Second

by Penelope Sky

  I let it go. “Anyway, I just wanted—”

  “Ooh, lunch.” Catalina entered the dining room, wearing a sundress with a cardigan even though springtime had just begun and it was too cold for that. “What are we having?”

  Father’s eyes lit up for her in a way they never did for me. “Sweetheart, what a nice surprise.”

  She leaned down and gave him a big hug before she took the seat across from me. “Thought I’d stop by.”

  “You gonna say hello to me?” I asked, noting the way I missed any kind of affection.

  She waved—like a smartass.

  Patricia brought a cup of soup and a panini and placed it in front of her.

  “Ooh, this looks good.” She grabbed the shaker and dumped a bunch of salt into her food.

  Father smiled proudly.

  I rolled my eyes.

  “What’s new?” Catalina took a few bites, the steam rising above her face.

  “Your brother is going to Marrakech today,” Father said. “He’ll be gone a few days.”

  “You are?” she asked excitedly. “Are you going to the bazaar?”

  “Actually, yes,” I answered.

  “Oh my god, I’ve always wanted to go.” She set down her spoon and stopped eating.

  That was never a good sign. “No.”

  “Oh, come on,” she said. “Let me tag along.”

  “You walked in here and didn’t even say hi to me.”

  “So? You know I see you.” She grabbed her spoon and took a few more bites.

  “Forget it.” I didn’t want to drag my little sister with us. She would tease me forever for seeing a psychic.

  She pouted her lips like a begging child. “Please. Pretty please.”

  “Take her,” Father said. “If she’s gonna go, I’d rather you take her than someone else.”

  She grinned in victory.

  I sighed in annoyance. “I’m just making a stop in the bazaar and leaving—”

  “That’s all I want to see anyway.” She moved her empty soup bowl to the side then grabbed her panini. “I’m excited. I want to see the fire dancers and the cobras. Ooh…and the camels! Cute.”

  I dragged my hands down my face in frustration. I was a drug lord and a money launderer, and I still had to babysit my little sister. Hades would be thrilled about this.

  She scarfed down her sandwich. “I’ll hurry up and pack and meet you back here.” She got to her feet and kissed Father goodbye. “And if you try to ditch me, I’ll kick your ass.” She flipped her hair and stormed out.

  Father returned to eating like nothing had happened, but this time with a smile on his face.

  Catalina hugged Hades before she grabbed her bag and headed out the front doors to the car waiting outside. “Come on, let’s head out. Party time!”

  Hades turned to me, his eyebrows high. “Why is she coming?”

  All I could do was shrug in response. “Because she’s a pain in the ass.”

  “This won’t be a problem?”

  “She and my father ganged up on me.”

  “Alright. Are you gonna tell her what’s going on?”

  “I don’t know…she wouldn’t believe us anyway.”

  Hades knew exactly where the purple tent was because he’d been there so many times over the last few years, but we took our time because my sister wanted to see the sights. Most of the men there stared at my sister like a piece of meat, and one even tried to grab her.

  We handled that so fucking fast.

  Now I was glad she’d come with me instead of a group of friends. She was heavy baggage that I didn’t want to carry, but at least she was safe this way. After we handled the guys who tried to grab her, everyone was too scared to mess with her, so they left us in peace.

  She bought a couple things—and of course, I had to carry it.

  When we made it down the quiet alleyway and spotted the purple tent, we’d finally reached our destination.

  I turned to him. “Stay out here with her.”

  He nodded in understanding, knowing she shouldn’t be left alone.

  “What’s that?” she asked, pointing to the single purple tent that stood alone.

  “Nothing,” I said. “I’ll be right back.” I headed to the tent and heard them talking behind me.

  “Why is he going in there?” Catalina asked.

  “It’s a fortune-teller,” Hades explained.

  “Ooh…I want to go next.”

  Their voices died away when I opened the flap and stepped inside.

  The woman with the scarf around her head and neck was there, smelling her scented oils and laying down cards like it was a round of solitaire. The tent was small, so she knew I was there, but she didn’t look up to greet me. “One fortune per person. No exceptions.”

  She recognized me?

  I approached the table and stood there, inhaling the musty smell of dirty drapes and humidity. I glanced around at the assortments of pots and other decorations, noticing the way it looked exactly the same as the last time I was there. Then I looked at her and examined the odd cards. She flipped one over, revealing a fanged cobra. Another had nothing but angel wings.

  She didn’t acknowledge me again.

  “I’m not here for another fortune. Just want to hear my original.”

  “If it’s that important to you, you should have written it down.” She looked down her long nose and continued to play whatever game she was playing. Cards flipped before they were returned to the pile sitting in her hands.

  “I was twenty-one…and didn’t take it seriously.”

  “That’s not my problem, Damien.”

  Bumps formed on my arms when she knew my name…without even looking at my face. Now I wanted to turn back because this woman was the real deal…and whatever she said would change my life.

  But I had to know.

  I drew out a few bills and dropped them on the table.

