Page 99

Story: Shades of Ruin

“Hearts,” I deadpan. “Sorry, is that too soon?” I gasp, trying to contain an ill-timed fit of giggles. I know it’s not funny, but I’d rather laugh about our most recent traumatic experience than be sad about it. All jokes aside, being forced to eat a heart that’s been carved out of the chest of your murdered friend is probably top tier as far as torture goes.

“For a normal person? Yes. Way too fucking soon.”

“I still can’t believe she made you do that. How did it taste?”

Grey’s brow furrows. “Better than it should have.”

“Think we should add it to the menu?” I ask, unable to help myself.

“If we find ourselves needing to off anyone else and dispose of their body, sure. Off-menu special. Although serving up cannibal dishes regularly may get us into a bit of trouble with law enforcement.”

“Did you tell the police?”

“That I ate the hearts of Aurélie’s victims? It came up, yeah.They did a full sweep of the apartment. Managed to find DNA in the kitchen from all three victims after I told them about Sophie, too. That, combined with the murder weapon covered in her prints and the bloody fingerprint she left on your wrist at Pandemonium, clears us both of any suspicion. They know they have their killer—and lucky for them, she’s already been taken care of.”

“Will I be in trouble for what I did?” I ask, suddenly nervous that Aurélie will manage to ruin our lives from beyond the grave.

“Not at all. They’ll need a statement from you after you’ve fully recovered, but they’re already treating it as self-defense. You saved both of us, little ruin.”

Grey walks over and sits on the edge of my bed. I reach for his hand, and he grasps it tightly in his. “I was ready to go with you, angel. When she started toward you with that knife, and I couldn’t get to you or stop her, I was counting the last seconds I’d get to see your beautiful face. And I was going to follow you into death as quickly as I could.”

“I know,” I answer, choking on the sudden thickness in my throat. “I know you were. You and me to the end.” I squeeze his hand and try to forget how close we came to never having another moment together like this.

“Since it seems like the end won’t be here for a while, I have something for you.” Grey reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small black box that looks exactly like the one he gave me last time. “And before you ask—there isn’t a ring in there.”

I shoot him a sheepish grin and take the box from his hand. I can’t imagine what’s inside. He’s run out of nipples to pierce at the very least. I crack open the lid and find a long, narrow key. “What’s this?” I ask, holding it up.

A wide smile tugs at his lips. “The key to Le Fournil. I want you to have it as your own restaurant. I’ll be at your side to help with whatever you need, and you’ll have an unlimited budget forrenovations and staff. I think it’s high time you showed the culinary world what Angélica Flores has to offer.”

I laugh before blinking up at him in astonishment. “You’re serious.”

“You know I don’t lie, angel.”

My mind instantly runs through all the reasons why this will never work. “But what about Sophie? She gave it to you. She wantedyouto have it.”

“She wanted to keep it in the family. And you and Toby are my family now. She’d be thrilled to have another brilliant woman cooking in her kitchen and bringing delicious food to the people of Paris.”

“Well, what about Grey’s?” I argue. “We can’t just jet off to Paris when you have a successful restaurant to run.”

“Grey’s will be fine. I already told Liam I’ll be training him to keep things up and running while we’re gone.”

“Liam?” I shriek. “You’re leaving that fucking baby in charge of Grey’s?”

Grey laughs. “And here I thought you liked him.”

“He’s a sweet kid, but that kind of responsibility will tear him apart.”

“I have faith in him. Just like I had faith in you. Just like Sophie had faith in me. None of us knows what we’re capable of until we’re tested. And if I’m being honest, I’m ready to get the fuck out of this town for a while. I want to make a home for our family—somewhere that we can all be happy.”

I feel that in my soul. “I’ll agree with you there. So when are we leaving?”

“It’ll take a couple months for the apartment above Le Fournil to be ready for us and Toby.”

“Will we get to keep him?” I ask, finally addressing the legalities of keeping Aurélie’s adopted son.

“Do you want to?” Grey asks, trying to keep his expressionneutral. “Bringing a son into our lives is a huge, lifetime responsibility. I can understand if you’re not prepared for that.”

“Of course I want to keep him,” I reply without needing any time to consider it. The tension in Grey’s face relaxes immediately. “If he wants us, that is.”