"Secrets Unveiled and Unexpected Encounters"

"So fucking beautiful."

Definitely an angel.

She pulled out of her spot and out of the parking lot, passing me. I watched until her taillights disappeared in the darkness.

Who the hell are you?

Never mind.

Instead of going back inside to find out more about the mystery woman, I removed the card from my pocket and dialed the number for my driver. Ten minutes later, he was pulling up, and I still hadn't cleared my mind from thoughts of her.

* * *

I was restless last night. I barely slept more than a few hours because my mind kept circling back to the woman from Chapter House. There was also a very heavy reminder of why I was back home. Arranged marriage. By late afternoon, I was still anxious, so instead of allowing my mind to remain in a loop of thoughts I couldn't do anything about, I decided to burn some energy. Ez was calling by the time I was a few hours into my routine at the hotel gym.

"Yeah."

"What are you doing?"

"Running."

"Running?"

I hated the question mark at the end of the word.

Why are you running?

Is your mind unbalanced?

Are you searching for something to ground you?

As much as I understood the lingering questions—questions that could possibly only exist in my mind—I also understood where the inquisition was rooted. My past behaviors Living with a sibling who was diagnosed with a mental disorder at such an early age, fourteen for me, forced everyone around me to be guarded. My brother loved me, but he was always concerned.

I changed the direction of things because I didn't want to travel down that road. Over the years, I have become an expert at diversion.

"I'll be back in my room in ten minutes."

"Good. Can you be ready in an hour?" I glanced at my watch. It was just after four.

"I can."

"We meet Christian at six."

"Where?"

"His family's estate."

"No."

That left us exposed and made me uncomfortable.

"My idea, not his, Lyle. We can't be seen together until we figure out what's next. I don't want anyone to get the same idea I have before we can lock it down. I also don't want him at our home. Christian wants this alliance just as much as I do. He won't do anything stupid. If he does, we're prepared."

There was a plan in place. I expected nothing less from Ez. Our father hadn't always done right by others in business, but not for lack of knowledge of how to do good business. His training now lives in Ez. Our father was a brilliant man. His greed, however, sometimes overpowered his intelligence.

"If you're sure."

"I am. One hour. A ride will be waiting for you."

"I assumed you would come."

"There's something I need to take care of first. I'll meet you there. You will ride back with me."

"Okay."

The line was quiet for a long time. I waited and gave my brother time to get whatever he needed off his chest. "Thank you for this, Eirik."

"I haven't agreed yet."

"No, but you're here. So, thank you."

The call ended, and I lifted my eyes to the mirrored wall on the other side of my treadmill. Today, I recognized the man staring back at me. He was sane and level. That wasn't always the case. I prayed being here didn't shift the person I could see now.

FOUR

cress

When I pulled up to my parents' estate, I did a quick scan of the Maybach Pullman parked in the circular drive. It was sleek, new, and expensive.

Christian has company.

I should have called, but he wouldn't have entertained what I needed to say over the phone. One last attempt to convince my brother to find an alternative to Jona marrying Eirik Omari was why I was back at my family's estate for a second day in a row. I didn't know very much about Eirik, but what I did know bothered me.

I was, however, familiar with his family because, until the incident between our brothers, the Omari had been closely linked to the Devereauxs. Our fathers and brothers handled business together. When our families divided, a shift happened in Crescent Falls. No one outright spoke about what happened, but they whispered amongst themselves. They also had quiet discussions about Eirik after it was assumed that he had killed our brother Cole.

They didn't hide their acceptance of those rumors, considering Eirik's past. He was the wildest of the Omari brothers. Most called him crazy, others deemed him reckless, but none spoke either title to his face. He had a reputation. As a trained fighter, he was lethal with his hands, and as the son of Josiah Omari, he had an in-depth understanding of business, which rendered him equally skilled at destroying the lineage of those who crossed him or his family. The guy was scary. I'd only been in his presence a handful of times at mutually hosted events, and as scary as the guy was, he was equal parts sexy.

Both Omari brothers were; however, Eirik had that edge to him, whereas Ez was more refined and polished. Neither of them were men that a normal father would be putting at the top of the "marry my daughter" list. My father could barely remember he had daughters, and on a good day when he could, he remembered us as children, not grown women who were of age to marry.

I climbed out of my range, prepared to offer one last argument for why it was insane of Christian to want Jona to marry Eirik Omari, but that would have to wait until he no longer had visitors. I glanced at my wrist before I keyed the code to enter my childhood home, realizing it was just after six. Hopefully his company wouldn't be here long, and if that was the intention, then maybe I would get lucky and they would tolerate an interruption. Not that I cared. I would demand that my brother give me his time. That didn't mean I would get it right now at this very moment, but it was worth a shot. I had a performance in two days. Our last show before the off-season Adequate care for my aching body and rest were imperative.

Please let the odds fall in my favor, so this can be quickly resolved and I can go home and tend to my aching muscles.

Once inside, I stood in the foyer, listening. The house was quiet, but that didn't mean much. The estate was massive, and my brother often did business in his office. That was my first stop. In and out.

"Cress, is that you?"

Damn it.

I tilted my head to the floor, forced a smile, then turned to face my brother's wife. Another reminder that I didn't want an arranged marriage for neither myself nor my sister. "Aja, hey."

She cleared the arch that led to the corridor where the kitchen was positioned at the rear of the estate and made her way to me. "Christian has visitors. Was he expecting you?"

Her smile was soft, but her eyes were curious, almost accusing. "He hadn't mentioned you would be stopping by."

"This is my parents' home, Aja. I wasn't aware I needed a reason to visit."

Her eyes expanded just a bit before they settled back to their natural state. "I wasn't insinuating that you did. Only that you're rarely here and mostly only to see Christian."

Not me was the part she left off. If Christian had company, that only left her.

"No, he's not expecting me." I relaxed a little. "Do you know who he's with?"

Her eyes darted to the corridor that led to my brother's office, and she quickly shook her head. "He doesn't discuss business with me."

"Right," I huffed. "How are you? You look well."

She looked like shit. Her clothes were neat and expensive, and her hair was flawless in long spirals layered over her shoulders, but Aja looked stressed, tired, and weary. She was thinner than she had been the last time I saw her, a few months ago, at one of my performances. I was a dancer; I had been all my life, yet I had more definition and curves on my body than Aja.