Chapter 10
TEN
“ I t’s me, Mags,” a familiar voice whispers in my ear, transporting my heart from erratic terror to thundering with anticipation.
Sin’s touch instantly calms me as his warm fingers glide over the bare skin of my arm. A wave of shivers sweeps through my body, almost making me convulse, the way one does when it’s bone-chillingly cold. I pull away before that can happen.
I glance at Sin as he tilts his head to gaze down at me. We move quickly, aided by his long legs, while I find it hard to maintain the pace. “What’s going on?” I wonder. “And why are we fleeing from Bria?
“We’re teaching my little sis a lesson," he growls, addressing her rather than me.
We enter a cobblestone alley, and Sin takes my bags.
“What kind of lesson?” I ask. He wraps one large hand around my waist, pulling me deeper into the shadowy path.
“One where she understands not to ditch detail and ignore my calls," he replies, his thick accent threatens to swallow me whole.
Finally, he gives me something... anything that I can latch onto to question him. Growing up, it was always ‘trust and don’t ask,’ but I’m not there anymore. I am nowhere, with no rules except the ones I make. “Why is it so important? The detail?”
“I am...” Sin takes my hand, a furrow of concern forming on his otherwise smooth forehead. I take it that worry isn’t something this man typically experiences. “I am a very powerful man, Magnolia.”
That much seems obvious. “Do people wish to harm you?”
He laughs, pulling a cigarette from his pack and releasing my hand. He extends his pointer finger out and in an instant, a gust of air rushes past us. Although I briefly worry that someone might have taken my bags, it’s just one of his men retrieving them. He disappears just as quickly.
Sin remains unfazed, keeping his captivating gaze locked on mine as he says, “For one thing. If you had someone with you, those would’ve been held for you.” He draws me closer, sidestepping my question, and guides us to the opening of the alley.
I place my foot on the ground, refusing to move. He cranes his head to the sky, breathing in the scent of the night in an attempt to air out his frustration with me. Good, I don’t care that he’s frustrated. I am, more than he could possibly comprehend, frustrated. “I’m more than capable of carrying my own bags, Mr. Donati,” I sneer, done with the toying, “and I doubt that your detail is merely around to carry shopping bags. ”
“Ah.” A smirk rises on his face. “She does bite back. Sin," he reminds me.
"Answer my question, Sin," I demand.
His face shifts into a half-smile mixed with a menacing glare as if daring me to challenge him. He exhales deeply, trying not to intimidate me. "Do you want the truth, or would you prefer it sugarcoated?"
"The truth," I reply, "always the truth."
"Fine." He straightens, casually taking a drag of his cigarette. "At any given moment, on any given day, I have at least five hits out on me."
"Hits?" I stammer, my eyes going wide.
He nods. "Yeah, hitmen. At least five are tracking me at all times, and that's on a slow week." He shrugs.
I look around, wondering if they see us now.
"You're safe," he assures me, not bothering to gaze around the dark corners of the busy streets. "My men are better than theirs."
"Who is they ?" I press.
"All of that,"—he circles his hand in front of my face—"is a question for a different time."
My attention goes back to Bria. “Is she safe?”
He nods. “Three of my men have had their eyes on the both of you since she decided to run from them.”
“Does she know the danger?”
He laughs; it’s low and guttural. “She does, but she tries to be defiant.” He peers down at me through thick lashes. “I do hope you won’t be defiant, piccolo.” ( little one)
I want to ask him what that means or why my heart flutters when he says it, but instead, I shake my head. “I won’t be.”
I wonder if I should be so obedient, so quick to answer him. It’s probably the fault of the way I was raised—so sheltered, yet with glimpses of adulthood. In the movies and books we weren’t supposed to have.
Among the teenagers who would visit the cathedral, the rich girls from the city would attend summer camp. Their skirts were shorter and their lips pinker, the way they would gossip about boys, how we would listen through the cracks in the doors, praying they would see us as equals.
But we were orphans, and they stayed at the orphanage for only a brief time. We caught glimpses of one another's lives, but their experiences served as lessons, reminding them to be grateful that they had their own rooms and parents.
He straightens up, seeming pleased. “Good girl."
I shiver now; the growl in his voice is unlike anything I'm familiar with. He flashes a grin and guides me away from my stop.
It’s here in this alleyway, as he guides me down the uneven ground that I look into his dark eyes, the way his jaw is set in a near-constant grimace, that I wonder what happened to Sin to make him so hot and cold. To make people want to kill him.
He may not want to talk about it, but I’m going to find out.
“What were you looking at before I grabbed you?” he wonders as we merge back into the crowd, and I feel the warmth of his arm intertwined with mine, anchoring me amidst the chaos .
