To Die for Love E-Book

Scarlett Finn

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

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

The enemy lair is my new home.

Cozy and comfortable it is not.

I do what I’m told… for the most part.

I won’t let them believe I’ve given up.

They need me and I won’t let them forget it.

Everyone is plotting. Scheming. Trying to win.

The future is uncertain. None of us are guaranteed to make it. We’re so far apart and yet I have to trust. I have to believe.

We need an army. A plan. A contingency.

When things go wrong, we have to act on the fly.

Who can we trust?

Who will survive?

Relying on the wrong person could end us all.

I need a guiding light. Hope for a future.

If we don’t have that, our lives are as good as over anyway.

Maybe losing our lives is the only way this ends.


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

Read this steamy romantic suspense series in order for optimum pleasure...

To Die for Truth
To Die for Honor
To Die for Virtue
To Die for Duty
To Die for Love

Leseprobe

Copyright © 2022 Scarlett Finn

Published by Moriona Press 2022

All rights reserved.

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

First published in 2022

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

THIRTY-THREE

THIRTY-FOUR

THIRTY-FIVE

THIRTY-SIX

THIRTY-SEVEN

THIRTY-EIGHT

THIRTY-NINE

FORTY

FORTY-ONE

FORTY-TWO

FORTY-THREE

ONE

THEY WAITED IN that backyard until Harry and Styx were gone with their guys. Ares sent people to check. Funny that he could ever trust the skills of those currently under him. Maybe these mindless mercs had eyes, but they didn’t have brains. Not super-agent brains. Just because they didn’t see Styx and Harry didn’t mean they weren’t there.

A day of driving followed a night of driving. Their three vehicles stayed in convoy the whole time, only pausing long enough to switch drivers and gas up every few hours. The road seemed to go on forever.

She’d made the trip before. Under happier circumstances. Back then, she’d been ignorant of what waited at the coordinates deciphered by that guy at the RV park in Miami. It was just one big ball of string. She’d found the end, started to pull, and it hadn’t stopped coming since.

One of the mercs spoke to their leader in the driver’s seat, “Are we stopping tonight, Stratego?”

The label startled her. Stratego? That was what the men called Harry. Ares, if he was an asshole under Zeus’s control, would probably relish taking his mentor’s title. Daire? Her Heart? Yeah, he’d absolutely despise it.

While undercover as the dutiful Ares, he couldn’t reject the designation. In fact, his position demanded he command respect in that way. Snubbing Harry’s dominion would be an added bonus. As it stood, the situation would be tearing her Heart up inside. Her body ached as her eyes dropped to her knees. She wanted to comfort him, to be there for him, to talk it out. His duplicity robbed them of that chance.

Between the three vehicles, there were enough operatives that they could keep driving in shifts all the way across the country. They didn’t need to stop at all. Being sandwiched between two hulks in the back, she couldn’t relax or close her eyes despite her desperate need for sleep.

“We’ll drive another hour,” Ares said.

“Thank Christ,” the guy on her left said. “I need to get out of this truck.”

The one on the right stretched, pushing his hot, hard, unwelcome thigh against her leg. “Me too. Maybe we can have some fun tonight.”

Revulsion curled her lip. Like the situation wasn’t bad enough already.

The left guy picked up the other’s thread. “A lot of trouble she’s caused,” the guy said. “Don’t get what’s so special myself.”

“Maybe it’s hidden,” the guy on her other side said. “Somewhere deep inside.”

When the fingertips of the guy on her left touched her knee, her disdainful eyes fell to the point of contact.

“Guess we’d have to look inside real hard.”

“Oh yeah, real hard.”

The guy’s digits ascended her leg, pressing harder. “Do you like it real hard inside, sweetheart?”

She’d be quite happy to pound him real hard… in the face. “Something you’ll find out if you don’t take your hand out of my skirt.”

“You know you want it, baby.”

The truck veered hard right, coming to a sudden, lurching stop. While those inside were still trying to figure out what was going on, Daire was already out. His door slammed, then the back opened. The handsy guy was ripped out of his seat, dragged around the trunk, and thrown down the grass verge.

But Daire wasn’t done. Striding down the shallow descent, he grabbed the guy’s shirt and pulled him up just enough to deliver two quick, hard punches. She flinched. Ouch. No less than the guy deserved. Maybe her Heart was a mind reader too. Nothing would surprise her at that point.

Bending lower, Daire grabbed the guy’s jaw, yanking him high to growl something into his face.

The thug next to her unclicked his seatbelt.

She opened a hand to stop him going further. “I wouldn’t,” she said, still watching Daire as he hit the guy again. “Let him get it out of his system.”

“What the hell is—”

“None of you know Ares very well, do you?” she asked, watching him drop the guy and deliver one last kick before turning his back to march up the verge again.

He slammed the back door and grabbed open his own to climb back in, pausing to put his seatbelt on before checking his mirrors and pulling onto the road like nothing happened.

“What the hell was—”

“That’s what you get for not wearing a seatbelt,” she said, answering for him. “Careless.”

Their eyes met in the mirror just for a flicker of a second. Too short. The redness of his knuckles on the steering wheel drove a frisson of arousal through her. Her Heart.

“You’re just gonna leave him there?” the passenger in the front seat asked.

“We no longer require his services,” Daire said.

“But we—”

“You wanna join him?” Daire asked, his eyes cutting to his subordinate.

Didn’t take long for him to shrink back in his seat. The guy next to her quickly fumbled with his seatbelt, connecting it fast.

