into the classroom and praying I hadn’t just destroyed my friendship with Val. If she did harbor secret feelings for Kane, surely she’d understand that this was a once-in-alifetime opportunity for me. I wasn’t expecting to marry the man. I just wanted one magical night out with friends in a fancy dress with my hair done and my problems forgotten. I spent the rest of the afternoon debating whether to be up front with my father’s men about the dance or if I should sneak out of the house that night. It wasn’t like I was just taking a quick walk to meet Val, and getting out in a prom dress would be almost impossible. When one of our guards arrived to pick me up after school, I decided to be up front and use Val as an excuse for the outing. “I’ve been invited to the school Valentine’s dance in a couple of weeks.” “I’m not sure that would be wise, señorita. With your uncle dead, your father’s … associates have been challenging his position as boss. Going to a dance wouldn’t be safe.” His response somewhat surprised me. I hadn’t heard that my father was facing problems other than the mafia here in New York. Had he been even the tiniest bit of a caring father to me, I might have worried about him. Instead, my initial reaction was relief. His problems in Mexico would surely keep him preoccupied, his focus far removed from me. “That’s terrible to hear,” I said solemnly, “but Valentina invited me to get ready with her. It would be an excellent opportunity to get close to her and her family. My father was insistent that I use every opportunity possible to get close to the Genoveses.” God, I hoped this didn’t backfire. He glanced at me in the rearview mirror, brows drawn tightly together. “I suppose if you’re with her, you’d be safe enough.” I wasn’t sure if the wariness in his voice was uncertainty as to my safety or concerns of upsetting my father, nor did I care. Getting to the dance was my newest mission, and I intended to make it happen. OceanofPDF.com 17 OceanofPDF.com I KANE should never have agreed to this. Having my new friends over was risky, but the challenging glint in Valentina’s cool metallic stare had pushed me beyond sanity. With just one defiant look from her, I did crazy things. Insane, reckless, dangerous things. She was the kryptonite I never knew I had. The group of us had been watching a movie for an hour, but I’d hardly heard a word of it. I was too absorbed in thoughts of the girl who was quickly turning my world inside out. My mood grew darker at the reminder of my precarious situation. I relished control, but with Valentina, I was utterly powerless. One silver lining cast a hopeful glow on my shitstorm of a life, though. Reyna had agreed to go to the dance with me. It was the precise turn of events that I’d needed. I didn’t want to toy with her feelings, but our date would send a clear message to Valentina and move me in the right direction. I glanced around at the swarm of bodies strewn about my living room— almost twice as many as had originally been invited. I scanned each form in the dim light as they watched the large-screen TV for the source of my temptation. I couldn’t help myself. My eyes were drawn to her whenever we were together like a moth to a flame. After pausing to identify each person, I realized that Val was gone. I’d been so lost in thoughts about her that I hadn’t noticed the object of my obsession had slipped from the room. She could have simply gone to the restroom, but my gut said otherwise. Something told me the girl who saw more than she should have let her curiosity get the better of her. She’d been suspicious of me since the day I walked into Xavier. If she suspected I was keeping a secret, she was the type who wouldn’t stop looking for answers—the exact reason this whole night had been an epic mistake. I eased myself up from the sofa and began to wind through my empty house, surveying each room for the mischievous pain in my ass. It didn’t come as a surprise when I found her sitting quietly on my bed. “Can I help you find something?” I asked from the doorway, startling her to her feet. I got immense satisfaction from catching her off guard. Those full pink lips of hers fell apart on a silent gasp, stirring up an urge to kiss her into submission, which only brought on a world of self-loathing. An ocean of irritation simmered just below the surface of my cool exterior. Valentina’s mouth snapped shut as she collected herself. “I’m always up for some answers if you’re offering,” she quipped, crossing her arms over her chest. My grin dripped with malice. “Is that so? And what question is it you’d like answered?” There were so many to choose from, I was genuinely curious what she might pick. Her eyes flicked to my left wrist. “You said your brother made you that bracelet, but when I looked you up in the school computer, your file says no siblings. I wondered at first if maybe he had passed away when your mom died—a car accident or something—but after walking through your house, I’m wondering if it was all a lie. There’s not a single picture of any other kids in your house, and the only other bedroom besides yours and your dad’s looks like a guest room. I can’t fathom why you would lie about something like that, but nothing else makes sense.” So f*****g smart. I couldn’t make a single misstep without her catching on. However, the irony was that of all the lies I’d told, the bracelets were the one bit of truth. I’d fallen victim to sentimentality when I opened up and told her who had given me the knotted bits of string. She drew those emotions out of me for some reason—those and so many more. It was a mistake to have told her, but a part of me delighted in knowing she’d focused on the one part of me that was real.