“Oh…” I become shy; the confidence I had before to spend his money has evaporated with a single smile from him. “I got a few outfits.” I shrug. “I’ve never owned jewelry besides bracelets we’ve made.”
Sin takes my hand in his, not in a frantic way like before but in a sweet, guiding way. “Then I know the perfect place to bring you.”
A boyish charm takes over him as we walk together. He soon picks up the pace, looking at me every so often to smile. I don’t dare talk to him about his usual attitude; I drink this moment in.
“This is all so new for you,” he states. “Did you have fun?”
I nod, giving him a smirk. “It’s really been an incredible day.” I can’t wait to talk to Bria about this; I hope she didn’t freak out too much thinking I disappeared.
“This dress,” He bites his lip. “Stunning.”
I blush as the cool night air, mixed with whiffs of street foods sends us an enticing aroma. I remind myself, considering we weren’t allowed food past the usual dinnertime I want to make it a routine to eat when my body tells me I’m hungry versus when other people say it is. “Want to eat?” I ask.
Everything was so strict, all fragments of my life determined by a day-to-day schedule. Now, I’m in the city with a boy I barely know, strolling the sidewalk. “I know just the place. Do you like Tacos?”
“I guess we’ll find out.”
“Your life is about to change forever.” He teases.
The warm glow of the taco truck’s lights spills onto the cracked pavement. Sin leans against the side of the truck, his dark silhouette blending into the city shadows. Even in the dim light, he looks sharp—too sharp for a greasy taco truck. Like he belongs in a penthouse, not standing under the hum of a buzzing fluorescent light.
He ordered for both of us since I had no idea what to get, rattling off Spanish like it’s second nature. The smell of grilled meat and spices makes my stomach rumble, and I hope he doesn’t hear it.
“Excited?” His voice cuts through the noise of the city, low and smooth like the rumble of an engine.
I shrug, trying to seem casual, even though I’m starving. “Sure.”
Sin glances at me, one corner of his mouth tugging up in a smirk. His eyes catch the light for a moment—dark, unreadable. “Guess we’ll see how you feel after your first bite.”
The cook hands over two foil-wrapped bundles, and Sin passes one to me. His fingers brush mine for a second, and it’s enough to send a jolt of something—excitement? Nervousness?—through my chest.
I peel back the foil and stare at the tacos. They’re messy, overloaded with meat, onions, cilantro, and some kind of red sauce.
He watches me, waiting. “Go on. Try it.”
I glance up at him. “You’re awfully invested in whether I’ll like tacos.”
He chuckles, the sound deep and low, and suddenly the city noise feels a little quieter. “Call it curiosity. I don’t meet many people who haven’t had one of these before.”
I take a tentative bite, the flavors exploding on my tongue— spicy, savory, tangy. It’s so good I can’t stop the small hum of satisfaction that escapes me. When I look up, Sin’s eyes are on me, his expression unreadable but… softer, somehow.
“Well?” he asks.
“They’re good,” I admit, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
“Good?” He raises an eyebrow, amusement dancing in his voice. “You ate half of it in one bite.”
Heat rises to my cheeks. “I said it was good, didn’t I?”
He laughs again, a sound that seems to wrap around me, pulling me into his orbit. For a moment, I forget the cold, the city, the fact that I barely know him.
“So, Magnolia,” he says, leaning closer, his voice dropping just a fraction. “What do you like to do for fun?” His demeanor has shifted so much from morning to night.
I snort, surprising myself. “Fun? I’ve been in an orphanage my whole life. We don’t exactly have a lot of ‘fun’ activities there.”
His smirk fades slightly, and for a moment, I think I see something like sadness flicker across his face. But it’s gone as quickly as it came. “Guess that means I’ll have to show you what you’ve been missing.”
I don’t know how to respond to that, so I focus on my taco instead, taking another bite. “Why me?” I ask finally, my voice quieter than I intended.
He tilts his head, considering. “Why not you?”
“That’s not an answer.”
“No,” he says, his smirk returning, though it doesn’t quite reach his eyes this time. “It’s not. ”
And just like that, the walls are back up. Whatever glimpse of something deeper I thought I saw is gone, replaced by that same mysterious air that drew me to him in the first place.
I should be annoyed, but instead, I find myself wanting to know more. Wanting to know him. Finished with our food, I decide to focus on the now, more than the burning questions I so desperately need answered.
We slip into a slow walk a few blocks away. “We’re here.” He gestures up, his inked fingers trailing the bright sign overhead. “In the words of my mother... every girl deserves something from Tiffany’s.”