Fatal Truths (Heroes of Olympus Book 2)

by April Zyon

  “What?” he asked.

  “Thomas was going on about the college, she warned him off Pepper and how she’d never fall for his charms. They placed a bet.”

  “Oh, honey, not a bet,” he said. Clicking his tongue, he took the bottle from her hands as he urged her back to the table. He pulled out a chair for her and then poured a finger of Scotch into a glass and gave it to her. “Never, ever, bet Thomas about him charming or not charming someone. It’s almost a guarantee he’ll make it happen then.”

  “At least ninety-eight percent,” Owen said. He took the glass James handed him and downed the Scotch. Letting out a hiss, he thumped his chest. “Holy shit, that’s good stuff,” he muttered, setting the glass to the side away from James.

  “Don’t worry, though, there’s a two-percent chance he’ll fail miserably. The bonus of Lincoln going along is he’ll keep a close eye on Thomas so he doesn’t push.”

  “You know, with Lincoln there his odds actually decrease,” Owen said. “The brogue usually gets to the ladies before the charm does. So really, he’s probably got a fifty-fifty shot at this.”

  “Oh boy. Well, good thing that Pepper can hold her own. I don’t think she’ll fall for the brogue or Thomas’s charm anytime soon. You wait—I’ll win this bet and then you guys can lord it over the playboy that I was able to bet him and win.”

  “You win this bet, we’ll take out a full-page color ad in the local paper to rub it in his face,” James said. Settling into a chair next to her, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders to pull her in close. “Drink up, sweetheart. Here’s to you winning that bet through fair, or foul, means. As long as you play by the ground rules you set out. Anything else you do is perfectly allowable. What were the rules of this bet anyway?”

  “No telling Pepper about the bet, either of them. Thomas can’t tell any war sob stories, and he can’t sleep with her. Other than that, everything was left as fair game.”

  James let out a whistle when Owen finished. “Damn, that’s a lot of open ground on both sides to play with. I’m assuming Lincoln is to provide status updates as to Thomas’s progress with Ms. Pepper?”

  “Yes, I think so. He’ll likely talk to Owen instead of me. Just an assumption, that is,” Kas said with a shrug. “Anyway, onto other things.” She took a sip of the drink James passed her and leaned back. “Who is making dinner tonight, and do we need to hit up the store for anything?”

  “Dinner is currently marinating and will go onto the grill in approximately thirty minutes for just about an hour on the rotisserie. The other bits are ready in the fridge to hit the oven and stove as required. Salads are done, and I got Victor to make dessert earlier,” Owen said with a frown. “Beer and wine is chilling, and the coffee is ready to be started when we clear the table from the dinner meal.”

  “Wow, you guys are running everything like a well-oiled machine. It’s freaking awesome. I know that you all have lives that you have to get back to, though, and that makes me sad. I do hope we have friendships—and more—started here?” She looked to James as she said the and more part.

  He brushed his lips to her ear. “You’re not getting rid of us that easily, sweetheart. We’re not letting you slip through our fingers. Whether here, or at home, we’ll all be joined at the hip. Get used to the concept.”

  “That’s a damn good thing.” Kasper rubbed her cheek to James’s in pure affection. “Because I am so keeping you,” she admitted to him. “Now, since they have food all ready to go and all that fun stuff, what should we do in the meantime?”

  “Go do anything but sit there making faces at one another,” Owen muttered. “I still have a bunch of digging to do. The guys won’t be getting to your cousin until later tonight so we have time to kill. Go play or something.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Three days later…

  “They’ve landed,” Victor said to Kasper in a soft voice. She jolted awake, and he lifted her hand to press a kiss to her knuckles. “I still can’t believe you talked me into letting you come along for this ride. I’m pretty sure James is going to have a fit when he realizes you didn’t stay behind.”

