Page 10 of Diamond Angel

CALLAN:Hey beautiful, what time does your shift end? I can pick you up and take you home, if you want?

“First of all,” Mabel declares, “you need to get out there and take that man’s order. And second of all—keep your paws to yourself. I got dibs.”

I chuckle at her as I type in a quick reply to Callan.I finish at 8. See you then.

“Taylor, did you hear me?” Mabel asks as she uses one of the meat cleavers to check her reflection.

“Yes, yes, I heard you. I’m going out now.”

“Not that bit. The part where I got dibs.”

I snort and raise my hands in surrender. “All yours. There’s no way I stand a chance against you anyway.”

She gives me a wink and I pull out my order pad from the front pocket of my white apron and head into the diner. I look up just past the double doors.

At first, I think my mind’s playing tricks on me. Or maybe I’m just ensconced in averyrealistic dream. I blink a few times, but his image doesn’t resolve into anything that makes sense.

Ilarion Zakharov’s icy blue eyes bore into mine. Feelings I’ve spent years burying out of sight come roaring back. I’m sure he can see it all on my face: the sorrow, the guilt. The hope. The death of that hope, all its ashes, its many crumbling remains.

But him? He’s a mystery. Total stone. I can’t tell what he’s thinking.

Is he angry? Triumphant? Vengeful? Relieved?

How did he find me?

And, most importantly of all…why?

5

TAYLOR

Words lodge in my throat. So does all my oxygen. I’m pretty sure I’m about to faint.

When I do manage to croak a sentence out, I’m very aware my tongue is suddenly dry. “H-how did you find me?”

“I have a better question: how did you manage to hide for so long?”

He’s calm. He’s pleasant. But every syllable is drenched with accusation. Five long years of the stuff.

I shrug a shoulder. “I have my ways.”

“You meanArchiehas his ways. Incidentally, guess who he learned them from?” He reaches for a menu without ever taking his eyes off me. “Tell me, what’s good here?”

When I finally find my courage again, I walk over to the counter and snatch the menu from his hands. “Don’t bother with the mind games, Ilarion. You didn’t come here to eat. And seeing as how this is a restaurant, if you’re not eating, you should leave.”

His cruel mouth tilts up in a smirk. “Or else what?”

I swallow. He’s lean and chiseled, but the years have been good to him. When he shifts his hand, my eye immediately veers to the gold band around his ring finger. Seeing that sobers me right up. My knees buckle, but somehow, I manage to stay on my feet.

“How is she?”

“She was heartbroken when you disappeared,” he answers sharply. “She spent months crying, begging me to track you both down. She felt betrayed and abandoned. And angry. Very angry.”

I flinch, but what if this is just another mind game? I have no idea whether he’s telling the truth or not. He might just be punishing me. Personally, I’m hoping for that.

Like I said—I’ve become a bit of a masochist in my old age.

“And now? Is she still angry?”

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