Page 115 of A Taste like Sin
“No?” I ask as his jaw clenches without him offering up an answer. “For four years, he watched
someone pretend to be my worst nightmare. Why?” I laugh when he remains silent. “Because this was
always just a game to him. I was always a pawn.”
“Sí,” Julio says, but there’s a flatness to his tone, neither confirming nor denying my statement. “But,
though he sent me, I am not here for Mr. Villa. I’m here for you.”
I bite my lip, unsure of whether or not to believe him. He could be lying, participating in another
elaborate scheme.
But it’s not like I have any other options.
“Chief Harrison has put an unofficial security detail on me,” I blurt.
“Sí.” He scowls, cutting his gaze to the doorway. “The bastards are especially…vigilant. Just getting
to you was challenging.”
“I don’t trust him,” I admit. “But I don’t trust you, either. I can’t trust anyone.” I rip my hands through
my hair, squeezing my eyes shut against the hopelessness building in my chest. “I can’t—”
“I know,” Julio says, his voice eerily level. “But I will confess that, while Mr. Villa sent me here, I
came on my own. I wouldn’t have otherwise,” he adds. “But know that, for now, I am yours to
command. Just say the word.”
I frown. It’s too tempting to consider. A trap?
Or a reprieve?
I only have a split second to decide. So I close my eyes and whisper, “Get me out of here.”
“As you wish.” His hand brushes mine, tugging me forward. I open my eyes as he drapes his coat
over my shoulders and pulls the hood over my head. “Stay close.”
Julio could be lying to me—but there is no mistaking his skill. When we exit the hospital minutes
later without arousing suspicion, I have a clear idea of why Damien keeps him so close.
“How do I know you aren’t planning to hand-deliver me to him?” I ask as the man ushers me into the
back seat of a black car. But it’s different from the model I’m used to. Key differences stick out: the
tinted windows and smaller blueprint. Not one of Damien’s.
“I could be,” Julio says as he climbs into the driver’s seat. “But I think you and I both know that Mr.
Villa is a bit more…direct than this method.”
He has a point.
“Chief Harrison says my father was poisoned by oleander,” I say. “Do you think D-Damien… Could