  “Yeah, well, James will get over it. I’m still angry with him.” There was the fire in her voice that he loved. “She’s my cousin and someone shot at her. Of course I’m going to meet her at the flipping airfield. I still can’t get over him telling me to be a good girl and stay home. Like I’m a freaking dog. Yes, I love when you boys order me around in the bedroom, but not outside of that. Dammit.” He could still recall the row that James and Kasper had had when he’d told her she was staying behind where it was safer. That word—safer—had been what set her off and they all knew it. She was skilled, talented, and could protect herself if it came down to it, but the simple fact was James, like Victor, wanted her to be as safe as possible because he was in love with the stubborn woman.

  “He’s worried about you. We all are. Someone out there still wants to hurt you. Not only you, but your cousin as well. If this damn vehicle wasn’t armor plated, I’d have tied you up and stuffed you in the closet myself. Don’t give me that look. I would have.” Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to her lips. “I love you, and I will not lose you to your own stubbornness.”

  “I love you, too. He could have said that instead of what he did.”

  “Go easy on him, sweetheart. He’s never been in love before—of course, neither have I—and it does weird shit to a man when the woman he loves is in danger. Logic goes out the window entirely. Not that we’re all that logic-based on the best of days, but as soon as love is in the picture, we revert to our base instincts. Protect our woman at all costs.”

  “Thank you.” Kasper hugged Victor tightly. “Oh, and tell Thomas the bet’s off. Seriously, I don’t think now would be the time to try to charm my cousin, would it?” When she rubbed her cheek to his, Victor forgot to breathe for a moment. She had that much of an effect on him.

  They watched as Pepper was brought out of the small private plate with Thomas in the lead and Lincoln following behind her.

  “I’ll mention it to him, but I doubt it will be an issue,” he muttered once he got his voice back.

  As soon as Pepper got to the SUV, he could tell that the ladies needed a moment alone; there was something brewing from the look on Pepper’s face. “In you two ladies get. Lincoln, you ride in back. Thomas, take shotgun, but give the girls a moment first,” he said.

  Kasper got into the vehicle dutifully and pulled Pepper along with her, which had Victor worried.

  He gave the girls a good ten minutes before the three men got into the SUV while the ladies chatted. “Where is James?” Kas asked when everyone was in the SUV. “And Mikhail and the others, where are they all? Just because I’m a little upset with James, I still worry for him.”

  Climbing behind the wheel, Victor shot her a grin. “About forty yards back watching the road into the airport. Mikhail’s lounging around somewhere with good sightlines, though now that we’re heading out, he’ll slide back into the vehicle with the others. If they time it right, half will be back when we get there, and the other half will be behind us by about ten minutes.”

  “Sounds as if you guys have done this quite a bit.” Victor heard the praise in Kasper’s voice.

  “How was your flight, Pepper?” It was clear in Kasper’s voice that Pepper had told his woman something. Victor would have to find out from her later just what was up with the lovely young Pepper.

  “It was good, a bit crowded. Could have used one less body on the plane, maybe,” Pepper said as she looked straight ahead with a completely straight face. “And will someone please for the love of all that’s holy tell me why Thomas keeps looking at me like this?” The way Pepper spoke surprised Victor. When he looked, sure enough Thomas was looking back at the young woman as if there was something he was trying to figure out.

  Reaching over, he smacked Thomas’s arm. “Enough,” he muttered to the other man. Thomas shrugged and settled in the front p
assenger seat to stare out the window. Frowning, Victor shared a look with Kasper in the rearview mirror. “How are you doing, Pepper?” he asked in a gentle tone.

  “I’m doing well. These guys saved my life, and I’m grateful for that.” There was a story there, an unsaid but. He didn’t ask, however. “Thank you for sending them to watch over me,” Pepper said finally.

  “It was mostly your cousin’s call on that, but you’re welcome. I’m glad they kept you safe. Kasper would have been very unhappy with all of us had you gotten even a scratch. You don’t have any scratches, do you?”

  “Nope, not even a hangnail.” Pepper said, too quickly, which had him thinking there was something he was missing. “I’m just ready to get back to Kas’s place so I can decompress.”

