Chapter 40
Ares
“They Should’ve Aimed Better”
Ihad already been awake for four hours by the time the clock hit eight.
Sleep never lasted long for me. Too many things moving. Too many plans sitting in my head waiting to be executed. And this had been the longest I had gone without a woman fucking my stress away. So the next best thing to do was to work out.
I pulled on my running gear, tying the drawstring on my shorts before slipping into my shoes.
A run usually cleared my head.
Or at least burned enough energy out of me so I could sleep.
Before heading downstairs, I stopped at the door across the hall and knocked once.
No answer.
I opened it anyway since I heard Emily somewhere in the house with Yuna.
Zay was half buried under the blankets, one arm thrown over his face.
“You running with me?” I asked.
He didn’t move.
“You know I ain’t doing no running, gang.”
I chuckled.
“You gon’ be an old out-of-shape nigga.”
Zay shifted slightly without even opening his eyes.
“That’s what my gun is for,” he muttered. “It stays in shape.”
I laughed under my breath.
“Lazy ass.”
He waved me off without lifting his head.
“Close my door when you leave.”
I shut the door behind me and headed downstairs.
Outside, the air was cold and heavy with fog rolling off the cliffs. Perfect running weather.
My bodyguard, Tommy, was already waiting near the driveway, stretching like he was preparing for a damn Olympic event.
He looked up when I walked out.
“Morning, boss.”
“You ready?” I asked, doing a light stretch.
“Always.”
We started jogging down the estate driveway, the gravel crunching lightly under our shoes before we hit the paved road that curved down toward the cliffs.
We kept a steady pace, moving down the narrow road while Monaco slowly woke up around us.
By the time we passed the second mile marker, the cold air had started burning my lungs in the best way.
I slowed near the overlook when I tripped over my shoelace.
“Hold up,” I muttered.
Tommy slowed beside me immediately, his eyes scanning the road the way I paid him to.
I bent down to tie the lace.
But the second my fingers grabbed the knot, my mind drifted somewhere else.
Three hours earlier, to Yuna.
She was sitting on the couch, wrapped in a fleece cover, when I finally handed her the vape she’d been begging for.
No nicotine.
Just something to keep her hands busy.
She looked at it like I had handed her a diamond.
“Awe,” she said softly. “You really like me.”
I chuckled. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
She laughed and took a slow puff.
Next thing I knew, she had climbed onto my lap like she had done it a hundred times before.
Straddling me.
Still smoking the vape.
The sweet vapor curled through the room while she leaned down closer.
“You’re nicer than you pretend to be,” she murmured.
I rested my hands lightly on her hips. “If you say so.”
She smiled again.
But it was less defensive.
More curious.
Her fingers slid along my chin while she studied my face.
“You’re not what I thought you were. Maybe I shouldn’t have blocked you after Vegas.”
For a moment, neither of us moved.
Just sat there.
She was sitting on my lap like she belonged there.
That moment stuck in my head longer than I expected.
But I wasn’t stupid.
Yuna could wake up tomorrow and decide she hated me again.
That girl flipped moods like switches.
So I wasn’t getting comfortable yet.
I tightened the knot on my shoe.
Tommy glanced over.
“You good, boss?”
“Yeah.”
I stood up.
Then—
Crack!
The sound split the air like lightning.
A bullet ripped past my shoulder so close I felt the heat burn through my sweatshirt.
“Sniper!” Tommy shouted. “Get down!”
I dropped instantly, hitting the pavement hard.
The second shot came half a second later.
Another sharp crack echoed through the fog.
Tommy had his weapon out already, firing toward the direction the shot came from.
“Move!”
The burning along my shoulder spread fast.
I reached up and felt warm blood soaking through the sleeve.
The bullet hadn’t gone through.
But it took skin with it.
A clean graze.
If I hadn’t bent down to tie my damn shoe…
That shot would’ve taken my head off.
Another security SUV came roaring up the road from the estate.
My other bodyguard, Malik, jumped out immediately.
“Boss!”
“I’m good,” I said calmly.
Tommy looked at me like I had lost my mind.
“Sir, someone just tried to take your head off.”
I stood slowly.
“They should’ve aimed better.”
Malik scanned the hills with a drone controller in his hand.
“Shooter’s moving east.”
“Let them run,” I said. “They already failed.”
Tommy grabbed my arm.
“We need to get you back to the estate.”
I didn’t argue.
