Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 89331 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89331 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
“I haven’t seen her since before the party when I showed her that surprise.”
“I still cannot believe you showed her that before the party then took all the credit for it,” I grumble.
Actually… I can believe it. That is definitely something Eros would do.
Fucker.
The monument isn’t even for Athena, not really. It is for Freya—a way for us to say goodbye since I was working with the lawyer to find a way around the crazy-ass rules of the will. If I can find a way to bypass them, I will forfeit everything to Athena. She gets the house and the money, all of it. Then once I give her what should be hers, I’ll leave, unless she wants me and the others to stay.
I want to give Athena a choice. Her choice.
Also, deep down, I know this is what Freya would have wanted.
That memorial is my goodbye to the life I have dedicated to Freya. Not a way for Eros to drop the “L” word. Though I will admit, that is the first time I know of that Eros has used that word that it isn’t followed by ‘pussy, tacos, or whiskey.’
I’m still ratting his ass out.
“I’ll go upstairs and find her,” he says, and I grab him by the back of his tux.
“I will go get her before you take credit for something else. Like oxygen or the stars.” I throw back my champagne and head upstairs.
It’s quieter up here. The jazz band can still be heard, but not the laughter and chatter of the rest of the party.
“Athena, are you okay?” I say, knocking on her door. There is no answer. So I try again. Still nothing.
I crack open the door, and my heart stops.
A lamp is lying on the floor, shattered. The standing mirror is broken, and loose pearls are scattered all over the floor.
Red lipstick is smeared on the vanity mirror.
This will all be over soon.
I stare at the words written in the deep red shade of lipstick Athena favors for these parties, and my blood runs cold.
He has taken her.
That crazy treasonous son of a bitch has taken Athena.
I grab my phone and send a message to Eros and Heph to come to Athena’s room immediately.
I don’t know how long they take to get here, but I am sitting on my ass still staring at those fucking words when Heph struts through the door—a smile on his lips—as he laughs with Eros about something. The smile fades from his face the second he sees me.
“What happened?” Heph rushes to my side.
At the same time, Eros asks, “Where is Athena?”
I can’t speak. The words are caught in my throat, so I point.
“Fuck,” Eros bites out as he starts to pace the room.
Heph takes a seat next to me and laces his fingers in mine. I don’t know if he is offering me support or taking it for himself, but either way, it’s appreciated.
“Okay, where could he have taken her?” Eros asks.
“Anywhere.”
“When did he take her?”
“I don’t know.” I lean my head against the wall and close my eyes, internally begging to God, any God, to keep her safe.
“Fuck! I saw her about an hour ago,” Eros says. “I showed her the memorial wall. She cried, and it fucked up her makeup, so she came up here to fix it. It had to have been in the last sixty minutes. So, he couldn’t have gotten far.” Eros is pacing the room, running his hands through his previously slicked-back hair. He shrugs off his pinstripe jacket and undoes the buttons at the top of his shirt. He is looking more and more like a 1920s gangster. All he needs is a Tommy gun.
“Paris probably doesn’t expect us to realize she is gone so quickly,” Heph says, pulling my attention on him. “I don’t want to tip him off that we already know. Let’s sneak downstairs to the basement. I don’t want anyone at the party knowing something is off.”
“Sneak downstairs and do what?” Eros asks.
“Check the security feed. We can at least make sure that it was Paris who took her. Maybe, at the very least, see what car he is driving and what direction he went.”
“Then what,” Eros snaps. “Go roaming around the city looking for a car?”
“No, asshole, think.” Heph is suddenly on his feet, and I miss his body heat. “Who is her father? Her brothers? We call them. The Godwins have connections with the police. If we can give them a make and model and a license plate, they can have everyone in the city looking for her.”
“And we show we aren’t good enough to protect her,” Eros adds.
“We show her family the truth. That her safety is more important than our ego.” Heph is yelling at this point, and although it’s sexy as fuck, I want it to end.