“I don’t underestimate anyone.”
That made her smile.
“Good,” she said before leaving.
I stared out the window at the garden.
At the stone path.
At the space between the gates, where someone could run if they really wanted to.
My mind drifted back to Ares.
His voice was calm, like the world already belonged to him.
I hated men like that.
But I couldn’t stop thinking about him.
I looked down at my sketchbook again and flipped to a blank page.
My pencil started moving before I could stop it.
Sharp jaw.
Green-hazel eyes.
I shaded them darker than the rest.
Like he was looking straight through me.
The question slipped out quietly.
“When’s he coming back?”
CHAPTER 31
Ares
“The List of Sins”
Istood in front of the glass wall in my office in Downtown LA, overlooking the 110 Freeway, hands in my pockets, watching the city move under the gray morning sky. While I waited for breakfast. I had been in Los Angeles for only two days, but I had a timeline until I left again.
Seven days, I thought.
That’s what I gave myself earlier this morning.
One week to handle business in the city.
One week to shut down problems.
One week before, I flew back to France and dealt with the mess my family dropped into my lap.
Yuna.
I didn’t say her name out loud to anyone in my circle.
Didn’t need them to know my situation yet.
