“YOU OKAY?”
Styx’s question snagged her focus. “Yeah,” Tess said, clearing her throat, hoping her trance hadn’t piqued his curiosity. “So what have we figured out? Zeus is up to something.”
“That we already knew. Putting Olympus back together is his end goal, I believe that. But there’s something we don’t know. With him, always assume there’s something you don’t know.”
“We can’t let Daire and the guys put the gamma site together for Zeus’s convenience.”
He mused. “Yeah, but we can’t tell Ares to drag his heels either.”
That idea perked her up. “Why not?”
“Why not what? Ask Ares to drag his heels? ‘Cause, for starters, Hades would know it. Ares always makes progress, significant progress. If he came back to say something was taking longer or that they got nothing done, Hades would be suspicious.”
“And we don’t believe Daire could handle that?”
“He can handle anything, but I don’t think he’ll compromise his objective for no reason.”
“We’ll give him a reason,” she said, optimistic for the first time. “I’ll write to him. Tell him to slow progress at Gamma… that we think Zeus is up to something and need time to figure it out… If you have a phone, we can call him.”
That possibility occurred to her with alarming frequency. If she had a number or guarantee he’d be the one to pick up, she’d have called him a dozen times already. Even if she got away with asking for Daire, whoever picked up would want to know who she was, either by interrogating her or pestering Daire.
“You could call him,” Styx said. “There is no we, remember? But a call is too risky. Chances are all lines are being monitored anyway.”
Which reminded her of something else. “After the call on the first night, Zeus said something about waiting for reports of how things were going from the other side of the ocean.”
“Someone’s spying for him,” he said, tipping his head in a side nod. “That’s something Daire should know.”
“I told him already,” she said. “But who do you think it could be? And why? Zeus is pushing this allies thing and wants Olympus back on, should he be spying on his own people?”
“They’re not his yet,” Styx said, distracted. “Everyone’s wary. It’ll be a powder keg… I wonder…”
He pounced up off the bed and went back to his bag on the desk. After rummaging around, he turned, balancing something that looked like a small, chunky laptop on his forearm.
“What is that?” she asked.
He came over to sit on the edge of the bed. “Everyone’s asleep.”
Shifting onto her knees, she rose to look over his shoulder at the screen and gasped at the sight. It was Vegas. Inside Three’s house. The screen flicked to a different image, one of the back patio. Darkness occupied the sky, though lights from The Strip glowed in the back corner. The pool lights were off, but the inset lights illuminated the patio.
“Oh my God,” she whispered, grabbing his shoulder to pull herself closer. “How are you doing that?”
“I’m tapped into their security feed,” he muttered. “My brother is thorough, so I’ve got a good view of almost everywhere… How do you feel about waking them up?”
“Waking them…”
There was no keyboard on his gadget, just a smooth surface on the lower half with vague lights that seemed to indicate buttons. He double tapped one and a low but harsh static sound echoed from within the image. It ended in a sharper whine that faded out after just a second.
Styx twisted his arm to press a button on the side of his watch, making it beep. “Any more than thirty seconds and you’re doing laps, boy,” he mumbled, amused.
“What are you doing? How did you do that?”
Styx pressed another light and the whole lower section of the device morphed to a new set of lit buttons, arrows. The Beast appeared on the screen in night vision. Pushing away from his shoulder, she rose higher on her knees. There was a camera in the garage. Of course there was, Daire would want to know who was standing outside his place.
The Beast’s door opened and there he was. Her Heart. Her fingers rose to her lips. He was right there. Right there.
On an inhale, she dropped her hands to Styx’s shoulders again. “Can he hear us? Is there audio?”
“Hear us?” Styx asked, angling his chin toward her as he scrolled through the various video feeds, following Daire’s progress to the basement. “Why would we want him to hear us?”
As Daire entered the basement and turned on all the lights, the image switched from night vision to color. The Olympus operatives leaped from their beds onto their feet. Daire had his back to the camera and no matter how she strained, she couldn’t hear anything. Whatever he said, the agents got their orders and grabbed clothes to pull on as they filtered out of the basement.
