“I’ve tried. No matter what I do, it’s never enough. I tried to pay it off early on, but it’s always changing.”
“Thus, loan shark,” Hades murmured. “I really wish you hadn’t done that.”
She nodded. “Me too. But it seemed an easy fix at the time. The problem is I don’t think he really wants the loan paid at all. I think he wants… me.”
Hades’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
“Each time I’ve tried to pay, unsuccessfully, he’s suggested me paying the loan with… well… with…”
Fire lit in Hades eyes and he stood abruptly, rising to his full, scarily tall height. He gave her a brief, flashing look and then strode to the front entryway to pace back and forth over the gray tile.
“I said no, of course,” she said. “I don’t want that.” She rested her cheek on her hand. “But he’s been sending people by the bakery. Waiting outside in the dark. Threatening me.”
She could feel the anger emanating from her ex-lover. Feel the tension hovering in the air, thick as murky water.
“Could you leave town for a while?” Hades asked, folding his arms. “Could you just disappear?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean could you close the bakery? My friend owns a cabin in a little Podunk mountain town, and the best thing might be to lie low while we try to deal with this.”
She swallowed. Staying in a remote town with John? That sounded like a straight route to heartbreak.
“I won’t do anything you don’t want,” he said. “I’m not going to take advantage of you. After all these years, surely you know at least that about me.”
She nodded. “I do.”
“Then it’s settled. We’ll pack your things and leave tonight.”
“But what about the loan sharks?”
“I’ll send someone to deal with it,” he said. “Or deal with it myself. But I can’t leave you anywhere in town in the meantime. This is the best way.”
Just who did he know that he could send to “deal with it?” What did Hades even do with his spare time now? She knew he left town occasionally, as she would see the lights off for days at a time when she happened to drive by his place.
Not that she did that too often.
Then again, once upon a time, she’d been sure he was her mate. It was natural that it was hard to let go completely.
She’d have done anything for him.
“I can close the bakery,” she said. “It’s worth it if it means this whole thing can just be over.”
“I’ll make it be over,” Hades said. “Trust me.” He cracked his knuckles, drawing her attention to the scars on his right hand. Did they cover entire right side of his body?
“Okay,” she said simply, accepting what she knew was her only option.
He walked closer, intimidating her with his nearness, his height, that gunpowder scent mixed with pine. He stroked her cheek and then caught her chin in his hand, staring down at her. “Trust me, Cassie. I’m one of the most dangerous men in the world. Those fuckers threatening you will regret ever hearing your name.”
Her lips parted in shock, and his eyes darted down to them, like he was thinking of kissing her, but then he stepped back and strode away down the hallway.
“Start making a mental list of what you need so we can do a pickup quickly. I have to make a couple calls,” he said tersely, disappearing into the dark.
Cassie let out a sigh and rubbed her arms. Days, possibly weeks in the mountains alone with this odd shell of the man she once knew, a man she was almost certainly still in love with… What had she gotten herself into?
3
Hades knew what he was doing was, in a way, foolish. In other ways, it was damn smart. And he was nothing if not an opportunist.
Cassie needed him. He needed another chance with her. This was the perfect opportunity to take her away from it all and get to know her again. Show her who he really was and see if it was something she could manage.
There was something unspoken between them. Something she hated about him that he couldn’t put a finger on. With days or weeks alone, he would find out just what it was. He’d fight for her.
Besides, leaving town was important. If not, he’d probably end up messily killing the men threatening her, right on a public sidewalk, and that would be a terrible thing for the town in general.
But the thought of men threatening her, trying to make her their own when she was his, made him murderous beyond reason. Except he could be murderous and reasonable, which made him all the more dangerous. He could look someone in the eyes, make the perfect adjustments to his sniper rifle, and gun them down in his sights.
True, that was reserved for saving lives and stopping criminals, like when he’d helped his teammates rescue their mates, but when someone was threatening the one woman who meant everything to him, all bets were off.
And they were just loan sharks. Small fries in the scheme of things. He definitely needed Ares and Zeus to keep him from doing something regrettable where these men were concerned.
Besides, he’d liked Bearstone Village when he was there. It was peaceful, with no bad history. Perhaps it was just what he and Cassie needed.
He packed quickly, always keeping an emergency bag in case he got called for help or on a trip. Being prepared was part of his training for the job he’d done most of his life.
Cassie was being uncharacteristically quiet as he took her outside and opened the door to his sports car. It wasn’t the most protective car, like Ares’s black truck, but it was fast, and with Hades’s incredible reflexes and skill behind the wheel, it’d get them out of trouble quicker than anything else.
Besides, he liked its name. Viper. Something poisonous that struck with deadly precision. Rather like himself. He started the car and they drove to her place. He parked and went in with her. It was as warm and nicely scented as he always remembered from growing up. It had been his second home. And while her father never really approved of him, and he hadn’t known him well, Hades still felt the loss of him when he walked through the house.
He almost wanted to bring it up with Cassie, express his condolences, even though he’d already done so from the field. But it didn’t seem like the right time, so he just followed her up to her bedroom and waited while she packed a bag.
He smiled when he saw the window he used to sneak in through as a teenager. The bed where they’d innocently snuggled and then made out, which was a queen now instead of a twin. “You use the same room?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m not ready to move… you know… to his room.”
