Iknow that something’s wrong from the look on Ares’s face the second he comes back into the dining room.
Chance isn’t with him, but most importantly, I don’t see Zara anywhere.
Heather, of course, said she left Zara to use the bathroom, and that nothing looked out of the ordinary. In her defense, she offered to go check the women’s bathroom, but I told her not to worry.
If Chance or Ares found her, there might be a reason why they’re taking so long.
I swear to God, I’m not jealous of Zara’s relationship with Chance and Ares. They’re more than brothers to me, and if Zara makes them happy one tenth of how happy she makes me, I can’t be anything but supportive of them being together.
But we were all worried when Zara was taking so long in the bathroom, so if either of them decided to have a quickie with her before letting me know that everything was fine, I’m gonna be pissed.
To be honest, Ares doesn’t look like someone who just got laid. And where the fuck are Chance and Zara?
“Lev, a word?” His hand lands on my shoulder, and I’m out of my chair faster than I skate away with the puck glued to my stick after winning a face-off. I came back to my seat after speaking to Heather, and I’ve been itching to go check the bathroom myself, but I stayed in case the guys and Zara somehow didn’t cross paths.
“Everything ok?” Dave asks, stuffing a whole brownie into his mouth. He’s on his third plate of food.
“Peachy.” Ares’s stony expression is harder than usual, and that causes my worry to skyrocket. “Come on, Lev, I’d like to speak to you in private.”
Dave Fox’s eyes remain intent on us as we walk away from the table, as if he were debating whether to follow us.
“What’s up? Is Zara ok?” I ask Ares once we’re standing next to one of the full-length paned patio doors that lead out to the dining room’s veranda and out of earshot from anyone attending the charity event.
“She’s with Chance.” He says. “I need you to go tell Kelly that Zara came down with food poisoning and you’re taking her to your house. Then meet me outside by the valet.”
I frown, concerned about my girlfriend. “Food poisoning? It can’t be something she ate here. I hope the eggs you cooked this morning weren’t bad. They shouldn’t be; the house keepers stock the fridge every Wednesday and gets rid of anything that’s past its best before date.”
“She doesn’t have food poisoning, Lev. I’ll explain everything in a second. Just tell Kelly that you’re gonna take care of Zara and that she’s going to text her later.”
The urgency in his tone convinces me to do as I’m told and to wait for an explanation.
I find Kelly engrossed in a conversation with the deputy mayor and the charity chairman.
“Oh no, poor baby.” Kelly immediately gasps. “If she isn’t feeling well, I can delegate the rest of my duties and come home to take care of her.”
I know Kelly likes me, and the sentiment is mutual. Despite the fact that her relationship with Zara has had its rocky moments, I have no doubt that she loves her daughter, and she’s concerned about her wellbeing. I’m not saying that my parents don’t care about me, but they would never leave a work function unless I was on death’s door. They would just send one of the paid house staff to take care of me and report to them.
“She’s going to be fine, Kelly, I promise.” I feel guilty that I’m lying to her, but I trust Ares must have a good reason for asking me to do this. “She just wants to go home with me, and I’ll take care of her. If she feels worse, I promise we’ll call you. Is that ok?”
Zara’s mom squeezes my forearm. “Thank you, Lev. I’m so glad my daughter fell for a dependable, wonderful young man like you.”
“Ok.” I urge Ares once I join him outside the Country Club, waiting for the valet to bring back my car. “What’s going on?”
Shock is the feeling that hits me once I hear what Ares has to say.
“That motherfucker.” I seethe. “If you and Chance hadn’t gotten there in time, I can’t think what would have happened.”
“I know.” Ares’s dark expression mirrors the feelings of anger and worry that are expanding in my chest. “Fuck, Ares, I’m sorry. When Dave presented me and Chance with that initiation task, we could have never imagined it would turn into this fucking mess. I hope you know that if we had known that Zara would get tangled into this in any way, we would have never?—”
He sighs, clasping my shoulder in a soothing way. “I know, Lev. But feeling guilty doesn’t help our situation now. We need you guys out of this mess, and this is more urgent than ever if wewant to keep Zara safe from Morelli and from whoever tried to hit her bike a second time.”
I can’t help but agree with him. “Yeah, but how? How are we going to get out from under Morelli without putting Zara in even more danger? I can’t believe they were fucking listening to us.” A shudder works its way through me at the thought that Mason and his men were listening not only to our plans but also to our most intimate moments. Just the idea of that makes me feel a strange mix of emotions. I’m furious, but I feel violated, too.
“I’m still trying to work it out.” Ares says. “But whatever we do, we need to act carefully. I don’t know if Morelli thinks that his threats are going to keep us in line or if he’s expecting some kind of retaliation from us. Either way, he’s probably watching us. So whenever we make our move, it has to be decisive because we aren’t going to get a second chance.”
Ares is right.
Ares