  She finally pulled her gaze away from her work and examined the cash. “I want everything in your wallet—and I know exactly how much is in there.”

  I pulled out the rest of the cash and placed it on the table before I took a seat.

  She grabbed all the cards, shuffled them, and then started over.

  “Well?”

  “I’m refreshing my memory. It’s been a long time since I read your cards.” For ten minutes, she played with the cards, flipping over the various animals and symbols that represented something to her. “No…” She kept working, trying to find the words she’d said to me before.

  I’d walk out of there right now if I didn’t know how serious this was, that she wasn’t a hack. I’d witnessed Hades fulfill every single prophecy. I knew this shit was real.

  She flipped over a few more cards before she sighed. “Ahh…there it is.” She stared at the arrangement for a minute before she pulled all the cards toward her into a massive pile. Then she inserted them back into the deck. “You will be a rich man, Damien. Very rich. You will have more money than you could ever spend in one lifetime.”

  Her words started to jog my memory, and the past returned.

  “But you will be alone. And you will lose many people you love on the way. One woman will love you for you, not your money or your power, but you’ll lose her. And once she’s gone…she’s gone. Your life will be filled with regret, mistakes that can never be undone.” She held my gaze as she finished.

  It was like a punch to the stomach, a knife to the artery. I inhaled a deep breath and felt the nausea form in my stomach, making me want to puke up the lunch we’d had when we arrived. Despair like I never felt before weighed me down, made me sink so far that I thought I would never rise again. She said I would lose loved ones along the way…and I had. I lost Hades for a year, and that was the most painful experience of my life.

  Until this.

  She watched me with her fingers tight around her cards. “You got what you wanted, Damien.”

  When Annabella had rejected me, it was painful, but this
was worse…because it was so final. Hope still resided in my heart, that Liam would fuck up sometime in the future and I would get my chance. But now, I knew she would never be mine…and I would return to my empty bachelorhood, bedding models that didn’t mean a damn thing to me.

  Sympathy filled her gaze. “I’m sorry.”

  “There has to be something I can do.” Hades was able to break the curse. Could I do the same?

  She shook her head. “For as long as she’s married, you’ll never have your chance.”

  I sighed loudly. Annabella was committed to making this marriage work because she was filled with so much integrity. Nothing would shatter that. It was obvious how much she loved me, but even that wasn’t enough.

  “I’m sorry.”

  I didn’t rise from the chair because I didn’t have the energy. I was weak, so fucking weak. But I couldn’t stay here. My fortune had been read…and the consequences would haunt me forever.

  Knowing I could never have her back wasn’t the worst part. It was knowing that she truly loved me…for me…and I would never find that again. She was the only one. Wordlessly, I got to my feet and left the tent. I pulled back the purple flap and stepped into the firelight from the torches and bonfires.

  “My turn.” Catalina darted into the tent, excited.

  I didn’t stop her because I didn’t have the stamina. She was in such a hurry that she didn’t see the devastation on my face.

  Hades let her go too and walked up to me. “Should we stop her?”

  I shook my head. “I’ve never gotten her to listen to me her entire life. That’s not gonna change now.” My hands slid into my pockets, and I stared across the bazaar, the warm breeze moving over my cold skin.

  “What did she say?” His hand moved to my shoulder, offering support.

  “That only one woman will love me for me…and when I lose her…she’s gone. I can never get her back.”

  He gave me a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry, man.”

  “I said there has to be something I can do, but she said no. As long as she’s married, I have no chance.”

  His hand slowly slid from my shoulder until he dropped it to his side. “As long as she’s married…”

  I lifted my gaze to look at him.

  “I think you just found a loophole.”

  I stared at him in silence.

  “As long as she’s married… What if she’s not married?”

  “But she is, and she’s not going to leave him—”

  “And what if he leaves her?”

  “Not gonna happen.” Liam didn’t work his ass off to get her back just to throw her away. He might make mistakes, but he wasn’t going to walk away.

  A slightly victorious look came into his eyes, as if he figured out the world’s toughest puzzle. “But we could make it happen.”

  22

  Annabella

  Liam still trained every day to keep up his size and strength, but he didn’t mention fighting again. He seemed to really retire, and there was no resentment directed my way. It’d only been a week, so maybe that would change.

  After my last conversation with Damien, I’d constantly felt sick. It was so painful to hear him tell me he loved me…and not be able to reciprocate with everything that I had. It was hard to believe we’d been apart for so long when these feelings were so rampant.

  Why didn’t he love me when I could still love him?

  Why did Liam have to betray me in the first place?

  Why did I marry Liam when I should have just waited?

  So many fucking mistakes…all over the place.

  Liam asked me if something was wrong a few times, but I lied and said I was under the weather. I considered telling him the truth, but that didn’t seem necessary when I chose him in the end.

  Now that Damien had told me he loved me, I wasn’t sure how we could be in the same room together. It was already difficult enough, but now with this…it was a nightmare. I didn’t ever want to be a cheater, so I would never consider an adulterous affair, but being around him was still hard…when I loved him in the way I should love my husband.

