I hang up. In a trance, my face a mask of pure, livid rage, I turn and start to walk for the door.
Ares spots me first, frowning as he moves to intercept me.
“Woah, who was that?”
“Out of my way.”
His jaw clenches. “Hades—”
With a furious roar I explode, shoving him back as I yank the gun from the holster under my jacket.
“HADES!” Neve screams.
Ares holds up his hand to her, his eyes still locked on mine. His face darkens when I chamber a round, my face a cold mask of fury.
“Tell me what the fuck is going on, man,” he growls. “I can’t help you if you don’t—”
“I am going todealwith something, Ares,” I snarl. “That’s all you need to know.”
He shakes his head, Castle and Kratos moving behind him, eyeing me and the gun warily.
“You’re not going after Gavan fucking Tsarenko by yourself, brother,” Ares growls quietly. “Let us settle things here, and then you and I, and the rest of us, can all go knock down Gavan’s—”
“I’m not going after Gavan.”
He frowns. “Then who—”
“GET. OUT. OF. MY. WAY.”
The room is silent after my voice booms through it. Ares and I lock eyes. Then, slowly, he dips his chin in a slow nod. He steps away, letting me surge past him and out the door like an avenging angel of death.
No, I’m not going after Gavan.
I’m going after the little fucking spy who’s been playing me like a goddamn idiot. The little blondetraitorwho’s had me wrapped around her fucking finger while she fed intel to the enemy.
And when I find her, I’m going to fucking bury her.
* * *
It’sa miracle I don’t die in a fiery car crash as I scream across the bridge from Manhattan into Brooklyn. It’s as if I’ve got blinders on—like I’m seeing in tunnel vision, completely unaware of anything and everything around me as I plow recklessly through traffic.
It all comes in flashes—horribly, blindingly obvious flashes, now that I think about it.
That first night, when I was so caught up in realizing that the girl from Club Venom was Elsa that I didn’t focus on the part where she wasleaving Leo’s placeat one in the morning.
Of course she was. Because she’s his fuckingdaughter.
I think of all the times I was so stupidly cavalier with her. All the times I left my phone open around her, or chatted away to Ares with her in earshot.
Listening. Writing all that shit down.
Plotting to destroy me and mine, all while slowly breaking down every wall I have. And now someone is dead—afriendis dead—and my grandmother and basically my sister-in-law are still in the hospital because I got careless with my feelings.
She fucking played me.
I’m going todestroyher.
The car mounts the curb outside my building as I come to a screeching stop. My eyes dart to the van across the street with “Athenian Dry-Cleaning” stenciled on the side of it, which is my guy George and his crew.