Blood was still running down my shoulder, but it wasn’t life-threatening.
By the time we pulled back through the estate gates, the private Delacroix medical team was already waiting.
They moved fast.
Efficient.
I stepped inside the house and immediately saw Zay coming down the stairs.
His eyes went straight to the blood.
“The fuck happened?”
“Sniper.”
His expression went dark instantly. “We gon’ kill whoever gunning for you, bro.”
“I know.”
The medics guided me to the couch while they cut open the sleeve.
The graze looked ugly.
A long strip of skin was torn across my shoulder.
One medic cleaned it while the other wrapped it tight.
That’s when I noticed Yuna standing near the staircase.
Her eyes were locked on the blood.
“What the hell happened?”
“Nothing serious.”
She stepped closer while the medics finished wrapping the bandage.
“You got shot.”
“Grazed.”
Her voice sounded different now.
Clear.
Focused.
Detox was working.
Her hand rested lightly on my arm while they finished.
“You could’ve died,” she said quietly.
I looked at her.
Two weeks ago, she barely wanted to be in the same room as me.
Now she was standing beside me.
“I didn’t,” I said.
She exhaled slowly. “You better not die.”
The medic stepped back.
“All done, sir.”
I rolled my shoulder.
Still burned.
But it was nothing serious.
Zay leaned against the wall, watching everything.
“We’ll find whoever pulled the fuckin’ trigger,” he said.
“And when we do…”
His voice went colder.
“They dead.”
I stood up slowly.
Because whoever took that shot this morning just started a war.
And I was about to make sure they finished it.
$$$$$
Hours later…
Night settled over the estate slowly and warmly, the ocean looked like black glass, and the city lights below shimmered like gold scattered across the water.
We were eating outside on the deck. A long wooden table sat beneath low-hanging lights, plates spread out in front of all of us, like this was a normal family dinner instead of the aftermath of someone trying to take my head off twelve hours earlier.
Zay and Emily were at one end with their son between them, the kid happily tearing apart fried wings.
Emily had fries and fried shrimp spread across her plate while Zay stole half her food when she wasn’t looking.
Across from them, my mother sat next to me.
She had the same thing I did.
Wagyu steak, smothered potatoes, and steamed broccolini.
Meanwhile, Yuna sat beside me, demolishing a double bacon cheeseburger like she hadn’t eaten in a week.
Her appetite had been crazy the last few days.
I watched her for a second while she grabbed a fry.
She had cut the burger into four perfect pieces.
I leaned closer.
“You know that’s a burger, right, and not a pizza?” I said lowly.
She didn’t even look up.
“I know.”
“You cutting it like it’s a birthday cake.”
She glanced at me.
Her eyes had that playful little spark I’d been seeing more often lately.
“I don’t like taking huge bites.”
She picked up one of the pieces carefully and dipped it in a pile of ketchup before taking a bite.
She sipped her Dr Pepper like she had just proven a point.
I chuckled under my breath.
That made Zay laugh from across the table.
“Man, let my sis eat,” he said.
For a moment, the table felt normal.
But my mother dropped her fork.
The metal clink cut through the air.
“I can’t eat.”
Everyone looked at her.
Her eyes were locked on the bandage on my shoulder.
“I need to know what’s going on.”
Nobody spoke.
“Who is shooting at you in Monaco?”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Are you watching Laurent? He’s been too quiet lately.”
She added something else.
“And are you keeping an eye on those exes of yours?”
She leaned back slightly.
“Someone shooting at my son isn’t okay. I’m ready to inform Marcel about this shit.”
Her voice sharpened.
“This position makes your existence hot.”
I leaned back in my chair slowly. “Madam.”
She crossed her arms. “Well?”
I sighed. “You in men’s business again.”
Her eyes flashed.
I wasn’t disrespectful, but I wasn’t sugarcoating it either.
“We got it handled, now don’t ask again.”
She stared at me like she was deciding whether to argue.
Before she could speak again, Yuna’s voice cut in.
“Don’t talk to her like that.” She looked straight at me. “She’s just concerned. Like the rest of us.”
I stared at her for a moment.
The whiskey in my system made my patience thinner than usual.
“Sounds like you ready to play your part.”
“Only part I’m playing is for me.”
I shook my head slightly.
“You’re right.”
I looked at my mother.
“I apologize.”
She didn’t say anything, but the tension in her shoulders eased just a little.
That’s when footsteps approached from the house.
My cousin Nico stepped onto the deck.
