Page 137 of Blue Moon

“So you use Ancient Greek first aid?”

“I also gained some medical knowledge during my time in the Army.”

Mark Antony was a soldier? Hurrah. When Ryder showed up, he’d better remember his big gun.

“Great, I feel so much safer now.”

He didn’t pick up on the sarcasm. No, he just poured me a glass of water from a clay jug and took a seat opposite.

“I want you to feel safe. I realise the way we met was a little unorthodox, but I care deeply for you.”

At those words, I relaxed infinitesimally. If I could only stay safe, then Ryder would find me and everything would be fine.

“Why didn’t you just introduce yourself like a regular person?”

“You always had people around you. I thought I’d send you a few little gifts so that when we did speak, you’d understand how much you meant to me, but then that new bodyguard showed up.” Mark Antony scowled, but only for a moment. Probably because he’d gotten what he wanted in the end. “He seemed more competent than most, even slightly paranoid about keeping people away, and then Mr. Serafini implemented special security protocols. At one point, I feared we’d never meet in person.”

“What made you think I was Cleopatra?”

“There was a picture of you on the TV. The name was right there in front of you.”

“Huh?”

“On the yacht.”

“The yacht?” But then I realised. Kory’s father’s yacht. The Cleopatra. Named after his fourth wife, or rather, renamed. This time last year, it had been called Mitzi. “You mean in the Caribbean?”

“Yes, the Caribbean. Exactly.” Mark Antony seemed pleased that I understood. “And there was a close-up, and that was where I saw the second sign.”

“The sign? What sign?”

“On your chest. You have two marks, yes?” He pointed to himself. “Here.”

“Marks? You mean…moles?” Two flat little moles. Mom had considered having them removed, but the doctor said it might scar. In the end, I’d convinced her to leave them alone.

“Think of them as relics from a past life. An asp sank its fangs into you, while I have a mark on my chest from the sword I used on myself. Our love is so powerful it can never die, not completely.”

In my head, the Looney Tunes theme song began to play.

“Right.”

“And once I began to look, I saw so many other little hints. You look like Cleopatra. You’re smart and driven, just the way she was. You had close ties with a man named Julius, and he died.”

I let out a long breath. “He died less than a week ago.”

“Yes, I know. But you weren’t on good terms, were you? Your bodyguard insisted Julius be banned from the hotel. He said you didn’t want the man anywhere near you.”

“You didn’t kill him, did you?”

“Of course not. Karma did the job for me. And when fate decided to act, you came back into my life at the Nile Palace. The Nile. Cleopatra’s old stomping ground.”

“What if I’d taken a job at the Black Diamond or the Nebula?”

“But you didn’t, did you? Don’t you understand? This was meant to be. Tell me you don’t feel it too?”

I could easily tell him that if I thought it wouldn’t make him angry.

“I guess I always felt kinda lost, but I didn’t know what to do about it until you started sending me notes.”

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