Ruins of Temptation (Corium University Trilogy 4)

“Thanks.” I wonder if I should warn her in advance about my Vitamin D levels. Something tells me it’s going to be pretty damn low after not seeing the sun for weeks.

“You can get dressed now.” She turns away and starts typing on her laptop. “Don’t pay attention to me. I want to put in a few notes while our visit is still fresh in my mind.”

I’m sure she’s making a note of how suspicious I am, wondering what made me this way. I could tell her a few things since I’m sure there is no way she would know what’s been done to me lately. If so, would she be obligated to go to the cops?

Who am I kidding? If there’s any hope of living through this, I need to wise up. Nobody around here is going to the authorities for any reason, small or large. This school isn’t for families who rely on the law. It’s just the opposite. If I’m going to make it out of here, the only person I can rely on is myself.

The doctor is still pounding the keys when I finish putting my clothes back on. Rather than announce I’m finished, I glance around the room…looking for something, anything.

I’m on my own. I need to think defensively. I need to be able to protect myself. That’s why a pair of scissors sitting with the medical equipment on a wheeled tray gets my attention. She still has her back to me, so I hold my breath while inching toward the tray.

“Are you all set?” Her question makes me jump.

“Just about.” She’s still not looking my way, but she will be soon. It’s now or never.

My hand shoots out, and I take hold of the scissors, my clammy fingers slip against the metal, but I keep my hold on them and gently tuck them into the back of my jeans.

I’ll hide them between the mattress and box spring in the guest room. Lucas won’t ever think to look there, and who knows when I’ll need them. It’s better to have a weapon to protect yourself than to face the enemy empty-handed.

16

LUCAS

“What is this?” She looks over at me from her corner of the sofa. The way she sits with her feet drawn up under her, anyone would think this is her apartment. I have to swallow back a flare-up of irritation.

“An effort at giving you a little culture. It’s a good movie.”

“It’s not in color.”

“Nothing gets past you, does it?” She scowls at the TV when it’s obvious I’m the one she wants to scowl at. “Just give it a chance. You might enjoy it.”

“Okay.” She shrugs, still looking skeptical. I turn my attention back to my laptop, though it isn’t exactly holding my interest, with Nic’s advice running through my memory on repeat.

I need to get her out of here. I need to separate myself from her and turn my energy toward Aspen.

Yet the more I’ve thought about it, the more evident something is: it’s easy for him to say. I knew it during our call, but now it’s clearer than ever. The girl is untrustworthy. I still know nothing about her connection to the Valentines beyond blood.

She is part of them. She is the last Valentine, the family who hurt Aspen. How can I let her walk around, free and clear until I’m sure she won’t turn against Aspen? No matter how irresponsible it makes me to keep her here, it’d be ten times worse to let her go until I’m certain she’s not a threat.

I can hardly live with everything I’ve done. How could I live with myself if my daughter is hurt again—and I had the power to stop it but did nothing?

Nic doesn’t get it. I’m doing this for my kid. Not for me.

The sound of her soft chuckles lifts my gaze to the TV screen. “This is actually pretty funny,” she murmurs once she notices me watching.

“It’s a classic screwball comedy.”

“I didn’t think these old movies were actually funny. I figured they’d be all boring and dry and stuff.”

“I still can’t believe your aunt never introduced you to any of that. You said she watched movies.”

Her mouth sets in a firm line. “I guess that’s why I was never interested. Sitting with her to watch a movie meant breathing in her smoke. Have you ever been trapped in a room with a chain smoker, and the windows don’t open?”

“I can’t say I have.” It sounds miserable, one more layer of unhappiness in what seems like a generally unhappy life.

That’s what I still don’t understand and can’t help mulling over while she turns back to the movie. What am I missing here? She’s a Valentine kid, yet she lived in a trailer. No money—she was fairly clear on that. The rest of the family lived like kings while she was trapped in a double-wide of smoke.