Page 124 of Heart of a Villain

“No need,” Ari had said. “You’re not just Eesh’s sister. You’re ours now, too. We take care of each other. We take care of our own.”

It had taken several attempts to convince them to leave without her once they were done, but she wanted a quiet moment to soak everything in with the love of her life. Luck didn’t seem like the right word to describe how she’d ended up here with these people and Adrían, who was sprawled on the floor, exhausted, with one arm tossed across his eyes.

“Adrían.” She hurried over to him, dragging her feet to avoid flexing them and activating the tenderness. “Get up from there. The floor’s filthy.”

“My fatigue is more powerful than bacteria,” he insisted.

“Come on, up. It’s time to go home.”

She helped him to his feet, and his fingers automatically tangled with hers.

“Before we head out,” he said, covering a yawn, “there are some final papers we have to sign to get the release of the remaining funds. It’s on the way home.”

“Hmm.” She sighed. “Home.”

“Sounds nice, yes?”

“I was thinking…do you want to ask about the house? We could make Eesh an offer for it. Eesh also said that if it’s too weird for us to live there, there’s plenty of land on ‘the commune.’ We could build something.”

“The commune,” he echoed with a tired laugh.

“I call it the Alpha Compound, but I guess, if we establish ourselves there, it’ll have to be just The Compound, Mr. Omega.”

They headed to the car.

Because of all his yawning, she offered to drive, and the GPS took them down narrow streets still bustling with activity on a weekend night. People ate and shared coffees at round metal tables on the sidewalks beneath red awnings, and it was like a scene from a foreign film.

“It’s right up here,” Adrían said, pointing. “You can park on the curb there.”

She parked.

He unhooked his seatbelt.

“Come inside with me,” he added. “In the event we might have to drum up additional business, I can’t tout fancy menus. It’s where my business acumen falls short.”

“Didn’t Thanasis do a good bit of the brokering for this catering deal?” she asked.

“Sweetheart, I’m so tired.” He grabbed the door handle and pushed. “Can barely understand a word you are saying.”

“Yeah, I’m aware that your English comprehension falters when you’re exhausted. That started when, like, five minutes ago?”

“Yes. It’s a very sudden, acute onset.”

They entered a modern space with rows of tables, some set up and others stacked. The chairs were the same: some were packed high while others were tucked under the tables, all covered in tarps and dust-proof fabric.

“Oh wow. This is gorgeous.”

“And it’s not that far from home,” he pointed out. “Fifteen minutes, tops, and the train station is just down the street.”

“I wonder why they needed me to cater at a different location if this is all theirs.”

He took her back to the kitchen, and it was even more beautiful than the situation upfront. She continued to marvel, running her fingers over the gas grates in the commercial stove. In her mind, she heard the clamor of a busy evening. She smelled the cooking food, heard the orders being shouted.

“Would you say this is a nice kitchen?” he asked. “I can’t tell.”

She was already nodding before he finished his sentence. “It’s amazing. It’s the kind of kitchen I’ve always dreamed about having if I ever open my own restaurant.”

“You have to keep putting that dream on hold. I’m proud that you still want it.”

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