“Are you even listening?” Camille's voice cuts through my thoughts.
My eyes shift to her. “Yeah. Gala. Dress. Got it.”
Her pout could rival Khloe's. “You used to be more excited to see me.”
I don’t remember ever being excited to see Camille.
We turn down a narrow street, pulling up to the estate. Not our house. My father's house. The Delacroix fortress is all stone and iron gates, but it’s to distract you from all the secrets. They live in the rot of the earth, festering through generations.
Guards flank the entrance and nod as we drive past.
“I'll call you later,” Camille says, squeezing my hand. “We need to talk about our future.”
Our future. Like I have any say in it.
“Sure.”
She kisses my cheek before sliding out of the car. I watch her walk away, hips swaying in that deliberate way girls do when they know they're being watched.
Atlas leans over from the other car. “You're fucked, man.”
“Nah, I'm not.”
The front door of my father's car opens, and he climbs out like he owns the fucking world. In some ways, he does. In others, he's just another monster who wishes he did.
He takes Khloe's hand, and she looks up at him like he's the greatest man alive. I read somewhere that a father is a girl's first love. I'll make damn sure Khloe never falls for that shit. The last thing she needs as a first love is Alderic fucking Delacroix.
Coeur-de-Pierre is a ruse. A quiet life away from our real one, but no one really exists here. It's just a place we return to, a place to touch base on family business.
This year is different.
Atlas disappears the same way Camille did, and just as I’m about to slip out, my driver’s voice stops me.
“Asher.”
“Yeah?”
“You alright, son?”
He's the only one who ever asks like he means it.
“Always.”
It's a lie. Just like the rest of my life.
The leather of his seat creaks as he turns, but I don't look at him. I don't need to. I know he's about to drop some hard truths. “You going out tonight?”
I straighten the Rolex beneath the cuff of my hoodie, finally meeting his eyes. “Yes. Why? Got a cute date?”
He's not a man of many smiles, but he gives me half of one. “You wish.”
I don't. I trust him more than anyone, even Atlas, who still thinks with his dick.
“Remember, Asher, this is different. It's not as easy as it is in the States. There are eyes everywhere here. People might not know what's growing in their own backyard, but they've whispered about it.”
“Don't worry, old friend. I know what I'm doing.”
Do I? I can say it as many times as I want, but that won't make it true. All I know for sure is there's a war coming, and I have to be ready.
