Free Tainted Love (Sweetest Taboo #2) by Eva Márquez

late. I’d asked Isabel, but she’d never told me the truth about what happened. Or rather, she’d never deviated from her story. Somehow, though, I’d never believed her.
    When the rumors started circulating about Mr. Stevens hooking up with another student, I’d believed them. Of course I had – he had a history of doing just that. I’d seen the girl, and though she didn’t look anything like Isabel, she did look at Mr. Stevens as if he walked on water. That had been enough proof for me.
    Which brought me right back around to the question of my sister. What was she doing here with that man? She was an adult, now, and I couldn’t stop her from having a boyfriend, but I could sure as hell tell her what I thought about it. I wondered suddenly if she knew about the rumors. I wondered if she knew about the other girl – Christine, or Christy, or something like that. Most of all, I wondered if I should find my sister and say something to her, knock some sense into her. She was old enough to make her own decisions, but she should at least be reminded of what she was getting herself into before she delved too deeply into a big mess.
    Maybe I should just call mom and dad, I thought. Or the cops.
     
    ***
     
    “Isabel, you’ve got to calm down,” Tom said, holding me tightly. “Everything’s fine, sweetheart, you’re blowing this all out of proportion.”
    “What if he saw us?” I gasped. “What if he saw me and is calling my parents right now, telling them that I’m here with you? What if he’s called the cops? This could get you in even more trouble!”
    He sat back, holding me at arm’s length, and looked deeply into my eyes. We were sitting in the back of a café, having rushed in after we lost sight of Tony. I’d just told him about seeing Tony, and how I thought he might have seen me. Tom had, as usual, been the voice of reason, suggesting that I call Tony and feel him out, but recommending that we sit and collect ourselves first.
    “Nothing’s going to happen,” he said softly. “Do you think we’ve gone through all of this, and spent so much time apart, only for the universe to put something else in our way? Don’t you think it’s time for us to have some good luck on our side? Everything’s going to be fine, Isabel, I promise. Even if he does tell your parents, you’re a grown woman now. They can’t stop you from having a boyfriend.”
    I gulped. He was right, of course, but that didn’t make it any easier. I didn’t want Tony ratting me out to my parents. I didn’t want to have to deal with the disappointment or judgment that I knew would come from that home. I didn’t want the questions or accusations or assumptions…I didn’t want my parents to think any less of me, I realized, and they would if they knew about this. They would realize that something had happened between Tom and me when I was in high school, and that I’d lied to them about it.
    That thought stopped me cold. I loved Tom, but I loved my parents too, and I didn’t want them to be disappointed in me or to stop believing in me. Tom was right – I had to call Tony and make sure that he hadn’t seen me. If he had, maybe I could call on his emotions, make him realize that telling my parents would hurt them more than it would hurt me.
    I took a deep breath and reached for my phone. Tom tried to stop me, but I held a hand out to him, shaking my head. I needed to get in touch with Tony before he did anything stupid. I punched in the numbers from memory, swallowing repeatedly to get my voice under control.
    He picked up on the first ring. “Hello?” he asked abruptly.
    “Hi Tony, it’s Izzy,” I answered, trying to sound upbeat.
    “I know, goof, I saw your name on the caller ID,” he said. I listened closely, trying to make out any emotion in his voice. Was that impatience I heard? Disappointment? Suspicion?
    “How are you?” I stalled. I hadn’t come up with a plan before I called, and now I wasn’t sure exactly