Page 40 of Gilded Gods

Interesting.

“I have a lot of money riding on you,” my uncle tells Ares. “Better not disappoint me.”

Something is off about their exchange. Ares looks like he might kill Alexander.

So I move across the room and get between them. “I didn’t know you were into the fight scene.”

“It’s a new hobby.” My uncle shrugs. “A little side business I’m testing out. So far, it’s pretty lucrative.”

Ares’s body stiffens, and his hands are balled into fists at his sides. He gives my uncle a sideways glance and then looks at Atlas. An unspoken conversation occurs between them that doesn’t need words.

“Break a leg, Champ.” Alexander gives him a devious wink that makes me wonder about the hidden meaning of his gesture.

Ares storms out of the kitchen with Atlas in tow.

I stroll over to my uncle. “What was all that about?”

“Nothing.” He bends down to kiss each of my cheeks. “The fight is all everyone in Beacon Bay is talking about.”

“Okay.” I lean against the counter and study his face for a lie. “Why is it such a big deal?”

“Ares is undefeated. His opponent is an up-and-comer in the UFC. He flew in from Las Vegas to fight him.” My uncle pulls out a stool at the kitchen island and points for me to join him. “It’s just business. Ares has built a reputation around his fighting. People come from all over the country to join his fight club.”

He’s playing it cool now that Ares is gone, but I can tell he’s lying. They know each other. My uncle wants Ares to lose the fight.

But why?

I take the seat beside him. “My dad isn’t home. He left about ten minutes ago with Athena for dinner.”

“I’m here to see you.” He rests his elbow on the counter and smiles. “How have you been, Ophelia?”

“Not great,” I admit. “Dad’s been acting strange. I’m trying to adapt to my new life.”

“Your dad isn’t speaking to me.” He shoves the hair off his forehead, a somber expression on his face. “We fought after he told me about the engagement.”

“Same thing happened with us. It’s like he’s under Athena’s spell. I don’t get it.”

“I don’t trust Athena or her boys.” His fingers brush beneath my chin as he gazes into my eyes. “I know you can handle yourself. You’ve proved that much, even if your dad is too blind to see it. But I worry about you. Keep your ears and eyes open.”

I nod. “Of course.”

He lowers his hand to his knee. “Be careful, my sweet girl. Something is wrong with this engagement. Belen told me about the letter your mother wrote to Athena.”

“I read it.”

He cocks an eyebrow at me. “And?”

“It’s in her handwriting.”

He sighs. “I don’t know how Athena got Cora to write that letter, but it’s bullshit. Athena is using your mother to play with a grieving man’s heart. Your dad is the strongest person I know. But I thought your mom’s death would kill him, too.”

“Every night, I heard his screams for months,” I tell my uncle. “I found him drunk on the floor, hugging a liquor bottle. Tip-toed over the broken glass he smashed against the wall in a drunken stupor. We hadn’t eaten more than a handful of meals together since she passed.”

He nods in agreement. “Your dad was in sad shape.”

“And now, he’s a family man again?” My voice cracks as I speak, and the emotions control me. “We have formal meals in the dining room. There are no broken liquor bottles on the floor. He’s smiling and even singing when I see him. This man isn’t my dad.”

Uncle Alexander takes a deep breath, tapping his fingers on the marble countertop. A gold ring hits the stone with a light thump. “Even before your mom got sick, he was never this happy. Belen Drakos earned the fear and respect of Beacon Bay’s criminal underworld. People whisper about him in the streets for a reason.”

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