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That’s when I hear it, the sound of hooves echoing in the distance.
“Someone’s coming,” I tell Luna as if she cares. Holding on to her, I try to stand, but I crumble the instant I put weight on my foot.
“Pinche…” I grab her and try once more, but again, I fall.
A tear rolls down my cheek and I wipe at it angrily. “We’re in so much trouble, Luna.”
More afraid that it might be one of my father’s men out searching for me than some murderer, I scuttle backward toward a tree that might shelter me from view. But I’m not quick enough.
The man on horseback approaches, flashing a light in my face as he does. “SeñoritaBeltran.”
I hold my hand up as a shield. “Oh, it’s just you,” I say with relief.
“Just me?” He chuckles. “People who see me coming at them in the middle of the night like this usually cower with fear.”
I don’t question him on his meaning, though it does send a shiver of apprehension over my spine when he dismounts and comes to crouch by me.
“I had a slight tumble,” I tell him, wincing when I move my leg.
“Slight?” He sets his flashlight nearby to illuminate the space around us. Frowning, he looks me over, moving my hair away from my face, running his fingertips over my cheeks, the scrapes on my arms, and the rip in my jeans, completely unconcerned with personal space or boundaries. Setting my injuries and the rest of me aflame with every touch.
Jesucristo. This is worse than the fall!
His breathing deepens as he clenches his jaw. “I knew I shouldn’t have allowed you to come alone.”
“Allowed me?” I ask, stunned by his possessive tone. “Who are you to— What are you doing?!” I push his hands away when he touches my leg.
“You’re hurt, Sonia. I need to take the boot off to see how badly. Now let me do it.”
I want to deny him and his bossy order, but there’s no point. “All right.”
With a gentleness I don’t expect from him, he removes the boot. But even then, the pain is almost unbearable. I clutch his arm, digging my nails into his skin until it’s over.
He rolls my foot from side to side, inspecting it carefully. “I don’t think it’s broken, but you need to get someone to look at it as soon as possible.”
“No!” I scream and grasp his wrist as if he’s ready to go get help. “My father can’t find out about this. He’ll kill me. Even worse, he’ll take Luna away.”
He chuckles. “That would be worse?”
“You can’t let him see,” I say frantically. “Nobody can.”
“But it needs medical attention.”
“You said so yourself. It doesn’t seem broken.”
Shrugging, he says, “What do I know about bones?”
“You have to do it yourself.” If I can get through tonight, maybe tomorrow I can talk Diego into sneaking me to a doctor. “Take me to your place and help me stabilize it.”
“So that your father can killmeinstead? I don’t think so. You knew the consequences when you rode out in the middle of the night. Now you must deal with them.” He gathers my boot and flashlight and takes them to his horse. When he returns to lift me, I panic.
“I’ll pay you!” I plead with so much desperation, it’s embarrassing. “Whatever you want, I’ll pay it.”
He pauses, his mouth quirking to one side in a smile so full of meaning, it sends a shiver skittering over my skin. “Anything?”
I’m almost afraid to answer him. “Yes.”
“All right then.” He narrows his eyes as if he’s thinking about what he can get from me. Then he arches a brow as if the idea finally comes to him. “I want a kiss.”
