Chapter One
Present Time
Keanne rubbed the eraser gently on the paper, taking care not to accidentally erase the other lines. After, she gently blew on the paper to get rid of the eraser’s crumbs before resuming her sketch, making sure this time to add rounder cheeks for the little girl. She leaned back when she was done, gazing critically at her work.
It was the first illustration for the story book, mostly done in penciled drawings and pastel colors reminiscent of Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit, which she had absolutely loved. But this time, instead of a sweet brown rabbit and his friends, Keanne had drawn a chubby little girl with glasses – one who looked remarkably like her – right next to a sun god riding a chariot, one who looked exactly like, well, Jason Christakos.
“Do you ever stop shining?” the little girl asked as she covered her eyes. The Sun God’s rays were too bright.
The Sun God appeared surprised. “Of course not, my little flower. I am the sun. I always shine.”
She gave him a look of Serious Concern. “But Sun God, don’t you get tired, too?”
Her lips twitched as she finished reading the lines. Oh, if Jason could read this now! While he had loved her first series of books, even buying boxes of it because he liked how she portrayed him as a hero who could conquer all odds, Keanne wondered if he would feel the same about this one.
Mmm…probably not.
But that did not matter. These days, Keanne lived to disobey Jason Christakos. He had things going all too easy for him. He only had to smile and people would bend over backwards to follow him. Jason might fool most people, but he did not fool her.
He was a ruthless man, heartbreakingly so.
As she flipped to the next page of her sketch pad, Keanne’s phone rang. Amie’s name flashed on the screen, and she immediately spoke the voice command to get Siri to answer her mother’s FaceTime call. “Mama? What is it?” She checked the time and frowned. “Isn’t it 2AM there?”
“Yes.” There was a look of distraction on Amie’s face. She wore a silk robe and was obviously in her bedroom. It was dimly lit, but the moving shadow in the background made Keanne wince a little. She was old enough to understand that Amie was young enough to still need companionship, but she would rather not be confronted this way about what kind of companionship that would be.
“Have you seen the news, cherie?”
“Umm…no. I was working on my book.”
“Well, go on and look for any gossip website. You will see soon enough.” Amie’s voice sobered. “It is time for you to return the favor, cherie. And maybe this time, you will also get what you want.”
And with those cryptic words, her mother ended the call.
Frowning, Keanne clicked on the browser icon and went to the site she had bookmarked for reliable gossip updates. Her eyes widened. And then she was running.
****
Overkill, ma petite – simply overkill. Jason Christakos sighed, but the sound was more amused than resigned as he watched his protégé drive into the club’s parking lot with her usual flair for drama.
Keanne Summers had come a long way in the four years they had been friends, and it was not just because she had finally shed the baby fat, ditched the glasses for contacts, found the right treatment for glossy hair, and got a dermatologist to help her maintain her unblemished skin.
Even though she still had not come down, all eyes were on Keanne’s SUV, which – like its owner – was unapologetically attention-grabbing. Her ride was a Volvo S60R with a hot pink custom paint job because - as she had once seriously told a perplexed Jason – Keanne wanted to be the girl version of Edward Cullen, whatever that meant and whoever that Edward may be.
The door opened and out she came, fashionable and sexy in a sixties-inspired dress with its high collar and long loose sleeves. Of course, it was also short enough to flaunt her shapely legs and killer red heels. She was the picture of youthful fun and glamour, with not the smallest hint of the bitter and disillusioned teenager she had once been.
Their gazes met.
A playful smile immediately curved on Keanne’s lips even as her fingers brushed her chest, using the private sign of communication they had once designed out of desperation. That simple touch over her heart meant one thing. I am here for you, mon bébé.
The silent words numbed the agonizing wound inside him, enough for Jason to regain a little of his sense of humor. A few minutes ago, he had thought it would take him forever to smile. But with his little spitfire in front of him, he didn’t just want to smile. He found himself able to forget.
Jason made Keanne wait just to provoke her. His cue came when her forehead started to furrow, and Jason swiftly crossed the street to get to her side. When he reached Keanne, his hot-tempered little doe was scowling.