Page 61

“It’s him,” I whispered. “He’s one of the five men.”

“How sure are you?” Arkane asked. “I’ve never seen anyone like him associated with the Covent.”

“Very.” I sighed.

It was the man with the limp—even the side he favored was the same, his height, build, everything. I had no doubt it was him.

Arkane’s eyes met mine. “I’ll get Mikhail on it.”

Ten minutes passed, and I found myself back on the balcony enjoying the fresh air when Arkane returned with a grim look on his face.

“We got nothing on him. It’s like he doesn’t even exist,” he said.

“Don’t you keep track of everyone in the city?”

Arkane nodded. “We do.” His eyes shifted to the view as he leaned his elbows against the railing. “But some fly under the radar. Unless they cause trouble, we don’t bother with them.”

“So nothing?”

“Not really.” Arkane sighed. “But there is a restricted court file involving the same car plates.”

“Who were the people involved?”

“It’s all blanked out, except for the lawyer who handled it.” Arkane paused as something flashed in his eyes.

My brows furrowed. “Who is it?”

“Karl Ford,” he muttered, his eyes meeting mine.

“It could be nothing.” I sighed. “But we need that file. It could be of importance.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” he muttered.

CHAPTER 18

BELLE

It took me three blinks to associate my surroundings. I was curled on Arkane’s couch with a blanket draped over me. I must’ve fallen asleep at some point last night.

The soft morning rays streamed through the window, and the ocean was a beautiful blue this morning. I groaned as I stretched my body upright and looked behind to see a shirtless Arkane beating up a punching bag in his makeshift gym.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.” His eyes flashed to mine.

“Wrong princess,” I muttered, admiring his beautiful body as I made my way to him like a butterfly to an aster. He shuffled on his feet with the agility of an athlete while his arms moved with the swiftness of dual blades, making the muscles in his shoulders and back ripple in all the perfect places.

He grinned as he slowed down his punches. “Sorry, princess Belle.”

“You seem to be in a good mood.” I leaned against a pillar. “Do you ever sleep?”

“You sleep enough for the both of us.” He wasn’t even out of breath as he tore away his gloves and cast them aside as his eyes met mine. “You snore, by the way.”

“Like I care.”

“Of course you don’t,” he muttered, nodding toward the square ring in the center. “Wanna spar?”

“I don’t know how to box.”

“It’s okay,” he said, holding open the ropes for me. “Curious to see how a Valerian fights.”