by April Zyon
“Great.” Camilla rolled her eyes. “I love you, Uncle A, but seriously?” She grumbled. “Okay. Fine. Whatever. So are you going to give us all the details on this girl?” Clearly, Camilla didn’t like Kasper, but she would soon learn what a gentle soul the girl was.
He looked to the men. “Do any of you have questions?” He wondered which of these men were Kasper’s—he knew it wasn’t either Mikhail or Gareth, which reminded him he needed to speak to Mikhail alone. Mikhail needed to know he was going in to save his half-sister.
“We’re going to need to have full specifications on her house, office, those around her, both relations and otherwise,” Gareth said. “Every single detail about her life from the moment she was born.” Gareth frowned at Ares and then his gaze cut to Mikhail, back to Ares, and narrowed more. The man didn’t ask the question on his mind, though.
“Every part of her life will be on your desks in the war room. Blueprints to her home, as well as all security codes, are in there as well.” Ares looked to Mikhail. “She isn’t what you’re all thinking. She’s not the smiling heiress who’s happy her parents are gone. You’ll be surprised at what she was actually smiling at.” Ares paused before saying, “Kasper smiled because she saw the love Camilla has for Mikhail and Gareth and was in awe of that love. It gave her hope for humanity.” He saw the looks of surprise on the faces of everyone present and nodded. “Exactly. Now, what other questions do you have?”
“Until we go through the intel, none,” Gareth spoke again. “Guys, let’s get working on what Ares has given us. We need to be ahead of the curve on this one, and quickly.” He moved toward Mikhail and lifted a brow. Mik gave a small nod without taking his eyes off Ares.
When the others were gone, Mikhail addressed Ares. “What the fuck didn’t you say in front of the others?”
“We should go for drinks. Where would you like to go?” Ares asked, watching the tick in Mikhail’s jaw. “We at least need to have a seat, because what I have to say is going to knock you on your ass. Trust me on that.”
“There’s a pub three klicks from here. It’ll do,” Mik said with a definite growl to his voice. Ares knew the man hated being put off. Saw evasiveness to be a weakness. Ares was waiting because he didn’t think Mik would want anyone to overhear their conversation. At least not before the man could process it himself.
“Then hold onto your shit.” Ares lay a hand on the man’s shoulder. Soon, they appeared in the pub without anyone being the wiser. Taking a seat at a table in the rear of the bar, Ares said, “Order a drink, and when the waitress is gone, I will tell you.” Ares leaned back, raising his hand to get the waitress’ attention. “Trust me, you will want it. Hell, I want one, too.”
Mikhail ordered a double Scotch neat—top shelf, of course. He looked at Ares as if daring him to deny Mik the pricy beverage. One hand rested on the table. Other than his eyes, Mik sat perfectly still. The man reminded Ares of a predator waiting to attack.
Once the drink was delivered, Ares got to business. “I have something to tell you, something that you aren’t going to like. I need you to understand that this isn’t her fault and she doesn’t know.” He took a deep breath and tapped his finger to the tabletop. “The girl you’re going to protect, she’s your half-sister. Your father was stationed in DC for a few months while your mother stayed here. You were seven. That’s when Kasper was sired. The woman gave her up for adoption the moment she could. The two of you are a great deal alike, but she’s far softer than you are. I wanted to warn you, because the second you see her, you will know. The white-blonde hair, the striking grey eyes, makes it easy to tell that she’s of your blood. Will you be okay with this?”
Mikhail sat silent for a long time before he finally let out a breath. “So you’re telling me my old man was cheating on my mother, got another woman knocked up, and then bolted for the door?”
“Yes. Your mother knew, too,” Ares said simply before taking another drink of his whiskey. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to go into the mission without knowing. You mean a lot to me. I respect the hell out of you. Are you going to be okay?”
Mikhail drained his glass in one long swallow. He waved the waitress over. “Another,” he requested. Once it was filled again, and the woman had gone off to the other end of the bar, Mik turned to look at Ares. “I’ll do my job, but that’s it. I’m not there to make friends; I’m not there to get to know her. I’m there to keep her alive and figure out who’s after her.”
