Page 15 of A Taste like Sin

“The reporter is pressing charges, or at least hewas,” Damien adds. “May I?” With what I presume is

a practiced motion, he finds the back of the bench with one hand and uses it as a guide to lower

himself onto it.

I doubt he’s omniscient enough to find me without help—and sure enough, I spot Julio in the distance,

muttering into a headset, feeding his boss my location, I suspect.

“A rather dull man from a paper few read anyway,” Damien continues as if uninterrupted. “A bit of

money to pad his next check and an inside scoop on some tawdry celebrity scandal and the man

changed his mind.”

“Why?” I demand, swiping at my face with my sleeve.

“Hmm.” He tilts his head. “I assume because he enjoys money and notoriety—”

“No, I mean…why help me?” Is what Mateo claimed true? He bargained to keep even his brother

from me?

“Why?” A frown distorts that stern, beautiful mouth, confusing me further. “Unless you’ve forgotten,

you yourself laid out the terms of our agreement.”

That I did.

Stay with me.

Protect me.

“Then you should have no trouble humoring me,” I say. “Or with telling me the truth.”

“Of course,” he says without a hint of hesitation. “You only need to ask.”

“You spied on me last night. You knew I was meeting with my father.”

“Sí.” He cocks his head without an ounce of shame. “Seeing as I appointed myself head of your

security, I feel no need to deny that.”

Touché.Once more, I’m forced to admit that he has a point.

“Did you know that he didn’t show?” I demand. “If so, then tell me. Did someone powerful come

along and make him an offer he couldn’t refuse?” I force a smile while telling myself I can handle any

explanation. But my stomach churns more the longer Damien’s silence extends. It’s not out of

ignorance, I suspect. He’s hiding something. “Just tell me.”

“I’m not sure,” he concedes. “Just that he canceled all appointments for the day.”

“You don’t think something’s wrong, do you?” The concern in my voice isn’t fake. Heyworth Thorne

may be many things. But for twenty years, he was my father. Go figure, those emotions can’t be shaken