Cammy, described by insiders as a British special forces operative with a signature leotard and a no-nonsense attitude, allegedly caught Gazis’s attention during a charity gala in London...
Wait.
Rose, meanwhile, is said to be an Italian fortune teller with a mysterious past and an affinity for soul-powered attacks...
A choked laugh escaped her when she realized how her normally super serious husband was pranking her with a fake article about his exes. Who just happened to share the same characters from a particular video game. And of course it was no coincidence that same video game was what had inspired Lexy when making up stories about her own fictional exes.
Oh, Leon!
Lexy was still laughing when Shayla arrived, the older woman’s dark hair swept up in an elegant twist, her eyes crinkling with warmth as she took in Lexy’s tear-streaked face.
“Should I be concerned?”
Lexy shook her head, wiping at her eyes. “My husband has the best sense of humor.”
“Oh. Um. Okay.”
“I’m serious!”
“I know. You don’t have to convince me. It’s like when I tell people that Adriano has the gentlest heart—”
It was Lexy’s turn to choke. Adriano.Gentle?When he was called a legal barracuda—
Shayla laughed. “See what I mean?”
Lexy was unable to reply, with the announcement system suddenly crackling to life, and both women jumped to their feet as the announcer’s voice boomed through the stadium.
“Ladies and gentlemen, two minutes until the start of today’s race. Please welcome our drivers to the starting grid...”
Lexy pressed her hands against the glass as the names were called, her heart pounding harder with each one.
“...and in position three, making his return to professional racing after an eight-year hiatus — Leonidas Gazis!”
****
Down at the track,in the moments before the race began, Leonidas sat in his car and let the familiar weight of it settle around him.
Eight years.
Eight years since he’d felt the vibration of an engine beneath him, the grip of the wheel in his hands, the particular electricity that came from knowing he was about to push himself to the very edge of human capability.
Aivan appeared at his window, dark eyes steady. “How are you feeling?”
“Ready.”
“The system?”
“Perfect.” And it was. Every calibration, every adjustment, every line of code his wife had written—all of it working in harmony to bridge the gap between what his body could do and what his mind already knew. “She’s a genius.”
“She is.” Aivan’s mouth quirked. “Though I suspect you didn’t need the technology to figure that out.”
Adriano appeared beside him, silver eyes glinting with amusement. “One more thing before you go.”
“What?”
“You asked about our investor. The one who insisted on mediation.”
Leonidas’s hands tightened on the wheel. He’d been wondering about that for months—the mysterious figure who had refused to let him sign away his marriage, who had forced him and Lexy into the proximity that had ultimately saved them both.
