“I’M PLEASED THAT YOU enjoyed it,” Zeus said as they entered the apartment the next night.
All things considered, it hadn’t been a horrible evening. Nerves almost got the better of her early on. She’d never been part of a real op before—staying behind in a hotel room didn’t count. Neither did making a phone call.
Worried about all that might go wrong, about what Styx would do if he was discovered, she’d struggled to pay attention. Zeus noticed but said something about her nerves being natural. At that point, she was more concerned with finishing the first glass of wine. Relaxing got easier after that.
Her role was divert and distract. Styx was doing the hard part, searching the apartment for the vital keys. So much rode on him coming through for the greater good.
As she and Zeus went into the apartment, Tess held her breath, glancing around for any obvious signs Styx may have left behind. No broken furniture or smashed art, no dead bodies or blood spatter… at least not in the entryway.
“Would you like a glass of wine?” Zeus asked, helping remove her jacket.
After the show, they’d stopped for a drink, at her request. Although she’d been eager to check for horizontal bottles in the bathroom, maximizing Styx’s time was essential.
“Uh,” she said, scratching the side of her neck. “I don’t know if—”
“One more won’t hurt.”
She couldn’t be considered drunk by anyone’s standards. Anxiety and adrenaline surged at varying levels throughout different intervals. The peaks and valleys were taking their toll; exhaustion was beginning to creep in. The largest spike began to pulse when he took her hand to lead her into the large reception room.
After putting her in the center of the room, he went to open both balcony doors, letting the air and ambience of London join them. Sweet? Romantic? She didn’t know and couldn’t figure out what was going on. Watching him progress to the bar, Tess tried to decide if this was leading to a seduction or if he was playing some other game.
“It’s been a long time since I enjoyed an evening with a woman,” he said while mixing their drinks.
Her nose wrinkled. Was that… was he talking about sex?
“We, uh…” She should respond with something. “We had a nice time.”
True, ish, and semi-neutral. Enthusiastic she was not and didn’t want there to be any confusion. Reading him and his intentions wasn’t easy.
“It’s probably been the same for you,” he said, bringing drinks over. “Would you like to sit outside?”
“Here is fine,” she said, taking her drink quickly and backing up to sit on the couch.
The quicker she drank, the quicker they could go to bed… separately. She took a mouthful as he sat beside her. Should she have chosen the balcony? Outside there would be witnesses if he tried anything… Though what would they see and who would care? Still, inside felt too private.
“You’re not difficult to please, Mademoiselle,” he said, a smile on his face when he raised his glass. “We should toast.”
“Right,” she said, looking at her drink, her haste had been sort of rude. “Toast to what?”
“To new beginnings.”
With nothing better to say, she accepted that, and their glasses met. The smile on his face lingered, his eyes matched to hers. Nerves. Why was she nervous? She wasn’t attracted to him; he was older than her father. Literally.
The smile remained in his gaze even as he took a drink. Either things were about to get super awkward, or he was deliberately trying to unnerve her for his own amusement.
“Have you spent much time in London?” she asked.
Truth be told, she knew little about him and his life since the exodus.
“Some,” he said, settling back on the couch. “I’ve spent time everywhere.”
“I’m sure,” she said.
His hand slid into hers and he eased her toward the back of the couch. “You have to learn to relax. You’re always on edge.”
“Do you blame me?” she said, aware of her hand in his. “I never know what’s going to happen next.”
“I knew your mother,” he said. The curveball was a harsh slap that proved exactly the point she’d just made. “She was beautiful. Absolutely enchanting. She could mesmerize any man… I never blamed your father for caring about her.”
“My father loved her.”
Only after the words were out did the depth of their defensiveness register. Was she defending her father or her mother?
“Yes,” he said, growing more solemn. “I suppose he did. Losing her must have been difficult… for both of you.”
Anger simmered in her gut. Fury was a nice distraction from apprehension and awkwardness.
“It’s difficult for anyone to lose someone they love,” she said, watching the light glint on the ice in her drink. Rather than let him believe he was upsetting her, she sucked in a breath and looked him in the eye. “What about you? Do you have family of your own?”
“Olympus is my family,” he said like he’d been anticipating the question. Maybe it was a practiced answer he gave by rote. “And I hope you’ll be a part of that family too.” She blinked while thinking poker face. His smile grew again, though it was more subdued than before. “I know all of this must be incredible to you…” He gestured around them. “Not the apartment, but the intrigue, the world that we in Olympus inhabit. You grew up oblivious to your connection to it.”
“True.”
“Have you had much time to connect with your father? I understand he spent a lot of time training his men while you were in Las Vegas.” Nodding along, she let him talk. “Harry is a difficult person to get to know. For all his faults, he is a good man. He does try his best and is fully dedicated to his men. Well, he was fully dedicated to them.”
“Implying he’s less than dedicated to them now?”
“I think your return to his life has posed problems. He trusted Carrie to take care of your needs and didn’t consider you’d become his responsibility again.”
