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“Yes,” he says, his voice tight. “Of course.”

He must know who Damian is. Most people do.

A moment later, Sienna and Damian slip through the crowd, leaving me with…Deftones Shirt.

What the hell is going on?

25

Damian

I follow Sienna into the hallway, and the party noise grows dim as the door shuts behind us. “I need to show you Ava’s gift.”

Her eyes widen. “The main thing was letting her spend time with friends. The gift was mostly an afterthought. And actually—” she frowns, lowering her voice “—I’ve been thinking about it more, and if she’s mad at you, she might see a gift as trying to buy her forgiveness.”

I laugh humorlessly.Buy her forgiveness. A small sin compared to other things I’ve done. Threatening the life of one of her closest friends. Threateningherlife. Forcing her into captivity?—

What the fuck?

I don’t feel guilty for those things. I don’t. There’s no room for guilt in the world I inhabit. I do what must be done.

I clear my throat. “Well, I got her a gift, and I need your opinion before I give it to her.” I reach into my coat pocket and draw out the small box. When I open it, Sienna gasps.

Her eyes are huge as she stares at the necklace. She’s not impressed. No, I’m pretty sure she’s alarmed.

My stomach tightens. “What?”

“I told you she likes antique jewelry.”

She did. When I pressed her for an exhaustive list of things Ava likes, jewelry was the only thing I hadn’t gotten her already.

“It is an antique.”

“I meant, like, a relic. Something with history. Something interesting but not flashy.”

I scowl. “Flashy? These stones aren’t even that big. And it is a relic. My great-grandfather got it for his favorite mistress. Until she fucked someone else. Then he took it back.”

Sienna looks like she’s fighting a smile. “Damian, it’s beautiful. It really is, but…it’s not Ava’s taste. I’ve never seen her wear something that?—”

She jerks back when I snap the box shut. “Goddamn it.” I run a hand through my hair. “I won’t give it to her then, but I don’t know what the hell else I can do.”

She arches a brow. “I get the feeling that you do.”

“What do you mean?”

She’s quiet for a while, then she shoots me a half smile. “Even though Ava’s been secretive with me when it comes to you, I get the feeling you did something pretty bad. If you want her to really forgive you, whatever you do for her needs to fit the crime.”

Crime. An ache tugs at my chest, but it eases in an instant when I glance over my shoulder and through the narrow window on the metal door. Ava is smiling with her entire face.

At Rhett.

Ava

“I’ve been partying too much this quarter,” Rhett says. “Haven’t made it to my seven a.m. class more than a handful of times. I think I might actually fail it.”

I frown. “Rhett, that’s not good. This is your future. It’s not something to take lightly. If you put your head down and work now, you can party your heart out when you’re a CPA.”

His smile is tender. “I miss your scolds.”