Page 86 of Mafia Obsession

Fear pulses through me. I lift my hands to his, but his hold is secure even if he’s not choking me. “Are you asking if I stole from you, too?”

He pushes his face into mine. “Answering a question with a question means you’re thinking about how to answer my question.”

“I swear, that’s not what I was doing.” I yank on his hands. “I didn’t think I had to watch my words with you. And yes, the entire balance came from Nathan Craig.”

Ares loosens his hands around my throat. “Right. And when were you planning to disappear?”

“I have loose ends to deal with.” I clutch the book to my chest like a shield. “The apartment is in my name. Mere mortals like me still worry about things like credit ratings.”

“You’re not going back to that apartment. Let Daria terminate your lease. I can have you out of it in twenty-four hours.”

I jump to my feet. “You can’t just terminate my lease. I still have things there.”

That gets his attention. Nodding, he says, “Everything of value will be collected.”

“I don’t want you to judge what’s valuable,” I snap before I can stop myself.

How can I tell him that the beat-up boxes from my broken-down life are valuable?

“If it’s yours, it’s valuable.” He grips my hand, twists it, and kisses the delicate underside of my wrist. “You are valuable to me.”

“Ares… What is this? You don’t do relationships. I’ve only been at Zervas & Company for a month or so, but your admins have a lot of opinions on your confirmed bachelorhood.”

He studies me, looking like no woman has ever challenged him like this.

“That was before,” he whispers.

“Before what?”

“Long before I?—”

Movement makes us both look up.

“Ares, Daria is looking for you,” Elani calls out.

My eyes slipped closed. Not finishing his thought, Ares heads inside, and I follow him.

But Ares takes the call on the rear terrace with his back to me. After a few seconds, he hangs up and returns to the kitchen.

“Is something wrong?” I ask, bracing for news about David.

“I have to go back,” he says in a way that’s cold and branding hot against my skin at the same time.

“Go back…where?” I look around for effect.

“Home.”

That lands like a boulder on my chest. Home is where your heart is. I’m not there…

“New York?” I ask for clarification.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

He doesn’t answer or acknowledge me, just exchanges a few words with Elani in Greek and then disappears toward the back stairs to the bedroom.

I follow and find him in the closet. “I’m coming with you. I want to go home. I have to.”