“I’m not his responsibility,” she said. “I already told him that he shouldn’t let anyone manipulate him into anything. That threats on my life shouldn’t be a factor in his decision making.”
“Good,” he said, actually nodding as though he appreciated the answer. “I’m pleased to hear you understand the importance of Olympus.”
“I do,” she said, sensing he was getting at something else. Her understanding of Olympus’s importance was less to do with her father than it was to do with her Heart. “The work is important.”
“The Gamma site will be up and running soon. Your father will recruit new operatives to replace those we lost. Right now, it seems like a lot of work and maybe a long way away. That time will come faster than you think.”
“It sounds like you’re trying to warn me about something,” she said. “With me, direct is always better.”
“I am warning you; I suppose you could look at it that way. Your father’s focus will be his recruits. We’ll be playing catch up for a while too. Missions have been neglected. We’ll need to take care of that business with some urgency. We’ve fallen behind and can’t afford to let anything else be missed. Olympus has been a valuable institution for decades. We’ve gained momentum in different arenas, that’s momentum we can’t afford to lose.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to,” she said, wondering why his expression suggested he was delivering bad news.
“Do you understand that your father won’t be able to spend a lot of quality time with you?”
Ah, that was what he was aiming for. Her lips curled. “Mr. Sherwood, my father would pick your dirty, dangerous missions over spending time with his daughter any day of the week.”
As would Daire. Which was the point. Keeping cool composure was easier when reminding herself of Daire’s purpose. Hers was to give that back to him. Every risk was worth it for his happiness.
“And that is… painful for you?”
Maybe she wasn’t the only one who didn’t do well with subtle. Her smile should’ve answered that question for him. “I’ve done just fine on my own until now.”
“But you weren’t on your own, you had your mother.”
“Yeah,” she said, refusing to let him manipulate her emotions. “And she taught me how to be strong. I won’t have any trouble finding my own way.”
“Is that what you intend to do? You don’t want to stay at Olympus?”
She frowned. “Why would I? It’s not my home. It’s nothing to me. Finding my father, learning about his connections, yes, sometimes it has been difficult. This world isn’t like the one I grew up in.” Although she’d run from Olympus that didn’t come close to the horror and desolation of fending for herself in a rock patch at the age of nine. “But I hope, once Olympus is back on its feet, we can all go our separate ways and maybe I won’t have to worry about looking over my shoulder.”
“Something you must have resented in your childhood,” he said. “I apologize for my part in that.”
On the tip of her tongue was a reminder that he’d been the whole reason for her need to run. Sitting before her was the ever-present threat that had influenced her life and its path.
“With my mother gone and my father indifferent, I hope we can reach an understanding.”
“What kind of understanding?” he asked, intrigue elevating his chin.
Licking her lips, she took another sip before answering. “That maybe you’ll let me live my life without worrying about being snatched up and used like a toy to be fought over.”
He relaxed. “I am sorry. We made our choices. This is the life we love. Sometimes we forget there are those who want something simpler for themselves.”
What did she want? The conversation was unanticipated and put her on the spot. Could anyone have predicted Zeus would be the one to adjust her lens? Olympus was her life in that moment. It would be until they were up to speed and all hatchets buried. But then what?
In her letter, she’d stated that moving into Olympus Gamma wasn’t an option. It would never work. Any time Daire was on a mission, she’d be climbing the walls, desperate to know what was happening. Without any kind of clearance, and taking her father’s attitude into account, there was no way anyone would let her know if her Heart was hurt or even alive.
In that scenario, how long would it take for everyone to figure out that she was crazy in love with him? Minutes, if she was a frantic mess every time he left. Maybe seconds. Even if, by some miracle, she hid her worry, how long would their secret last once he came back? She’d need to see him the moment he arrived, to touch him, to hold him and love him.
Sometimes her tears came simply because the depth of her feeling for him became overwhelming. What if he came back injured? Wounded? Was she meant to sit in her room and pretend she didn’t give a crap?
“Simpler sounds just fine to me,” she said, taking another mouthful, thinking it would be a great time to end the night and get to bed. Alone.
“Harry’s enemies may not understand that.”
So much for the conversation coming to a mutually satisfying end. “His enemies?”
“Olympus’s enemies,” he said with the concession of a half shrug. “We worked hard to ensure no one ever knew he had a child. In our line, it’s best not to have entanglements, to have weaknesses.”
Irritation tightened her jaw. “I am not Harry’s weakness. Harry is free to live his life however he sees fit.”
“In an ideal world,” he said, probably thinking that he got to dictate a large part of her father’s life. The past was a testament to that. “But if our enemies learn of your existence, you’ll become a target.”
“Then you better make sure no one learns of my existence,” she said, looking him in the eye. “No reason they should. I’ll change my name, move somewhere new. I guarantee he’s not on my birth certificate.”
Because she’d never had one. Though she’d probably, maybe, been registered somewhere at some point, her mother changed their names so often that the beginning was a distant memory.
“People have their ways,” he said. “I’ll have to discuss it with your father, but it may be best for you to stay on base. Close to us. Where we can keep you safe.”