Her eyes met Daire’s again. If he wanted to keep looking at her like that… Was she supposed to get through the rest of the journey without revealing them? If he kept beating on guys who tried to get it on with her…

Inhaling, she closed her eyes. She couldn’t think about it, or she’d do something real crazy… like undo her own seatbelt to slide up behind his seat and let her hands wander… or she might just climb between the seats and… No, mind blank, she couldn’t think that way.

***

AS STATED AND EXPECTED, they drove for another hour. Probably exactly another hour. Precision was Ares’s style. They stopped at a double-level motel and waited for one of the guys to go for the room keys. She didn’t care. By the time all the checks were done and they let her out of the back, her body screamed. With a hand on her neck, she tried to stretch her stiff muscles and followed the pack into the room.

“Two on the front,” Ares said, pointing at two guys next to each other. “Two on the back. Two and two west and east.”

As he delegated roles all she could think about was a shower. The final stooge to enter carried the last thing she expected to see.

Her carpet bag.

She took a reflexive step toward it but doubted anyone noticed. The guy came over and held it out to her. They were giving it… She was…

Ares was instructing his people, paying no attention to her. Of course he wasn’t, why would he? It didn’t matter that the gesture meant the world to her or that it could only have come from his kindness. She was a prisoner. Angry. Upset. Annoyed. Rebellious prisoner… At least that was her cover.

Holding back her instinct, she went to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Hopefully, the steam would loosen some of her aches, physical and mental. Putting the carpet bag on the vanity, she opened it up, wondering what could be inside.

Her clothes. Toiletries. Damn, she’d actually be able to wear her own underwear instead of Kingsley’s. Eager to get under the spray, she stripped to her bra and panties, only then realizing there were no towels in the bathroom.

Damn. Did that mean she had to go back out there?

Just at that thought, the doorhandle moved, and the door began to open. She gasped in a low breath, only releasing it when Daire revealed himself through the crack. He held a towel through the narrow space. Keeping his distance? Showing respect? Keeping to his cover?

She opened her hand for it without reaching out. He would have to come closer to give it to her. Were they alone? She didn’t know and didn’t want to take any chances.

Yet, he didn’t hesitate, he came in to put the towel in her hand. As she laid it on the vanity, the door closed. Her attention pounced up. He wasn’t gone, he was there. Behind her. The reflection of his eyes locked on hers. What was she supposed to do? Pretend to be offended? If his men were out there, the show had to be good. She needed direction; he was usually good at knowing that. At helping without her needing to ask.

The pulse of her heart soared while vulnerability trembled above it. Her Heart. Goddamnit, her Heart. Hadn’t she lost him? Been torn from his side only to be betrayed by him?

He dropped to his knees, stealing his reflection from hers. His temple met her hip, his forehead, his nose and almost…

Her fingers sank into his hair as her eyes shut. The sensation was so familiar, need threatened to overwhelm her. She couldn’t stay away, couldn’t be distant, and descended to kneel with him, cupping her hands around his face.

“It’s okay,” she whispered against his lips. His eyes were closed, yet his pain bled into her. “Oh, baby, it’s okay.”

“I’m sorry,” he exhaled.

“Me too. Baby…”

He caught her face in both hands, parting them just enough to find her eyes with his. “I had to.”

As her lips quirked a fraction, tears tumbled from her lashes. “I know,” she said.

After a stunned moment, his disbelief became relief. “He told you.”

“Whatever it takes.” Both spoke in muted whispers. She didn’t know the rules but cherished his honesty. “I told you to do whatever it takes.”

“Losing you. Breaking this—”

“Nothing is too broken to fix,” she said, smiling through her tears.

His startled blink preceded a frown. “Little Red…?”

“Yes?” she asked, moistening her lips. Whatever the question, whatever he wanted to know… the answer would always be yes. His lips moved as his attention flitted to hers, what was he thinking? Whatever it was… “Are they watching us?” His head shake was loose, almost absent. “Listening?” Another shake. She pulled his mouth closer to hers. “Forget everything and just be here.”

So far, the line he’d drawn for himself stopped at her mouth. With her new permission, his eyes closed, and their lips met, sinking together like life only existed in their kiss.

It did.

All of her was him. That had never changed. Even when she’d wanted to hate him. When she’d believed his betrayal and doubted his heart…

His splayed hands skimmed down to her ass to pick her up and wind her legs around his hips. They were already so close to the floor that laying her down on the cool vinyl was an easy glide, much like their mouths, their tongues, their wandering hands. Easy was good. It was what she remembered and what had been withheld from them for so long. No Harry. No rules. No deception. Just them uniting in the way that always brought them completion.

Forcing her hands beneath his tee-shirt, she treated herself to the smooth muscles of his back for only a second. Her fingertips wandered to his abs and down to his belt. From their early days, their bodies had been playgrounds for each other, with only minor interruptions along the way.

He caught her arms and stretched them above her head, holding them straight in one sure fist. His kiss slowed as his other hand descended between their bodies. What was taking so long? Was he testing her honesty? Did he doubt she’d go through with it? Maybe he wanted to check if she was testing a theory. Was he sure Styx told her the truth?

Love was real. It was true. It existed so deep within her that there was no end. It slid into the abyss of infinity with every certainty she’d ever possessed.

Until he broke their kiss.

His nostrils flared when he inhaled deep. “No.”

Letting her go, he rolled onto his back, covering his face with both hands.

“No?” He’d never said no. Never put up a fight. Was she supposed to seduce him? She’d never done that… well, never with forethought and effort. Everything between them had always been natural. He’d never said… “No?”

