To Die for... Honor E-Book

Scarlett Finn

• Herausgeber: Moriona Press
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Everything is different.

Learning the truth hasn't loosened the chains.

Do I run? Do I hide? No. I sit. I wait. Comply.

No one seems to have figured out I'm not one of them.

I'm still alone in the world.

Well… I should be alone.

Wanting him is wrong.

We made the sacrifice for the greater good. I gave him to his purpose. Why do our bodies, our desires, our needs, keep forgetting that?

Nothing ever stays the same. Play along. That's what I'm supposed to do. Who knew it would flip the game on its head?

I'm alone.

Until I meet my prince.

Now there's a chance of getting out alive.

A slim one.

I'm not one of them, but I have to play by their rules.

My prince's rules are simple: tell no one.

That means lying to my Heart… for another man.

Will he ever forgive me?




Warning: Contains explicit language and imagery. Suitable only for ages 18 and over.

Leseprobe

Copyright © 2021 Scarlett Finn

Published by Moriona Press 2021

All rights reserved.

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

First published in 2021

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by an electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. It may not be used to train AI software or for the creation of AI works.

All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Cover Design by Shepard Originals

www.scarlettfinn.com

TO DIE FOR…

To Die for Truth

To Die for Honor

To Die for Virtue

To Die for Duty

To Die for Love

Read them in order for maximized reading pleasure.

For other titles from Scarlett Finn, please read on after the story.

Click here if you’d like to leave a message for Scarlett.

Enjoy!

CONTENTS

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

NINETEEN

TWENTY

TWENTY-ONE

TWENTY-TWO

TWENTY-THREE

TWENTY-FOUR

TWENTY-FIVE

TWENTY-SIX

TWENTY-SEVEN

TWENTY-EIGHT

TWENTY-NINE

THIRTY

THIRTY-ONE

THIRTY-TWO

ONE

THE BATH WATER WAS cooling. Tess would have to move soon. Soaking in the tub was supposed to clear her head, but no amount of thinking would lower her father’s walls.

Harry hadn’t wanted her, she got that. He hadn’t wanted Daire either. No, not that he hadn’t wanted Daire, he hadn’t expected fatherhood to be thrust on him after the death of one of his agents. It was no surprise that after thirty-three years together, Daire had a connection with his superior officer and father-figure.

In his own way, Harry cared about his ward. With her, his biological daughter, obligation to her deceased mother urged him to fulfill the duty of keeping her safe. DNA was all that linked them, and he was big on duty.

Her fingers skimmed the surface of the water. Just over an hour ago, Daire had convinced her to stay in Three’s Vegas mansion with the Olympus cohort. The argument with her father ignited an intention to leave. If Daire hadn’t put himself in her path, she’d be miles away. He’d used her feelings for him to fix things for Harry. Unfair? Yes, yet she’d let it happen.

After persuading her to stay, Daire turned on the water to fill the tub, touched her lips, and took her semi-packed bag from the room. He didn’t like things lying around, sure, but neatness wasn’t his motivation. The bag and its contents were a temptation. One he’d want to confiscate from her sight.

She wasn’t an expert on much but staying low and starting over were her specialties. Starting a new life was an appealing idea. Except the only life she wanted included Daire, her Heart. They could never be together; both had acknowledged that sad truth.

Leaving would save them from being reminded of that reality every time they laid eyes on each other. Yet, her Heart asking her to stay was enough. Sticking around was better than abandoning him.

It was crazy. Daire didn’t need her. Of all the Olympus men, he was the most capable. He’d grown up in the organization, been raised and nurtured by it since birth. He didn’t need her to keep him safe. But their time together, before Harry returned to the picture, had shown Daire a different kind of life. Maybe it was his sanity she feared for, or that Olympus would chew him up and spit him out. Her job was to remind him he was worthy of more than just being used. He was a human being with rights and feelings, neither of which should be ignored.

How had she got to this point? The letters she’d found after her mother’s death were to blame. She hadn’t known it at the time, but her father was the author. A man enraptured, one with feelings, with conviction. In their short association, she hadn’t seen much evidence of that emotive vehemence.

The journey from those letters to that bathtub was orchestrated by her Heart. At the time, Daire’s motivation wasn’t altruistic. He’d duped her into trusting him so he could lead her to Harry in the name of revenge. The grand plan worked, she’d fallen for it and had walked into the Olympus Beta control room believing that she was following her mother’s breadcrumbs.

