The Sinners - Ruby Vincent Page 0,87

over and over.”

“Who cares about him? How would he even know?”

I care about you, I thought. And Rio knows.

The man had me followed. He ambushed me in the forest in the middle of the night. He nearly killed me for the money the first time.

Eli was fine as a silent figure on the sidelines, but looking up non-extradition countries and booking tickets to Phnom Penh was out of the question. My parents’ actions ultimately led to him being attacked. How much more danger was his family supposed to get him in? When was he allowed to just be a kid?

“This is my responsibility,” I told him. “Trust me. You will be the first to know when I find out what this means and we’ll decide what to do about it.”

I crossed to my desk, put the letter in my top drawer, and firmly closed it shut.

“Want to watch a Christmas movie?”

Eli was not pleased and his flat no and walking out of the room told me as much.

I let him go without a fight. He didn’t need to understand everything I did to keep him safe. He would come around eventually.

ELI DID COME AROUND. By Wednesday he broke down and apologized. By Saturday he joined in my Christmas movie marathon. The Bancroft siblings were happily humming along if not for the little blip of his constant pestering to help me decipher the note.

Monday morning, I woke and dressed early. I planned to hit the library and tackle some books on numbered codes. Those nineteen numbers meant something. I would find out what that is.

I walked out of my dorm and saw Hiro just as he pressed the button for the elevator. I hurried and slipped in before the doors closed.

“Hiro.” I leaned against the wall, adopting his stance.

Hiro looked me up and down warily. “Ember.”

“What’s up? Have a good weekend?”

He shrugged. “Read. Did homework. Watched TV.”

“Are you staying over winter break?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

“Nice. I’ll be here and so will Cassius, Clay, Camila, Royal, and Eli. All of us should do something together to celebrate. It doesn’t have to be big.”

He shrugged again.

“Do you know what I think?” My tone was soft. I rolled on my shoulder blades, rocking side to side on the wall.

“What?”

“I think everything you said in the gazebo was bullshit, except for the part that you want to be with me. I think you can’t move forward because of Mallory. You need her to pay the pot and I’ve seen firsthand that Rio isn’t a guy to be messed with. Being with me is no good if Rio sees that it’s a short relationship. I understand. I truly do.

“But I also think you need to talk to her and work out another deal. Cut her into the profits or remind her that her job is on the line. Anything because—”

I gripped his collar and jerked him toward me. Our lips collided in an explosion of pent-up desires and desperate frustration.

Kissing Hiro was nothing like I imagined. And wow did I imagine this day until I lost count. His lips were softer than melting butter. His hand tangled in my hair and tilted me back, opening me up to all of him. Unrestrained. Free.

Hiro backed me up to the opposite wall, trapping me between his body and the elevator. Every inch of him molded to me, our thrusting hips grinded, pulling moans out of both of us.

Our tongues danced playfully. Teasing and tasting the delicious sweetness of lingering looks, accidental brushes at the lunch table, and shared smiles we couldn’t hold back. My very requited feelings for Hiro reached a fever pitch and this kiss tipped me over the edge. There was no going back now.

We broke apart panting—lips swollen. Eyes cloudy.

“Because after a kiss like that, I’m not buying your bullshit anymore,” I finished. “You want me, Hiro, and I want you. Make it happen.”

“You don’t understand!” he burst out. “It’s not that simple.”

“Yes, it is.” I pressed open. The sliding doors released me. “Find me when it’s done and we’ll enjoy our Christmas together.”

Hiro didn’t stop me walking away. I pictured his look as I left. Half pissed, half bored, all annoyed, but in his eyes, raw, naked want... of me.

I entered the main building, heading to my locker. Geske’s class was closer to the library. I’d grab my textbooks and save myself the trip.

I rounded the final corner and pulled up short. Nolan Ives leaned against my locker.

“What do you want?”

“Ember, there you are.” Nolan