“If you let me back in, I’ll never leave,” he grumbled behind his hands. “Fuck, Temptress… Leaving the first time was…”

“You never left,” she said, laying her head against the center of his torso, right over his heart.

Closing her eyes, she relaxed, listening to the beat she’d thought was gone from her life for good. Though there was a moment of hesitation, his fingertips found her hair to comb it from her temple over and over again.

“We can’t stay like this,” he muttered, his fingers still moving.

“Just another second,” she said, skimming a hand down his tee-shirt to slide it back up underneath. Her palm on his skin, absorbing the texture of him was like a dream. “Your hearts beat differently.”

“Has he been looking after you? Cover or not, I’ll fucking kill him if—”

“You hit him in the face?”

“I did more than that.”

“In D.C.”

“In D.C.? He really did tell you everything… It was punch him or fuck you.”

Smiling, she turned her head over to peek up at him. “For future reference, go with the latter.”

He laid his hand on her hair. “Your father was right there.”

“He’s old. You can take him.”

A whisper of a laugh teased his dimple. “I thought you’d never speak to me again.”

“Why? The greater good is more important than us. I don’t like it but can’t argue against it.” Sitting up, they didn’t have the luxury of submerging themselves in each other. “What do I need to know? When we get there…?”

“We can’t do this,” he said, sitting up to take her hand.

“I figured. Are you going to hit me?”

“What?” he retorted, disgust narrowing his eyes. “No! No, I’m not going to…” He rubbed his forehead. “This is a fucking mistake. There’s no way I’ll be able to… In that lab, when you were…”

She took his hand to hold it on her face. “I didn’t know the truth then. I know the truth now.”

“You are… You don’t understand how strong you are,” he said, exuding nothing but truth. “The way you… You fought for them, not for you. You weren’t even mad at me.”

“I was sad,” she said, nuzzling her cheek against his hand. “All I ever wanted was your happiness. You say I’m strong, but… You walked away, the things you did… You think I judge you for them?” She was overwhelmed. “Putting our relationship on the line… Hades and… your brother…”

“When we figured JARR was more than information gathering…”

She brought his palm around to her lips. “Every life is at stake. That’s bigger than us.”

“Nothing is bigger than us,” he murmured, mesmerized by her. “If I was terrified for your life… in the lab when Styx said…”

Sitting straighter, worry tensed her. “It’s not true. I’m not…”

“I know.” He paused. “I drew your blood… When you were out.”

“It’s okay,” she said, squeezing his hand in both of hers.

“I wasn’t sure I’d even be able to do that, stick you with a needle,” he said. “But when it was me or one of the other guys… I don’t want anyone touching you. Not anyone at Beta.”

Leaning in closer, she wanted him to understand her certainty. “I trust you.”

“You trust me… How can you trust me?”

“In Vegas, when I first saw the Scepter…” Reliving it always sickened her. “I thought Zeus had hurt you. I was sure there was no other way that… Your brother is a good actor.”

“He said what he did so I wouldn’t hurt you,” he said. “In the lab.”

“I know.”

His brow descended. “He had my back there… just like I had his in the shower… when you told him to…”

Emotion simmered so close to the surface that it was impossible not to show him her vulnerable determination. “You freed Harry… You helped us escape.”

“I set it up so he could do it himself.” Of course he had, knowing his mentor would seize the opportunity, even if he didn’t realize it was presented on purpose. “In that shower, with Styx… Baby, how could you—”

“We had a deal. Him and me, we had a deal that…”

“What?” he asked, snatching his hand back, curling his fingers into a tight fist. “You had a deal that what?”

“We still have a deal, but he’s not around, so I need you to make me the same promise.”

Shaking his head, he pounced to his feet, then swooped down to scoop her onto hers. “I won’t hear it.”

“You won’t have a choice,” she said, reaching for him.

He yanked his arm away. “‘I can hurt the man I thought you were and the man you are now with the same act.’” Those had been her words to him in D.C. “I know what that means.”

“Yes,” she said because she couldn’t be anything except resolute. “If it comes to it—”

“I’m not capable,” he said, somehow admitting weakness through his anger. “You can reason it out as much as you want. I might even agree with you in theory, in practice, I won’t be able to do it.”

She stepped closer, lowering her volume further. “I don’t know how to do it by myself there. In that room—”

“You won’t be in that room,” he said. “You’re a guest at Beta, not a prisoner.”

“I’ll be allowed to leave?”

“If you made it out before anyone got to you… yeah.” She didn’t need to ask to know how likely that would be. “But you won’t be pacing in one room. I’ve made sure you’ll be in the quarter block.” Uh… what was that? “It’s where we live, soldiers and officers…” His head dipped to the side. “Certain officers.”

“If you’re about to tell me I’m sleeping anywhere near Zeus—”

“You’ll have your father’s suite,” he said, his fingers drifting across her cheekbone to her hair. “Next to mine.”

“Next to…” she said, nuzzling his touch. “I prefer to be closer.”

His hand dropped. “I will keep you close, baby, but we can’t…”

“I know,” she said on a sigh. “I’ll be good, I promise.”

Another flash of his dimple. “Didn’t know you knew how.”

“Around you? It will be a first.”

He dipped lower, welcoming the rise of her chin. “Trouble is, I want you no matter what you’re doing. I don’t know how to be near you without…”

“Yes, you do,” she said, licking her lips the moment they met his.

The sweet beginnings of their kiss were a silent promise. When he pushed harder, begging more, she eased away. “I’ll do my best to have your back…”

“But?”

