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"So I take it you're back in Ashland for good then?" I asked. "Since you plan on picking up your father's . . . business interests?"
"It's my home. And I plan to reclaim what's mine - everything that's mine. "
I knew exactly what she was referring to, and she confirmed it a second later without saying a word. Instead, Salina lifted her hand. I tensed, wondering if she was reaching for her water magic to use against me, but
all she did was wave at someone through the storefront windows.
"In fact, there he is right now," she practically purred.
The bell over the door chimed. A sinking feeling filled my stomach, one that only got worse a second later, when Owen stepped into the restaurant.
Owen spotted us immediately, and my lover paused in the doorway, his gaze going from me to Salina and back again. His face was calm and expressionless, but I could see the tension in his shoulders. This wasn't a meeting he was looking forward to. Couldn't imagine why.
He wore his usual business suit, this one a dark navy blue, and more than one female customer looked at him in appreciation as he walked over to our table. Salina slid out of the booth, got to her feet, and turned her cheek, expecting a kiss, but Owen only squeezed her hand.
"Salina," he said. "I'm glad you could make it. "
He'd invited her here? He'd actually asked his former lover, his ex-fiancee, to my restaurant? That bitter, painful jealousy flared up in my chest again, despite my attempts to smother it. But I kept my emotions in check, waiting to see what his reason for this meeting was.
Owen dropped her hand. I moved over, and he sat down next to me. Another flash of emotion flickered across Salina's face - annoyance this time. I wondered if it was because Owen hadn't slobbered all over her like she'd expected or because he'd chosen to sit on my side of the booth instead of hers.
But she recovered quickly, plastering a sunny smile on her face. "Of course, darling. You'd know I'd meet you anytime, anywhere. Even . . . here. "
I rolled my eyes. Salina wasn't the first person to sneer at the hole-in-the-wall atmosphere of my restaurant, but her comment needled me more than most. Or perhaps that was just because of her history with my lover.
Owen raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with here? The Pork Pit has some of the best food in the city. "
"Oh, I don't know. I just thought you might want to catch up in private. " Salina's expression turned coy, and she fluttered her lashes.
My lover stared at her for a moment before deliberately reaching over and putting his hand on top of mine.
"We don't have anything to say to each other that Gin can't hear," Owen said in a level tone. "After all, we're just old friends now. "
I looked at Owen, who gave me a wink and a slow, sexy smile. I threaded my fingers through his and gently squeezed his hand, silently telling him that I appreciated his words and gestures.
Salina's gaze dropped to our linked fingers. Her smile slipped, and once again, that rage flashed in her eyes momentarily. "Of course," she murmured, rubbing her fingers against her cuff bracelet again.
She noticed me watching her. Salina's hand stilled, then dropped from the silverstone once more.
"So," Owen said, "what have you been up to all these years?"
She gave him another bright, dazzling smile. "Why, darling, I'd thought you'd never ask. "
Salina spent the next ten minutes talking about her travels since she'd left Ashland. Apparently, the water elemental had been living the high life, going from one luxurious spot to the next and enjoying all the fine food and scenery the world had to offer. The one thing she didn't mention was the trail of dead husbands she'd left behind, their suspicious, water-related deaths, and how they'd all borne an eerie resemblance to Owen.
"And what about Phillip?" Owen asked after she'd finally wound down with her stories of glitz and glamour. "I know what happened on the riverboat. "
Salina didn't miss a beat justifying her actions. "You know what he did to me, Owen. I was just trying to make sure the bastard got what he deserved - what he should have gotten all those years ago. "
"But Eva was there," he said. "You scared her, Salina. You scared a lot of people with your water magic. And you killed a man with it - an innocent man. "
He was finally confronting Salina about what she'd done to Antonio, but his tone wasn't as harsh and accusatory as I would have thought it would be. As I would have liked it to be, truth be told. Instead, Owen was being . . . careful with her. Considerate, even, as if she were some delicate creature who needed shielding from all the ugliness in the world. Almost like he was waiting for her to explain away the whole thing - and hoping that she would. Once again, doubt filled my mind, doubt about Owen's feelings for Salina - and just how much she really meant to him. That worrisome feeling twisted deeper and deeper into my chest, like I was using one of my own knives to saw through my heart.
Salina leaned forward, her eyes widening with seeming sincerity. "Well, then it was a doubly good thing I was there. You wouldn't want Phillip to do the same thing to little Eva that he tried to do to me? Would you, Owen?"
"No, of course not, but - "
"And I don't know why you were so concerned about that giant. The man worked for Phillip, which probably made him just the same sort of heartless bastard. You know what Phillip's attack did to me, how it drove me to leave Ashland, to leave you. All I wanted was to make things right; all I wanted was to give myself some closure, some peace. You don't know how hard it's been on me, coming back home and knowing Phillip is still alive. "