  “We’ll be back there in about twenty.” Shifting his gaze to Kasper, he cocked a brow in question. She shook her head with a worried look on her face. “Sit back and relax, Pepper. You’re in good hands,” he advised. He wasn’t sure how much she’d be able to relax given she was crammed in between Lincoln and Kasper. Kasper still had a death grip on the young woman, which likely wasn’t comfortable for her.

  “Thank you.” Victor noticed in the rearview that Pepper lay her head slightly on Lincoln’s arm, as if not even realizing she was doing it. Strange things were afoot; he just wondered who was going to be more surprised by it all.

  Keeping his mouth shut about what was happening in the back, Victor tapped his earwig. “Any sign of bad guys?”

  “Nothing back here,” Gareth replied.

  “We’ve got nothing up front. Except for a traffic jam. We need you to slow down so we’re back at the house with time for a sweep. You need to buy us twenty minutes,” James told him.

  “How about we go through a drive-thru and get food for everyone?” Kasper offered. “That will kill time, and we aren’t out bothering anyone, so that’ll be in our favor, right? And this way I can have greasy hamburgers without Mikhail having a fit about it. Oh, and I can take some to Camilla, as well. She’s said she’s been craving them and Mik won’t make her one.”

  Yet again unsure why he’d agreed to give her an ear piece as well, Victor nodded. “We’ll hit up the drive-thru. Anyone with orders for the local burger place, let’s hear them one at a time. Kasper will be taking notes for when we get there.”

  Kasper grinned. “Hot damn. I love a nice, thick, juicy burger so I can’t wait.” She had happiness all but oozing off her, and in that moment, Victor realized he had been outmaneuvered.

  “You’ll pay for that later,” he said softly. Adding a wink, he chuckled. Damn, he loved her; she was amazing, smart, and way too good for him. Not that he ever planned to let her go. She was already an integral part of his life, and he couldn’t even think of the future without her being a part of it. “Everyone has three minutes to get in their order. Start talking.”

  He felt Kasper’s fingers in his hair and calmed just a bit. “I love you, too, honey. I need you. As soon as we get home, please?” And then she nipped his ear with her teeth. Damn woman.

  Shuddering, he gave her a warning look in the mirror. From the corner of his eye, he could see Thomas shooting him a look. “Behave,” he mouthed at her. Not that it would do any good. When Kasper was on a mission, the woman couldn’t be distracted from her end goal. It was something he loved about her. In his ear, he could hear the guys calling out their various orders, but his attention was split between her and the road.

  “Good thing that I know pretty much what they want.” Kasper gave another kiss to the side of his neck and sat back. In the mirror, he saw her wink at him and sit back like a cat with cream on her whiskers.

  Rubbing the back of his neck, Victor shifted in his seat. It was going to be a very long ride back to the house with the erection he currently had going. Releasing a breath, he flexed a hand on the steering wheel. He turned into the restaurant parking lot and swung around the building toward the drive-thru. When it was their turn at the speaker box, he pulled ahead enough for Kasper to be able to speak into it.

  After listening to Kasper making the large order, and assuring the woman manning the drive-thru three times that it was that large of an order, Victor moved forward. “I can’t believe that she thought I was pulling her leg. Do they never get party-sized orders here?” Kasper demanded. He could feel the tap of her foot under his seat.

  “Calm down, sweetheart. They’ll live, we’ll get our food, and we’ll head home. No need to claw the woman’s eyes out for no reason.” At the payment window, Victor passed over the cash and took his change before easing up to the second window. The kid standing there looked at them, the number of bags, and then shrugged before handing them out. Victor passed some into the back, and the rest went to Thomas who stashed them on the floor by his feet. The numerous drink trays were another challenge, since all four of his passengers had to hold one. Pulling away, he snorted a laugh. “Pretty sure that kid thinks we’re the only one’s eating all this food.”

  “That’s okay, he’ll survive.” Kasper began to giggle. “Seriously, that’s wild. The man likely thinks that we are a bunch of stoners or something. Look at the vehicle we’re in, the way that you are all obviously carrying your weapons. It’s kind of hilarious when you think about it.”

