Page 119 of Angel Eyes

The stairwell opened on to a dim hallway, and I peered around in the gloom, taking a second to get my bearings. There were voices coming from the left, and I rushed in that direction. Rounding a corner at top speed, I almost collided with a waiter hoisting a tray over his shoulder, and he spit out a string of less than friendly words as I stumbled to the side before taking off again.

I sped through a maze of identical hallways until I finally found the foyer, its dark wood paneling that had felt warm and inviting half an hour ago now cold and tomb-like.

Amélie glanced up from behind the hostess station, her eyebrows furrowing. “Juliet, is everything all right? I just saw your companion—”

I darted past her, not bothering to stop and explain as Caleb threw open the door a second before I dashed through it.

“Where is he?” I swung around to face him as his eyes narrowed with a look of concern.

He pointed in the direction of the river. “He went that way about a minute ago.” His eyes traveled down to my bare feet before shooting back up again. “Juliet, do you need help? I can find Cristian if—”

“No,” I choked out. “I’m sorry, no, I just—I have to go.” I took off toward the river, the hazy glow of the street lamps lighting my way as my feet slapped against the pavement. Cool air whipped at the exposed skin of my arms and legs, and I shook out my limbs as I scurried to the stone retaining wall that lined the river’s edge.

Planting both hands on the ledge, I peered down at the dark quay, searching for any signs of movement. My pulse skipped when I caught sight of a lone figure moving beneath the tree line, shrouded in shadows. I couldn’t make out any defining features, but I would know that gait anywhere. Gabriel. I launched myself down a collection of patchwork steps, nearly rolling an ankle at the bottom before flying down the cobbled path.

“Gabriel,” I cried, hissing in pain when my foot caught on a rock. “Gabriel.”

He drew up short, spinning around to face me. “Are you kidding me?”

I blinked. Why was he acting this way? He had to know this was just a big misunderstanding, that I would never do anything to hurt him intentionally. Right?

He scoffed, his shoulders bunching with anger. “So, how did he do it? Did he pay you to run into me on that bridge? Drop your notebook just so I would pick it up and come looking for you?”

I tried to regulate my breathing, but it kept spiraling out of my lungs in shallow bursts.

“Gabriel, please. You’ve got this all wrong—”

“You know, you really had me going with the whole innocent act. Helpless American girl, just lying in wait. And I’m the idiot who fell for it, hook, line and sinker.”

“No,” I insisted, desperation leaching into my voice as I reached for him. “Would you please listen—” He jerked out of my hold, and I bit my lip until I tasted blood, my vision blurring with tears.

So that was it? He wasn’t even going to hear me out? What about all his declarations of love, his promise that we would always belong to each other? Were those just a bunch of pretty words that crumpled beneath the slightest amount of pressure?

I squeezed a hand around my wrist, and he followed the motion, his attention falling to my forearm. His jaw clenched. “Did he give you that?”

“Did who …” My gaze fell to the chain of sapphires hanging conspicuously from my wrist, and my eyes sprang upward again, a band of steel tightening around my chest.

“Well?” he said coolly. “Did he?”

He wasn’t looking for an answer—his eyes told me he already knew.

My tongue skated over dry lips as the silence gaped between us, broken only by the sounds of the river lapping against the quay. I floundered for too many seconds, searching for words that would be less damning than the truth.

I came up empty.

“Yes, but—”

He huffed humorlessly, his eyes drifting closed. “Of course, he did. Just the icing on the whole fucking cake.”

I bristled, my temper sparking. “I’m sorry, but what exactly are you accusing me of?”

“It’s a little late to play coy. Just tell me one thing—are you sleeping with him?”

I stared at him in horror. “How could you possibly believe I would ever—”

“Answer the question, Juliet.”

My head moved back and forth in disbelief. I wasn’t hearing this. I told him I loved him, had given him my heart, my trust. Trust. The thing we kept coming back to. We’d circled it again and again like a winding mountain pass, climbing but never quite reaching the pinnacle. What if we never did? What if he could never give me his trust in return?

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