Page 71 of All for her Forgiveness

"Anything, Ernest."

"First, hear my advice: it's better to run towards an honorable enemy than towards a friend with character flaws. The former will keep his word; the latter is morally flexible."

"What does that mean?"

"Pam and Riny aren't the only two bad people you'll ever encounter. There are many like them. Some, like that unfortunate woman who raised you, you can detect just by looking at them, but there are those who hide behind smiles and false kindness. Promise me you'll be vigilant."

I swallow hard. "Are you saying Hades is my honorable enemy?"

"No, I'm telling you that perhaps for a long time, you'll see him that way, but if I'm not around, he's always the one you should run to."

"I don't understand what you mean, but despite feeling a lot of resentment towards Hades, my intuition has already told me that he will protect King at all costs."

"And you too."

"I don't trust him on that. Hades wanted me arrested."

"No, he wanted the person he thought helped kill your ward to pay. Honor isn't a flexible concept, Kennedy. You either have it or you don't. I can count on one hand the number of honorable men I've met in my life, but the Greek man in the living room is one of them. I have no doubt that even if his own brother were the murderer, he wouldn't cover up a crime as heinous as what they did to Pam."

I process what he's saying, and at the same time, I gather not only what I remember of Hades from the past but also his behavior when I was stung by the bee.

He could have let me die. His revenge would have been complete. But even though he considered me an enemy, he saved me. He took care of King when he didn't even know he was his son.

I run both hands over my face, feeling confused. "Why has he come here at this hour?"

"I found him outside, in the rain, looking towards your room and King's."

"But it's almost three in the morning!"

"Yes, and I don't think he intended to wake you up. We've been talking for over an hour."

"We can't trust him," I insist, my mind and heart refusing to yield when, deep down, I know Ernest would never tell me to run into Hades’ arms if he wasn't absolutely certain that King and I would be safe with him.

"I think you two have a lot to talk about, Kennedy."

"Is he staying?"

"I invited him in, not to stay, but I didn't send him away either. You know what I've always admired about you, even when you were a little girl?"

"What?"

"You faced your fears, and I know right now Hades represents your greatest one. Goodnight, dear."

He gives me one last kiss on the cheek before entering his own room.

I walk to the living room on wobbly legs, and when I arrive, I stand still in the dark for a while, watching the outline of the huge body sitting in the middle of the largest sofa we have.

His legs are spread apart, hands resting on them, and he's not wearing a shirt. His head is slumped against the backrest of the couch. I can't see him clearly, but I can see his muscles, and a wave of intense heat runs through my body.

I don't remember how we made King, but Hades probably does.

My memories stop right after Pam's party at the club. Despite almost fighting there, when she woke up the next day, she was all smiles and pledges of eternal friendship. If there is one word to describe Pam Marcotte, it's “exhausting.” The mood swings and her excess in every way—too much joy, too much sadness, too much anger, too much drama—was making me want to keep my distance from her, and I remember that my decision to leave had already been made.

I recall that I had a job interview for work as a draftswoman scheduled for that night, but the memories after that haven’t returned.I don't know what led me to the beach house where I woke up and from which I fled after finding Pam's body.

A powerful voice breaks the silence of the night. "I didn't break into your house, if that's what you're thinking. Ernest let me in."

"I told you the other day that we could arrange for you to visit King. Why did you come now?"

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