MasukI had too much on my mind to care about any of Sam’s words, so I spent the rest of the night in my house, resting, to get my strength back up.At dawn, I began the painfully tedious task of sifting through the stash of blackmail videos Dean and I had created over the years.However, this stash suddenly appeared miserly for the sacred gem that was the Rosette. There was no blackmail material here big enough to get any politician involved with retrieving the Rosetta.I turned away from my desk with an exhausted hiss just as a knock sounded on the door.One of the dogs walked in and stopped by the walnut wood desk.“Change of duty?” I asked, and he nodded.“I was with her yesterday,” he said, and gave me a breakdown of Olivia’s day. I frowned at the part he told me she was at the beach with Rossi.That sounded nothing like
COLTI woke up to a loud, consistent bang in my head that seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere.And sitting up with a wince, I cursed at the immediate stab of pain in my shoulder, a reminder of the bullet lodged there just nights ago.My head dropped into my open palms, heavy and beating, and that was the moment I realized that the outside bang was real.I stood up, instantly feeling the caress of Olivia’s lingering scent. I lied to her.I lied to my Olivia, and I had no idea how I was going to live with myself till I found a solution to this.Lying was completely out of nature for me, but at that moment she mentioned the Rosetta, I couldn't think of any other ways to stop her from chasing it.The moment those men knew she was after it, any chance we had of saving her life would be cut out.&
“When we first met, I thought you were apathetic. Now, I realize you were simply tired,” Leonardo said.I tugged my beach hat down to better cover my face, as my eyes followed the froth at the edges of the beach water.“That’s one hell of a conversation starter.”“Hello Aphrodite, fancy seeing you here?” He said, and paused. Despite not moving, it felt like he was leaning in because his baritone dropped even lower, conspiratorial when he asked, “Is that better?”I shifted, “Did I strike you as a woman who loves pretenses?”“No. That’s why I find the body foundation confusing.” He squinted, and my head jerked back. How had he noticed my skin was covered in sunscreen foundation when he stared into my eyes like this? He had not looked away from my eyes even once.“Former drag queen?” My voice returned coldly, my attempt to veil my irritation at his comment, failing.He shook his head. “Cousins. Eleven of the most feminine daisies." “Poor women, do you judge their appearances daily, or
I flew off the floor. “Take it back. You cannot lie about someone who isn't here to defend herself.”My eyes were bulging with rage, and Louise flinched, backing away, fear making a rare appearance in her eyes as she seemed to realize that although she could kill me on a whim, I could hasten the process and drag us both down to hell.“Will you calm down?” She shrilled, backing away faster as I closed in on her, “I never said your mother cheated. She was in the process of a divorce which Theo was too stubborn to sign. She fell in love and got pregnant.”I froze, feeling all the air leave the room, a static sound starting in my ears. Now, that sounded more like Ruthie Auclair. But she would not hide such a thing from me. We were supposed to be friends?I stared at my aunt. How did she, the estranged sister, know this when I did not know this about my own mother?Could she be lying?But Louise was too arrogant to lie. She would slap you with the painful truth because she knows you can d
“Shh.” Louise blasted as my lips formed a retort. “Not a word more till I am done.” My side vision caught Luke, his eyes a warning, so I said nothing. She moved closer, and circled me. “Unlike you, Olivia Jones, I do not make emotional decisions.” On another day I would have laughed, because what could rank higher in the ‘emotional decision’ category than enslaving your niece because her father killed your sister, her mother.“If I did, I’d have done everything to make sure you never became the Auclair heiress. But I endorse it even though it burns me to see Theo’s child get everything my ancestors have worked for.”She stopped in front of me now, her face inches away from mine. “That’s the same reason I never told you your brother suffered from Aplastic Anemia. Do you know why?”I frowned, my lips parting to speak when her eyes narrowed in caution. I swallowed. “I take care of that child the best I can, and unlike what that silly woman made you believe, your brother has happy da
“Get down. Get down now.” They barked like cops, and I fell across the console to the passenger's seat even though I knew they were not speaking to me.Flash of a gun, and I glanced at the backseat. “Don’t shoot at them, you idiot.” I yelled at my abductor, but he seemed too far gone from terror or shock to hear me because I saw him lift his gun and fire.A rattle of bullets followed, his body started to jerk, arms flailing as a torrent of bullets sunk into his chest, abdomen and head. Tires screeched, people on the road screamed as there seemed to be a burst of chaos everywhere. “Fuck.” I cried out, wrapping my hands around my head. Did they really have to kill him like that? Were so many bullets necessary?I heard them pull my door open now, and a masked head leaned into the car, “You OK, Ms?”I straightened up slowly to see cars reversing and people running into each other in confusion on the sidewalks. This car was thick with the smell of blood and urine from my dead abductor.







