Page 60 of Desperate Measures
She narrows her eyes. “Don’t try to act the white hat, Jafar. Not with me. We’re all playing our own games right now. I’m sorry Yasmina got caught up in them, but it changes nothing.”
I glance up as if I can concentrate hard enough to see through the floor to where Hades is no doubt holed up. “He took that deal knowing it would cross me.”
“He takes a lot of deals knowing they will cross a lot of people. Don’t act like you’re special.”
“She considered you a friend.”
“Did she?” Meg raises her brows. “Then you should thank me for removing her from your care, because she’s a godsdamned liability.”
I hate her in that moment. Meg pretends she’s above us baser creatures, but the truth is that she’s right down in the muck with us. If she wanted out, she could have pulled it off years ago.
“If something happens to her because of his deal, I’ll personally burn this place to the ground.”
“You’ll try.” She gives me a long look. “You care about her.”
“No shit I care about her. Fuck, Meg, did you think this was all about power?”
“Power and sex.” She shrugs and toys with her long brown hair. “It always was for you.”
“It’s not so simple. Not with her.” I lose my cool and rake my fingers through my hair. This was a wasted trip. Once Hades makes a deal, he never goes back on it. He could give me the information I need if he’s feeling generous, but Meg standing here as gatekeeper means that’s not the case. “Where is she?”
“Jafar.” She shakes her head slowly. “You know better. The deal was made. We’ve washed our hands of the situation until it’s time to collect payment.”
I bite back my snarl at the last minute. “Then I’m wasting my time.”
“Yes, you are.” She turns and walks to the elevators. She doesn’t look back.
I misplayed this from the beginning. I was so determined not to owe anyone anything that I didn’t even consider seeking out one of Hades’s deals. The second I realized Ali was gunning for Yasmina, I should have done whatever it took to remove him. Now she’s paying for my arrogance.
Fuck.
There’s nothing to do but leave. I take the elevators back down to the ground floor. I’m pulling out my phone as I catch a flash of green from the corner of my eye. I look up as Tink approaches, her expression just as irritated as ever. She shoves a piece of paper at me. “Get her back, asshole.” And then she’s gone, striding into the elevator and jamming the button to close it.
I carefully unfold the paper and hiss out a breath. I recognize Hades’s artful handwriting. That shit is almost calligraphy. The note is short and to the point.
Balthazar’s house.
This balances the scales.
—H
Balances the scales. I take a slow breath. If Ali hadn’t trespassed in the Underworld and pissed Hades off, I’d be shit out of luck right now. I can’t think about that too closely, can’t consider how narrowly this edged in my favor.
I dial Jeremiah. “Stop what you’re doing, and get all the men. I know where they are.”
It’s time to go get my woman.
20
Yasmina
Ali requests my presence at dinner. I might laugh at the farce of normality if I had the ability to laugh right now. Instead, I’m sitting across the table from my enemy in a white gown fit for a bride with a letter opener up my sleeve—or my gloves, technically. Not close enough to strike. Not yet.
I listen with half an ear as he goes on and on about how clever he is for outmaneuvering Jafar for this long. About how sorry he is that my father paid the price of Jafar’s betrayal. How happy he is to save me from the enemy. On and on, until I want to clamp my hands over my ears and scream just to drown out his charming voice. It doesn’t matter how many words he spills into my silence; he can’t alter the truth.
Jafar may be the villain of this piece, but he’s not the only one—or even the worst.
I drink my white wine and keep my expression blank. His two men, the only two I’ve seen since we arrived, hold positions on either side of the door to the hallway. Too far away to stop me from using my blade, but then I’m too far away from Ali to be a threat right now, too. I realize I recognize one of them. He’s one of my father’s men, though his name dances on the tip of my tongue. My father wasn’t a fan of encouraging anything resembling familiarity with his daughter, something that will work against me now. This man backing Ali doesn’t bode well for him switching sides to support me.
