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"Much better than I thought. I didn't think she'd come with me. I was prepared to help her retire if that was what she wanted. I'm sure Ares wouldn't object to me giving her generous compensation for all these years."
"But you would be alone."
"Nope. I have Debra and you."
"And your guardian."
"No. He sees me the same way Mr. Van Lith did."
"But you call him Ares."
"Are you jealous, boyfriend?"
"What difference would it make? I'm rich and handsome, but I don't have his experience, judging by the number of partners he's had."
My mood sours. I don't like hearing about that kind of thing. I never search for Ares on the internet because I'm a believer in the saying “the one who seeks finds.” He's not mine at all, but in a crazy way, I feel possessive and would hate to see him with a woman.
"The pot calling the kettle black, in this case, boyfriend."
"What does that mean?"
I roll up the partition window between me and the driver so he can't hear what I'm going to say. "You can't say anything about Ares possibly being a womanizer, Otis. If we were reallydating, I would practically be a frog, I’d be so green with jealousy."
I hope he will laugh, but that's not what happens. Instead, he says, "If you were mine, why would I want another, Serenity?"
I feel embarrassed. His tone seems serious, and I don't want to go down that road. Day by day, he becomes more important in my life. A constant presence.
“You almost got me, Otis. For a moment, I thought you were going to declare eternal love to me."
Finally, his laugh comes, and I breathe a sigh of relief. "Almost a perfect impression, wasn't it? Well, I need to go. One of us has to do some actual work."
"You’re tellingmethat? I doubt you could survive even one training session with Debra."
"I doubt it, too!" He laughs, and that’s one of the things I love most about my friend: his ability to make fun of himself. "I love you, Serenity."
"Love you too. Try not to betray me too much."
"No more than necessary."
I hang up the phone and close my eyes, then slide my phone into my bag. But the moment my hand enters the bag, I feel a sting on my fingertip.
First, I think I’ve cut myself on some sharp object, but then I start to feel the area throbbing and a tingling sensation. It starts to become difficult to breathe.
I knock on the partition, desperately, and when my eyes start to feel heavy, I finally remember to roll down the window.
"Help me. Something bit me. Please . . ."
And then, I can no longer stay awake. Darkness engulfs me, even though the sun still shines outside.
Ares
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
NEW YORK - SIN NIGHTCLUB
"Areyou sure everything is ready for Serenity's arrival?" I ask my new assistant, sitting across from me at my desk in SIN's office.
"Yes, Mr. Kostanidis. Everything is exactly as ordered."