All along, Daire had been manipulating her. Pretending to be someone he wasn’t. Danny, Daire’s false persona, was a harmless junkyard lackey with zero ambition. Harmless. Safe. Or so she’d believed. The month they’d spent together—intimate in every way together—gave them a taste of something they’d never had. Whatever it was, there was no going back. That part of their relationship was over… though their libidos seemed to forget that whenever they had the chance.

Only ten days had passed since they’d left the Beta control room as a trio. Because Harry raised Daire in Olympus, training him almost every minute of every day, the men had fallen back into their traditional roles with ease.

It hadn’t been so easy for her to find common ground with her father.

Her downtime led to naught. She got out of the tub, washed her hair in the shower, and blow-dried. Yet, the way she’d walked away from Harry still bothered her.

Slipping into a silky camisole and shorts set, she left the bedroom intending to track down her father. Okay, so maybe it shouldn’t fall on her to be the bigger person. But life wasn’t always the way it should be.

She traipsed down the stairs and along the corridor.

Everyone, including her father, Garrick, and all of their soldiers were in the foyer. An odd place for them to congregate.

Tess came to a halt. “What’s going on?”

The front door opened. A man entered wearing slacks and a loose shirt. When he noticed the gathered people staring at him, he stopped.

After a tense moment, his lips quirked to a smile, then he laughed. “Happy to see my money was well spent,” he said, scanning the men in the room until he stopped on her father. “Hades.”

Harry’s Olympus code name.

“Three,” her father said in response to the new guy.

Another code name.

Three’s smile brightened. He kept scanning past Daire and Garrick and everyone else until he stopped on the last person: her.

His smile dulled. The serious expression on his face transformed to a kind of wonder as he glided toward her. He didn’t say a word. No one else moved. They were absorbed by Three’s focus on her. Why exactly was she so interesting?

Three swept her loose hand into his. “I wouldn’t have believed it unless I saw it with my own eyes,” he said, raising her fingers to his lips. “Pandora in the flesh.”

And there was her code name. Tess wasn’t a fan. Not that she was a fan of any of the frustrating code names.

Olympus was a private agency with shady government and business links. Their “Six,” referred to by their individual numbers, were the financial backers. They paid for Olympus to do what official agencies could not.

Since childhood, they had pursued her. Her mother hadn’t explained the need for their run and hide life. Tess was only now learning that Olympus was the Big Bad. The truth went deeper than she’d imagined. Much deeper.

“And you are Three,” Tess said.

“Hugo Balfour. Please, call me Hugo.”

Of the Six backers only one original member remained and two were recently dead. In the last year anyway, she couldn’t be more specific than that.

“Tess,” she said because she’d always rather hear her own name than the one given to her by a man she’d never met.

“Beautiful and devious… Now I know at least the first is true,” Hugo said. “If I’d known someone so enticing was sleeping in my bed, I wouldn’t have stayed away so long.”

Three, Hugo, was a third generation Vegas hotshot. His hotel and casino were among the most successful in the city, and they weren’t his only business interests. She knew little about him. Hadn’t considered who he was beyond the number he’d been given as a moniker.

Probably in his thirties with short brown hair and a warm complexion over his strong features. Three didn’t immediately strike her as the type to fund an underground organization. More playboy than secret operative; he definitely had a glint in his eye.

“You’re used to getting your way with women, aren’t you?” she asked, extricating her fingers from his grasp.

“Forgive me,” he said. “Spending so much of my life in this city has made me bold.”

“And popular, I imagine, especially with all your money.”

He laughed. “You are a firecracker.”

“Thank you,” she said, taking the suggestion of strength as a compliment.

“And one I can’t wait to know better.” Hugo turned to the Olympus men. “I have luggage in the car.”

Daire gave Milo and Zip a nod. Harry might be the senior rank, but even he wouldn’t lower himself to giving orders about any man’s bags.

The two assigned men went out the front door.

To her surprise, Hugo offered her his arm. “The patio is one of my favorite places in the house. Join me?”

“I came downstairs to say goodnight…” sort of and to talk to her father, but this stranger didn’t need to know that. “This is usually the time everyone retires.”

“It’s much too early for someone so luminescent to hide their light… I’ve been on a plane all day, so forgive me… If you’d like to change, I’ll call a car and we can be in the—”

“Pandora stays in after dark.”

Most people would expect her disapproving father to be the one stepping in. But the abrupt command didn’t come from Harry, it came from Daire.

“Ares,” Hugo said, lowering his arm to saunter a few yards closer to the agent. “I understand Pandora’s importance. I’ll have a squad of bodyguards waiting for us. We’ll use the private entrance.”

Daire didn’t blink. He just took one step toward Hugo and lowered his deep voice. “She stays here.”