Dressed like he had just walked off the cover of Forbes.
Tailored jacket. Clean Prada sneakers. Plain gold Rolex watch.
My cousin was the poster white boy.
The kind who could get any race of woman to drop to their knees.
Nico nodded once.
“Evening.”
I leaned back in my chair.
“You got something?”
He glanced around the table.
“Yeah.”
I stood up.
“Madam, Emily...”
Zay already understood.
He stood and Emily grabbed their son’s hand.
“Go up to the room, I’ll bring your dessert,” he said to Emily.
My mother stood too.
“Ares, I think I need to sta—”
“I’ll talk to you later,” I said before she could finish.
She didn’t like it, but she walked inside anyway.
Yuna pushed her chair back, too.
“I’ll go—”
I reached over and grabbed her arm lightly.
“Nah.”
She looked at me.
“You stay.”
Nico sat down across from us. The relaxed dinner atmosphere disappeared instantly.
He slid a folded paper across the table.
“We found this on the dark web.”
I opened it slowly.
A screenshot.
Encrypted listing.
A contract.
Twenty million dollars.
For my head.
I leaned back in my chair. “Twenty million.”
Nico nodded. “Somebody really wants you gone.”
Zay looked over the paper.
“Who placed it?”
“Unknown,” Nico replied. “It’s masked through three servers.”
The wind rolled across the deck again. I felt Yuna watching the whole exchange carefully.
Studying everything.
She spoke.
“Watch my dad.”
The table went still.
Zay looked at her. “You right.”
Nico nodded slowly. “Wouldn’t surprise me.”
I folded the paper once more and set it on the table.
Because whoever had just put twenty million on my head had officially entered the game.
And I was about to make sure they regretted it.
Nico stood.
“I’ll keep digging,” he said. “Dark web contracts like this don’t stay clean long. Somebody talks eventually.”
He adjusted his jacket like he was already halfway out the door.
“But you need to armor up.”
I frowned.
“I’m already armored.”
“Not like this,” he replied, seriously.
His eyes flicked toward the bandage on my shoulder.
“Somebody just tested your perimeter in Monaco. That’s bold.”
Zay leaned back in his chair. “Let them be bold.”
Nico smirked faintly. “I like that energy.”
He turned toward me again. “I’ll keep you updated.”
And just like that, he left.
Fast. The way Nico always moved when the conversation got serious.
My patience was gone once he left. I pushed my chair back and stood.
“Enjoy the rest of y'all dinner,” I muttered.
I walked off the deck.
I didn’t even look back.
Twenty million dollars.
Someone thought they could turn my life into a hunting game.
I pushed open the doors to my living suite and stepped inside.
The lights were dim, the room smelling faintly like the blunt I’d left burning earlier.
I poured a drink immediately.
And another.
By the time I finished the second glass, I realized I wasn’t alone.
Yuna stood in the doorway, watching me.
For a second, I was actually surprised. She didn’t usually follow me when I walked away.
But I brushed it off.
She stepped inside and sat on the edge of the bed.
Just watching.
I started pacing.
The anger from the meeting was still sitting in my chest like a loaded weapon.
Under my breath, I muttered in French.
“Killing them all at once would be easier.”
I ran a hand through my hair.
“Un par un.” One by one.
Yuna stayed quiet. Just sitting there.
Observing.
Finally, I stopped pacing and looked at her.
“We’re taking a road trip tomorrow.”
She blinked. “Where?”
“My penthouse in Paris.” I leaned against the table. “I need to get away from here. Clear my head. We can leave in the morning.”
She frowned slightly. “We?”
I smirked. The whiskey in my system made me sharper. More reckless. “Yeah.” I took another sip. “We.”
She crossed her arms.
“And when we get there,” I added casually, “I want you naked.”
Her eyebrows shot up.
“You’re sober enough now.”
She stood up immediately. “I’m not going anywhere and getting naked for you.”
She turned toward the door.
I chuckled under my breath. “Oh, you will.”
She stopped.
But didn’t turn around.
“I let you play tough girl in front of family,” I said calmly. “But stop acting like you’re not mine.”
Her shoulders stiffened.
“You will do as I say. You will go where I go.” I shrugged. “Now you can go.”
The door slammed so hard the walls shook.
I stood there for a moment.
I laughed. A slow, satisfied sound.
Because I knew something she didn’t.
She was angry now.
But she wasn’t turning me down.
I promise.