Page 21 of Unforgiving Queen
I shook my head. “First, A—” I couldn’t even whisper his name. “He and the family on his mother’s side are not the only Japanese people on this planet. Secondly, he was a kid at that time.”
The incident from boarding school flickered in my mind. I hadn’t quite forgotten about it, but I remembered it in vivid detail now. Amon had saved me from his cousin then. I swallowed a lump in my throat, refusing to believe that Amon’s family would deliberately hurt mine. But… if he hadn’t been there that day all those years ago, I likely wouldn’t have escaped.
I didn’t think this was the right time to share with the group, not when they already thought so low of Amon. It was another secret best left in the past.
“His mother wasn’t a kid,” Isla pointed out while everyone nodded their heads in agreement.
“So you’re saying hismotherattacked us?” They were being ludicrous.
Isla shrugged. “It seems far-fetched, but crazier things have happened in this world.”
“Yeah, like Japanese samurais becoming vampires.” Huh? Athena must be on her fantasy kick. Judging by everyone’s expressions, they thought so too. “Yeah, okay. That’s improbable. I watched this movie—”
“Not now, Athena,” Raven scolded her, giving her a pointed look. I let out a heavy sigh, too tired for this shit.
“Just forget all that,” Phoenix signed. “Focus on getting better and coming back to Paris.”
“We could all turn a blind eye, but there’s some kind of connection there,” Raven muttered. “Trust me, last time I opted not to see something, it bit me in the ass big-time.”
“And what was that?” I asked, eager to focus on someone else’s problems rather than think about my own.
“Well, for starters, he was a red flag and his gorgeous body was the pole.” She waved her hands, drawing in the air, and whatever it was didn’t look that attractive. At least not to me. “Jeans that hugged that ass. Holstered gun. Slightly stalkerish, obsessive behavior. Red fucking flags that I refused to see. Until a man was killed in front of my eyes.”
My eyebrows rose to my hairline. I knew for a fact this was the first time any of us were hearing this story. Maybe it was the wine loosening her lips.
“Wow, did you call the cops on him?” Isla questioned. “And testify against him?”
Raven gave her anare-you-fucking-crazy look. “No, I fucking bolted. Distance and no contact was the only solution. I can’t fight an attractive man. Murderer or not.”
Her priorities might be skewed, but it was hardly the time to point it out.
“Okay, this is getting too dark for me,” Athena announced, getting to her feet. “I’m going to bed.” Her eyes found mine. “We miss you, the apartment isn’t the same without you.”
“Yeah, especially because Raven is a walking mess,” Isla remarked, her green eyes sparkling.
“I got it. You’re looking for a maid.”
Their eyes rolled in sync. “You take cleaning to a whole new level,” Phoenix claimed, although not wrongfully.
“Speaking of levels,” Raven started, her tone tentative. “I haven’t told you, but he-who-shall-not-be-named commissioned me to paint him a replica of some painting that used to belong to his grandfather. The only thing I have to work with is a picture of the thing because he lost the original. Or some shit like that.”
My heart drummed painfully in my chest, but I refused to dwell on it.
Instead, I shrugged. “I hope you charged him an arm and a leg.”
“I did, but it still feels wrong to take money from him, all things considered.”
Raven was an amazing artist and it was a shame the world hadn’t discovered her yet. If Amon Leone exposed her art to the world, then maybe there’d be some good to come out of all this.
Isla slid off the bed, heading for the door. “I’m off to bed too. I’m beat. Those triplets are like Energizer Bunnies. They need an off switch.”
Our friends all left, leaving me alone with my sister who studied me with inquisitive eyes.
I smiled, barely suppressing a yawn. “I’m fine,” I murmured, signing at the same time. “I promise.”
“You keep saying that, but I’m worried.”
“I know, but it’s better,” I assured her. “Each day is better. My bruises are almost completely gone.”