“Yes, it is getting late,” Garrick said, crossing the space to put himself between the men.

They were ten feet apart, more than that, but the tension radiating from Daire was unequivocal. That it could chill her spoke to his intensity. After their earlier conversation, she didn’t doubt her Heart’s dedication to her. He followed Harry’s orders, yes, but if she was in peril, Daire would do whatever was necessary to protect her. No matter who was threatening her.

Problem was, he was stepping up to face off with a player, not a slayer. Her life wasn’t in danger, and neither was her virtue. All the pick-up lines in the world wouldn’t tempt her near Balfour’s bed.

Still, she had a responsibility to keep the peace. “I suppose one glass of wine wouldn’t hurt,” she said, going to take Hugo’s arm.

Garrick’s exhale betrayed his gratitude. Daire kept glaring even after she narrowed her eyes on him and shook her head. Whatever was wrong with him, her Heart wasn’t dialing down.

Hugo took her past the guys and out onto the patio. The lights were on and the pool glowed blue. With the twinkling lights of The Strip on the horizon, she could see why he enjoyed the magic of it.

“How long have you been in town?” Hugo asked, gesturing to the chair Harry had been seated in when she called him out earlier.

“Not long,” Tess said, choosing to be vague. “I understood you were enjoying some vacation time. What brought you back to us?”

“Business,” he said, rounding the low table central to the heavy patio chairs. “And Olympus, of course, it’s time we got back on track.”

She smiled. “Couldn’t agree more.”

He opened his hands. “Red or white?”

Tucking her fingers under her thighs, she rocked forward. “Surprise me.”

The man had been home for just a few minutes and was already entertaining. Must be the Vegas way. Hugo went back inside, leaving her to enjoy the essence of peace for a few seconds. Not that she was alone.

“If you loiter there all night keeping a lid on it…” she said to the man watching her, “your head will explode.”

She didn’t need to look to know Daire was on the patio somewhere behind her. Stewing in his own… whatever that had been inside.

“That fuck puts his hands on you, I’ll open his throat ear to ear.”

The deep growl of his low voice came from the blackest depth of his soul. She’d never heard him so primal. Despite trying to swallow it away, a smile curled her lips. Her head stayed down, hopefully no one would notice he’d aroused her… including him.

“Weren’t you just saying tonight that no one could ever know about us?” she whispered, her chin drifting toward her shoulder. “I think if you murder an Olympus backer while he’s making a move on me, someone might notice.”

“I’ll invent a reason to kill him.”

Another smile threatened her lips. Not because she wanted Hugo to die, no. But anything that revealed the extent of Daire’s feelings thrilled her.

“Just make up a reason that an innocent man has to die?”

“No man who touches you is innocent.”

“You touch me,” she murmured.

“Guilty.”

He moved in behind her, his fingertips brushing across her hair. Flowing with the almost invisible caress, her heavy eyelids closed.

Hugo’s voice broke her trance. “Sorry for the delay.”

They’d been talking about him, but she’d almost forgotten their host would be returning. Hugo took the seat next to hers and put two wine glasses down on the table. The bottle in his other hand was already open, so he began to pour the rich red liquid.

“There’s nothing like a good red,” he said, glancing over her head. “We don’t need oversight here, Ares. You can stand down.”

Ares might be able to stand down. The man who called himself her Heart? Not so much.

“If anything exciting happens,” she said, wearing a smile. “I promise to scream.”

What else could she say? Asking Daire to stay would contradict a man clearly used to giving orders. Witnessing her drinking and socializing with another man would also drive Daire to the edge of his control. She wouldn’t have tagged him as the jealous type, not until his reaction to Three. Turned out it took little to rub her Heart the wrong way.

Hugo had already mentioned Olympus. Harry didn’t think there was any need for her to understand the agency. She thought different. So if this Three was willing to give her answers, she’d let him.

“Thirty minutes,” Daire said, retreating into the house.

TWO

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN WHEN the thirty minutes were up? Anything was possible. Tantalizing. Pointing her tongue to the center of her upper lip, her imagination teased.

Hugo offered her a glass of wine. “It’s an incredible way of life, isn’t it?” he asked, a laugh on his breath as he raised his glass to hers. “To new friendships.”

“New friendships,” she said, touching her glass to his before taking it to her lips.

The wine was incredible; he was right about that. The taste was somewhat tainted by the sensation of her Heart’s eyes on the back of her head. He was inside, as far as she could tell, but had her in his eyeline. It wasn’t unpleasant to know he was intent on keeping her safe. Still, he was kind of proving her point about her being a distraction.