“That works. Just don’t hurt her. She’s lost everyone in her life. She’s in a bad place right now. You don’t have to like her, but you need to remember, she’s not to blame for what your father did. That’s on him, not her. She never knew him. She never knew her mother. She was literally abandoned on a church doorstep. Yes, she was raised by an amazing family, but it doesn’t stop the fact that she still has feelings of abandonment.” Ares knew that Mik would recall that the parents who had adopted her included a man that he greatly respected.
“I won’t hurt her,” Mikhail said. He took a more measured drink. “But I also won’t coddle her. I don’t know her, and don’t particularly care if I do know her. She’s a job, nothing more, nothing less. Now, I’d really like to get back to the house so I can look over the information you gathered.” Tipping the glass back, Mikhail finished his drink and then slid the glass away from him.
“As you say.” He reached out and put his hand on Mikhail’s arm, and they were soon gone. It was good being a god; he could come and go as he pleased and no one could see him unless he wanted them to.
He hoped Mikhail would figure out how to get past his feelings, because if Artemis was right, then two of the men in their unit were meant to be Kasper’s.
Once they were back at the Farm, Mikhail walked toward the others gathered around the war room table. He was getting some curious looks but seemed to be intent on ignoring them. Moving next to Gareth, he took the file the other man handed over and then went to one of the chairs to sit and read.
Ares looked over the men and nodded. “Once the threat to her is over, we will ensure that she remains protected. If you have any ideas of firms that could be trusted to take over her protection after we’re finished, I’ll take the suggestions and will investigate them. We won’t ask her to come back to the farm.” It was clear Mikhail wouldn’t be comfortable with that. He wouldn’t force the issue, so it would be better to simply let the woman live her life away from the farm. It would mean two of the men would not be living at the compound, but they could work something out.
James looked his way. “There’s a couple I can give you. I know some of the guys at each, ran into them once or twice in the field. They’re solid, have a good head on their shoulders, and seem to have gotten in with groups that have strong values. They go above and beyond on their jobs and don’t see any gig as being beneath them.”
“Leave me their names and I’ll have Artemis start to look into all of their employees. She’s a descendant, so she needs to be protected. Now, do you all need anything else?” Ares asked.
“Not yet,” Gareth said. “But we’ll compile a list and let you know. We’re still only scratching the surface on this. Give us until tomorrow morning, and we’ll have a better idea of what’s needed before we go in.”
“Does she know who she’s getting?” Mikhail asked. He was staring at Ares with his eerie gaze, emotionless, nothing at all on his face or in his eyes.
“No. She just knows that you’re the best. If you want to share what I shared with you, that’s up to you,” Ares told Mikhail honestly. “Just keep her safe. Apollo can be a dick, but he has a very soft spot for this girl. You will understand when you meet her.” Everyone tended to gravitate toward Kasper and everyone tended to like her.
Grunting, Mik turned his attention back to the file in his hands.
A couple of the other men were alternating looks between Mik and Ares. They were dying to know what had been discussed but not suicidal enough to ask about it w
ith Mikhail in his current surly mood. Not that the man had many other moods.
“If you get any more information, we’ll need to know before morning, so please send it through,” Gareth said. “Other than that, we’ll do what we do and figure out how to make this work for everyone involved.”
Ares nodded. “Will do. Just do what you all do best and know that she’s important. She won’t be living here, but she still needs to be watched over. James, remember to give me the names of the agencies.”
“I’ll dig them out later and give you a ring.” James shifted to peer over Victor’s shoulder at something the other man was reading with a frown on his face. “Seriously, she cut the entire family out? Damn, that’s fucking ice cold,” James muttered and gave a whistle.
“She had her reasons,” Ares said. “She has a cousin she’s sending to college, a cousin who is nothing like the father and brothers. When you read their files and see the footage, you will understand.” Ares paused and thought to add, “Being a descendant of Apollo, she’s able to discern truth with a touch. If you lie to her, don’t touch her.”
