Page 74

“Yup.”

“That’s rude.”

“Uh-huh.”

By the time the food arrived, I didn’t care enough to keep arguing. The sea bass was good as hell, the fries were fresh, and the blood orange soda was better than I expected.

For once, we managed to eat without getting into it about something.

Ares watched the water while I watched people walking along the promenade. The wind eventually blew some of my curls across my face, and before I could move them, he reached across the table and brushed my hair away.

“Your hair is growing the way you wanted.”

“I know. Doc gave me some biotin pills.”

His hand moved away, and neither one of us mentioned what he had done.

After lunch, we walked along the promenade for a while to let our food settle. I didn’t know what felt stranger, being outside without trying to find drugs or being able to walk around with a clear enough head to notice everything around me.

A few weeks ago, I could barely make it down the hill outside Ares’ estate without collapsing. Now I was walking beside the Mediterranean after eating an entire meal and actually keeping it down.

I wasn’t going to give Ares credit for all of that because his ego was already big enough.

Still, I knew what my body felt like when I first arrived in France.

I knew how it felt now.

Eventually, we made our way back to the Aston Martin and got inside.

Once Ares pulled onto the road toward Paris again, I settled into the passenger seat and looked over at him.

Maybe nine hours with his annoying ass wouldn’t be that bad after all.

CHAPTER 25

Ares

“Even In War… I Gave Her Peace”

The farther we drove from the coast, the more the road opened up. Nice disappeared behind us, along with the blue water, while the highway stretched through the French countryside.

The Aston Martin moved smooth under my hands. Driving never bothered me because it gave me time to think without a bunch of people talking in my ear. Keeping myself moving also made it harder for a muthafucka to catch me slipping.

Azaria lasted about an hour before she fell asleep against the passenger window with one leg tucked underneath her. I looked over at her before putting my focus back on the road.

My shoulder still burned under the bandage from what happened yesterday.

Somebody had taken a shot at me in my own territory.

That type of disrespect didn’t happen by accident.

My mother had already asked me if I was watching Laurent, and the truth was that I hadn’t been watching him close enough. He had been too quiet lately, and I knew better than to think Bianca sucking his dick was enough to keep him occupied.

When men like Laurent got quiet, they were usually planning something or waiting for the right time to move.

I went through names and connections in my head while I drove. Whoever took that shot had access, information, and enough confidence to try me where I was supposed to be protected. That meant something around me was changing.

If somebody wanted to start a war with me, I wasn’t going to waste time convincing them not to.