“Your home is beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Three said. “Though not quite worthy of someone as precious as you.”

Whoa, boy, with a simple smile, she raised her glass in acceptance. “Thank you.”

Though if he didn’t want her to draw his blood, he should hit the brakes.

“I was pleased to hear that you were here,” he said, settling back in his seat, his arm draped on the wide arm, the globe of his wine glass resting in his curved fingers. “Surprised but pleased. Ares tracked you down, is that right?”

“Yes,” she said, wondering who’d fed Hugo his information. A stranger knowing so much was unsettling. “Have you been in contact with your… associates?”

“The Six?” he asked, his brows rising. “I understand Two and Five are no longer with us.” He cleared his throat. “We will have to probe into their replacements.”

That surprised her. “So soon?”

He smiled. “It’s been over a year since the Exodus,” he said. “Olympus is very hierarchical. You must have noticed.”

“And I suppose with Two gone, you’ve been bumped up a slot.”

“Indeed,” he said. “One and I have been in contact. We’re trying to hold things together.”

“Which can’t be easy,” she said, loosening, appreciating being treated as an equal. “What is the situation with Six?”

“Ah,” Hugo said, raising his glass to drink. Swilling the wine in his mouth, he enjoyed the taste before swallowing. “Lowell has put all of us in a difficult position.”

“Loyalty isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

“No,” he said in agreement. “Zulu was a difficult operation for all of us. It was precarious from the beginning, Hades knew that.”

Zulu being the code name given to the plan to assassinate Zeus, the man at the top of Olympus. When Six, also known as Lowell apparently, broke ranks and revealed the plan to Zeus, everyone had taken cover fast. Hence the Exodus from the Olympus compound. Most of the Olympus men were still unaccounted for.

“If he’s going to continue with the organization, trust will be hard won.”

“Among Hades’ men?” he asked, then answered his own question. “Yes. Among all of us. And while Zeus is still out there, the threat to Olympus and what it represents still stands.”

Zeus was a dangerous man. She got he wouldn’t trust Harry’s subordinates, those who’d been privy to the plot anyway. Until that moment, she hadn’t appreciated how he represented a threat to the very fiber of what Olympus did.

Beyond destabilizing operations, he probably had evidence that the organization itself existed. Exposing it to the media, to other authorities, would lead to trouble for a lot of people… and, for all she knew, could lead to jail or execution for those involved. Daire told her Olympus did what other agencies couldn’t. That might include murder.

“Is there a plan?” she asked. “For how to deal with that threat?”

“Perhaps the beginnings of one,” he said, swirling his wine in the glass. “There are opinions on how we should deal with it. So long as Zeus remains in Europe, we have some breathing space on our side of the Atlantic. We’re not naïve enough to assume he couldn’t eliminate us if he wanted to. His contacts are widespread and they’re not squeamish… So I understand your father’s need to keep you safe.”

Her father didn’t need her to be safe as much as Daire did. Her trust in the sincerity of his feelings was absolute, which was saying something, considering he’d lied to her for most of their association.

“I have to be honest,” Tess said, sliding back in her chair a little. “I’m more worried about what’s being missed while all of this is going on.”

On a nod, he smiled. “You’re not the only one.”

That was Daire’s issue, and he wasn’t wrong.

“Setting up again could be dangerous. Any replacements for Two and Five will take time to get up to speed. And you have to be mindful of Six’s loyalty.”

“And most of Harry’s men are still in the wind,” he said, gesturing toward the house with his glass. “They can’t stay here forever either. You know we talked about chipping all of them, more than once.” He shook his head. “Would’ve made things a lot easier.”

“Chipping them,” she said. “Like with GPS?” Hugo shrugged. “That would make it easier to gather them together… which I’m guessing was exactly the problem.”

“It sounds cold, but men are replaceable. If we were talking one or two, there wouldn’t be a problem. But you’re right, it would help us track them, and we’d be able to get back to operations faster.”

“Or it would lead to a massacre,” she said. “If Zeus found them first—”

“Yes, and we can’t afford the time to train new recruits from zero to the required peak of ability. We also recruit young, allows us to ensure they understand the Olympus way. We don’t have to deal with bad habits picked up elsewhere or inflated egos. To have such a green team would be dangerous.”

Information was important, hence why she subdued her outrage. The men inside, Harry’s men, weren’t exactly her best buddies, but the idea of them being exterminated horrified her. Hugo talked about them as assets, as property. She couldn’t think of them that way. It would be easier if she could. But those men included Daire. In her eyes, he’d never be dispensable.

