Page 88 of Embriagado

“Yes.”

“Fuck yeah!” He fisted his hands, unaware of what he’d just agreed to.

That was the core problem of this idiot. He never thought ahead. He sought momentary solutions to complicated problems. Same as saying he’d do anything in return for me sparing his life, he didn’t take into account the consequences of his words.

“Please,” I cried, blood choking my throat. “P-please, I don’t want to die.”

“Nobody wants to die.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, tears rolling down my cheeks, before I opened them to stare at him.

“I-I’ll do anything.”

He crouched down, using a finger to trace the trail my tear left. “Anything?”

With my last strength, I nodded.

“Yes. A-anything. J-just please, save me.”

“Well, who am I to refuse such an offer?”

Brushing this memory away, I stared at the moron, who still seemed awfully pleased.

“We’ll meet here again next week. Same day, same time. Be sure not to be late,” I said, ignoring the sudden turmoil that went through me, making my skin ice-cold.

“Sure. Anything else?”

I shook my head, trying to ignore the metallic taste filling my mouth.

“No. I’ll take care of all the necessary things. All you need to do is stay alive and be here on time.”

I turned to walk away, but as I passed by him, I stopped.

“On second thought, there’s one thing you could do.”

“What?”

“That awful smell of peaches,” I snarled, lips twisting with disgust. “Get rid of it.”

I didn’t bother to stay one more second in his presence and instead got out of there. But not even the fresh air and the scent of the nearby ocean were enough to make the stench go away, and I found myself lost in bad memories.

Irritated, I glanced up at the sky. It was a new moon tonight, perhaps signaling the start of a new beginning—one that could finally lead to an end. However, I was probably placing too much hope in that imbecile. A man-child who was incapable of saving himself, let alone me, as strength by itself meant nothing. Still, if I played my cards right and manipulated him to my needs, I might have just found my way out of this hell.

A chance, as slim as it may be, was still a chance, and in my life, I’d learned to seize whatever opportunity was tossed my way and hold on tightly, even if it seemed hopeless. And that’s exactly what Santiago Rivas was.

A hopeless coincidence.

23

SANTIAGO

“Where’s the gloves?” I asked, looking around the room, while Ariyan wrapped bandages around my knuckles.

“There are no gloves.”

“What?” I frowned.

Bringing the cloth down, he created an X around my hand.