Give the Devil his Due

Chapter 18

Who would have thought that World War III would break out right here in the small town of Division Florida? At least, that's what it felt like as soon as those six words glorious words left Lucas' mouth.

I'm taking her on a date.

Me. He was taking me on a date. Lucas, the prince of drugs and the king of all things devilish, was taking little ole me on a real date. My heart had soared, the clouds parted, angels sang from the heavens. However, while I had moved residency to cloud 9, my father was about to have an aneurysm.

He was pissed, more so than I had seen in a very long time. He didn't want me going anywhere with Lucas, let alone on a date with him. Mr. Vasquez was just as against it as my father was but only because he had specifically told Lucas not to leave the house. Luckily, Mrs. Vasquez had supported the idea to allow Lucas and I one night of fun before he was placed under house arrest.

Which was how I wound up here, three days later, walking down an old dirt path with Lucas by my side. We were both dressed casually, as per Lucas' orders, so I knew he wasn't taking me to some fancy restaurant. Neither of us had anything, so we were laying out under the stars.

"Can you please tell me where we are going?" I asked yet again, practically whining by now. He had kept the whole date a secret from me this entire week. It was now Friday and I still had no idea where we were going or what we were doing. Lucas' had parked the car in a lot filled with lots of other vehicles so I knew were weren't doing anything illegal.

Right?

"You'll just have to wait and see." Lucas shrugged. His arms were swinging by his sides, as were mine. I didn't know whether I should hold his hand or just pretend I didn't notice that our fingers brushed against each other every few minutes. I've been on plenty of dates before, mostly when my father was out of state, but I was never as nervous as I was right now.

I made Nicole help with basically my entire outfit and makeup and hair, well after she stopped hyperventilating from finding out I was going on a date with Lucas. Nash, while slightly less so than my father, wasn't happy about the whole thing. He actually suggested that he follow along in a separate car in case something happened. Rico suggested the same thing, but only because he wanted to come with. I had to force Nash to stay home and Lucas said he tied Rico to a tree to keep him from following us.

Tonight was going to be perfect. No distractions, no drug dealers trying to kill Lucas, and my midterms didn't start until Monday. I didn't want to jinx myself, but I honestly couldn't picture how this night could be ruined.

"Just through here." Lucas instructed, leading me to where the dirt path disappeared into a wall of shrubbery. He placed his hand on the small of my back and urged me forward, "Go ahead, I'll meet you on the other side."

The heat from his hand on my back almost made me forget that I was about to stroll right into a bush, "Why? What's on the other side? Are you leading me off a cliff?"

Lucas smirked and lowered his head until his mouth was right beside my ear, "Just walk. I would never let anything happen to you mi diosa."

Well...guess he wasn't leading me off a cliff then...

Uncertainty still coursed through my veins as I took the first step. I used my hands to push the small and frail branches away from my face. A few still snagged at my hair and my clothes, but I was able to push my body through until I felt my hands swing through open air. One last step placed me on the other side of the bushes, opening up to a wide and open space.

Lucas emerged from the bushes behind me, smiling.

But I was beyond confused. We were standing in the middle of a clearing, a small clearing. Trees and bushes surrounded us in a near perfect circle with one tree stump placed directly in the center. However, that was it. There was no romantic picnic set up, no flowers, and you couldn't even see the stars above. Maybe we were just going to sit here and talk, that would be nice. I guess.