She tensed. “Evil or ally, I want you to be happy. Maybe I should’ve hated you, but I never did. If you want something, need me to do anything, I’ll do it. I can resist the little stuff for show…”

“JARR,” he said. “You mean if I ask you to bleed, you will.” He scooped a hand around the back of her head. “You cannot tell Zeus that.”

“I’d prefer not to talk to Zeus at all. We’re hardly bosom buddies, but…” He might be incapable of hurting her, but she was incapable of refusing him. “I love you.”

He sighed and pulled her forward to kiss her head. “I know, baby. I know… I love you too.” The words in her hair offered salvation. Hope. They were the promise of their future. “I’ll figure everything out. Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”

And she didn’t doubt the truth of that. Navigating their new dynamic would be difficult with so many eyes watching, waiting to pick up on hints and clues of duplicity. They’d get through it… together. Somehow.

TWO

BETA.

The first time she’d arrived there, it was ominous in the night. The sensation of just looking at the building in its locale had settled an instinctual loathing deep inside her. The feeling provoked a desire to flee. Back then, she’d been ignorant to so much, what the beta site really was, Olympus, even the true identity of the man in the driving seat. The experience proved humans did still have their primitive ability to recognize evil.

In those early days of her quest, fleeing wasn’t an option. Maybe she’d have tried, backed off for a few days or weeks, but she’d always have wondered. If she’d been alone at least. Danny’s mission, Daire’s mission, to put her in front of her father in Beta’s control room would’ve prevented her retreating. He prevented her retreat.

All those months ago, she’d been ignorant to her father’s identity too, and that he’d be at the end of the journey. Not that their first meeting in the control room was the end. It was just a step on the path she’d started in ignorance. Despite all she’d learned since then, clarity wasn’t any richer.

Approaching the building again in the darkness, driving down the dirt road flanked by towering trees, she knew what was at the end this time. What awaited them.

Yes, there was still fear and, in some ways, ignorance. At least some facts were concrete. Zeus and Poseidon would be there. Also known as Ulysses Sherwood and James Garrick, they were two of the three Olympus leaders. The third being her father who they’d left behind in Miami.

Some of her fear was assuaged by her ally. The secret one. Her Heart. He’d never let anything grave happen to her even if it meant blowing his cover. It wasn’t her own safety that played on her mind, it was the safety of others. Literally every other living being on earth. She didn’t know what JARR would do if it was unleashed. Who would it threaten? Who might it kill? Would it start war or plague or nuclear winter?

In their precious time together in the motel bathroom, she could’ve asked her Heart for information, but wasn’t sure he’d answer. In a selfish way, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Either way, it was on her. Zeus might be the one pulling the strings, but it was her blood that would open the gates of hell, freeing the demons to swarm the earth.

Unlike her first approach, there was more life to the building this time as it came into view. She couldn’t see lights, people, or movement, yet the aura around it was different. No longer stagnant and lifeless, it almost hummed with the intention of its purpose. Funny the structure should seem so optimistic while its replacement was being stocked hundreds of miles away. If only the compound could turn on those inside and deliver justice under the same secret shroud Olympus had cowered under since the loss of the alpha site.

They came to a stop at the gates. Daire, in the driving seat, lowered his window and punched in a code to open them. He’d once told her if the wrong numbers were input, explosives would take any wannabe intruders off the board for good. If they did that, humanity would be spared the horror of what may come. The responsibility would be taken from her door.

Except she didn’t want those in her vicinity to perish. More specifically, her Heart who’d taken such a burden onto his shoulders. Always believing everything was his responsibility, this situation was particularly cruel. Truly, he was the only one with the ability to discover the truth. Zeus trusted him, not out of any innate love or loyalty, more likely out of sheer desperation.

Having been Olympus born and bred, the great Ares was the organization’s best hope for the future. If the principals were wiped from the board, Daire was the only hope of the institution continuing. If they weren’t, Zeus needed Daire to rally the men, to train, to fight, which was definitely a younger, more personable man’s game.

They pulled onto the property and parked. Both rear doors were slammed in her face, so she assumed they wanted her to stay put. Not that she was eager to go inside the building. The men unloaded the kit and supplies, most of which hadn’t seen the light of day throughout their journey.

Only after the directions were delegated did the back door open.

Daire peeked inside. “Come on.”

He stepped back to open the door further. Given the choice, she’d stay in the truck, having no great desire to return to the place she’d been held at gunpoint, betrayed, imprisoned, assaulted, and so much more.

It was her role not to reveal Daire’s true motivation for being there, working for Zeus, so she couldn’t appear too compliant. She dawdled while exiting the vehicle, hooking her carpet bag higher on her forearm to smooth her hair and clothes as the others were piling inside. Some might consider leaving her alone with one man was reckless, that it lacked foresight and underestimated her. But this was the great Ares, she was hardly a match for his skill or awareness.

They went inside, her just in front of him. He guided her with a hand on her upper arm, being far more forceful than her Heart would be. They went toward the back of the space, through a door beneath the stairs that led them up a new flight she didn’t remember from before.

Up those stairs, through another door, swing a right. Leaving wouldn’t be easy in this warren of a vast building. That was probably exactly the point. With their failsafe measures waiting to take out anyone who tried to do Olympus harm, it was another kick that those intruders would be too lost to flee even if they did have time. The short corridor they reached was narrower than the others, the doors spaced further apart.

Kind of like the guy loitering in the middle. Was he waiting for them?

“Pandora,” Ares said behind her, his voice deep and indifferent. “This is Havers, he’ll be your shadow.”