“What are they doing?” she asked, resting more of her weight on him.
What she really wanted to do was press herself up against that screen. The man on it wasn’t the severe one who joined Zeus’s meetings. That was Daire. Tough, efficient, thorough Daire.
“Bug sweep,” he said. “I still have equipment stashed at my SP.”
“SP?”
“Satellite post,” he said. “A temporary base.”
“Where is yours?”
“Opposite Three’s place, one of the homes just went into foreclosure. It’s empty. I’ve setup in a helluva lot worse.”
“What if someone finds your kit?”
“Not a big deal,” he said. “I can destroy everything sensitive in seconds from here, but I didn’t leave it lying around. I stashed it. That conduit patches me into their base. Let’s me know what’s going on.”
He put the laptop thing on the bed and headed for the bag again.
She grabbed up the device, transfixed by Daire inspecting the basement. “I can’t believe you did that… How did you do that?”
“Sent a feedback flare,” he said. “Suggests to Daire some unauthorized tech could be lying around.”
The image of her man in his black tee-shirt and sweatpants crouching, reaching to check every corner and crevice was mesmerizing. “You think something is listening in, not someone.”
“I’m a glass half-full kinda guy,” he said. “I’d rather assume we’ve been betrayed by Zeus or an outsider than kill one of our guys by mistake.”
“Kill?” she asked, licking her lips when Daire paused to glance around.
There was something in his eye, a glint of curiosity, suspicion. She smiled. When he was watching her, she could feel him. Could it be that he felt her eyes even through the camera?
“If they’re reporting back to Zeus, spying for him, then yeah, kill,” Styx said. “I don’t care who he is.”
Daire stepped out of the corner, his astute eyes still scanning the room. Something wasn’t right, he could feel it. For her, in contrast, something was very right. Thrilled to be getting unexpected time with him, every second was precious. A world apart, they were existing in the same minute… he just didn’t know it.
“How do I change the camera?” she asked.
“Touch the arrows left and right.”
Again, he sounded distracted, but she was distracted too and didn’t think much about it. Tracking through the camera feeds, she found Daire striding across the lower floor, then ascending the stairs. He wasn’t wearing anything under those sweats… Damn, what a tease.
“Why isn’t Harry up?”
“He will be,” Styx answered. “He’ll wait for Ares to report to him. There are no cameras in the master.”
Harry had moved back into the master suite? They obviously didn’t expect her back anytime soon.
When the suite was hers, she’d been assured no one would watch her on camera. Now knowing that was true, Daire’s refusal to include her in his security sweep became more frustrating. They could’ve done anything they wanted; no one would’ve known.
On the screen, Daire disappeared into the master to talk to his superior.
“Damnit,” she breathed.
Having him snatched away was frustrating. She shouldn’t be cursing for losing her view, she wasn’t supposed to be thinking of alone time with him. Daire belonged to Olympus, not to her.
Styx came back over. “What is it?”
She turned the screen to him. “He disappeared.”
With a smile, Styx took the device. “We don’t have to supervise. Ares knows what he’s doing. After a feedback flare, he’ll check every corner. If there’s a bug, he’ll find it. Could take all day. He won’t let up until he figures out the cause.”
Fingers crossed he found a bug. Otherwise, he’d drive himself insane wondering about a noise they’d caused from the other side of the Atlantic.
“If you can tap into the system, why can’t someone else?”
“I’m only in because I accessed their main terminal and looped my system in. This signal is piggybacking from my own network across the street from theirs.”
“How did you access their main terminal?”
“Covertly,” he said, taking the device to put it on the desk by his gun. “I went in while the troops were out. Daire used to have the guys monitoring it twenty-four seven. After you and Three left the country, it became low priority. He could take it down anytime.”
