“Stick to the plan, Ares.”My brother shuts the closet door and sprays cologne onto his wrist, working it into his skin.“I’m not saying you shouldn’t keep Ophelia close because we will need her help.But I know how you are with women.”
I sit up and stretch out my arms, rolling my eyes at my brother.“Speak for yourself.You’re no saint.Wait until she finds out about the freaky shit you like.”
Apollo stands before me, teeth gritted at the mention of his affliction.He never talks about it, but I know it bothers him.
“Once you fuck her, that’s it.You won’t want her anymore.And if you reject Ophelia when she’s already so self-conscious, we’ll never get her back on our side.Consider yourself lucky she kicked you out.It was the best thing for both of you.”
Maybe he’s right.But fuck, I want to play with her.
ChapterTwelve
ARES
Mom insistedwe eat breakfast as a family.Sitting here with Belen and Ophelia is weird.We laugh and smile, as if this is all normal, passing plates of eggs and fruit as if we do this every day.
After Dad’s death, our mom continued planning events with her rich friends, pretending she still had our dad’s money.No one knows she’s flat broke.
Only her loyal sons.
Her divorce settlement ran out a while back, which means Akropolis, The River Styx, and The Apollo Group are her sole sources of income.
Times are getting tough for us.Apollo’s fund is taking a significant hit because of the economy.To get the information we need to take down Belen, Atlas had to sell half of his bar to a gang called The Serpents.
I’m a gambler.So I dropped half a million on a fight, thinking it was a sure thing.We need the money, so I figured, why not?
But I lost.
Now, I must lose my next fight to pay back the bookie.I shouldn’t have bet so much money on a fight that should have been a guarantee, but I also didn’t know Belen Drakos was fixing the fights in Beacon Bay.He appointed his brother, Alexander, to collect my debt.
He’s Ophelia’s uncle and Belen’s older brother.Before we arrived, he had handled the finances at the club.But our mother has convinced Belen to push his brother aside and let Apollo use his finance degree from Yale.
We need Belen’s money.
But we want his power more.
A man like Belen Drakos commands authority.He owns almost every bar, strip club, and nightclub in the area.People bow to the Godfather of the Night.And if we play our cards right, they will kneel to us soon enough.
Ophelia taps my arm with her elbow.“Snap out of it, Ares.Can you pass the syrup?”She points to the bottle on my right.“Any day now.What, are you high?”
“No, I’m not high,” I grumble and slide the syrup in front of her.
I was thinking about how I’m going to destroy your father.
I want to lecture her about eating all that sugar on a stack of pancakes.Not because of her weight.I love her body.But I’m a health nut and don’t eat sugar, processed foods, or carbs.
Apollo sits beside me and shoots a look that says, “Keep your mouth shut.”
If he ate that shit, he would never hear the end.That’s why he’s biting into an egg sandwich on a whole-grain English muffin.
Better choices equal no shit from me.Besides, I don’t have to tell that evil genius about the connection between food and the mind.He’s so obsessed with himself and his big brain that he doesn’t need a lecture.
I stick with my usual protein shake and bottled water.Atlas doesn’t care what I think, stuffing a handful of crispy bacon into his mouth like he hasn’t eaten in weeks.He takes the syrup and douses five pancakes with it.
I’d only eat sugar if Ophelia drizzled the syrup on her naked body and let me lick it off her.
Now, there’s a thought.
“Phe,” Belen says midway through the meal.“I’m making a few business changes to include everyone.”
