22. Bree
As the sun dipped toward the horizon, I walked home from the grocery store, carrying two paper bags and humming a tune from my childhood. A bubble of excitement danced in my stomach, and I smiled, not even caring who might think I was a madwoman.
A few days had passed since our steamy motorcycle ride, and Dominic’s work responsibilities—a job I tried not to think about all that much—kept him too busy to see me in person. I’d worried that my worst fears had come true, that I was a one-time conquest and nothing more.
Except he’d squashed those fears quickly and continued to stomp them down every chance he got.
Much to Marissa’s delight and Frankie’s annoyance, the gym was filled with a rainbow of tulips, my favorite flower. All thanks to the numerous bouquets he’d sent since discovering that tidbit about me on Sunday. He claimed he couldn’t make up his mind which one I’d like best, so he ordered them all.
Logic didn’t always prevail when your bank account ended in that many zeroes.
As if that weren’t sweet enough—yet also somewhat crazy—I’d never been on my phone so much over the past ten years as I did just in just the past three days. We were like giddy grade schoolers, texting and calling each other every spare moment we had.
His walls had come crumbling down, showing me a deeper side than I ever expected him to have and surprising me at every turn. I loved getting to know the man hidden beneath that heartless, playboy mask he wore.
He was caring and kind, sophisticated, and so freaking sexy. My body warmed as I walked, once again dreaming of his hands on my skin, exploring the most sensitive parts of me as the waterfalls crashed behind us.
Romantic didn’t come close.
Every moment of getting to know him had been amazing, and I had never been this happy in my entire life.
How had I gotten so lucky to be living my very own fairytale?
After looking both ways to make sure the road was clear, I stepped off the sidewalk and crossed the street quickly. The grocery bags weren’t too heavy, but several cans were poking me in the gut. Thankfully, the gym was only a few more blocks away.
I hadn’t told Dominic about my role in the upcoming fight yet, not necessarily because I was trying to keep it from him, but the topic never seemed to come up. When I was on the phone with him late at night, all my worries and concerns floated away. Forgotten.
It wasn’t until I was about to fall asleep that I would remember. I couldn’t just text him about something as big as that, but I didn’t want to tell him over the phone either.
To be honest, I wasn’t sure how he would feel about me fighting, considering how dangerous the matches were. So I decided it was a discussion best had in person. I just didn’t know when or if I’d get the chance before Friday.
The sun sank below the horizon, and long shadows stretched farther across the sidewalk, ready to devour everything in darkness. As a Gifted person in the city, walking alone at night didn’t scare me. I could hold my own against regular humans, and most likely anyone else too.
But tonight, something felt different.
I glanced behind me, my skin crawling with unease. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary—car headlights had flicked on and the throng of pedestrians had thinned as rush hour wrapped up. Those out now were looking for food, drinks, or a gym, completely absorbed in their own bubbles.
Still, my scalp prickled with the distinct feeling of being watched.
Turning back around, I increased my speed until an older man with dark grey hair and tanned skin stopped a few feet in front of me. He had on casual clothes and looked like any ordinary person on the street…
Until I saw his eyes.
That familiar, deep aqua gaze penetrated down to my soul. The knowledge of his presence here latched around my lungs, squeezing painfully.
Oh, schnitzel.
Demetrius, the captain of my father’s guard, stepped closer with his hands raised. “Princess Gabrielle, please?—”
“Stay away from me!” My outburst surprised even me, and I tripped over the uneven sidewalk. The side of one of my paper bags ripped, sending groceries tumbling in every direction.
The few people around us cast nervous glances in our direction but continued on their way as soon as I scrambled to grab anything headed for the street. Clearly, I wasn’t being attacked if I was worried about wayward vegetables.
I didn’t even notice Demetrius getting closer until he handed me a can of mushroom soup.
“Sending you is low, even for him.” I swiped the can from his hand. “I’m not going back. He doesn’t own me or Marissa.”
His smile was sad as he helped me collect the rest of my groceries, placing everything into one way-too-full bag. “King Proteus didn’t send me to bring you home.”
I scooped up the bag with both arms, hoping it would hold the rest of the way. “I’m not a child anymore, Demetri. Nor am I a fool.”
He chuckled and followed as I headed for home again. “No, you are neither of those things, that is true. But it is also true that I am not lying.”
We stopped at a red light, and I cast a wary glance at him. “Then why are you here?”
His eyebrows drew together in an expression I couldn’t quite read. “To warn you to stay away.”
I stared at him in complete bewilderment. Never in my wildest dreams had I expected that response. Relief was short-lived, however, as suspicion crept in. My father warning me to stay away was as likely as a dolphin growing a horn.
Demetrius nudged my arm, snapping me out of it enough to cross the street while we had the green light.
“I don’t understand,” I said plainly.
“There is some trouble brewing back home.” His words were carefully chosen. Only two buildings away from the gym, he stopped me and glanced up and down the street. “He wishes for you both to remain safe from any harm.”
Goosebumps prickled across my skin. “What trouble?”
“The details are not important. What’s important is that you listen and obey.”
I couldn’t help it, I laughed.
His startled gaze fell on me before he smiled ruefully, and deep crinkles formed beside his eyes. “Yes, I see the humor. If not to him, then listen to me, little Ree.”
My heart constricted, twisting until tears formed in my eyes. This man had been more of a father to me than my own. He’d been by my side since my birth, and he was there to patch the pieces of my heart back together when my mother died. Besides my sister, he was the only other person alive allowed to call me by that name.
And it was only because of him that I was able to escape with Marissa all those years ago.
