Page 9 of Heart of a Villain

“So, I want you, you want me. What’s the issue?”

“It’s not here yet.”

She eased close enough to kiss. “Adrían, I feel like there could be something between u—what the hell?”

Thanasis, with a hold on her ankle, dragged her off the bed and up into his arms, all in one motion. Adrían watched them go, rolled onto his back with his fingers clasped behind his head, and laughed quietly to himself.

“Bons sonhos, gatinha,” he said. “Sweet dreams, little kitten.”

CHAPTER

TWO

Mo, Pozza’s wife, greeted him at the door and let him know that everyone was out back and how happy she was that he’d shown up. So far, everyone had been welcoming and kind, especially since he’d helped Joel rescue Ayesha from a depraved man’s clutches. The only person who hadn’t warmed up to him was Larke, and it bothered him that she didn’t.

Significantly.

He made his way to the backyard, following a trail of low music. Children screamed as they chased each other around the yard, all except for Josiah, Ayesha’s oldest, who lay on a blanket in the grass, chatting with someone via an iPad.

These were some of the deadliest people in the world. One of them was classified as a human weapon in some regions of the globe. Yet, the team carried on like there wasn’t a hit out on every last one of them that could be executed at any moment.

“Welcome, my good sir.”

He turned to find Ayesha extending a plate of fried patties in his direction, her daughter in the other arm. Old feelings resonated for a moment as he studied them, his gaze going from her to Tiare and a small voice inside him whispering, “This life could have been yours.” Gratefully, the voice grew weaker over time, but there were days it felt like it would never fully quiet.

This was uncharted territory for him. Things like this, he didn’t know how to deal with. The last person he’d felt this attached to died a long time ago, and he’d barely navigated his way out of that hell.

“What’s this?” He took the plate, sank his teeth into a patty’s flaky crust, and tasted perfection. “Querida, please don’t say you made these risólis. I will propose.”

She laughed, and damn her, he still loved the sound of her laugh. That laugh took him back to a period in his life that he kept shuttered and sheltered as much as he feasibly could.

“Tayler made them,” she said.

“Tayler learned how to make Brazilian food perfectly in one week?”

“Tay’s a badass in the kitchen.” Ayesha studied him as he took another bite. “We knew today would probably be awkward for you, and we wanted to minimize that as much as possible. If there’s anything else we can do for you, let me know.”

“Can you make Larke like me?”

“I’d rather try ending world hunger.”

“Her sister likes me.”

“So I heard.”

She let out a sinister little laugh that made him smile and shake his head.

“By the way, are you still planning to talk to the guys? I don’t see any reason you can’t stay, and nothing they’ve said in the last few months makes me think they still believe you have the heart of a villain.”

“Just Larke.”

“Hey,” she shrugged, “can’t win ‘em all.”

He chewed, using the meat-filled dough to buy additional time. After everything they’d gone through, especially in the last several months, he didn’t know how to tell her he’d, right then, made the on-the-spot decision to leave and wasn’t sure when he’d be back. Of course, she would understand, but something held onto his tongue.

“Hey, Eesh?” Julien called. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

“Mind if we put a pin in this conversation?” she asked.