Page 17

I’ve decided to quit.

Heroin, that is.

Obviously .

And I say that not because Reese just burst into the bathroom with the empty syringe in his hand, holding it up like the single piece of evidence will condemn me.

Maybe it will.

Also, the lock on the bathroom door?

Shitty as fuck.

“What is this?” he demands.

I finish clipping my bra closed and slowly slide my arms into my shirt. Over my head. I fluff out my hair, then cast a glance in the mirror.

I look fine. Normal, really.

“I don’t know,” I say. “Where’d you find it?”

“Where your jeans were on the floor.”

“Well, it’s not mine.” I stare him down. “Is that what you think of me?”

He gapes. “I’m not thinking anything of you, Tem. I want to know what the fuck you’ve been injecting yourself with.”

“I haven’t.”

“Bullshit,” he hisses. “I saw the track marks. The bruising.”

I sigh and shake my head.

What else can I do? Admit it? No, thanks. I’ve already decided to quit, so I don’t need to confess my sins to Reese and leave it up to him.

“Whose house is this?” I ask. “I was just in the hospital, Reese… Of course I have marks on my arms. How many times did they try to get an IV in my vein?”

“And a nurse was giving you an illegal substance,” he whispers. “Under our watch.”

“I’m not on drugs,” I snap. “Jesus, Reese. I have more self-control than that.”

Maybe.

He drops the syringe on the counter and puts both hands on his head. He goes into the hallway and paces back and forth. I don’t know why he’s so freaked out, there’s no confirmation of anything.

I’m not on drugs. I told him that.

It’s the worst lie in the history of lies, but still.

It’s actually kind of nice, not giving a shit about his freak-out. I lean my hip on the counter and watch him.

“Reese.” I finally push off and step in front of him. I grab his wrists. “I’m okay. Maybe Gabriel planted it to sabotage me.”

“Yes.” He latches on to that. “Oh God, when will his manipulations end?”

He sways and presses his forehead to mine.

“It’s okay,” I soothe. I release his wrists and rub his arms. “We figured him out.”

“Yeah.” He kisses my cheek.

“Now… we should really get back to Sterling Falls.”

He straightens. “You want to go back?”

I huff. “My whole life is there.”

“Okay…” He seems to debate. “Do you want to see your brother while you’re here?”

Do I?

He, Jace, and Wolfe might see through me. I pretend to think about it, counting to ten in my head, and finally frown.

“They’re fulfilling your favor, aren’t they?” I tap his chest. “Saving someone?”

Reese nods. “If they’re successful, yeah.”

“Then we shouldn’t distract them. The sooner they finish, the sooner they’ll be home.”

So… we do just that. We leave Emerald Cove.

I sit in the passenger seat of my car and watch the unfamiliar city flash past my window, and I have the oddest experience of wanting to jump out. To explore it more, to just see it.

But I don’t, and soon we’re on the two-lane highway that leads back to Sterling Falls.

We leave my brother behind, and I easily bat away the guilt that creeps up. He doesn’t need me like I need Sterling Falls. He’s so wrapped up in his family, it doesn’t even matter.

Right?

At some point, I doze off. I come to when Reese touches my shoulder, and I bolt upright.

“We’re back at your condo,” he tells me. “I figured you’d rather walk than have me carry you up…”

I nod. Really, though, I’d rather be anywhere but here. When I climb out, I pause and stare at my bike.

The last time I was on it… Gabriel and I were going to the toll house. He was driving. So how did he get it back here? And why?

An uncomfortable feeling crawls over me, but I don’t show it. God knows Reese would see and misinterpret it. But if Gabriel did something to my bike… I just know it’ll be a while before I get back on it.

I beat Reese to the elevator, although I wait for him to arrive with my car keys. He scans the fob that will allow us to hit the button up to my floor, and ride in silence.

“Is the sex making things awkward?” I ask.

He winces.

It’s either that or the drugs, but I’m sure as fuck not bringing that up again.

On the bright side—I reconnect with my phone, which had been forgotten in my room when I left to burn down Kade’s house. I scroll through the few messages, which mainly consist of my Bow & Arrow managers checking in with updates, and pause on one from Barry.

The bouncer rarely texts. But he’s alerted me to the fact that Saint and Kade are in my club, and then the hostess at the rooftop restaurant letting me know they went down to my apartment.

I grit my teeth and kick my door closed.

They’re in my club? Did they break into my apartment, or were they just hoping to sneak up on me?

I change into a short, tight gold dress, strap on gladiator-style gold sandals that have a little heel, and unzip my makeup bag.

Fifteen minutes later, I’m ready.

Reese starts when I emerge, his eyes rounding. “Where are you going?”

“To see the look on Saint’s face when I kick him and Kade out of my club.”

