Lunar Crest University (Forbidden Fruit)

Chapter Forty

FINLEY

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21ST, 2023

C elestial Reads is never busy at night, especially during weeknights.

The occasional person who enjoys a cup of nighttime coffee will come in, but other than that, night shifts are for cleaning, taking out the trash, and standing around listening to random 90s music. Oscar is in the back, cleaning up the kitchen, while I sweep the front area, singing along softly to a Phil Collins song I’ve heard four other times already tonight.

There are thirty minutes left in my shift when the door jingles as someone walks into the café, and my head lifts as my robotic, friendly greeting rests on the edge of my tongue. But it never comes out; it gets stuck in my throat as I lock eyes with him .

Javier.

My grip on the broom handle tightens as chills roll down my spine. Suddenly, it feels like my world has been thrown off its axis, like the ground is crumbling beneath my feet. The wobbling in my knees is a testament to that. My brain scrambles to keep up with what’s going on while I struggle to keep my composure.

Luca should be parked out front, right? So…is the plan happening now ? What do I do? We never went over in detail how this would go, and now I’m regretting it.

“Finley,” he greets.

I force a smile. “Hello.”

“Do you remember me?”

Swallowing, I say, “How could I forget?”

Play it cool. Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. This is never going to work if he suspects I’m freaking out. Luca wanted me to lure him into the alley by walking me home, but there’s no way for me to double-check right now to see if that’s still the plan. As I go to prop up the broom and return to my safe spot behind the counter, I try to peek outside and look for Luca’s car, but Javier’s dark eyes are watching my every move.

“What can I get you?” I ask as calmly as I can.

He smiles at me, the same creepy smile from the last time we met. It leaves a sick taste in my mouth, but I swallow it down.

“Same as last time?” I ask.

Sweat pricks at my forehead as I try to act normal. My eyes quickly dart to the glass door once more, hoping to catch a glimpse of Luca sitting outside, but I don’t see anything. The feeling in my stomach is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before, like a ball of dread and impending doom mixed into one.

“He’s not out there.”

My heart stutters inside of my chest, but I try to play dumb anyway. What other choice do I have? What is my option here?

Smiling faintly, I say, “Who?”

“Luca is a little tied up right now,” Javier says, waving his hand in the air aimlessly. “A fire at his house, maybe? I don’t know the details. Just needed a distraction.”

A fire?

Ice fills my veins, and I can’t stop the look of horror from taking over my face. The thought of Luca being trapped in a house fire and… He could be lying. Maybe he’s lying just to get a reaction out of me. He probably feeds off fear if he’s as crazy as Luca described.

“So, we’ll walk out the front without any interruptions. You and me.”

This isn’t the plan.

We never talked about what to do if something happened or if things went awry. Fuck, why didn’t we talk about that? What is wrong with me? I should’ve pestered him harder about it. I should’ve made him sit and write out a thorough plan with exit strategies. Old me would have made him do that, but now… Now, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because he’s about to take me away, and I don’t know if Luca is alive or dead.

My eyes fill with tears.

“And don’t worry, your boss won’t mind.” He places his hands on the counter, cocking his head at me. “I made sure of it.”

Did he do something to Oscar? There’s no way. I’ve been here the whole time; I would’ve heard if something was going on in the back.

“I don’t understand,” is all I manage to croak out.

“You’re nervous. I get it.” He tsks, running his tongue over his teeth in a way that makes me want to take my chances and run. “But come on, Finley. You had to know this was coming.”

“Why are you doing this?” I whisper.

Javier gives me a pointed look, and a smirk tugs at his lips.

“Let’s not waste each other’s time by asking questions we already know the answer to. Sí ? I have a car waiting out front for us.”

My brain struggles to sift through all the different ways I could escape, but there’s no telling if he has his men surrounding this place. I could run out front, keep running as fast as I can down the street—until one of his men catches up to me. I could run into the kitchen, escape out of the back door that leads to the dumpsters in the alleyway—but his men could be waiting there for me too. There’s nowhere for me to run without him catching me.

“I’m not going with you.” My voice betrays me as it shakes.

Distancing myself from him, I back up until I hit the opposite counter, and my hands reach behind to brace myself.

“If you want to see your friend again, you’ll rethink that statement.”

