Chapter 42
Ares
“Even In War… I Gave Her Peace”
The road opened up the farther we drove from the coast.
Nice faded behind us, the blue water disappearing in the mirrors while the highway stretched long and quiet through the French countryside. The Aston Martin purred under my hands, smooth and fast like it was built for this exact kind of drive.
Yuna lasted maybe an hour before she fell asleep.
Head tilted against the window. One leg tucked under the other.
I glanced over at her once, and then back at the road.
Driving never bothered me.
It gave my mind space to work.
And it was harder for a muthafucka to kill me if I kept moving.
My shoulder burned faintly under the bandage, a reminder of yesterday.
Someone had taken a shot at me.
In my own territory.
That kind of disrespect didn’t happen by accident.
My mother’s voice echoed in my head.
Have you been watching Laurent?
The truth was simple.
No.
Not closely enough.
I rubbed the edge of the bandage absently and pressed harder on the gas.
Laurent had been quiet, and it wasn’t because Bianca was sucking his dick.
That usually meant someone was planning something.
Or waiting.
My mind moved through names.
Alliances.
Weak points.
The hit on me meant the board was shifting.
And if someone thought they were about to start a war…
They’d better be ready to die in one.
I reached into the center console and grabbed my vape pen.
THC.
Scentless.
I took a slow pull and exhaled carefully, letting the calm settle into my chest while Yuna slept beside me.
She didn’t move.
Didn’t smell it.
Just kept sleeping.
She needed it.
The detox had been rough on her body.
But lately…
She looked clearer.
Stronger.
More like the woman she was before everything got messy.
The road curved gently through the hills when something purple caught my eye in the distance.
Lavender.
Miles of it.
I slowed the car and pulled off the road.
The fields stretched endlessly under the afternoon sun, rows of violet flowers swaying softly in the wind.
I turned the engine off before I leaned over slightly.
“Yu-Yu.”
She groaned softly.
“Wake up.”
Her eyes opened slowly. “Are we there?”
“No.” I nodded toward the window. “Look.”
She turned her head. “Oh, my God.”
The scent hit the air even through the window.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“Provence.”
She pushed the door open before I could say anything else.
Tommy had already stepped out of the security truck behind us, pulling a folded blanket from the back.
He tossed it to me.
“Figured you might want this.”
I caught it and nodded once.
Yuna was already halfway into the rows of lavender.
Running her hands over the flowers like she couldn’t believe they were real.
I followed her out.
For a moment, I just watched her.
She looked lighter out here.
Free.
“Damn,” she said quietly. “This is beautiful.”
She pulled a small notebook and pen from her bag, then dropped down onto the blanket I had spread across the grass.
“You about to draw?” I asked.
“Yup. Watch me.”
Her pen started moving across the page quickly.
Lavender rows.
The sky.
The sun.
Everything.
I leaned back on my hands and watched her work.
A few minutes later, she stood up and wandered deeper into the field again, lifting flowers to her nose.
“Damn,” she said again, laughing softly. “I wish I had my phone.”
I reached into my pocket and held mine out.
She blinked.
“You serious?”
“Take it.”
She grabbed it immediately and smirked.
“You not scared I’ll text a drug dealer?”
I chuckled. “Ain’t no drug dealers out here, baby.”
She took a few pictures of herself standing between the lavender rows.
Then walked back toward me.
“Come here.”
“For what?”
“A picture.”
I sighed but stood up.
She held the phone out in front of us and leaned into my chest.
The camera clicked.
Right as I kissed the side of her neck.
She laughed when she saw the picture.
“That’s cute.”
“Give me my phone back.”
“Relax, I won’t go through it.”
I chuckled. “Not worried.”
We sat back down on the blanket after that.
Tommy had left a small bag of snacks for us.
Yuna went back to sketching the field while eating a handful of homemade kettle chips.
I watched her.
Somewhere in the middle of all that calm…
I fell asleep.
Just for a minute.
Or so I thought.
Thirty minutes later, I woke up to her giggling.
I blinked. “What?”
She was grinning at me. “Boy, you were sleeping like a baby.”
I rubbed my eyes. “I needed a power nap.”
“Your guard came over,” she added. “Said it’s time to get back on the road.”
I stretched my shoulders and stood up.
“Alright.”
We packed the blanket and walked back toward the car.
As she opened the passenger door, she paused.
“Is there a bathroom on this trip?”
I smirked. “There’s a hotel coming up.”
“Good,” she said. “I want to freshen up for the rest of the ride.”
Twenty minutes later, we pulled into a quiet luxury hotel just off the highway.
Everything had already been arranged.
I stepped out while Yuna grabbed her bag and headed inside with one of my guards.
I stayed in the hallway with Tommy.
“All clear?” I asked.
Tommy nodded. “Been quiet all day.”
I pulled out my phone and called Zay.
He answered on the second ring.
“You good?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“How’s the drive?”
“Smooth.”
“You keeping your eyes open?”
“Always.”
He chuckled. “Good. I’ll hold things down here. Emily doesn’t want to leave, so we still will be here when you get back.”
I hung up a minute later.
Thirty minutes after that, Yuna came back out looking refreshed and ready to keep moving.
We climbed back into the car.
“One more stop before Paris,” I told her.
She nodded, and the road stretched ahead of us again.