A new person. Had Daire picked him? Why couldn’t she be her Heart’s shadow? The answer to that was he was too important. Too busy being Zeus’s right-hand guy to worry about ferrying her around. Still, her Heart might’ve given her a heads up about this Havers.

“Pandora,” Havers said in greeting.

“Do you have to do that?” she asked, wincing. “Does he have to do that?”

Ares opened the central door. “Yes,” he said, entering the room. “Your fingerprint is in the system.”

“At the lowest security level no doubt,” she said, following him in with Havers at her back.

She expected the same setup as her time imprisoned there. The room was around the same size, but had a desk, couch, and a much wider bed, though it was connected to the wall like last time.

“Closet, restroom,” Ares said, pointing to the opening in the opposite wall. “Everything’s been provided.”

“Except freedom,” she muttered.

“Havers,” Ares said before starting toward the door again.

Hit with a sudden panic, she opened her mouth ready to appeal to him. What could she say? Nothing. He was supposed to be the bastard who’d betrayed her. How could she call out to him for reassurance? Watching him go without another word, she feared when she may, or may not, see him again.

“We work to a strict routine around here,” Havers said.

He didn’t seem as letchy as the guys in the back of the truck. Young, he did have an obvious air of military discipline around him. Was that from his history or had Olympus drummed it into him already?

“How long have you stayed here?” she asked.

With a blink of surprise, his expression faltered. “Uh, we… uh… We start the day with a run, outside, sometimes it’s grueling.”

“Yeah, I won’t be running,” she said. “Just wake me up in time for coffee.”

“You… have to come with us.”

“No, I don’t,” she said, smiling as she took her carpet bag over to the bed. “Can I assume these are fresh sheets?”

“Yes.”

“This is a nice room,” she said. “Nicer than the last time I was here. I don’t remember you. Were you around then?”

“I’m not really… supposed to answer questions.”

She liked him. In the same kind of cute way she liked Zip and Milo. Her smile faltered. Were they in the building? “I want to see the others. The other prisoners.”

“I can request—”

“Thank you.

“But I don’t know if they’ll allow—”

“Let’s not say ‘they.’ Let’s say what we mean. Zeus. You don’t know if Zeus will allow me to see them. Probably not. He’s sick like that.” She looked at him. “Have you figured out the guy you’re working for is a depraved individual so caught up in his own hubris that he can’t see straight?”

“I…”

Man, her Heart had picked the right guard. Throwing him off-balance was easy, he was completely unthreatening. It wouldn’t be difficult to broker an alliance with him. To worm her way in enough that he might think twice about pulling the trigger if the moment, or Zeus, called for it.

“What’s your first name?”

“We go by our last names.”

“I know,” she said, sitting on the bed. “Doesn’t mean we can’t get to know each other. As you’ve probably figured out, I’m not Olympus.” Shaking her hair from her face, she tipped her head back. “What do you know about me?”

“You’re Pandora.”

“And?”

“You’re not to be trusted.”

She laughed. “Oh, someone’s a comedian. Who told you that? Zeus? Ares?”

“Everyone,” he said, his expression hardening. “You have an ulterior motive.”

“Yeah, uh huh.” She played along while mocking the whole concept. “Yeah, I want to live. Ridiculous of me, right?” She exhaled. “You know, I feel sorry for you. Olympus it… I bet you were sold on the greater good too. Your country needs you. It’s bullshit, Havers. And it always will be while Zeus sits at the top.”

“You don’t know—”

“What?” she asked, resting the heels of her hands on the bed behind her. “I don’t know Zeus? He had me kidnapped and dragged across an ocean. I lived with him for weeks. I know Zeus. Or is it Ares? You think I don’t know him?” Her snicker was ironic. “Believe me when I say, I know every intimate secret about the man you work under… ‘cause I did the same thing for too long.”

Deliberately leaving that ambiguous, she didn’t mind if the operative thought she’d once been an agent herself. And if he took it the other way, well, it was the truth. She’d been under Daire plenty and would take the role again in a snap if offered.

Would she have to show her Heart resentment and hatred if they were in the same space? That wouldn’t be easy. What would she gain by being bitter even if he was the lying betrayer for real? All that would achieve was showing everyone he could get to her, that he was still her weak point. Maybe just keeping things casual and indifferent would be the better way to go.

“I know Olympus way better than I ever wanted to,” she said. “You probably have questions… that others haven’t answered for you.”

His shoulders went back. “My loyalty is to Olympus. To Zeus.”

Curiosity tilted her head. “Have you ever had one on one time with him?” she asked and received no response. “Have you ever even met him?” When Havers didn’t reply again, she laughed. “Wow, he’s the man behind the curtain… I suppose it’s a reprieve for you and for him. Maybe he’s finally figured out that he’s just not a people person.”

“At Olympus, we work as a team.”

Yeah, right, Zeus didn’t know the meaning of the word. Dictatorship. Yeah, he knew what that word meant. Repression. Persecution. These were much more familiar to him.

“Word to the wise…” Boosting herself off the bed, she snagged her bag. “I might despise him and everything he stands for, but if you want to pledge your allegiance to something, pledge it to Ares. He, at least, won’t leave you in the dust for scraps. Zeus is an egomaniac who believes the world exists only to cater to his desires. Spread the word, he’ll desert you all. You mean nothing to him.”

Wandering in the direction of the bathroom, she was ready to wash off the day.

“Pandora—”

“I’ll pass on the run,” she said, pausing in the closet doorway. “Just wake me when the coffee’s ready.”

