Page 19 of Cruel Devotion

Or maybe he was just too silent when he left.

I let out a deep sigh and tried to shake off the remnants of the dream and focus on the reality of the tent around me.

The soft glow of the lowering sun filtered in through the small gap in the tent’s entrance, casting a gentle blue hue over everything.

From my bed, I could hear the distant sounds of nature—birdsongs, water trickling, and even the rustle of leaves—reminders that I was on Mount Utopia, a world away from what I had known.

I stretched out my limbs and reveled in the momentary peace.

Where did Lei go?

My fingers brushed against the cold empty space next to me where Lei had been.

To my surprise, a soft pang of sadness hit my chest.

It would have been nice to wake up next to him and get more of those sexy kisses.

My phone rang.

Who is that?

I rolled to my right, snagged up the device, and brought it closer to my face.

The bright screen momentarily blinded me, causing me to squint and shield my eyes with one hand. After adjusting, I spotted the name flashing on the screen.

Banks. Fuck.

Chapter three

Colors

Monique

My phone rang again.

Banks’ name continued to flash.

Got to get this over with.

There was a few seconds when I hesitated then I let out a long breath and swiped the screen to answer. “Hello?”

Banks’ gruff voice ran over the line. “Were you ever going to call?”

“Yes. Yes.” I shook my head. “Sorry. I got to the mountain and had a long conversation with Lei and then. . .lots of stuff happened, but anyway I’m right here—”

“Had a long conversation with Lei?”

I swallowed. “Yes.”

“Since when are you spending time with the Four Aces, Moni?”

“Okay. First of all, I didn’t even know who they were or anything like that.”

“You’re just wearing blue and having a blast with one of Paradise City’s most deadly organizations?”

A shiver ran down my spine. “Like I said I didn’t know who they were—”

“How did you end up with them?”

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