Because it had been put up for her security. Dismantling the system would make sense. It could be exploited, like Styx was proving. The delay made her wonder. Was Daire leaving it in place because he expected her back soon or was that just his hope?
“Harry thought Daire was working with Zeus,” she said. “Apparently that’s what Zeus told him on the day of the Exodus.”
Styx’s burst of laughter startled her. “And you’re thinking maybe Daire’s the mole? Could be. My brother sure loves Olympus that much. But if it’s him, and you’re feeding him intelligence, you’re compromised. Zeus will know you can’t be trusted.”
Was it possible that Daire was playing her? Possible? Yes. Anything was possible. She did have her moments of doubt. Given the way their relationship started, it would be insane not to consider all eventualities. But his love… She had faith in that. Maybe it was stupid of her, naïve, foolish. Maybe. Except it was impossible to ignore how loving her, wanting her, caused problems for him.
Without feelings he could disregard her. Wouldn’t have to worry about security systems or betraying Harry. He didn’t need her providing intel for Zeus either. Talk about the long way round for a shortcut. Her putting information on paper and mailing it took days. It would be quicker for Zeus just to torture her.
“I don’t think Zeus trusts me anyway,” she said. “He’d be crazy to.”
“Not like you and Hades are close. You can’t have known each other long.”
“Neither have you and I,” she said, offering a smile when he came to sit next to her again. “Harry and me haven’t… it’s difficult between us, so you’re not wrong. I wouldn’t blindly follow him any more than I’d follow Zeus. Though I should say Zeus is a few points behind. He did arrange to have me transported across the ocean for his convenience.”
“Yeah, that was a bold move.”
“Maybe not for a guy with a God complex.”
“Is he capable of trying to recruit Ares?” Styx asked, shifting up the bed to lean on the headboard. “Yes. There is nothing wrong with Zeus’s ego. But why is he staying here? Why so far away? If he was closer, he’d have a better overview of Gamma. He’d make sure things were done his way, that nothing was sabotaged.”
“He’d also be an easier target though, right?”
“If he’d turned Ares?” he asked, his brows rising. “No. Whoever Ares is playing for when Minotaur is extracted, wins. Simple as that. Ares and Zeus together at beta means game over.”
“Z’s score on recruitment isn’t that hot. He’s killed all five of Harry’s guys that approached him since the Exodus.”
Another frown crept onto his face. “Something they shouldn’t be doing without H’s say so.”
“You think he gave the mission to others?”
“H brought Zulu to me first. Before anyone else. To temper reactions, we decided to loop the guys in one at a time. Sure, some of them had their own gripes with him, but they shouldn’t do anything without H’s say so. They might work off an order from Ares, but if Zeus is spreading the word they’re working together, orders from him could be viewed as a test.”
“If they were working together, Daire wouldn’t want Zeus dead,” she said. “And Daire took me to Harry. He could’ve brought me here to Zeus, but he didn’t.”
“Are we absolving my brother?”
“I didn’t think he was feeding Zeus information.”
“He’d be more likely to just do the killing and get it over with than waste time tracking the guys down to put them in harm’s way. My brother loves Olympus, but there’s no love lost between him and Zeus. He wouldn’t think twice about taking him down if that was what he’d decided needed to happen.”
Thinking of Daire’s relationship with the head of Olympus reminded her of what had happened the previous night. “On the call,” she said, twisting to bring her knees up onto the bed. “Daire said something in some language I didn’t know… Something weird went between him and Zeus, I don’t know what it was. I don’t think anyone else understood it.”
“A secret signal?”
She shook her head. “They weren’t covert about it, and it felt… sinister. It wasn’t a happy exchange.”
“I don’t know,” Styx said on a shrug. “I lost track of how many languages Ares speaks, he was in lessons daily, talking to locals, from childhood… There are some languages only he and one other in the Olympus ranks know. I think it’s Greek for him and Zeus, they use the ancient grammar and syntax, I don’t know. He and Poseidon use Latin sometimes… He’d do it to piss me off. I wouldn’t even try to translate for you.”
