Chapter 4
Yesterday was really an adventure. I went from looking for a job in a diner to waking up in a mansion.
I woke up cocooned in the softest white sheets, with layers of pillows hugging me at my side.
The air was cool and scented by fresh flowers.
The Ritz didn’t come close to the luxury that saturated the room.
Everything was plush or silk. From the large arched windows to the small cream sitting area, this room was created with a woman in mind.
I feel a twinge of envy. If Ares’s girlfriend lived here before, well, she had a great life.
After a shower and a small breakfast, I dress quickly and meet Nisa by the car.
The mission today was to take Nisa to the mall and then back here. I am nervous because I know people will be on the lookout for my face. But I also know that if I look suspicious, then people will look at me. I pull the baseball cap lower as I park the car in the mall’s parking lot.
“What are we getting?” Nisa asks as she unbuckles her seatbelt.
“Clothing for you and me,” I reply, locking the car door behind us.
Nisa nods. She looks so cute this morning. She has on a little dark green T-shirt with ruching at the side and a pair of camouflage sweatpants and sneakers.
“Can I hold your hand?” I ask.
Nisa looks at me for a second, then extends her palm to mine.
I hold on to her little palm tightly. “I have to get you ready for school.”
Nisa looks confused. “Am I going back to my old school?”
“Um, I will discuss it with Aric when I get back. But right now, let’s go shopping.”
The doors slide open, and immediately I am hit with the scent of sweet waffle cones and new fabric.
There is a fountain in the middle of the mall entry.
People are bustling in and out of stores.
I see a group of teens laughing at something, with their purchases in their bags and boba tea in their hands.
I nod to the security officer as we enter. “Okay, Nisa? Where to first?”
“I want to go to Sephora, then Sugah Bae, then the Labubu store…just to see them, of course.” Nisa’s eyes follow the group of teenagers laughing.
“Of course. But let’s start with a clothing store, and we can make our way up,” I suggest.
“Can we get boba after, please?” Nisa asks as she leans into me.
“You can have whatever you like.”
Nisa’s eyes fill with water. “Really?”
I pause because Hecate didn’t tell me the extent of Nisa’s past, but I know pain when I see it.
“Yes, really.”
Nisa wipes her eyes before her tears drop. “You think he’ll keep us?”
I sigh because I was wondering the same thing. I don’t even know if I want to be kept. Or how can I stay hidden?
“I don’t know, but what I do know is we are about to have a great time.” As we go, I can’t help but have the feeling I am being watched. I look around and then, and then pull my cap lower, ushering Nisa into a store.
ARES
Am I becoming a stalker? I don’t think so. I mean, when Nisa and Soraya left this morning, did I walk into the garage and jump into a car five minutes after they left? Yes.
“That’s the problem right there. They weren’t even aware we were behind them, Ares.”
Aric was right; thirty minutes into the drive, I noticed a black, tinted G-Wagon following them.
Did Soraya look at the car and take note? No.
Did she see the car parked near her or me parked next to the man? No.
I hate how crowded a mall can be during the summer. I hate the smells, the people as they move without any manners. Excuse me? Thank you? Nonexistent in their vocabulary.
I should be flying out to Lakeshore to investigate the matter of human trafficking and my shipping containers.
Instead, I sent Phobos and Deimos. I am needed here.
Clearly, I am, because the man from the G-Wagon is texting on the phone and following them.
In every store they’ve gone into, he was there.
Do they notice? No, because they are chatting and having a great time.
As the man gets closer, I swipe a cup of hot coffee from someone’s order. My legs take me to the man’s side. As he looks up, I “accidentally” throw the hot coffee in his face.
His screams made people around stop. I bend, pulling him under my arm, and carry him to the bathroom.
“Is he okay?” a lady pushing a baby stroller asks.
I ignore her and usher him into the bathroom. Thankfully, the bathroom is empty.
I allow him to wash his face.
“What the fuck, man? That burned!” he shouts and turns to me. He stops. I know between my height and my presence, it takes the wind out of his sails. His blue eyes widen.
“Mann…look.”
“Why are you following my ward and nanny?” I ask calmly.
He raises his brows. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He washes his hands and tries to walk past me.
I press my hand against his chest. “I’m not finished.”
“Fuck you!”
I smirk. “No thanks. This morning was disappointing enough.”
He tries to move my hands away.
“Enough.” I hoist him by the spine, lifting him up like the prey that he is. In a flash, we are gone. The cold air caresses my face as we stand on the edge of the roof of Bakersfield’s tallest building. It sits high above the clouds.
