Ophelia thinks we screwed her over, but she doesn’t know the entire story.She only knows whatever her shady-ass uncle told her.We’re not the bad guys.Once we get our girl to see reason, she’ll understand we did this for her, too.
“I’ll go,” I offer.
Since she likes me most, I leave the sitting room searching for her.My brothers don’t complain.Apollo would be better at handling her foul mood.He excels at diffusing complicated situations but is not good at dealing with his own shit.And Atlas would probably draw her a picture of his feelings and say something poetic.
But she’s getting me.
I’m terrible at communicating with people, but I understand her feelings.I know what it’s like to think you’re not good enough, especially when I’m standing beside my brothers.
I race down the hallway and head outside.From a distance, I hear her sneakers on the pavers.
She’s still here.
I dart outside, whirling past her to reach the car door before her.
“Get out of my way, Ares!”Ophelia raises the gun and points it at my chest.“I will shoot you this time, you fucking bastard piece of shit.”
I deserve that.
I lean back against the driver’s side door, arms outstretched.“Then shoot because I’m not moving.”
The engine is still running in the black Mercedes.She must have borrowed it from her uncle.Her fender presses against Apollo’s bumper, the headlamps shining on the damage to the Audi A8.Apollo will stroke when he sees what she did to his car.
Ophelia aims the weapon at me.“Ares, stop playing games.Get out of my way and let me go.”
She doesn’t want to hurt me anymore than I already crushed her.It didn’t have to go down like this.I would have done things differently if there were any other way to get what we both wanted.
So would my brothers.
“Put the gun down, little dragon.”I hold up my hands in surrender.“I just want to talk.No one has to get hurt.”
“Too fucking late,” she snaps, the tears streaming down her cheeks.“I trusted you and your brothers.And you took everything from me.”
She’s screaming now, nearly hysterical and ready to lose it.I’m afraid she will accidentally shoot me if I don’t get her to lower the Glock.
“Baby, c’mon.”I extend my hand.“Give me the gun.I know you don’t want to kill me.”
“You don’t know shit,” she fires back, her entire body trembling from the emotions sweeping over her.“You pretended to like me.I knew a man like you would never like a woman like me.And I was right.”
She’s so fucking wrong.
And I think Apollo is right about me.I love Ophelia, or at the very least, I have strong feelings for her that could be love.I wouldn’t know since I’ve never been in love before.
I can’t tell her this.
Not now, anyway.
She’ll only think it’s another lie to control her—another manipulation to keep her returning for more.
“How could you do this to me, Ares?”Ophelia’s hands are shaking as severely as the rest of her body.“I cared about you.I told you shit no one else knows.I let you see me.Touch me.There’s nothing I wouldn’t have done for you.”
She loves me, too.
Or at least she did.
Fuck.
I see a flash of movement out of the corner of my eye and snap my head to the door.My brothers stand at the edge of the driveway, Apollo with his arms folded over his chest and Atlas with his hands stuffed into his jeans pockets.
