Page 71 of Nemesis

Antonio and I are set to have our regular employee meeting in a few hours, but I came in early to do some reports. And the kitchen here is much more stocked than mine. A half-eaten omelet sits next to my elbow. My coffee was just replenished, and my laptop is open in front of me.

We’re in Distraction Mode.Hard. Because I don’t want to have to think about the memories that assaulted me last night. I stayed in my room until it sounded like Saint had left, thebangof the door shutting hard giving me a modicum of peace. And then, when I couldn’t resist anymore, I tried to sleep.

Nightmares.

I think I’m more tired today than yesterday—and that’s saying something.

Apollo drops into the chair across from me, grabbing the plate with the omelet. He smirks at me, but I just wave for him to help himself. He digs in, not quite as much as a heathen as one of his friends. Wolfe, actually, is the worst of them.

Watching him when he’s hungry is like watching an actual starving wolf.

“What brings you here?” I ask, bracing my chin on my hand. My eyes ache from staring at the screen. And probably not sleeping, too. That’s more of a plausible culprit, on second thought. I absently rub at one. Normally I wouldn’t, but today I ran out of the house without an ounce of makeup.

Strange of me.

“Saint said you were out of sorts.”

I narrow my eyes. “Oh, did he?”

“Are you?” His brows pinch. “Out of sorts?”

“No—”

“Because if it’s that Reese guy, or Kade?—”

“I’m fine.” I close my laptop. “I’m one hundred percent fine.”

Lies.

I’m just as bad as Saint, pretending I’m fine and hiding my wounds so I can lick them in private. But then he goes and rats me out to my brother?

“You know he still thinks about joining Nyx,” I tell him.

My brother swears.

“So maybe you shouldn’t believe what he says, because he’s just trying to get out of my life. If only Jace would let him…”

He gives me a weird look but doesn’t comment on it. Maybe he doesn’t know that Jace asked Saint to move in with me?

Maybe he thinks it wasmyidea?

Gross.

I wrinkle my nose and gulp the rest of my coffee. As soon as he finishes the omelet, I collect the plate with my mug and take them to the kitchen. It’s even cooler in here without the stoves and ovens on for the day. The prep cooks will come in soon, and then the waitstaff for our meeting will get fed lunch. A perk of coming in early… or a bribe so everyone shows up.

Even Antonio isn’t here yet.

The doors swing inward, and Apollo crosses the threshold. He comes right up to where I’m washing the dish and leans a hip on the sink counter.

“Are you trying to hide from me?”

I scowl. “No.”

“Okay, then talk to me. Please, Tem.”

“I’m fine.” I eye him. “I don’t know what you want me to say. There’s a lot of shit going on, but it’s not all directly correlated to me.”

He sighs. Pinches the bridge of his nose. “The sheriff wants to get a warrant and search this place.”

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