“Worked out that you didn’t chip them then,” Tess said.

“The final decision was swayed not by the potential we’d have to destroy ourselves, but by the weakness it would offer for others to exploit. Tech like that can be hacked. It would give our external enemies a way to track our people. And, possibly, damage them from afar.”

By programming the chip to do something it shouldn’t maybe? External enemies were the least of their worries at that moment. Though the thought sent her mind into a frenzy. Daire couldn’t be safe anywhere. Wouldn’t be safe anywhere. He couldn’t trust his own people and there were probably hundreds across the world who’d love a chance to damage Olympus… even if they didn’t know the name of the agency they had beef with.

“That was why we had Poseidon working on the synthetic isotope,” Hugo said. “The biological component couldn’t be hacked like plain old hardware.”

The isotope allowed Garrick, whose code name was Poseidon, to locate the men he had found. Except it was just an experiment at the time of the Exodus when everyone fled to save themselves from Zeus’s wrath.

“It’s not at its full potential,” she said. “It has a maximum radius.”

“A hundred miles, yes,” Hugo said, frowning. “It’s a shame Asclepius is no longer with us.”

That was a code name she hadn’t heard before. “Asclepius?”

“Jeremiah Landyn,” he said, taking a long breath. “Our doctor. For a long time we’ve been aware of the potential for technological corruption. To make tech unbreachable or beyond exploitation, is extremely difficult. Olympus has been at the forefront of developing biological elements, which add another layer of protection.”

Biological elements didn’t sound like something anyone should mess with. Especially when, like he’d already implied, technology could be used against whoever was in proximity to it.

“Jeremiah Landyn helped with that?”

Hugo nodded. “He worked in tandem with Poseidon and outside agencies. Third parties didn’t know the truth of his interest, of course. Poseidon, James Garrick, is a brilliant man. A genius, no doubt about it. He’s made Olympus what it is today. It’s his technology that kept us ahead of our enemies… He is efficient and organized… curious too. That curiosity led to innovations that have saved our people more than once.”

At least Hugo was acknowledging they were people. Though she wasn’t sure he really understood what that meant. They had lives, loves and desires of their own, passions and pursuits they sacrificed to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

“He’s been nice to me.”

She didn’t know James Garrick well. They’d only laid eyes on each other just over a week ago and hadn’t met under the best of circumstances. To lure her father and Daire to the house, and keep themselves alive, Garrick had one of the Olympus men abduct her from a hotel.

“Garrick isn’t much of a fighter,” Hugo said. “He’s a… theorist rather than a man of action. Your father is the man we rely on for that.”

Which put Harry at the most peril of the three principal agents of Olympus. James Garrick, Poseidon, was hardware and resources. Zeus was the strategist, the man in charge of the operations side of the organization. Her father, Harry, was personnel. He dealt with recruitment and training.

“I’m sure he’s good at it,” she said. “Though we can’t ignore that Garrick was the man who put this together.”

“Bringing our people back to the fold, yes, that was a surprise… Less so when you realize how these men rely on Olympus. It’s their world. Zeus was the first recruited. He trained for a year before Hades and Poseidon were brought in. All of them were young, Zeus was about twenty-two, your father and Garrick were eighteen, nineteen. It’s all they’ve known. It’s been their lives for a long time. Without it I imagine Garrick didn’t know what to do with himself.”

Giving one’s life in service of the greater good was noble. Maybe her connection to Daire skewed her view, but there was something sad about what the Olympus men missed out on. The institution controlled and dictated their adult lives. Shore leave wasn’t even a thing, so it wasn’t like they ever kicked back and just enjoyed life.

“It’s a worthy cause.”

“It is,” he said, sucking in a breath and leaning in to take the bottle from the table. “Not a life I could ever live.” Hugo topped off his glass and then offered the bottle her way. Putting a hand over the top, she shook her head. “Come on, you only live once.”

“I don’t like to drink too much.”

He put the bottle down without insisting. “From what I know about your life, you haven’t been positioned to have a lot of fun.”

Like the Olympus men.

“I’ve had my moments,” Tess said, hiding her mouth behind the glass.

He laughed. “I don’t doubt that from such a beautiful woman.”

“Compliments make me suspicious.”

“Is that right?” he asked, intrigued. “Why?”

“Because in my experience they aren’t handed out for free.”

His lips twisted into a smile that hinted at his motive. “And what is it you think I want in return?”

Raising her brows, her smile turned sly. “I’ll leave my suspicions up to your imagination.”