He scrambles after me.

Which is probably good, because I still shouldn’t drive. I dangle the keys from my finger in the elevator, and he takes them with a shake of his head.

We arrive in record time, and he glides the car into my reserved parking space at Bow & Arrow.

“Where to?” he asks.

“My apartment first.” I hop out, leaving him to follow once again.

We go upstairs, and I try the handle of my door. It swings inward. I curse, stepping in fast to catch them by surprise.

But it’s empty.

Seems they checked it, came up with nothing, and left.

For… the club?

It’s open now. The faint notes of electric dance music reaches the hallway.

I text Sam, the nightclub manager. She replies with their location in under a minute. I flash it to Reese, and he sighs.

VIP lounge.

Naturally.

That’s where I found Reese. Well, Reese found me. It’s where Kade went, too. Not every time—occasionally he slums it with the rest of the patrons. When he’s sneaking in and trying to get my attention…

The VIP lounge they’ve chosen is on one of the upper levels. It has its own private bar, U-shaped booths in black velvet and leather, and a wall of glass that looks down on the dance floor.

We find Saint and Kade at the bar.

My shoulders hike automatically, and I stop.

“I don’t think I can do this,” I whisper to Reese.

He nods and brushes past me. He steps up between them, one hand on each of their shoulders, and leans in. I don’t know what he says to them, but they don’t seem particularly surprised to see him.

What the fuck do I do?

Kade is with the Cyclopes pushing into Sterling Falls. I don’t believe they’re just filling in the gaps that the Titans left behind… but I don’t know for certain. I don’t know who’s in charge. Is it Kade? Is it Gabriel? Some combination of the two?

Is either man responsible for the dead informant pinned to my club?

It had to be Gabriel… he was sending a message.

Then what hand has Kade played in my torment?

And for Saint to just…

“Artemis.” The devil—Saint Hart—swims in front of my face. “Are you okay?”

His voice comes from a long way off.

“He wants to make things right.”

He’s talking about Kade .

I blink hard, and the bubble around me pops. “Then why’d he send you to champion him?”

He steps back. Careful, cautious, angry Saint. Am I just supposed to forgive everyone? Pretend the last few weeks didn’t happen?

I didn’t wake up.

Kade and Gabriel?—

I turn away. Not just that. I don’t stop. I keep going, until I fully admit to myself that I’m running away.

One place they won’t look for me: Jace’s old hideout on the water.

I curl up on the cot, which reminds me a little too much of the one Kade had set up in his lonely, evil, empty house. I hope Nyx agrees that the place deserved to be burnt to a crisp. I hope she got a bit of satisfaction out of it, too.

My sleep is restless, to the point where I’m not sure if I actually fell asleep or simply tricked myself into believing it because of how still I lay. When the sun creeps up, lightening the sky through the far window, I give up on pretending.

Jace kept the place stocked well enough.

My phone, plugged into an outlet just out of my reach, lights up with an incoming message. I groan and reach for it.

I scan the message, and my heart sinks.

Another body.

I call my brother.

“Hey,” he answers on the second ring. “You’re up early.”

“Early bird gets the worm,” I reply. “I don’t suppose the sheriff called Jace before he texted me?”

Pause.

“No,” Apollo replies. “What’s up?”

“Another body. Can you send me some details on your missing informant?”

He swears. “Where was it found?”

I press my lips together.

“Olympus?” he guesses.

“Yeah,” I finally murmur. I tug on my boots, keeping the phone trapped between my ear and shoulder while I lace them. “I’m headed there now.”

“You should stay far away.”

“It’s Olympus.” I wait, and when he doesn’t reply, I huff. “You can’t say it’s your territory alone to protect.”

You’re not even here .

“I…” There’s a sliding sound.

Suddenly, a new voice fills my ear. “Tem.”

“Wolfe.”

“How’s my, uh, second-favorite girl doing?”

“Perfectly fine, thanks.”

He chuckles. “Try again, but make it more believable.”

“I’m actually doing great. Is that why you interrupted my conversation with my brother? To ask me how I’m doing?”

“Apollo thinks he knows how you’re doing,” he admits. “So he won’t ask too much. But I don’t think you show us everything.”

Of course I don’t .

“I’m on my way to examine a dead body left at Olympus.”

“Well, fuck. We’re coming home.”

“Did you find Reese’s friend?”

Reese didn’t go into detail… and neither have they. I don’t know who they’re looking for or how much of an extraction this person needs. All I know is that Reese gave them an envelope with the information in it.

“We’re working on it,” Wolfe hedges.

“Who is it?”

He sighs. “I shouldn’t tell you.”

That’s bullshit.

“Wolfe. Seriously? What am I going to do…?”