19. Athena
NINETEEN
ATHENA
W hile I had an earbud in one ear and paying attention to my surroundings with the other, I slipped out of the bookstore and started walking toward my apartment.
I couldn’t keep a smile off my face.
Despite my recent encounter with some crazy ninjas, my life was going surprisingly well. My proudly smutty books were selling, and I had just signed a large batch of paperbacks for a local store.
Glancing over my shoulder, I couldn’t see the guards Manuel assigned to me, but I could sense them. Being followed definitely wasn’t something I loved, but it did offer me some peace of mind.
Ignoring their presence, I crossed the street, ensuring I waited until there wasn’t a car in sight so they could follow me safely. It was silly, but I didn’t want them putting their life in danger.
I stretched my right arm, flexing my wrist that had cramped from signing two hundred copies.
It’s a good problem to have , I thought to myself, smiling.
Life worked in mysterious ways sometimes. When I was younger, I would have never guessed that Manuel Marchetti would become my protector.
Strange, because my mother had never offered me the protection that her lovers provided for her. Not that I had wanted it, and of course it would have been difficult to explain since she kept me a secret from them.
Besides, it was probably for the best considering all the shit Raven got into in high school. I was homeschooled up until I turned fourteen, then Mom put me in a private boarding school on the East Coast. It was where I met Raven, the two of us clicking instantly.
Yes, it sucked not having a parent during my growth spurt and hormonal changes, but Raven was there for me.
I turned the corner and passed a row of cafés, their outdoor seating filled with Parisians. My eyes traveled over their smiling faces, many of them with cigarettes between their fingers.
It was then that I noticed a man in the reflection of the café. My footsteps faltered and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
He looked like… Atticus Popov. The father I’d never met.
No, it couldn’t be.
I whirled around, but the man was gone. I blew out a long exhale. My mind must be playing tricks on me. After all, it would make no sense for Atticus to be trailing me. He hadn’t made contact in twenty-three years, he had no reason to start now.
I turned around to resume walking and ran into a strong body.
“Ah, fuck,” I muttered, rubbing my forehead.
“ Signómi .” I’m sorry.
Shocked at hearing Greek, I raised my eyes up to a man who emanated power. He was handsome, with thick, wavy dark hair and piercing brown eyes. His chiseled jaw was covered with stubble and he wore a three-piece suit I had started associating with mobsters.
“No, I’m sorry,” I murmured in French. Why would he have said anything in Greek to me? “It was my fault, not paying attention.”
He nodded, agreeing with me, and my cheeks heated with annoyance. The polite thing would have been to disagree, but I kept my expression polite as I attempted to sidestep him.
He mirrored my move and we remained facing each other. He cocked a brow in a cavalier way.
“Excuse me,” I muttered as he smoothed a hand down his tie absentmindedly.
The edge of his lips curled as he studied me.
“You shouldn’t be roaming the streets,” the stranger warned softly, then walked around me and disappeared around the corner as I stared after him flabbergasted.
Reina’s engagement party better hurry up, because I didn’t have a good feeling about any of this.
“I just don’t think it’s the right time to go clubbing,” I told Raven who was already dressed to the nines and ready to go. She’d cornered me in our little kitchen and I sensed her determination. She wouldn’t back down until I agreed to go with her.
I was still reeling from yesterday’s strange encounter. Not only that, I couldn’t shake the anxious feelings since seeing my father’s reflection.
Yet, my bodyguard seemed not to have seen him, so maybe it was all in my head.
“Please, Athena.” Raven batted her lashes and pouted her lips, going for the full effect. “It’s just down to you and me.”
I rolled my eyes. “Reina isn’t married yet. And Phoenix?—”
Raven laughed. “You’re so out of touch with reality sometimes. I attribute it to you living in your fictional worlds more often than not, but you really have to start seeing things that are right in front of your face.”
She eyed me meaningfully, but I was too tired to ask her to clarify.
“Honestly, I’m exhausted. I’ll just spoil your fun,” I told her. Not to mention, I was slightly paranoid. Yes, I wanted to stay here as moral support for Reina, but going clubbing would be reckless.
Raven reached for a bottle of vodka, poured some of it into a shot glass, and handed it to me.