“You’re a beautiful woman, Tess. I don’t doubt you’ve featured in many men’s imaginations.”

THREE

“THREE!”

The abrupt shout startled both of them. Harry was striding across the patio from the direction of the games room.

“What’s the problem, Hades?” Hugo asked, relaxing in his chair again. “This isn’t the time for business.”

“I have to talk to my daughter,” Harry said when he stopped between them. “Alone. I’m sure you understand.”

“Yes,” Hugo said, enjoying some wine before rising. “I’ll give you privacy.” Before he went, he opened a hand to her. “If you’ll permit me, Tess…” Permit him to what? She wasn’t sure but put her hand on his. Just like inside, he pressed his lips to her fingers. “It’s been a pleasure. I look forward to getting to know you better… much better.”

Without giving Harry another glance, Hugo returned to the house.

Harry didn’t bother to sit down, he just loomed there, forcing her to look up at him. “Tess,” he warned. What exactly was his concern? “You don’t want to get mixed up with him.”

“He’s the first person who’s treated me as more than an inconvenience,” she said.

Citing Daire wasn’t an option. Mentioning him in relation to her would be risky. Her father’s role required him to know people, to read people. Tess didn’t want to venture into murky territory… Though, truth be told, everything between them was murky.

“I don’t have time for games.”

“No, you don’t have time for me,” she said, swallowing the last of her wine and standing up. “A conversation is not a game. Sitting around day in, day out, it’s nice to do more than work on ways to be quiet and stay out of everyone’s way. It’s fine, Harry, really. You stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours.”

It was her intention to go back into the house. After two steps, Harry grabbed her arm to pull her back.

“It’s dangerous,” he said, his volume low. “Loyalties are strained at the moment.”

“And you think he might use me against you?” She inhaled. “For something to be leveraged against someone else, it first has to mean something to that person. Mom is dead. It is what it is. I was wrong about you and me, about what we could be. It’s no big deal. I believed something that wasn’t real…” Casting her gaze to the side, she muttered, “which has been a problem for me before.”

“Tess…”

“It’s fine,” she said, peeling his fingers from her arm. “I came downstairs to say that. I shouldn’t have expected anything from you, and I shouldn’t have confronted you in the way that I did. I appreciate what you and your men are doing. This is the safest place for me right now. I’ll do my best to lie low. That doesn’t mean I can be invisible. I still exist. All you have to do is ignore me. I don’t expect gallantry. I know men. I know what men are interested in… It’s my decision whether I give it or not. I promise, I don’t expect you to swoop in and save me. If he threatens to put a knife in me unless you do something, let him put the knife in me. No guilt. No obligation.”

“Will you talk some sense into her?” Harry snapped at the man approaching behind her.

Tess hadn’t seen him and had been too busy talking to sense her Heart joining them.

“Seems fair to me,” Daire said.

She still hadn’t seen him, which was for the best. Her poker face was lousy, and Harry couldn’t know about their feelings for each other. After witnessing how Daire responded to her one conversation with Hugo, she understood that need even more.

“Ridiculous,” Harry said, spinning around to storm back inside.

She breathed out.

“Not,” Daire said, moving in closer. “The answer is you will not give it.”

Typical that he could put a smile on her face. Her Heart was being completely serious, she knew that, there wasn’t a hint of amusement in his words.

Still, Tess smiled and shook her head. “You’re not very good at this not being together thing.”

“There’s not being together and then there’s not being together.”

She frowned at the pool. His body was so close that all she had to do was breathe out and drop her shoulders to make contact. It was risky. But she was learning Daire wasn’t all that averse to taking chances.

“He doesn’t talk to me like I’m an idiot.”

“Neither do I.”

“Yeah, but you treated me like one,” she said, running her fingers over her hair. On a sigh, she switched focus to the wine still on the table. “If I got really crazy drunk and passed out, would you make sure no one violates me?”

“No one else? Sure.” Another smile quirked her lips. That time, there was amusement. “I’ll carry you upstairs, lock the door behind us, help you out of those uncomfortable clothes… Make sure you’re good and relaxed.”

Her pajamas weren’t uncomfortable… would be easy for him to remove though. “A massage would help me relax.”

“There are some areas that’ll need extended attention.”

“I promise to take care of anything you extend for me.”

Swaying back, she loved his steady, sure form, there to hold her up. They just stood there, appreciating each other in silence, probably for too long.

“How can I miss you when you’re standing with me?” she whispered. “I’m lonely and you’re right here.”

“Harry’s not wrong about Three,” Daire said, more professional than before.

