#2020book

“You are so incredibly violent.” He dipped his chin and whispered, “It still turns me on.” A scream of fury tore out of me as I jabbed my elbow out and up, snapping Hawke’s head back. “Dammit,” he said, coughing—no, laughing. He was laughing. “Didn’t change what I just said.”

“I haven’t been searching for trouble, Nonna.” I’d only summoned it to me. “Everything is fine. I’m fine, I promise.” Nonna released my face and walked away, shaking her head. “Nothing is fine, child. Hasn’t been for a month and I imagine it won’t be for many more to come. Vittoria is gone. Nothing will ever bring her back. It’s harsh, but it’s true. You need to accept it and grieve. Let go of your vengeance, or it will curse us all.”

It was a sad day when your safest way home was a rabid killer who broke your heart and you were getting into his car to prove to yourself that you weren’t a coward. “I need to go to Felix’s house first.” “I’ll take you.” “Thank you, Mr. Sagredo.” He opened the front passenger door for me and I got in. The last time I was in this car, he had jumped over a gap in an overpass. On second thought, this was probably a different car. That Spider had barely limped to our warehouse.

“We’re to spend the next three months together. Be careful with your challenges. I always play to win.” “Ah, but what precisely are we playing for?” “Hearts, perhaps.” It steals a laugh from me. Oh, he’s so polished, he’s practically gleaming. “You think to steal my heart?” “I don’t think that at all. I think you’ll give it to me.”

“Trying to convince me that you’re not a monster?” she asked darkly. “No,” he murmured. “I would never lie to you, my love. But I am trying to convince you that a monster is just what you need.”

Like a good scene partner, he matched her vulnerability with his own. “Jasmine, all I’ve ever wanted is to prove I’m more than just a telenovela hero. This is our chance to show everyone what we’re made of. Me, with my accent that will never go away no matter how hard I try, and you, with your Nuyorican roots and toddler-level Spanglish.” 

2020 Books. ⋙ Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett

“Can you hear her?” he asked. Halani drew a little closer, still not touching him. It didn’t matter. She smelled of lavender, wet ground, and camp smoke. “Hear who?” Her voice had lost its earlier sharpness. “The earth,” he murmured, exhausted, hurting. “She’s singing to me. To you.”