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Jacinta moves to walk past me, still looking grumpy, and before I can think about it I grab her arm. Damn it. I should becareful, I can’t scare her away after the first meeting—but something in me doesn’t want to let her go. I frown at the feeling, but I don’t have time to process it before Jacinta turns back to me with a challenging look.
“What? I’ve already apologized.”
I keep my gaze steady on her even though the daring tone of her voice surprises me. Well, that’s a girl who doesn’t know how to be scared—but not for long, trust me. I wonder if she’ll be just as cocky when I force her into the car, pin her to the passenger seat, and have my way with her…
I blink. Shit. What am I thinking?
“Listen, if you have a problem with me, I know a guy who’d be glad to talk to you instead.”
Jacinta straightens her shoulders, still trying to look serious, but I notice that her ferocity wavers. She glances at my hand on her arm and immediately looks to the side, avoiding my gaze, but I still notice a glint of shyness in her eyes. So she likes my attention, huh?
I smirk and lean toward her. “Is that your boyfriend you’re talking about?”
Jacinta huffs and looks up—and our eyes immediately meet, sending another rush of heated adrenaline through my chest. I instinctively tighten my grip on her arm and pull her closer, and Jacinta winces a little but doesn’t pull back.
“Maybe it is.”
“Oh, so a girl like you has a man to show off?” I say with a smirk just to tease her, but something in Jacinta’s eyes wavers in response. She blinks, and the fire in her eyes makes way for a look of hurt. Wait, I didn’t mean it to be—
“Whatever,” Jacinta mutters and weaves her arm out of my loosened grip. “I was just going to the stage, so if you don’t mind.”
She doesn’t wait for my response and readjusts her hold on the papers before pushing through the crowd in the direction of the stage. Someone complains again when Jacinta bumps into them, but she ignores it and continues walking until I lose sight of her.
Shit. I look around, feeling lost, my heart pounding in my chest. What the hell have I done? I was supposed tocharmher at first sight, not get into a goddamn argument! If I follow her right away, Jacinta may get suspicious and actually call her guards, so I give her a few seconds—that I use to send Thomas a message to find me—and start walking in the same direction.
It takes me a moment to find her again. Jacinta is wearing an inconspicuous beige hoodie with a black sleeveless shirt underneath, so it’s quite a task to catch her in the crowd—but once I know what I’m looking for, my eyes are focused on that thing only. So eventually, I notice Jacinta talking to a girl near the stage and make my way closer to them.
It looks like the main event of the charity fair is some kind of student music band playing their songs, and Jacinta is helping out. She appears here and there, handing out the papers from her hands—but when I finally sneak behind the stage, she disappears. At the same time, the band starts playing, and the deafening sound of their shitty music gets on my nerves.
“Hey, you can’t be here.” Someone suddenly catches my shoulder, and I turn around so quickly that the guy steps back and raises his hands. “Sorry, man, but—”
“Have you seen Jacinta?”
“Who?”
I gather the last remnants of my patience and look him in the eyes. “Jacinta. The Mexican girl that’s been handing out the papers.”
“Oh, the fat one?” I clench my jaw and step toward the guy, forcing him to retreat with a terrified gasp. It’s too late to play Thomas’ harmless older brother, I need Jacintanow. “Sorry, yes, I mean—uh, I think she went to the bathroom? Yeah, she—”
“Where?”
He frantically gestures at the college entrance. “There, go past the security point and turn right, you’ll see the sign.”
I look at the huge glass doors of the main entrance. Security point? No, it’s too obvious.
I turn back to the guy. “Do you have any other way in?”
“Uh, let me think,” he mutters, and I quickly glance around to check for witnesses before punching his stomach with my elbow. The guy doubles with a pained hiss, but it helps him to clear his memory. “Yes, there is—go down there, past the parking lot, you’ll see Graham Hall on your right, no, on your left. Nobody cares if you’re a student, just go through the doors and walk back to the main entrance.”
Even before he finishes, I let him go and take off in the direction of the parking lot. It’s dangerous to get so close to the Mexicans, but I can’t lose time. It’s my only chance to capture Jacinta inside the building. Nobody’s gonna see us there, it’s damn perfect!
While I try to walk as fast as possible without attracting attention, I notice that Thomas leaves the crowd and follows me. Damn it, he’s being too obvious. But I don’t have time to deal with him—I have to call Omero first.
“I almost have her, be ready,” I say as soon as he picks up.
“Where?”
“The parking lot. Drive here, I’ll—”