“This will boost your energy.” When I didn’t make an effort to move, she tried a different approach. “Please, I need your help tonight. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”
I sighed, unable to resist her plea. She was always there for me, and she asked for so little in return.
I tossed back the shot that was placed in front of me and put on the dress she already picked out for me.
An hour later, we were at the club the Leone brothers owned. I couldn’t believe we were back here. It was a full-circle moment, and it certainly made sense that Raven wouldn’t have asked the Romero sisters to join us.
For years, we’d stayed away from it after an idiot slipped a drug into Reina’s drink in an attempt to take advantage of her. Everything ended well—sort of. The Leone brothers swooped in for a swift rescue and the rest was history.
“Remind me why we’re here again?” I asked Raven. I shuffled from foot to foot and blew hot air into my hands—it was a chilly night, but I was glad I let her drag me out. We looked good. My hair was pulled up in a high ponytail and I wore a black strapless dress while Raven opted for a red fitted dress and let her hair hang loosely down her back. We had on our bulky coats, but soon we’d be free of them and in search of the dance floor.
She flashed me a big, beaming smile. “I heard someone was here.”
“Who?”
“I can’t tell you.”
I sighed. “I deserve to know since you dragged me to the club.”
“Well, I couldn’t drag Reina or Phoenix here. Not after all the shit that happened last time,” she said, echoing my thoughts.
We were instantly let into the club where we checked our coats and made our way through the mass of sweat-drenched bodies.
“Prime spot,” she yelled over the loud music, sliding into a booth beneath a blinding red, yellow, and purple LED sign.
It took no time for us to get inundated with drink offers. We refused them all, not wanting a repeat of what happened to Reina. For the next hour, we sipped fruity cocktails, we danced, we laughed, and we drank some more.
When it became difficult to string a whole sentence together, I stopped dancing and headed to the bar for a bottle of water. It was reckless for both of us to get so tipsy.
The bartender handed me a bottle and I took a sip, turning to see Raven dancing happily with a tall, six-foot-something hottie. His hands came to rest on her hips and I narrowed my eyes.
Aiden Callahan.
Now I knew exactly why Raven wanted to come.
I pushed off the bar table to tell her I was ready to go home. The last time that asshole broke her heart, she’d all but lost the will to live. It was the last thing any of us needed.
Halfway across the dance floor, my elbow was clasped in a tight grip and I whirled around, ready to teach some asshole a lesson. I blinked twice when Manuel pulled me close, his face expressionless.
We stared at each other, a thick, almost suffocating tension filling the air before he dragged me toward a quiet corner—not unlike the first time we’d met, come to think of it—and pressed my back against the wall. Somehow it felt like there wasn’t enough oxygen in this nightclub.
“How drunk are you?’ His jaw flexed. “I didn’t believe the guards I assigned to you when they sent me an update that you’d gone clubbing.”
Unease rose up but I ignored it. Instead, I batted my lashes stupidly at him and smiled.
“What are you doing here?”
He didn’t seem overly excited to see me. Maybe he had time to think over my connection to my mom and Atticus Popov and decided I wasn’t worth his time. After all, I hadn’t seen or heard from him since the night he spent in my bedroom when I admitted the Triads attacked my mom eleven years ago.
Although he was still protecting me, I wasn’t sure whether he still wanted me. Maybe he only felt responsible to provide protection, not his attention.
I wasn’t usually insecure, always able to take or leave most men. I often feared my heart was made of ice and love would never find me.
Something was different with this one though, I just wasn’t able to put my finger on what. Maybe his incredible skills between the sheets. Or those incredible muscles.
Or maybe you got daddy issues , my mind mocked. I immediately shut it down. There wasn’t any room for mockery in my life.
“Maybe I came to find a new one-night stand,” I told him, choking on my fury.
“Don’t fuck with me, amorina , or you won’t like the ending,” he said softly and something dark moved through his eyes.
Apprehension rose up to choke me and I swallowed, trying to keep my voice steady. Manuel could be so easygoing one moment and so tense the next.
“Why are you mad? You haven’t contacted me in almost two weeks.” A sliver of irritation ran through me hearing the bitterness in my voice. “It’s not like we’re an item or anything,” I told him, anger scratching my throat.
Frustration chafed beneath my skin—mostly at myself. I guess not hearing from him for two weeks hurt more than I cared to admit.