Havers was new. To Olympus and to her. If Harry was at the top, if Daire was, maybe the kid would have a chance of fighting for what he believed in. So long as he worked under Zeus, he’d be a puppet, and an expendable one at that.

THREE

DAY EIGHT

It’s weird that I’ve never written a journal before. Okay, maybe not so weird. Mom would never have allowed it. Maybe I’d have been allowed to write only to watch her burn every entry as soon as it was done.

I miss her.

I know I should be conscious of leaving evidence, of admitting weakness, of confessing life is anything less than ideal. But I don’t think it’s any secret I didn’t choose to be here. Secrets were important when we were running from the clutches of Olympus. Given that I now live here, yeah, secrets are less important.

Day eight and still going strong, which I completely put down to the fact I haven’t seen Zeus. I hadn’t given much thought to seeing him again, but knowing him, I would’ve expected he’d want to boast about his own magnificence. Guess the loss of his precious Six showed him that there were those willing to stand up to his tyranny.

With Six in his camp, Zeus would’ve always known if anyone was trying to creep up behind him. Now he’s lost that safety net. Ha! Excuse me if I’m not weeping for him. Serves the bastard right.

Sure, okay, let’s be honest, he has Ares at his back. His new number two would always see a threat coming. As to whether or not he’d alert the boss…? Who knows? His loyalty seems fluid.

So much has changed since the Exodus. It’s actually been something of a blessing to have this time to stop and reflect. No, I’d never tell Zeus that… I probably wouldn’t tell Hades either. For months, I’ve been pushed and pulled from here to there. Something’s always been going on, there’s always been a goal or a threat driving my purpose.

No one wants to kill me here. No, let me rephrase, no one will kill me here. I’d put money on Zeus’s greatest fantasy being sticking a knife in my gut. But he needs me. Probably another reason I haven’t seen him. He won’t want to admit it. Won’t want to see me smile as I taunt him… I have to stop, I know. Anyone could read these words any time. Again, it’s no big secret that I’m not a fan of the asshole. If I was to suddenly begin pouring praise onto Zeus, no one would believe it. I wouldn’t believe it.

Havers seems to be getting used to me. That’s something. He’s stopped trying to get me up to run outside in the great beyond with him and the other men every morning. The guy must be one helluvan optimist. Me? Run? My whole life has been dedicated to swerving the threats behind me. He hasn’t figured out yet that I’m actually doing him a favor.

Anyone who knows me would never ask me to get up early and actually keep up with the pack. I’d slow them down. I’d ask questions. I’d rest. Styx couldn’t handle it when we were running for our lives. My father thinks dawdle is my default, which, okay, yeah, maybe I should give him that.

Is it weird that I miss them? Staying put here might give me time to reflect, but it also leaves time for worry. They’re out there. Capable, yes, I know, but if something was to happen… Would they tell me? Would Ares show enough respect to—

“Pandora!”

Looking up from the notebook propped on her raised knees, she saw the men were dispersing from the gym mats in the middle of the large space.

They spent a lot of time working out. When they weren’t working out, they were training, learning, always doing something.

“What?” she asked the scowling guy in the middle of the pack. “Don’t bark at me like that if you don’t expect me to bark back.”

The guys around paused, bracing to see how the barker would respond. The growling expression he wore suggested he wasn’t the most patient guy. Let him come over and give her grief, she’d love to see how that played out.

The moment was broken by the doors opening.

Ares came striding inside, but almost immediately paused, assessing the mood of the room. “What’s going on?”

“She’s being difficult,” the barker snapped.

Her mouth fell open. “I’m sitting here minding my own damn business. Who the hell do you think—”

“Enough,” Ares said, impatient. Was that meant for her or the idiot with a chip on his shoulder? “All of you hit the shower then get out back.”

The men muttered at each other as they filtered toward the door. When Havers got the nod to leave too, it took her a second to figure out Ares was the only one staying behind.

“These guys are amateurs,” she said as the last of them departed. “Can I see the real power behind Olympus yet? H’s people?”

“What do you hope to achieve?” he asked, coming over. “You can’t do anything for them.”

“I can tell them they’re not alone,” she said. “Not knowing is worse than knowing.”

He offered her a hand. While suspicion narrowed her eyes, she closed the notepad and slid the pen into the spine to put her hand in his.

With little effort on her part, he pulled her to her feet, jerking her so close that her body bumped his.

“Classic Tess logic.”

Hearing her name was odd. “No one around here uses my name.”

“That’s because they don’t know it.”

“Good. Especially that last guy. What the hell is wrong with him?”

“Daniels?”

“I don’t learn their names,” she said.

“Because?”

Licking her lips, she wasn’t shy about telling the truth. “Because I met a group of people once. Good people. I learned their names. Got to know them. And wouldn’t you know they went and got themselves kidnapped. So now they’re being held against their will, kind of like I am, and there’s a huge chance none of us make it out of this alive. That, my former friend, is what they call learning from experience.”

“Former friend,” he muttered, his gaze dropping to her mouth.

They hadn’t been alone. Not completely. Not since the motel. Being there in Beta, she couldn’t take the chance of anyone overhearing or spying. They may not be alone. In Beta, she never assumed privacy was guaranteed.

Stepping back, she smacked his arm with her notebook, startling him from whatever was going on in his head.

“You make me watch your people fight each other every day. Doesn’t look that hard, you know.”

“No?” he asked, a semi-smile quirking his lips for a brief second. “Show me.”

He bent down to unlace his boots. Now it was her turn to be taken aback.

“Show you?”