Mikhail’s cold gaze lifted to meet his. “We don’t lie. We may not give the entire truth in the moment, but we don’t ever lie, either. So there won’t be any concerns there.”
“Is it me or is there a pissing match going on here?” Nolan muttered under his breath to Wyatt. The other man shrugged but clearly thought the same thing—and likely wondered what the fuck was going on.
“Now, if you'll excuse me.” Ares inclined his head at the men, a smile playing around the corners of his mouth. “Mikhail, if you don’t want her to know, then don’t touch her. She knows all the truths from a single truth.”
He vanished after a bow.
Chapter Three
On the road toward Kasper St. John’s Home…
Straightening in his seat in the SUV, Victor rubbed a hand over his eyes. A sign told him they were about ten miles from their destination. A good thing, since that would wake him up and with any luck help get his head on straight.
James passed him a bottle of water over the front passenger seat. After a mumbled thanks, he took a long pull of the cold liquid and worked at getting the kinks out of his shoulders and neck. Normally he wasn’t the sort to sleep in a moving vehicle, but after being up nearly all night with only an hour’s sleep prior to departing, his body had obviously decided a nap was in order.
Rolling the icy bottle over his face for a little extra assistance in waking, he let out a deep breath. Ares and Mikhail had been super cryptic the night before and again that morning. Something was going on that the rest of them apparently weren’t going to find out about any time soon. If at all. Hell, even Gareth didn’t appear to know, since Wyatt had asked that morning and gotten only a bewildered “Who the fuck knows” from Gareth.
Unusual to say the least. Mik and Gareth were tight, always had been, so for Mik to keep something on the DL was unusual. Not unheard of, but unusual.
What he did know was that the seriously lovely and decidedly lickable Kasper St. John was their client. While he’d managed to keep his thoughts on wanting to tear Kasper’s clothes off from the group, he and James had discussed it around three that morning during a break for food and air. James had even been the one to bring it up.
“Is it just me or do you have the same need to strip that woman down to see what’s under that stuffy exterior she puts on?”
Casting James a look, Victor had grinned. “I’m guessing you mean Ms. St. John and not Camilla, right?” The look he’d earned for that had caused him to laugh. “No, you would not be alone in that particular urge, brother. I have a feeling under that façade she burns hot. Though I have to say, the ice-princess exterior definitely has my attention. Has me thinking of unwrapping a gift, really.”
“Mm, you have a point there. She definitely moves like she’s a sensual person.”
James was right on that score. The videos of various press conferences and the recordings from the lawyer’s office had shown that and more. Sadness had appeared deep in Kasper’s eyes, one that spoke of old wounds that ran deep. But once you got beyond the sadness, a man quickly realized the woman was built for sex. Long limbs, curves in all the right places, and a mouth that Victor could already envision wrapped around his cock.
Snapping back to the moment, he shifted in his seat. Not exactly the time, or place, to be getting a massive hard on for a woman he hadn’t even met. Hell, she could be as cold as some of the reports stated. No way in hell was he going to risk frostbite on the family jewels for a piece of tail. Even if she was the hottest, sexiest thing on two legs he’d ever seen in his life.
Then there was the other problem. Victor had a nagging feeling regarding her. For some reason, he felt like he knew her, or at the very least had seen her somewhere. But for the life of him, he couldn’t place her. Which was strange in and of itself. He didn’t forget faces. Names, though, for sure; he had a horrible rep for remembering names, but faces he didn’t ever forget. It is his little “talent”, one he’d had since he was a kid, and one that had proven useful over the years of his military service.
With a face like hers, he damn well wouldn’t forget her. Yet for the life of him he couldn’t place where, or when, he might have seen her. And it would have been in person, too, as his “talent” only worked in person. Might be why he was having a devil of a time placing her. Victor hoped he’d be able to figure it out once face to face with her. It would drive him to distraction otherwise. There was something about her eyes and the shape of her face that had him thinking that he knew her.
