Page 99 of Beneath Scarred Vows

"If I do, it'll raise too many flags. But if you do it? It's discreet. No one will question it."

"So what? I just call him up—'Hey George, it's been a while. Well, my new husband wants to meet you. No, don't worry, he probably won't kill you. Probably.'"

Ares steps closer, his height towering over me. But I stand my ground.

"Do whatever you need to do. Just set it up."

I swallow hard, wincing at the pain in my throat. "If I did this, if I arranged a meeting, you swear you won't hurt him unless you have absolute proof?"

Ares's expression doesn't change. "I won't kill him without proof."

It's not the answer I wanted. But it's the most honest one I could expect.

"I need time to think," I say.

"We don't have time," he counters. "I'm leaving for Kalamata in less than 48 hours."

I blink at him, stunned. "You're what?"

"Dimitri's there now. Theo and I are joining him. War is coming, Katerina. Whether you help me or not."

My stomach drops. "So this is? What? My last chance to prove my loyalty? My last chance to be on the right side before everything explodes?"

Ares doesn't speak.

"And if I refuse?" I ask.

"Then I know where we stand." His words are like ice.

We stare at each other.

I turn away, unable to look at him anymore. The man who held me through my nightmares, who kissed my scars and made me feel beautiful, who saw me—really saw me—is now showing me another side of himself. The don. The killer. The avenger.

“You want me to arrange a meeting?” I ask, my voice tight. “Fine. But I’ll be there.”

"No." Ares's voice is rough, absolute. The don speaking again, not the man who shares my bed.

"Then I won't do it. You said you're already flying out there, so figure it out."

Ares clenches his jaw.

He knows he can’t afford to lose my cooperation. To lose the upper hand.

"Dammit, Katerina." He exhales sharply, the words pushing through clenched teeth.

"So that's a yes?"

He exhales sharply through his nose. “Fine. Set it up.”

The air between us feels different now. Not healed—far from it. But something has shifted. The trust is gone, shattered like glass on the floor between us, but in its place, a strange kind of alliance forms. Two people with different beliefs but a shared destination.

"I'll need my phone," I say, holding out my hand. "I left it in your office after our…" I can't push myself to finish the sentence.

Ares pulls it from his pocket and hands it to me. Our fingers don't touch. He's careful about that.

"When do we leave?" I ask, already scrolling through my contacts to find George's number. It's been months since I've called him, but he always answers for me. He always has.

"Tomorrow morning. Early."