“Fuck, my back hurts.” He squirms with his eyes closed. “Let me go.”
“Open your eyes.”
When he does, he screams, and spittle flies out of his mouth. “Please. Don’t let me fucking go.”
“Why were you following my nanny and ward?”
Tears run down his face. “Man, please don’t drop me.”
“Answer me!” I shake him, and I can hear one of his vertebrae pop. His knees buckle.
“Drop him and then save him just in time.”
“Be silent, Aric.”
The man dangles like a rag doll. His breath is short and panicked.
“I don’t know—”
I let him go, watching him fall through the clouds.
“We need to find out who he is working for, Ares.”
My skin burns as Aric tries to force his way out.
“Fine.” I teleport and reappear beside the falling man, catching him by the ankle. The air howls around us as, shoot up past the building going higher into the sky. He is wailing as I raise his ankle.
“Who are you working for?”
Tears come down his cheeks and into his eyes. “I don’t know.”
“Lies fall faster than the truth.”
The man trembles. “E-Elias Thorne. The fiancé of your nanny. I sent him a picture of her, and he told me to follow.”
“Fiancée?!”
“Where did you get the picture?” Dangling him, I know his leg must hurt since his body weight would be pulling him down.
“Please, just put me down.”
I pretend to drop him, and he screeches. “In Gina’s Diner. I was eating at Gina’s Diner, and I saw her and followed her.”
“We need to check out this Elias Thorne.”
“Agreed. What about him?”
“What about him?” I let go of his leg. Not sticking around for his death.
I reappear in the mall just in time to see the girls walking and drinking boba. Soraya stops at a store, and her finger lightly touches what looks like a music box. The salesclerk comes and asks her a question. Soraya shakes her head and leaves.
“Why didn’t she buy it? She bought things for Nisa. Little for herself.”
“I noticed.”
“They are safe now.”
“Are they?” I lean behind a column, watching them talk and sip. Nisa has become animated, skipping as she tells Soraya something.
Soraya looks happy and comfortable. I want to go over there and take away her cap and sunglasses.
Maybe I should do some shopping of my own. What did Nisa want again? A Labubu?
SORAYA
I look in the rearview mirror, smiling. Nisa was knocked out. We had a full day. I drive out of the city, heading back into the countryside.
I have to have a plan. I can’t just be a babysitter for the rest of my life. I need to take legal action against my aunt and uncle and then Elias.
Or else I would be running forever.
For the first time today, I don’t feel like someone is watching me.
I could have sworn I saw Ares at the mall. But I was wrong. It’s weird; I just met him, but I feel like I want to be in his presence. It’s calming and chaotic all at once.
I thought he was going to throw me out, but he kept me.
The chalice…did…did it bring me to him? It’s a family heirloom after all. Should I tell him about me seeing the chalice days before? No, I should just let it be. I turn, and the gates open.
I drive down to the front of the house.
“Hey, Nisa. Honey, wake up.” I unbuckle my seatbelt. Nisa stretches and blinks. I exit the car and open the trunk and begin taking the bags out.
The huge front door opens, and two gorgeous men walk out.
One is blond with short cropped hair, a plain grey polo, and khaki pants.
He is so neat and clean. It almost feels unnatural.
The other has black hair, long in the front and short at the back.
He is wearing an emerald-green silk shirt with gold necklaces around his neck, a blue and green kilt, and black combat boots. They walk down the stairs talking.
“Maybe I am the problem. Never mind, that is not true.” The dark-haired one laughs while the other’s face remains unmoved.
“Hey. It’s Soraya and Nisa, right?” The dark-haired one says. His smile is easy. “I am Deimos, and that is my twin brother, Phobos. We are Aric’s sons.”
“Sons?” I ask, more shocked than confused.
“Yup, that’s our dad,” the dark hair one replies.
They barely look older than me, yet they’re calling Aric, Dad? My stomach twists. Something isn’t right here. Wait…. Maybe he adopted them when he was young. That would make sense.
“Aww, the old man hasn’t told you we exist. But we do,” Deimos says.
Nisa steps closer to me, and I hold her hand.
“Hello, little one.” Phobos stoops and extends his hand out to her. “I am Phobos.”
Nisa looks at his hand and shakes it. “I’m Nisa.”
“We’re here to help you with your bags. Please, go inside,” Deimos says. Phobos stands and goes to the trunk, taking out the bags with his brother. Their movements are so synchronized.
“Please, go inside. All shall be delivered at your doors,” Phobos says.
I nod and walk in. Nisa looks back, and Phobos gives her a little wave.