Dieter, who was driving, let out a low whistle. “Swanky,” he said in an almost impressed tone.
It took a lot to impress the other man, but even Victor had to agree that what he could see of the house was built to impress. Oddly, it didn’t have an ostentatious feel to it. Yes, it was grand, and yes, it was bigger than any one person could ever need. Yet its location, nestled into the surrounding trees, gave it a less prominent feel.
A garbled voice came over the speaker box. “We’re here to kill the lady,” Dieter said. His joke earned him a punch in the arm from one of the other men.
Another garbled response, and then the gates were buzzed open. Victor didn’t like the fact that Dieter could make that joke and someone would let them in.
“We so need to fix that piece of shit,” James muttered. He began taking notes of first impressions. The security box was now up there on the list to be improved.
“No cameras on the wall pointed at the driver or passenger. It’s situated to take in the driveway, but nothing near the wall,” Nolan said. “And there’s nothing pointed to the inside of the gate, either.”
“Trees are too close to the wall,” Dieter noted. “The gardener obviously needs to either be fired or has been on vacation. Anyone could get over those walls with how close some of the trees are.”
“Probably hasn’t been overly concerned about upkeep since her adoptive parents died,” Nolan said. “The lawn hasn’t been mowed, and I’m betting those are weeds sprouting in the flower beds.”
“And only one camera by the front door,” James muttered. “Looks like there should have been two more easily, but all that’s still up are the mounts.”
Dieter brought their SUV to a halt, and Victor slid out to look around, squinting against the brightness of the sun. “We should get better lighting out here, too. Looks like there’s a couple of floodlights, but oddly the driveway and parking area are under lit.”
“We’ll have to do a full walk around. It’s strange given who her old man was that he didn’t have something more beefed up,” Nolan said.
“The security system is top of the line, some of it not even out on the market yet,” Gareth told them as the other men joined them from the other two SUVs they’d come in. “The house is wired top to bottom and fortified to withstand a nuclear attack.”
“Yeah, but letting folks get into the house is kind of counterprod
uctive, isn’t it?” Thomas asked in a lazy drawl. The man sounded half-asleep still, but Victor knew that was only for show. Thomas had, on more than one occasion, used others’ perceptions of him to gain the upper hand in a situation. Amazing how surprised they always were when he pulled off some fancy move quick as quick could be.
“It definitely is,” Mik growled. The man had a bee in his bonnet over this assignment, but no way in hell was Victor going to ask him about it. “We need to do a full sweep of the grounds, and along the exterior fence. Anything that needs to be changed, removed, or otherwise adapted to ensure better safety, I want notes on. And someone figure out if there is a damn gardener that should be here doing the job, or if we need to hire someone.”
Gareth cleared his throat. “I think we should maybe go introduce ourselves before we get too busy tearing out shrubbery. Especially since there appears to be at least one reasonably sized gent at the door with a big-ass .45 pointed in our general direction.”
Victor turned with the others to look over at the guard. “Well, they did let us in, so really it’s not our fault we’re standing around gabbing instead of being properly greeted.”
Mik cut him a vicious look that had Victor nearly swallowing his tongue. Okay, that was seriously the wrong thing to say, and he had no idea why. “Let’s go,” the man practically snarled.
“Twenty says he has the guard disarmed in three seconds,” Wyatt muttered.
“I have fifty that says he puts him in a headlock in under two,” Owen offered.
“Shut up, the lot of you,” Gareth grumbled.
Oh yeah, this was going to be interesting. Likely not the best way to meet the mistress of the house, but it would be amusing at least.
****
Kasper had been watching the men traipse outside her home for a while. She didn’t know who had buzzed them in, but now that they were in, she was more than a little curious as to who they were and what they were doing in her home. When they turned around finally, she recognized them. They had been at her parents’ funeral. She knew she should feel terrified since there were so many unknown men on her property, but she felt oddly safe. It was the damndest thing; Kasper felt like she should know these people, but she didn’t.