Levi.

I haven’t heard from him or seen him?—

“You’re lying.” I jut my chin up.

“Am I?”

My eyes flicker to the front door again. Would he be quick enough to catch up with me if I just suddenly darted in that direction? Throw something at him on the way?

“You run, I’ll kill him,” Javier warns.

Swallowing thickly, I drag my gaze back to him. My breaths are unsteady, and I wonder if he can tell my chest is heaving shakily as I try to breathe. My hands are trembling as the adrenaline rush from fear pulses through me.

“You think I’m bluffing?” he asks as he raises his split brow.

I can’t risk it, not when the possibility of Levi being alive or dead depends on the decisions I make from here on out. It terrifies me down to the bone that something bad could’ve happened to Luca, but I have to keep it together. For him, for Levi…for myself. The actions I make, the words I say—everything is critical now.

“You won’t hurt Levi?” I ask breathlessly. “If I come with you. You won’t hurt him?”

“If you behave, I won’t touch a single curly hair on his pretty head.”

The last thing I want is for him to see that I’m scared, but I can’t stop the tears as they well in my eyes. The thing is, the fear for my own well-being is last on my list. I’m scared to death that Luca has burnt up in a house fire, and my best friend’s life is on the line if I don’t cooperate. Two big chunks of my heart are at risk of being ripped from my chest.

I have to believe Luca is okay, though. It’s the only thing I have left to cling to. The only hope there is for me. If I don’t have that, I have nothing.

Pushing off the counter, I suck in a deep breath as I round the register until I’m only a few feet away from Javier. The bile rises in my throat, the vile taste exploding on my tongue as I cross my arms over my chest. His mouth quirks in the corner at my submission.

“Good girl, Finley.”

My watery eyes can’t contain the dam behind them, ready to burst at the pet name that makes my gut twist coming from his lips. I want to come out of my own skin as he rests his hand on my lower back, guiding me toward the front door and outside to the large, black SUV waiting on the curb for us. Climbing into this car feels like signing my death warrant.

Once we’re seated in the leather upholstery, Javier puts his hand on my knee.

“I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.”

My bottom lip trembles.

“This all started because you witnessed too much, but now…” He clicks his tongue as he rubs my thigh, and the panic feels like someone sitting on my chest. “Now, it’s much more than that, Finley. You see, Luca killed my men. He thinks he can go around doing whatever he wants, and I have to remind him he’s not in charge here.”

By burning his house down?

It’s on the edge of my tongue, but I don’t speak.

“The fire didn’t kill him, just slowed him down.” His other hand lifts to drag his finger down my soaked cheek. “I know he’ll come for you. I’m waiting for it. He’s very good at what he does. I know that because I taught him.”

Chills take over my spine as his hand continues to rub my thigh, barely grazing the hem of my skirt each time.

“And when he does,” he murmurs in my ear, his hot breath fanning across my neck as my stomach heaves, “that’s when I’ll take you in front of him. Remind him I’m in charge, and I take what I want.”

A whimper pushes its way up my throat as he brushes a strand of my hair behind my ear, dragging his fingertips down my neck.

“Then—” He licks his lips. “I’ll slit your throat.”

My parents.

Oh, my parents.

My chest shudders as I fight back the sob trying to claw its way out at the thought of my poor parents having to mourn my death.

“And once you’ve drained, I’ll kill him too. Not a moment sooner, not a moment later.” He pinches the fabric of my skirt between his fingers. “See, that’s the sweet spot—when he’s vulnerable and broken after seeing the woman he loves die. That’s torture enough in itself, sí ?”

How ironic that I was always going to be the one who breaks his heart instead of the other way around. In the end, I’m the one who will leave everyone behind to deal with my murder. Luca. Levi. My parents. They’ll never really get over it, and it’ll go to their graves with them that I died before they ever did.

“As sad as it is that I have to kill you,” Javier says lowly, his nose brushing against my jawline and making me flinch. “I can’t wait to have my fun with you first.”

As morbid as it may sound, I hope that, somehow, I can die sooner. Quicker. Before the possibility of Luca having to watch, or Levi. The options are endless: I could jump from the car now, or I could provoke him enough to kill me right here. Despite all of this, the one single selfish thought holds me back.

I want to see Luca again. I have to.