It wasn’t right of her to keep reminding him of their connection when they’d both agreed a relationship was off limits.

“You know I don’t want to be with him.”

“He has an agenda.”

“And I’m no good at being invisible.” Taking one step, she put space between them to turn around. “You’re occupied. This is your life. I’m happy for you that you have it back.”

Sort of. Olympus wasn’t at its glorious peak, but they were on the road toward progress at least.

“But you’re lonely.”

“It’s not your fault. I was spoiled with your attention before I knew who you were. I promised not to be selfish. And I’m working on that… You should thank Hugo for distracting me. If all I have is time to think about you…” she said, narrowing the space between them and changing her angle to snag his pinkie with hers. “I’ll drive you nutty.” She dipped closer to catch his attention when it drifted down. “Remember that see-through babydoll? Do you think I’d look good in it by the pool?”

That got his head to come back up fast. “You even think about it…”

She laughed and twirled around to sashay toward the patio door. “As long as my father’s in the house, you don’t have to worry about me flaunting anything…” Pausing on the threshold, she peeked back at him to whisper, “not outside our bedroom anyway.”

Going inside before he could catch up, she continued to the entry living space where Hugo and her father were with Garrick, Boze, and Lowe.

They all turned to her, so she stopped. “What?”

“Just straightening things out,” Hugo said, coming over. “The guys are transferring your things into the master.”

“Excuse me?”

“Only right that you should have the most sumptuous room in the house.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I like my room.” And the man in it.

“The master is more secure. It’s at the back of the house.”

“The balcony is the largest,” Garrick said. “Are you sure you wouldn’t—”

“Ares will set up proximity detectors,” Harry said. “We have thermal imaging and I’ll have men on it twenty-four seven.”

“I don’t need people watching me twenty-four seven… I do need to shower, you know.”

“There is a private hot tub in the master suite,” Hugo said, linking his fingers between hers. “The men will only monitor outside the room; you have my word.”

He smiled as though to reassure her. From the moment they’d met, she could tell Hugo was confident. That was just fine. Confidence didn’t intimidate her. Danny had confidence in a very up front kind of way. Daire had it too, in a more understated but intense way. Hugo could think he was all any woman could ever want… But he wasn’t enough for her.

“Harry has been sleeping in that room,” she said. “There’s enough space for all of Olympus and then some, I understand.”

“Not enough room for your beauty.” Hugo drew her forward. “Let me show you.”

***

THE SUITE WAS BEYOND anything Tess had slept in before. It was more than a bedroom. With its own living room, bathroom with steam room and shower probably big enough for everyone in the house to share, Tess could get lost in it. The closet space was more than she’d ever be able to use. Outside the room was a glazed walkway that crossed to a platform supporting a grand piano.

Too much space. The corner of the main bedroom was glazed. Pocket doors opened to the huge balcony complete with its own patio furniture. It overlooked the pool and some of the patio beneath. Gorgeous didn’t begin to describe the cavernous space.

After showing her around, Hugo bid her goodnight and left her alone. There weren’t doors at every aperture of the suite. Tess didn’t feel secure. It didn’t matter that the room was grand or opulent. Lying in the middle of the bed, staring up at the ceiling, she waited for sleep.

But it didn’t come.

Daire would visit. Wouldn’t he? Every night it was his responsibility to do a security check of the building. She waited, listening for him, waiting to feel his presence encroach on her.

It didn’t come either.

At some point she must have fallen asleep because she awoke to the sun streaming in. There were no shadows in the master suite. Only sunlight and heat.

Knowing there was little to hurry for, she took her time enjoying the steam of the shower, thinking about which of her designs to get started on that day.

She didn’t expect to walk into the kitchen to find Hugo juicing fruit.

“Good morning,” he said. “What can I get you?”

“Really?” Tess asked, slipping onto one of the stools. “This is a full-service establishment.”

“Sure is,” he said. “I’ll make you whatever you want for breakfast and then we’re going out.”

“Out?” she asked after he put a glass of juice on the bar beside her. “Where are we going?”

“Wherever you want. You’ve been cooped up for too long. This city has a lot to offer, I wouldn’t want you to miss your chance to enjoy it.”

“Sounds great,” she said. “Unfortunately, I’m no match for the Olympus soldiers.”

“Don’t worry about them, sweetheart.”

He was so focused on his juicing that he didn’t see her brow arch. “Sweetheart” after less than a day was more than a little presumptuous.

“I have a feeling that you have something more specific in mind than whatever I want.”

“Well,” he said, grabbing a cloth to wipe his hands then laying them flat on the counter. “No one ever accused me of not knowing how to have a good time.”