“Yeah,” he said, removing his boots and socks to back up onto the mat. “Come on.”

“Oh, you think I’m lying?”

“I think you’re weak,” he said, with enough of a glint in his eye that she could read his playful taunting. “Bring it, Pandora.”

Tossing her notebook to the floor, she toed off her shoes. She’d started it and wasn’t known for backing down, so she marched across to join him in the middle of the mat. Keeping her balance on the soft surface wasn’t easy.

“Widen your stance,” he said, gesturing at her legs. “Open up.”

“Okay, well, you can’t say stuff like that.”

Another glimpse of his smile. “Don’t lock your knees. Eye contact is always first.”

“Usually, if someone’s trying to kick my ass, I don’t stop to gaze at them.”

“Okay, then come at me.”

She raised an arm but paused. “You’re not packing tranquilizers, are you? That seems to be Olympus’s assault of choice.”

He opened his hands in surrender. “No drugs. No weapons.”

“And you do remember that I’m important…” He frowned. “To Olympus. I mean you can’t actually kill me because my blood is—”

“Shit.”

He grabbed her arm, yanked her forward and swept his leg in an arc to take hers out from under her. With a whoop, she landed on her back with him coming down on top of her.

“I wasn’t ready,” she panted, her heart rate climbing.

“Your weapon would be talking your attacker to death,” he said without hiding his smile this time.

Was she…? Oh, damn, it felt good. To be under him again. He was thinking it too. The yearning in his gaze stole his smile as it drifted down to the mouth he’d tasted so often.

“Daire,” she whispered, snaring his eyes again. The line between his brows deepened. He wanted to respond. Wanted to be them just as much as she did. If one of them didn’t break, they’d lay there all day… or worse. “Up!” Smacking his shoulders, she played the affronted victim as best she could. “Goddamnit, get off me!”

Holding onto her, he pounced to a crouch, putting her on her feet as he stood, the rough act more Ares than Daire. Maybe he needed to remind himself.

“You want to speak to your father?”

She’d been working up a lather. Ready to make a show of berating him for taking advantage. The moment his words sank in, that steam depressurized.

“Yes,” she said, actually stepping closer. “Yes. Please.”

His side-nod indicated the exit, but he went first, leading her through various corridors until they reached a small room with a fixed desk. Small was accurate, it couldn’t be more than six feet square. Painted light blue with a single light on the ceiling and no windows.

She squeezed around him to sit on the static stool and picked up the corded handset that was affixed to the wall in front of her. Apparently, she wasn’t a prisoner, but it sure felt like prison.

The door closed. Ares was gone.

FOUR

THIS WOULD BE THE FIRST TIME they’d spoken since Miami. Over and over, she’d asked to speak to her father and Styx. Every time she’d been ignored or denied.

She took a breath before raising the phone to her ear. “Dad?”

“Light-Sprite?”

Harry.

Relieved tears pricked her eyes. “Are you okay? Where are you?”

“Don’t worry about us. How are they treating you? If anyone’s laid a finger on you—”

“No! No, Dad, I’m fine. It’s more boring than traumatic. They’ve given me your quarters; I’m trying to keep them neat for you.”

“That I’d need to see to believe,” her father said, a warm almost laugh in his voice. “You won’t have to be there much longer.”

Was that a comfort? If they were setting up Gamma, as she believed was the plan, they could take as long as they wanted doing the job. But what was at the end of that journey? What would happen next? A consolidation of everyone would lead them back to exactly where they’d been before. With Zeus eager to extract JARR, there had to be something else, a plan she wasn’t aware of. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d been kept in the dark.

“Is he harassing you?” Harry asked. “There are forms of torture other than physical.”

“I know.” Which he was her father referring to, Zeus or Ares? “I have a shadow who keeps his eyes on me, but I am allowed to move around the building. I mainly stick with the men.”

“Our men?”

“No, the new ones,” she said. “I haven’t learned their names. Where’s Styx? Is he okay? Are you driving each other crazy?”

“No more than usual. We haven’t forgotten about you.”

“I haven’t forgotten you either. Your life probably got much easier when I was taken out of the equation.”

“We’ll get through this, Light-Sprite.”

Being father to a daughter hadn’t come natural to him. Their relationship had endured its bumps… so far. Maybe they’d hit them again in the future, but her father had proved he’d be there for her if and when she needed him. He could’ve abandoned her rather than save her. Could’ve left her behind instead of taking her along.

Maybe it was for JARR. Although she wanted to discount that completely, experience taught her to be aware of any possible outcome. Sometimes the people she thought cared about her were actually prioritizing other things.

Of course, Daire came to mind. The last double-cross had been part of a larger plan, but it still stung. Some mornings she woke up grieving him and had to remind herself that he hadn’t actually used her to further Zeus’s nefarious agenda. Not for real.

“I need—”

“Lady?”

Oh, God, it was Styx.

Clinging to the mouthpiece, she clutched the phone closer. “Hi, Prince.”

“You better be keeping your head down.”

“Does that sound like me?”

“No,” he said. “You’d get in trouble there even if you were completely by yourself. How are the teamsters doing?”

She guessed that meant their cohorts. “They won’t let me see them. I’ve asked. I keep asking, but they won’t let me… Do you think that’s bad? That they’ve been hurt?”

“Take no news as good news. We can’t fix a problem we don’t know exists. Most of them are smart enough to keep themselves in line… only one or two who might not.”

“And what about them? It’s not easy to be locked up and powerless, you know that.”

