Page 117 of Angel Eyes

No, she would never betray me like that.

I pushed past Elise and unlocked the door, hurrying back down the hallway as spots danced along the edges of my vision. Elise was a liar, and she was just sowing distrust in my mind to further her own agenda. But … how had Juliet gotten a reservation here tonight? I had been wondering that myself.

I rounded the corner into the dining room, and my eyes found Juliet across the room. She was sitting alone right where I’d left her, still poring over the menu from what I could tell, and some of the tension left my shoulders. Heart hammering in my ears, I wove between the tables, anxious to reach my girl. She would have an explanation for all of this.

I was sure of it.

Halfway across the room, I drew to a halt, nearly knocking into a passing waiter. Lucien had appeared on the other side of the room, casting a look around. After a second, his eyes snagged on whatever he was looking for, and he crossed the room with purposeful strides, heading directly for …

Juliet spotted him as he approached her, her face splitting into a smile.

Then, my entire world tilted on its axis as I watched the woman I loved wrap her arms around the devil himself.

Forty

Juliet

Iglanced up from my menu, scanning the bustling dining room. Gabriel had been gone for a long time, and I was growing anxious. Was he all right? He certainly hadn’t looked like it when he stormed away from the table almost fifteen minutes ago. Maybe coming here was a bad idea.

Dropping my gaze back to the menu that was all in French, I tapped the name of the next appetizer into my translation app. I was too embarrassed to ask the waiter for one in English and figured Gabriel could help me order when he returned from the restroom.

Whenever that was.

I had just typed in the words huîtres chaudes, which apparently meant broiled oysters, when I sensed eyes on me. I looked up in time to see Cristian heading in my direction, dressed in an impeccable suit. I smiled, shaking my head. The day I caught Cristian Alarie in anything other than designer clothing would be the day the Four Horsemen arrived to herald the apocalypse.

“Hey.” I drew him in for a hug and was surprised to find his shoulders rigid.

“Juliet,” he said sharply, his face lined with tension as he pulled out of my embrace. “What are you doing here? I thought I told you tonight wasn’t a good night for you to come.”

My smile faltered as I took in his wild eyes. He looked panicked.

“I know, but I couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to see Marcel’s in all its splendor. You’ve done a spectacular job, by the way.”

Without responding, he darted an anxious look over my shoulder, his eyes scanning the room as though he were looking for someone.

“Um,” I tried again, winding my finger around the bracelet he’d given me, “I know how busy tonight is for you, so don’t feel pressured to stick around. We’ll be fine here by ourselves.”

His eyes shot to mine. “We? Who is we? Did you bring Gabriel with you?”

I blinked, my brows lowering. “Well, yeah, but …” He let out a hiss, gripping the back of his neck, and I stared at him, unease creeping up my spine. “Cristian, what’s going on?”

“Juliet, listen, I—” He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes connecting with something over my head. Slowly, his gaze fell to mine again, his expression stricken. “Sweetheart, I am so sorry.”

I didn’t have time to say a single word before a figure shot past me, seizing Cristian by the collar. Gabriel. I gaped at him, my mouth falling open as I took in his features coated with rage, his eyes flaming with enough fury to put the fear of God in any mortal.

“You son of a bitch,” Gabriel gritted out, his fingers gripping Cristian so tightly, I was certain he was choking him.

“Gabriel, stop.” I grabbed him by the elbow and tugged hard. He didn’t yield an inch.

He leaned forward, coming nose to nose with a surprisingly silent Cristian. “So, that’s how it is, huh? You weren’t content to screw me over once, so you slithered your way to Paris to go in for the kill? Answer me, you asshole.”

My eyes darted between the two men, Gabriel’s expression one of hostility, Cristian’s completely shuttered. Why wasn’t Cristian doing anything?

“Gabriel, would you please stop this?” I pleaded. “You’re going to cause a scene.”

His eyes scraped to me, and all the warmth drained from my body. Gone were the comforting azure eyes that had become my true north, a violent winter storm now raging in their place. Returning his attention to Cristian, he said, “You are dead to me, Lucien.”

I blinked.

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