Chapter 48
Ares
THE FOLLOWING MORNING…
“You Get Me”
Paris was still waking up when we arrived at the train station, the sky pale and soft over the glass ceiling above the platforms. Travelers moved through the terminal, dragging luggage, sipping coffee, living their quiet little lives.
Yuna looked like she stepped out of a different decade.
An old French film.
A straw hat sat perfectly on her head, the wide brim dipping low enough to help hide her face. Big dark Prada sunglasses covered most of it anyway. A small black Chanel bag hung from her shoulder, swinging gently every time she walked.
She had on a fitted cream dress that hugged her waist and fell just past her knees.
Classy.
Expensive.
Quiet luxury.
The kind of woman people stared at twice.
I wore black slacks, a black blazer over a white dress shirt, the collar slightly open. Jewelry sat heavy on my neck and wrists, including the cross my mother had given me, and my rectangular Versace sunglasses blocked out the morning glare.
The station was busy, but I still noticed something.
A quick flash.
Someone lifted their phone.
A picture.
I frowned slightly, but I didn’t react.
Yuna was too excited to notice anything.
“I always wanted to ride this train,” she said while walking beside me. “Since I was little.”
Her voice carried that rare tone she didn’t show often.
Excitement.
“They say it’s the fastest train in Europe.”
I glanced over at her. “You’ve been talking for twenty minutes straight.”
She smirked. “And you’ve been quiet for ten minutes straight. What’s good? Are you even listening to me?”
“I’m listening.”
She tilted her head. “Are you?”
I smirked. “Always.”
The private escort led us through the platform and up into the train.
The inside was all soft leather seats. Polished wood tables. Large windows that stretched nearly from floor to ceiling.
Our cabin sat near the front of the train.
Tommy and the rest of the security team settled further down in the car, giving us space but staying close enough if anything went wrong.
The door closed behind us.
The train hummed softly as it began to move.
Yuna walked straight to the window.
The countryside started sliding past slowly as the train picked up speed.
She leaned closer to the glass.
“This is beautiful.”
I sat back in the seat across from her, watching her instead of the view.
She eventually turned and noticed my expression.
“You’re thinking about something.”
“Always.”
“What about?”
For a moment, I didn’t answer.
I leaned back in the seat.
“My grandfather gave me a kill list.”
Her head tilted slightly.
“A list?”
I nodded slowly.
The train sped faster now, the countryside blurring outside.
“People that need to die in my family.”
Yuna didn’t react the way most people would.
She just watched me carefully.
I continued.
“Some of them have been hiding behind power for decades. Politicians. Priests. Businessmen.”
She sat down across from me now.
“You started already, didn’t you?”
It wasn’t a question.
I nodded once.
Her sunglasses hid her eyes, but I could feel her attention sharpen. “Who?”
“My grandfather’s brother.” I leaned forward slightly. “Sir Delacroix.”
Silence filled the cabin for a moment.
“He was a priest?” she asked quietly.
“Yeah. He ran abuse rings through his church for thirty years.”
I frowned.
“Marcel knows I hate predators.”
The train continued slicing through the countryside.
Yuna leaned back slowly. “I never minded a man with blood on his hands, especially one who is a hero,” she said calmly.
My eyebrow lifted.
“Ain’t like I don’t got blood on mine.”
I studied her carefully.
“Don’t let me find out you’re a little serial killer.”
A small smile crept across her lips. “Depends who you ask.”
I stood up, crossed the small cabin, and pulled her onto my lap.
She didn’t fight it.
The train rocked slightly as it moved faster.
“You ever notice how quiet the world gets when you’re moving fast enough?” I murmured near her ear.
She leaned slightly into me. “That’s because nobody can catch you.”
“You get me.” My hand rested against her waist while the train carried us forward.
She looked down at me through those oversized sunglasses.
“You’re addictive, you know.”
“I know.”
I pulled her closer and kissed her slowly.
The countryside rushed past the windows.
The train cabin quiet around us.
And the tension between us building again.
And I fucked her good in that cabin.
I’m sure she will never forget it either…