His hands appeared above my head, his shoulders blocking the world around us, something about his presence heavy and palpable.
“I might have not contacted you, but I thought about you.” His rough words filled the air between us as he leaned in closer, his cologne intoxicating all my senses.
“Don’t,” I whispered, my heart thudding erratically. “Don’t appease me just because I called you out on it,” I said, laughing uncomfortably so he couldn’t tell it hurt me not to hear from him.
I didn’t know why, but damn it, it felt like being abandoned. Again.
“I’m not in the habit of saying what I don’t mean, Athena.” He took my chin between his fingers and I grew distracted by his hand. It was strong and veiny, and I knew how good it felt against my skin. “I’ve been working on chasing leads on the Triads. To keep you safe.”
His gaze dropped to my lips and a flash of something sinful passed his expression before he seemed to cave in to this pull and brush his mouth against mine for the briefest moment.
“No man, dead or alive, could forget you,” he said, breathing life into me.
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I inhaled his intoxicating scent. I met his dark gaze, every nerve in my body tingling in expectation.
“Now tell me what you’re doing here,” he demanded softly.
“Dancing?” My answer came out as a question. “How about you?” I asked bravely, my senses engulfed by his closeness. “Dance clubs don’t seem like your scene. Too old and all?—”
“Don’t you say it, amorina ,” he teased, and my spirits instantly lifted. I should be alarmed at how easily my mood changed knowing he hadn’t just abandoned me. “We both know you need an experienced, firmer, and older hand, and none of the stronzos in this club fit the bill.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say none,” I said, straight-faced. “You’re in this club, aren’t you?”
He brushed his thumb over my bottom lip before dipping it into my mouth. On instinct, I sucked on it and watched his eyes flare with heat.
I hummed in approval as I closed my eyes and swayed on my feet.
“You are drunk,” he groaned, giving me a dry stare.
“Not drunk enough, handsome,” I murmured, and he immediately stiffened. “What, you don’t like that title?” I sighed when his expression didn’t ease up. “Italian daddy?”
“Stop, Athena. Being drunk and alone in a nightclub is never smart.”
A playful grin curved my lips. “I’m not drunk. Not for long anyhow. I just drank an entire bottle of water. And I’m not alone.”
He wrapped his strong arm around my waist. “You’re leaving now.”
My eyes snapped to him. “I can’t leave Raven.”
“Trust me, she’s in good hands.”
I shook my head. “No, she’s not. Aiden Callahan is the devil, horns and all.”
He chuckled. “Really? I must have missed those.”
I nodded seriously despite the nausea flooding my stomach. “Trust me, we have to take her with us.”
He let out a sardonic breath. “As you wish. Let’s go find her, and then I’m taking you both home.”
I leaned toward him, burying my face into his well-carved chest. “Maybe we can hook up again tonight.” I took a deep whiff of his scent before I slurred my next words. “You smell so good, it makes me horny.”
Manuel’s lips brushed my ear, sending goose bumps scattering across my body. “Not until you sober up.”
I snorted and broke into a fit of giggles for no good reason. I tried to regain control of myself but failed. Maybe I was drunker than I thought.
I muttered something about using the bathroom, and Manuel followed me inside.
“Everyone out,” he barked while I struggled to pull my dress over my hips.
Heels clacked against the floor and then the door shut.
I sighed, suddenly feeling better already, and exited the stall.
“You okay?” His serious tone shattered the silence as I leaned over the sink and washed my hands.
I met his eyes in the mirror. “You really have to learn some rules about women’s privacy.”
“I asked you a question.”
Tension hung thickly in the air, but I refused to let it get to me. I waved my hand in the air, splashing droplets of water everywhere.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay. Just tipsy, and that water really made me have to pee.”
He took my hand into his and said, “Let’s find your friend and get the fuck out of here.”
“That sounds great.” It was the last time I was drinking those damn fruity drinks. I barely had three and I felt like I’d been hit by a train.
Unfortunately, by the time we returned to the dance floor, Raven was nowhere to be found, and when I checked my phone, there was a single text waiting for me.
Raven: ??????Wish me luck.
“Damn traitor. I hope she doesn’t get any,” I muttered under my breath, shoving the screen with the message into Manuel’s face, completely missing the last emoji and meaning behind it. “I’m going to put her in my book and then kill her off.”