All I've Never Wanted(103)

“I’ll talk to you later, then. Have a good night,” James said.

“Good night!” I waved to him before shutting the door of his car and treading the now familiar path to my guesthouse.

My parents were due back Sunday, which was just two days away, and I haven’t seen them or been home in so long it weirded me out a bit to think about it. Honestly, I am not too thrilled about having to see my dad again, because something still didn’t sit right with me about our little “keep quiet” arrangement.

I was so busy thinking about what was going to happen when my parents come back that I didn’t even notice Rico standing directly between me and the guesthouse. When I did notice, I let out a startled shriek and instinctively backed away.

“You sure spook easily,” Rico drawled, stuffing his hands inside his pockets as he eyed me.

I gulped, trying to appear calm and unruffled. I don’t think I succeeded. “Well, you know, I’m a girl alone at night. I’m just being cautious,” I laughed nervously, trying to edge around him.

Rico stepped to the side, blocking my way. “It is pretty dangerous for a girl to be out by herself so late at night,” he agreed, his eyes flicking over my dress. “Hot date?”

“I just went out with a friend. Actually, I’m really tired. I think I’m going to go to sleep.” Once again, I tried to sidestep him, and once again he blocked me.

“Why don’t I walk you back? Our security’s pretty good, but you never know.” He smirked.

Fear washed through me. “It-it’s ok. I’m sure I’ll be fine,” I stuttered.

“Scared to walk with me? What, do you think I’m going to rape you?” Rico’s voice was light, but his expression had darkened. He took another few steps until he was standing right in front of me, while I stood frozen by fear. “You know, you’re really hot,” he whispered. Now that he was so close, I could smell a trace of alcohol on his breath. “No wonder my brother’s with you so much. What do you two do all alone in the guesthouse, hmm?”

He ran a finger down my arm, but I was unable to answer. I couldn’t even speak. It was like my brain at shut down at the worst possible moment. Holy crap, he wasn’t going to sexually assault me or anything, was he?

Thankfully, I never found out, because Rico looked over my shoulder at that moment and stepped back, a small smirk on his face. “See you around, Maya,” he said rather suggestively, before turning to walk back to the main house.

When he left, I let out a sigh of relief as my muscles jump-started again. You guys are so useful, I told them sarcastically in my mind.

Someone placed their hand on my shoulder and I let out a shriek, whipping around with my handbag ready to whack whoever it was in the head.

“Whoa! Calm down, it’s just me!” James held his hands up, a familiar silver bracelet dangling from his fingers. “I think this fell out in the car.”

“Oh.” God, I was going crazy. When I placed a hand on my chest, I could feel the heavy pounding of my heart. “Sorry, I’m just a bit jumpy. Thank you.”

“No problem.” James handed me the bracelet, raising an eyebrow curiously in the direction of the main house. There was a strange expression on his face. “Who was that?”

“Carlo’s older brother.” I fastened the bracelet to my wrist again.


“That’s Rico Tevasco?”

I nodded. “Why? Do you know him?”

“He’s pretty infamous.” James hesitated, then added, “He was part of this gang a few years ago. They did some pretty horrible stuff. You know, drug trafficking, extortion, grand theft auto, probably even murder, though that was never proved.”

A chill went down my spine. “Are you serious?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Don’t worry though, all the members were put in jail after a huge bust two years ago. Well, all of them except Rico.” James’ face darkened. “Apparently he was the worst. I heard he raped a bunch of girls, and he beat the last one up so bad he almost killed her. But of course, he’s a Tevasco, so his father covered the whole thing up and sent him out of the country. And now he’s back.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re living here with him. It’s not safe.”

By now, I felt sick. Was what James said true? Rico’s voice echoed in my mind. What, do you think I’m going to rape you?

The hairs on the back of my neck immediately stood up. “Carlo never told me,” I whispered. If he knew his brother had done all that, why didn’t he say anything? Why didn’t he even warn me, considering I was living here? My head spun with questions.

James snorted. “Of course he didn’t. The Scions don’t care about anyone except themselves.” His tone was bitter.

“That’s not true. Carlo isn’t like that,” I automatically said.

“You never know,” James mumbled. He glanced up at the night sky. It was darker than usual, since the moon was half-hidden behind a rather ominous-looking cloud. “How about I walk you back to the guesthouse?"

I nodded. “That would be great,” I said gratefully, unable to keep images of Rico killing someone from flashing through my mind. Suddenly, I was incredibly glad my parents were coming back on Sunday.

I made sure to stay close to James until we reached the guesthouse. Fishing my key out of my purse, I opened the door and flicked on the lights.