Page 21 of The Villain

“Turn toward me,” I murmured, breathing deep as her head tipped in my direction so I could work the tape around her left eye free. This time, I moved faster.

With the second patch gone, I made the mistake of lingering for a split second to stare at her upturned face. Even with the cuts and scrapes and the scabbed gash on the edge of her chin, she was still the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Too beautiful. Unearthly beautiful.

And then her eyes opened.

Athena’s bright blue stare collided with mine—just like that morning.My breath stilled in my lungs like I’d stepped on a land mine, unsure if moving was safe or would send me to pieces.

“Thank you.” Her soft voice released the danger, and I felt myself breathe again;she still couldn’t see.

It was the most unnerving thing I’d ever experienced—to have Athena look at me and know she wasn’t seeing me. To know I could stare at her, drink my fill of her cloudless cerulean eyes, soft cheekbones, and the perfect bow of her pink lips, and she had no idea. I’d be disgusted with myself if how much I enjoyed it wasn’t matched by the pain it caused me.

I never thought I’d see her again—I never planned on it. And here she was. In my life. In my home.In my bed.Hadn’t fate had enough fun with my life?

“You should eat.” I pulled away and moved the grilled cheese closer.

The band around my chest tightened again as her hands crawled toward the plate like twin spiders, needing to feel their way to her dinner.

I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until she took the first bite, and the look on her face—the soft soundthat barely escaped from her lips—was enough to make me feel like I couldn’t survive on oxygen alone.

“This is delicious,” she murmured after devouring half of it in just a few bites. “It’s just like—” Her head dipped for a second.Just like the ones I used to make us.“I’m sorry. I haven’t had grilled cheese in a long time. I think I forgot how good it is.”

Right.Air hissed through my lips.

“So, your ex…” Rob trailed off, her stare vacant like she hadn’t just layered in one more subtle reminder.

“Brandon?” Athena felt for the napkin and brought it up to wipe her mouth. “I don’t think Brandon would hurt me. He took everything—will have everything once the divorce is finalized. He’s…done enough.”

Done enough. What the hell did that mean? What had he done? Why had she filed for divorce?

I jerked my head away, focusing on the nearby door to the bathroom because the rush of rage through my veins was so acute I couldn’t see straight. I didn’t want answers, I just wanted to murder the asshole who made her look and sound this way.

As if that wasn’t the pot calling the kettle black…

“Sometimes even everything isn’t enough for someone who wants to hurt you,” Rob said, reaching for the necklace she always wore around her neck.

We all had things that helped us remember. Mementos that grounded us to the person or thing that drove our purpose. For the rest of us, it was tattoos of Ryan’s dog tag number; his loss inked permanently to our flesh. For Rob, it was the thin gold band on the chain around her neck—her mother’s wedding ring.

It wasn’t odd that she wore it; it was odd that this conversation made her reach for it.

As soon as Rob realized I was watching her, she let thechain go and continued. “Is there anything in your new life that Brandon wouldn’t like? People supporting you? A new relationship, maybe? Since the divorce isn’t finalized?”

My eyes widened for a split second.Smart.This was why Rob was so confident about talking to her; the way she was going to get answers about Ivans was so subtle. I was impressed. But only for an instant before I had to brace myself for the answer.

“Not really. Not seriously,” she murmured, unable to see nor hide the color that deepened in her cheeks. “There was a man I met at a show I did a few weeks back. We’ve gone out a handful of times, but it’s not…official.”

“Would Brandon be angry if he knew you’d been on dates?”

“I…don’t know. Maybe?”

She struggled to fathom the possibility. Then again, the ability for people to be cruel was something Athena always struggled to see, even back then. It was one of the things that drew me to her. She always looked for the good—for the positive. Maybe it was the artist in her, finding the beauty in everything, but I’d never met someone who had the capacity for compassion like her.

“What’s his name?”Rob asked calmly, like this wasn’t the piece of information we’d been looking for for months. “We want to make sure he’s not in any danger.”

He wasn’t in danger, he was the danger.

Athena paused, and a veritable pin-drop silence descended.

“Richard,” she said. “Richard Iverson.”

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