“They’re not powerless, they’ve got us. They’re holding onto that, and you need to as well. This part, the waiting, it’s tough. Remember what I told you about waiting?”

That most of their game was waiting for something to change. “Yes.”

“Hold onto it. Stay alert. Stand ready.”

“For anything?”

“Hey, you never know,” he said. “Luck is always on your side, Lady.”

“I’m not the one out there…”

Anything could go wrong at any second. And Zeus wasn’t to be trusted. He could circumvent Daire completely and send someone out to take down Harry and Styx.

“Worrying achieves nothing. Keep that chin up.”

She opened her mouth to respond, but a click on the line silenced her for a second. “Hello?” she asked. “Styx, are you—”

Behind her, the door opened, so she swung around.

Ares was gesturing her out. “That’s it.”

“Was that you?” she demanded, throwing the phone to the desk, surging to her feet. “Did you disconnect me?”

“Everyone got what they needed.”

“No, they didn’t. I didn’t! What was the rush? Not like I’ve got a full day. You can’t just—” He grabbed her arm to pull her into the corridor. “Let me go! Stop!” Pulling back, she at least got his attention. “I wasn’t finished!”

“If you act like this, we won’t let you talk to them again.”

“Who the hell do you think you are?” she asked, angry tears blurring her eyes. “What gives you the goddamn right to—I thought I wasn’t a prisoner. I thought I was to be treated as a guest.” Her chest tightened. “You can’t just cut me off from the people I care about! You can’t just decide to…” The pain in her chest grew as her lungs shrank. Gasping in one breath and then another, she couldn’t seem to fill them. “This isn’t right.” Another gasp. “You can’t just— you can’t—”

“Breathe,” he said, grabbing her again, only this time he planted her back on the wall.

“What’s…” Her throat screamed in stinging agony. “I… I…”

“Look at me,” he said, guiding her to the floor when her legs buckled. “Breathe out, all the way out, slow… Tess! Look at me!” He grabbed her chin, forcing her eyes to his. Tears dropped from her lashes when she blinked, clearing her vision enough to read his gaze. “That’s it…” He blew out a breath. “Slow it down. In…”

He breathed in and out.

Mimicking him wasn’t easy. “I… I can’t…”

The pain in her throat eased a little.

“Yes, you can,” he said, smoothing the hair from her face as he continued his measured breaths. “You can do it. You can do anything, baby.”

Pulling in another breath, it was easier to calm herself while looking into him. They were in Beta, probably being watched, anyone could walk by any second. This wasn’t right. She wanted to see her Heart, to lean into him and gather strength from his courage.

Her eyes closed. “I can’t do this.”

Breathing was one thing, but what did it matter. Whether she lived or died, everything was out of her control. No one was who they said they were. Loyalties were confused and inverted. The whole world was topsy-turvy.

“Come here,” he said, pulling her onto her feet.

He kept one of her hands as he walked down the corridor, leading her wherever he was going. “I don’t want to go to that lab again,” she said, pulling back.

“We’re not going there,” he said, tightening his grip. “I’m taking you somewhere else.”

“Where?” she asked, following as he went into a stairwell, though it wasn’t easy to maintain the pace with her head still spinning.

“Wait and see.”

That hadn’t always worked out in her favor. She trusted Daire. Had to. But he wasn’t himself there. If this was the time he chose to put her in front of Zeus, she’d seriously question his—

He burst through a door at the bottom of the stairs. Before she registered light, air hit her. Fresh air. Outside. Freedom.

Letting him go, she rushed past him, eyes closed, just breathing it in. The concrete beneath her feet and the obstructing perimeter wall detracted from the illusion. From the hope that there really could be a world beyond this confinement.

Weight lifted from her chest. “Oh, God,” she exhaled.

“Better?”

Spinning around, she rushed to him until their bodies met, taking both his hands in hers. “Let’s get out of here.”

Concern touched his brow. “What?”

“Let’s just go,” she said, tipping her face to the sky. “Let’s get the hell out of here for an hour.”

His fingers did stay in hers, but she had to open her eyes to judge his reaction. He looked to the side, his jaw moving like he might be considering it.

“Fuck,” he said, but strode off, pulling her with him.

The smile she wore was the brightest it had been in weeks. They rounded one corner to a fleet of vehicles just lined up waiting. Daire took her to the third in the line, lifted her into the passenger seat, and got in the driver’s side.

Somehow, he started the engine and then they were driving. Right up to the gate. Out without any hitches. No one stopped them. No one asked questions. They were just… free.

Exhaling a single laugh, she couldn’t believe liberty was so simple.

“Breathe easier?” he asked once they were shrouded by the trees.

“Yes,” she said, her smile becoming a grin. “Much.”

“Good,” he said and stopped the truck right there in the middle of the road.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. One second,” he said and jumped out.

She tracked him going around to the back of the truck, then he disappeared. Looking this way and that, she wasn’t sure where to expect he’d reappear. Whatever he was doing didn’t take long. Within seconds, he was coming back, jumping into the driving seat again.

They were moving before he looked her way.

Her brows rose in question. “What was that?”

“Disabled the tracker.”

The corner of her lips responded. “Will you get in trouble for that?”

“The only one above me in the hierarchy these days is Zeus,” he said. “You think he checks the tracker logs?”

That sounded more like an Ares job than a Zeus one.

“If he doesn’t check, what does it matter if the tracker works? What are you protecting?”

“You’ll see.”

What did that mean? She wasn’t sure but could see the smile that flirted with his lips. It was too much to hope they were making a break for it. Though, they could, and pick up Harry and Styx on the way south of the border.