Page 3 of Nemesis

The ocean is mighty today, far below us. The resoundingcrashof waves against the rocks sends spray almost high enough to reach us. The wind picks up the faint mist of it, giving us the smell of the sea.

We’re halfway into September, which means we’ll get our fair share of storms rolling in over the next two months, and then winter will sweep in like a freight train, bringing snow and ice and freezing blasts of wind.

It’s the best time of the year.

When he doesn’t reply, I sigh. “I’m in no mood for it.”

“It?”

“You trying to make things better.” I squint out at the horizon.

“What are you in the mood for, then?”

I don’t know. If I could figure that out, maybe I could work out what’s been off. But nothing I’ve tried so far has helped. Or made me feel more likeme.

“I’m going for a drink.” I meet his gaze, daring him to judge me.

But he doesn’t, he just… nods. I can’t read his expression. Another first. Another oddity. I brush it off before I can get too sucked into it.

I cast one more look out at the ocean and contemplate jumping. The waves are cracking so hard against the cliff face, a jump would probably end in broken bones.

The last thing I need is for Apollo to feel the need to save me.

We’ve done that before.

His attention stays trained on me as I hurry down the sloping lawn and climb into my car. The engine revving is comforting, and I speed down the driveway in a shower of gravel.

It occurs to me, halfway to Bow & Arrow, that I didn’t get what I was coming for. Which washelp. With Saint.

He’s been in a fucking mood, and I can’t deal with it anymore. Apollo’s household should be out of their honeymoon stage by now, which means they can take him. Or, better, Saint can stay at Olympus. There are plenty of rooms with beds.

And he wouldn’t really bealone, because someone is always coming or going at Olympus.

I hit the steering wheel.

I had a whole speech planned out, and instead, when he asked? I said he’sfine. Or rather, that he thinks he’s fine. Whichis true enough. I’ve been watching him spiral for a while now, and he’s done nothing to save himself.

Apollo said he had a project for Saint, though. Maybe it’ll be a big enough distraction to get him out of this funk.

Bow & Arrow, my saving grace, comes into sight. I bought the building a year after Olympus opened. The fight club was so successful, and my brother insisted on paying me for every little thing I did to help, that I was able to save up for this place in North Falls.

It’s a nightclub with a rooftop restaurant, designed to attract the tourists and locals alike. It’s a blend of luxury and mystery. The club portion opens at nine, but the restaurant on the top level serves dinner starting at five. On weekends, we offer brunch service, too.

In the summer, reservations are nearly impossible to get at the last minute. During the off season, which started approximately two weeks ago when schools went back into session, we remove the reservation option.

I park in my usual spot and swipe a keycard to enter in through the back. The entire building was brought back to the studs when I first bought it, but I still shiver passing through the heavy metal double doors.

I’m not sure I’ll ever get over it.

There’s an industrial staircase immediately to my right, and I take it all the way up to the top floor. It deposits me into a hallway that leads straight into the kitchens. On the left is my office, the door closed and locked, and on the right is Antonio’s office.

It’s open, the light on.

I swing in without knocking and drop into the chair across from his desk.

Antonio has been a constant in my life since I was sixteen. Far more constant than my parents, who gave up on me whenI was a teenager. My brother tries to be there—and tried harder back then—but he was in a gang that tore him away from me in more ways than one.

It’s Antonio who put me back together after the worst few months of my life. And the months I suffered is nothing in comparison to what others face.

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