I sighed. “Fine. I can only assume that whatever this trouble is isn’t as bad as you’re making it out to be if he let you leave his side.”
His smile drooped, but I didn’t get a chance to ask about the change in his expression.
Loud voices erupted behind me, and I spun around, still on edge. A group of gym members had burst out of Subliminal, laughing and talking excitedly. I chuckled and turned to ask Demetrius if he wanted to see where we’d ended up.
Except he was gone.
In a rare turn of events,my sister was home when I arrived. She sat on her cot with one leg pulled up and her chin propped on her knee while scrolling through her phone. But in true Marissa fashion, she didn’t offer to help me put any of our groceries away.
To be fair, I’d already put the cold stuff in the office fridge. There wasn’t much left to set on our makeshift kitchen cabinet, which was just a wobbly plastic bookshelf held together with duct tape.
I didn’t want to scare her by telling her about seeing Demetrius, but my nerves were still amped up from his unexpected visit. I needed to get some of that energy out, which meant training, as I’d done every night this week.
“Want to practice with me?”
“Pass.” Her eyes never left her phone.
I placed the last box of microwavable macaroni and cheese cups on a shelf. “Don’t you need to stay fit for massages, though?”
“I’m sure non-Gifted people do,” she said, then laughed at something on her phone.
I folded up the paper bag and tucked it behind the shelf. “What’s so funny?”
This time, her gaze lifted to mine. She raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Well, that’s rude.” Not that she was wrong. Normally, I didn’t try to talk to her when she was on her phone. It was like talking to a volcano: either she ignored me or exploded in a fit of rage. Humans said it was a red-headed thing, and I tended to believe them.
But you couldn’t just say stuff like that out loud.
I grabbed a tuna can and pulled the tab to open it.
Immediately, Finley popped out from wherever he was hiding amid his tank’s seaweed and swam to the aquarium’s surface. His eager eyes fell on the can.
“Sorry, buddy.” I set the can on the table near his tank. He clambered down and started munching away. Only a drop of water ended up on the table beside him before he dried himself with magic. “Next time let Marissa know you’re this hungry if I’m not back yet.”
“She’s such a worrier, isn’t she?” She winked at Finley.
The axolotl lifted his head and chirped around a mouthful of fish.
I put my hands on my hips. “Don’t you two gang up on me.”
“You’re never this chatty at night, Bree. What’s got you all hot and bothered?” My sister’s eyes narrowed in amused suspicion. “Or should I say who?”
I wished my nervous energy was because of Dominic. With Finley taken care of, I opened one of my pseudo-dresser drawers and dug out a clean pair of shorts and a sports bra. “I’m just nervous about the fight.”
After a quick pout, Marissa dropped her gaze back to her phone. “Just keep your eye on the prize, Ree. Then Frankie will be free of this asinine debt and the Satos for good.”
I loved my sister dearly, but I couldn’t help my laugh. She was obsessed with impressing people, and adding new words to her vocabulary like asinine was just her newest endeavor to achieve that goal.
Wait…
I froze, my shirt halfway over my head. “What?”
A frown creased her forehead as she tapped away at the screen. “What what?”
“What do you mean about being free of the Satos?”
She gave a one-shoulder shrug. “Once she pays back the debt she owes them.”
My mind stuttered to a stop. The words were said so casually, so unaware that my world had just imploded. “How do you know she owes the Satos?”
She paused her tapping long enough to glance at me like I was an idiot. “Because Frankie told me. Duh.”
“When?”
“I don’t know, dude, a few days ago,” she said with an exaggerated huff. “She didn’t tell you?”
“No.” My voice was shaky, my breaths growing ragged.
Why hadn’t Frankie told me?
Why hadn’t Nic, for that matter?
Apparently, everyone knew except me.
“She probably didn’t want to make things awkward between you and lover boy,” Marissa said with a song-song note at the end, engrossed in her phone once again.
Clenching my jaw tight, I finished changing and headed for the gym.
Had I been a complete fool?
If Dominic knew about this debt, then there was only one logical reason he kept his involvement from me. He was Ichiro’s heir, after all—heir and spy.
He was there to make sure the debt was paid. Or maybe he was tasked with interfering with and sabotaging our plans so we couldn’t pay it back, which would explain the date of the fight moving up after implementing our ingenious massage idea. Subliminal was bound to be a true moneymaker managed by someone like Ichiro.
Now I really needed to channel my nervous energy, only this time it was fueled by a growing rage.
I mean, sure, I had secrets too, but nothing that affected Dominic the way this debt affected me and my life. My sister’s life, too, and Frankie’s! All the people I cared about most.
Maybe he assumed I already knew or that it didn’t concern me somehow. I almost laughed.
Had he really lied to me this whole time? Used me?
If so, how had I not seen it before?
Or was there nothing to see?
Chewing on my lip hard enough to draw blood, I burst through the gym”s front door and spun right back around. The next door over led up to Frankie”s apartment complex, and someone had busted the lock years ago. I hauled the door open and stomped up the stairs, mulling the situation over.
In the very unlikely scenario that he didn’t know about the debt and was truly innocent, then I couldn’t involve him. His pride would have him trying to do something stupid like pay off the debt.
Sounded great on paper, but after everything I’d read about their family and learned from Dominic himself, going against Ichiro for my sake was sure to be a death sentence. Possibly for all of us.
There was a reason Ichiro Sato wanted this gym, and nothing would get in his way.
Whatever the case, I needed answers, and Frankie better be ready to face the hurricane headed her way?—
Me.