It didn’t matter, Tess couldn’t repeat what had been said anyway. “It was more the energy of it that worried me. Zeus accepted it, whatever it was, like it was a challenge or something.”
“There are many weird and wonderful ways of Olympus. Ares is the encyclopedia; you’d have to ask him.” Whenever she next saw him, which could be in twenty years. Styx stood up. “I’m gonna get some food and then we’ll try to figure out what Zeus wants from you… Work for you?” She nodded. “Don’t let anyone in.”
He departed.
The last time she’d been left alone in a hotel room Albany appeared and shot her. Happy memories… or not so happy.
Styx was the kind of guy who’d have booby traps set for snoopers. It could be that he had secret cameras set up too. Other than her coffee cup and the bed, there was only one other thing in the room she’d been allowed to touch.
Going to sit at the desk, she turned Styx’s device toward herself. She called it a device because it was nothing like the computers at the drop-in learning place.
Easing the screen up, she waited for it to flash on and then pressed the arrows until she found the feed of Daire. In the living room, he ran his fingers along the top of pictures, examining everything he touched.
For the first time, they were alone. Her fingertips grazed the screen. Without witnesses, touching was allowed… Not that it was the same as feeling his heat beneath her skin… or above it.
Although tempted to press buttons to hunt for audio, she didn’t dare. There was a better than likely chance she’d delete the mesmerizing images. She couldn’t risk breaking the fragile link.
The room he searched was the same one they’d been reunited in after her run in with Albany. Her lips began to move, without making a sound, she recited the lyrics of her Danny’s seduction song … Her Daire.
Longing for him wasn’t enough. It would never be enough. Admitting they were over wasn’t easy even with half the planet between them. How would they do it when they were side by side? Face to face. Body to body. She had no choice. She couldn’t be a part of Olympus. Couldn’t be a part of his life.
Ignoring the tear that tracked down her cheek, she pressed the arrow to follow Daire into the next room. He stopped by the fish tank to talk to Zip. Had someone found something? She hoped so. Styx was right that tech would be easier to handle than a betrayal by one of his own men. Daire didn’t deserve that. Didn’t deserve going through more disappointment.
In a daze, she didn’t move to follow the next time Daire walked away. He disappeared with Zip at his side. His man. His team. His people. Her numb fingers rose to close the device. Taking a deep breath, she pushed herself back in the chair and swiped tears from her face.
It was time to stop being a passenger and take the wheel.
The door opened. Styx came in carrying a paper bag.
She stood up. “I need a passport.”
“What?” he asked, putting the food on the dresser.
“A passport,” she said, going over to join him, taking the sandwich and bottle of water when he handed them over. “You’re the kind of guy who can get me something like that, right?”
“In the States I’d need twelve hours,” he said. “Over here…” She wasn’t a fan of that pause. “Might take longer.”
“I thought Olympus had contacts all over the world.”
“Yeah,” he said. “But Olympus contacts are risky if you want me to hand over your picture… Doesn’t matter who they’re allied with. Hades and Zeus know you’re in London. I guarantee any contact with that ability in this particular Olympusphere, will have been put on alert about you.”
Frustration got the better of her. “Everywhere is the goddamn Olympusphere,” she said, slamming the water down.
“Yeah, I guess it is. We use the term loosely. Can mean around the compound or around a safe house. Anywhere around Zeus is the Olympusphere, his sphere anyway. He is the organization.”
He’d said that about Daire.
“But can you do it?”
Styx tipped some water into his mouth then said, “I can sure try.”
“Okay, thank you.” Progress. She needed a backup plan in case Zeus tried to keep her in Europe forever. “Now, why does Zeus need me?”
They had limited time. Anything could change at any moment. Zeus could move them. Daire and Harry could leave the desert. Too many things were unknown. They needed to figure out what they did know…
Apparently, she’d missed something that Zeus needed. Figuring it out could take a miracle.