  “He couldn’t see any of our weapons,” Lincoln said. He had his chin resting in Pepper’s hair as he talked to Kasper. “He would have freaked out a hell of a lot more if he had.”

  “He has a point,” Victor said. He tried to signal her to look over at Lincoln and tell him what the hell was going on there. Kasper gave him a confused look, though, so he left it. As soon as he had the woman alone, they really would be talking. He might even manage it before stripping her naked. It was doubtful, but he might find the restraint required for a pre-coital conversation somehow.

  Chapter Fourteen

  One week later…

  “I have to do this,” Kas said again as she looked at her guys—the two men that made her toes curl and made her smile. “You both heard the attorney. These bonds have to be signed so the foundation can continue. You know how important this is to me. Nothing has happened for the last week. We’re safe, and you guys will make sure I remain safe. Right?”

  Neither one looked all that happy with her, or rather with the attorney. They both stood with their arms crossed, wearing identical frowns. “The fact nothing has happened for a week means absolutely nothing, Kasper. That’s time for them to plan, to plot, to figure out a way to draw you out. This, this right here is drawing you out,” James said, waving a hand.

  Victor nodded. “I don’t like the timing of this. My gut says this is going to go sideways on us. We’ll go, but you go nowhere without one of us. I don’t care if it’s to the bathroom—one of us is sticking to your side the entire time we’re not behind the walls of this house. Agreed?”

  “Agreed. However, seriously, you can’t walk into the ladies’ room with me.” Although knowing them, they would try. “You can also give me a weapon so I’m safe as well. One of the carbon fiber guns would be good.” She knew they had them, had seen them.

  “We’re still going with you to the bathroom,” James said. He pulled a gun out from a pocket and handed it to her before passing over the clip. “You keep that on your person, not in your purse, but on you at all times. They’ll likely attempt to disarm us, but we have that covered, so don’t worry about it. They may try to pat you down, so keep it in your boot until we’re in the elevator and then move it to your waistband.”

  “That’s a good idea, thank you.” Kasper smiled at the men and added, “Although having you both in the bathroom with me might prove to be very interesting indeed. I would like that, especially if we could lock the door behind us. It would be lovely to have one or both of you inside of me in the bathroom knowing that on the other side of that flimsy door someone could be listening in on us.” Yes, she was a naughty minx and knew it.

  “And you wonder why they don’t want to take you
out of the house?” Mikhail asked from the doorway. “I’m not even going to touch on the fact that you’re propositioning them. At the lawyer’s offices, no less. For shame on you, baby sister. So, are we going, or do we have to listen to her get more detailed about what she plans to do to you in the bathroom?”

  “We’re going,” Victor said. The amusement in his eyes when he looked her way said he’d known the others were listening in. And he hadn’t warned her.

  “Crap. I didn’t know you were listening in.” She could tell that James at least didn’t know that her brother had been listening in either. “Right, okay.” She took a deep breath and nodded. “I’m as ready as I’m going to get. If you boys are all geared up and ready to go, so am I.”

  “We weren’t all about the gabbing,” Mikhail said. “She’s finally ready, guys, let’s go.”

  “About damn time,” someone grumbled.

  “Don’t make me beat you, Owen,” James yelled. Frowning even harder, he waved Kasper toward the door. “I still don’t like this,” he muttered when she went past him. He settled a hand on her back as they walked through the house to the front door.

  “I know that you don’t, but it has to be done. We’ll be in and out before you know it.” She moved so she could slip her hand into James’s and gave him a squeeze. “I love you. I’m keeping you and making you keep me. Nothing will get in the way of that. Promise.”

  Lifting their joined hands, he pressed a kiss to her fingers before giving her a little nip. “You better keep that promise, sweetheart. Because there’s no damn way I’m letting you go. Even if you do come with the seriously annoying big-brother baggage. His saving grace is he knows how to cook.” Winking, he helped her into one of the SUVs before sliding in next to her.

  Once everyone was loaded into the vehicles, they set out. The trip was surprisingly quick, but they weren’t in rush-hour traffic, so that was a blessing. They arrived at the attorney’s offices about ten minutes early for her appointment.