  Liam sat across from me at dinner. “How was work?”

  Sofia didn’t question me about Damien after I’d told her what happened. I’d picked Liam, so there was nothing else to say anyway. But the environment was still tense, because I feared Damien would show up for lunch with Hades…and I’d have to look into his beautiful eyes and see the way he loved me. “Fine. How was your workout?”

  He stabbed his fork into his food and took a few bites. “Brutal, like always.”

  I kept my eyes on my plate.

  Liam continued to watch me. “I gave up fighting, but it still seems like you aren’t happy.” His tone dropped with his melancholy.

  I closed my eyes when I felt responsible for his sadness. “It’s not you, Liam.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “I just…” I didn’t want to say the truth and start a war. “Just stuff at work… I don’t want to talk about it.” I lied to my husband and felt like shit for it.

  “You don’t have to work. It doesn’t matter that I’m not in the ring anymore. We can afford it.”

  “I know, but I like working.”

  “You like working more than staying home with me all day?” he asked, taking a pause to chew. “I know you said you aren’t ready to start a family, but we could still practice.”

  A smile broke through on my lips. “As nice as that sounds, I need more purpose in life.”

  His eyes suddenly fell, as if those words meant something to him. “Yeah…I know what you mean.”

  Sofia came into my office at the end of the day, her long coat stretching over her stomach and stressing the closed buttons. “We’re going to dinner. Would you like to come?”

  I looked up from my desk and stared at her. “Who’s we?”

  “My husband and I…and Damien.”

  I didn’t want to keep doing the same thing over and over, spending time with Damien and suffering through the heat between us. Now that I knew how he felt, he dangled our possibilities in front of me, whether it was intentional or not. “I already have plans…but thank you.”

  Sofia shouldered her purse and lingered. “Your plan is to never see Damien again?”

  “No…I just don’t think I should be in those situations anymore.”

  She gave me a disappointed look.

  “The wound is still fresh, you know?”

  She nodded in agreement, but her eyes showed a different story. “Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Goodnight.” I watched her walk out before I returned to my work. I could go home whenever I wanted, but I kept finding things to do because I wasn’t anxious to head back to my place. Damien was constantly on my mind, and it was impossible not to think of him around Liam. A part of me wished that Damien had never told me, that he wasn’t so arrogant to assume I would leave my husband for him at the drop of a hat.

  Nearly thirty minutes later, someone stepped into my office. Their footfalls announced their presence.

  I looked up to see those deep green eyes looking into mine. I dropped the pen I was holding and inhaled a deep breath the second I felt his presence. It was like a disease infecting my cells. It entered my body, and the symptoms showed just seconds later.

  A pizza box was in his hand, and he set it on my desk. “I thought you’d appreciate the leftovers.” He was in his suit and tie, as if he’d left the office and headed straight to dinner with Hades.

  I didn’t open the box out of defiance. The enormous desk was between us, and I was glad such a solid piece of furniture formed some kind of boundary. As long as I stayed in my chair, he couldn’t get to me.

  He slid his hands into his pockets and continued to stand there.

  My stomach betrayed me and growled loudly.

  A subtle smile moved over his lips.

  I still refused to take a slice. “In case it wasn’t clear, I didn’t join you guys f
or dinner because—”

  “You’re avoiding me. I know.” He pulled his hand out of his pocket and rubbed his fingers through the hair at the back of his neck. His chin tilted to the floor, and he sighed before he lowered himself into the white armchair facing my desk. “But I don’t want you to avoid me.”

  “I have to…”

  His green eyes studied mine, so intense that this desk didn’t seem thick enough to keep me safe. “I would never put you in a compromising situation, Annabella. You’ve made your stance on adultery clear.”

  I felt more at ease, but not much. “You should feel the same way about adultery too.”

  He rubbed his hands together. “I’ve been with married women before, so I don’t share your morality. But I respect you for it.”

  I shouldn’t expect anything less. He was a drug lord and a notorious criminal. Why would he respect something like marriage, especially when a woman was throwing herself at him?

  He continued to stare at me. “I don’t want it to be this way…”

  “I have no other choice.”

  “Nothing has changed, so why does it—”

  “Exactly,” I said with a sigh. “Nothing has changed, so it needs to change. I can’t be around you without wanting you. I can’t look into your damn eyes without wishing you were mine. I haven’t been physically intimate with you, but I’ve been with you emotionally every single day… It has to stop.” My hands covered my face for a moment, and I breathed through the emotion before I dragged my fingertips to my lips. I closed my eyes for a few seconds before I looked at him again.

  His expression didn’t change.

  “How am I supposed to make this marriage work if I’m still hung up on some other guy?”

  “Exactly.”

  I shook my head slightly. “We aren’t having this conversation again…”

  “But it’s a valid point. Why force a marriage that’s not working?”

  “Who said it’s not working?”

  “Liam,” he snapped. “The guy was going to go behind your back and jump back into the ring. He’s had one foot in and one foot out—just the way you have. Neither one of you has been one hundred percent committed. So, call it quits and move on.”