“And somehow you cleared this with Hades?”

Harry wouldn’t object out of parental concern. He was a man in charge; one who preferred there be few variables. Her out in the world was a variable. Their encounters the previous day made it clear that her well-being wasn’t as important to Harry as some may assume it would be to a father. Daire approving it, when he dealt with most daily security matters, that was the biggest surprise.

“Okay,” she said, figuring her father would like her to be out from under his feet for a while. “Show me a good time, Hugo Balfour. What’s Vegas got for me?”

FOUR

HUGO DID KNOW HOW TO have a good time. The next two weeks were filled with events and parties in some of the most exclusive corners of the popular town. As was the rule, they were always back at the house before dark.

Each night, as soon as they got home, Tess would soak in her private hot tub or go straight to bed. Keeping up with Hugo wasn’t easy; he’d been raised in the Vegas lifestyle. She was more used to quiet nights in or working her butt off, cash-in-hand, to make sure she and her mom could survive.

Being occupied was better than doing nothing. She didn’t get time to construct any new garments but did talk about her passion with the billionaire.

Whether Hugo listened or not, he appeared engaged, as a consummate host always should. In their conversations, whenever she could sneak it in, she’d ask about Olympus. Learning more would be useful in the long run.

As for Daire, she’d barely seen him. It could be for the best. They couldn’t be together and weren’t so great at maintaining distance when they were in each other’s orbit. Still, with them no longer sharing a room and him training while she was out with Hugo, their paths didn’t often cross.

Each night Hugo took her out for an early dinner, or they’d eat alone in the atrium at the front of the house, overlooking the water garden. Harry wanted her out of the way, and he’d gotten his wish. The Olympus men were embracing the opportunity to reconnect, which would be for the greater good of everyone.

That day they’d gone out for coffee and had a wander through the Bellagio Conservatory until stopping for lunch. It was only a light bite because apparently Hugo had made big plans for dinner. Not that he’d tell her what they were.

The afternoon was rolling on. Hugo was making calls, conducting business for the first time since his return from South America. That left Tess at a loose end.

What were the options? Work? Read? Swim? Donning a bikini and oversized shirt, the last won out. Until she was halfway down the stairs anyway. What she really wanted to do was catch up with the man she missed.

Figuring the opportunity was too good to pass up, she found herself in the garage next to the Airstream. Not long after she and Hugo had returned earlier, Tess had seen the other Olympus guys traipsing downstairs to their training space in the basement. Still, she didn’t know for sure that Daire was inside the Beast. She held her breath and knocked, only breathing out when she got a “yeah” in response.

Wearing a smile, she reached for the handle. That “yeah” had a lot to answer for.

She opened the door and peeked inside; Daire was sitting in the dinette. Music played quietly in the background, keeping him company while he worked. It took a few seconds for him to glance up from whatever he was frowning at.

“You haven’t learned your lesson,” she said. “Your ‘yeah’ brought me into your trailer before… You never got rid of me, remember?”

“You don’t still live here,” he said, returning to whatever he’d been doing.

“Can I come in?”

“Harry’s been sleeping in the room upstairs. I think he’s in the office with Garrick.”

“I’m not looking for Harry,” she said, ascending the stairs even though he hadn’t actually granted her entry. “I’m looking for you.”

“Is there a problem?”

“No… not exactly.” Approaching, she angled her head to get a better look at the plans laid out on the table. When she realized they were building blueprints, she gasped and leaped forward. “Are these the plans for the new Olympus compound? How long until they build it?”

“It’s built,” he said, folding over the sheets to conceal the contents.

She frowned. “But I thought—”

“It’s a shell. We put it up a few years back. There’s more than one site… After losing Olympus A, it was decided there should be other sites set up in case it happened again.”

Which worked out for the best. The beta site might not have been destroyed, but she doubted any of them would trust it while things were so ambiguous among the key players.

“Hugo said it’s not far from here.” Though he hadn’t been explicit in telling her the structure existed. “Have you been there?”

“More than once,” Daire said, picking up his water glass to drink. “What do you need?”

Tess drew a fingertip along the edge of the table. “That’s a loaded question.”

But when she peeked up at him, expecting mischief, she got nothing other than the professional, detached Ares in return.

Daire put his glass on the table. “What do you need?” he asked again, slower and more deliberate in his question.

“I have a security concern,” she said. Daire just waited for her to elaborate. “You don’t include my room in your security sweep.”

“There’s no need,” he said. “With the security tech positioned outside and my guys monitoring the feed at all times, there’s no need for me to—”