Hades suddenly hated himself for bringing it up. Of course she’d lived here while taking care of her father, and of course she wouldn’t want to move immediately. Hades had never had any family that particularly cared for him, so he wasn’t the most sensitive about things like grief. He’d lost friends in combat, but his grief for them was different than this kind of sadness.
She waved a hand and tucked hair behind her ear as she shut the suitcase. He loved those unruly blond curls, wanted to come forward, stroke through them, pulling them back off her face, see her expression come alive with pleasure at his touch. But instead, he just reached for her heavy suitcase so he could carry it down the stairs.
“Don’t look so guilty,” she said. “It’s fine that you brought it up. One thing about him taking three years to die… I was prepared when it happened. I mean, deep down, I did always hope it wouldn’t happen, but I knew on a rational level it was only a matter of time. At least we got to say good-bye.”
He nodded silently, following her downstairs, waiting for her to lock up all the doors.
“I know you probably remember that he and I never exactly saw eye to eye, but he was my dad. Sometimes you don’t realize just how close you are until you have to face losing someone.”
He nodded again. He didn’t really know how she felt, so he couldn’t pretend to. But he could let her know she was heard.
It was quiet except for the rumble of the engine, the sound of shifting gears.
When did it get so hard to talk to her? He supposed even over the years when things were good, they hadn’t had a lot of time together between missions. They’d saved all their thoughts for later, when he was out for good. He guessed a part of it had been the dangerous work he was involved in. Things he couldn’t tell her that came with a very real risk of dying.
Still, it’d been a long time since he’d talked much with a woman, outside of mission-related communications.
“So, um, the bakery. How’s that going?” he asked awkwardly when they were stopped at a light just before going onto the freeway.
She sent him a sidelong glare. “Small talk, Hades? Really?”
“John,” he said sardonically. “I like that it forces you to remember what we were to each other. Even though it was apparently easy for you to walk away from it.”
She grimaced and looked away.
Damn. Why had he said that? There was so much resentment buried between them. It was said the harder you loved, the more you hated when things went wrong. Well, he didn’t hate her. He hated himself. He hated whatever screwed things up for them and ruined their chances. That was all. He could never hate her.
He thumped the wheel in frustration and then accelerated up the ramp to the freeway.
“Can I turn on the radio?” she asked.
He nodded. “Be my guest.”
The iciness in the air between them was palpable, and part of Hades wondered if this had been a stupid idea after all. Was there anything left between them, other than physical attraction? Was he chasing something impossible? Was she only going to be cold to him at every turn?
Right now, it seemed so. He just wished he could get to the bottom of what was bugging her. What she seemed to think was so awful. She’d said it wasn’t the scars, so what was it? He couldn’t fix it if he didn’t know.
But it seemed honestly painful for her to talk about. So much so that she turned away whenever it came up.
Hades gripped the wheel and tried to focus. When a familiar punk rock station started to play, he couldn’t resist smiling and looking over at her.
She gave him a shy smile, then went back to looking out the window.
It was like a mere spark, a tiny flicker of the flame that had once roared between them, but it gave Hades hope.
Maybe within the mountains of Bearstone Village, that flame could be rekindled.
* * *
Cassie was asleep when Hades pulled into the gravel drive in front of the cabin he’d rented from Zeus, his friend and former special ops leader.
It was rustic, small, but most importantly, it was out of the way, where no one would think to look for them. Perfect for hiding with his mate and keeping her safe.
He watched her, curled up and comfy in her reclined seat. She’d fallen asleep halfway through the drive, right after they’d stopped for dinner, and he hadn’t bothered to wake her because he could tell she needed the rest.
“Cassie?” he said softly, pushing her hair back. “We’re here.”
She said nothing, just sighed and curled deeper into her chair. A smile quirked his lips. She always was hard to wake up. He got out, walked around to her side of the car, and then easily lifted her into his arms.
He walked to the front door and unlocked it with a spare set of keys Zeus had left under a rock for him. He’d known they would get in late and wouldn’t want to be bothered or make an extra stop to pick them up.
Not for the first time, Hades was grateful for the men he’d met in his line of work.
He’d helped them protect their mates, and now they’d be around to provide backup if he needed it. Not that he’d need it to take out the men threatening Cassie; more like he needed them to keep him from going completely insane and murdering everyone who threatened her.
Loan sharks. Just loan sharks. So why did Hades get a prickle of unease that seemed to make him feel something bigger was just around the corner?
He’d trust his instincts and try not to take the situation too lightly. His intuition had been dead on in other situations, so he had no reason to mistrust it. He also knew all his reactions were heightened when it came to Cassie. They always had been.
Her soft weight was warm and wonderful in his arms. He was tempted to take a jog around the cabin a couple times, just as an excuse to carry her a little longer. But he resisted the silly urge and took her inside instead, turning on lights as he went.
The furnishings were rustic, liberally decorated with the handmade pieces Ares, their weapons specialist, made in his free time, when he wasn’t running his construction company.
He carried her down the hallway to what looked like the master bedroom, walked through the heavy oak door, and set her down in the center of the bed. He walked to the doorway, needing to go grab the rest of their stuff but wanting to watch her for a little longer.
How many times had he dreamed of this when things had been tough in the army? Lying beside her, watching her sleep and dream, knowing she was safe because he was there?
He shook his head and went to get his things. He needed to stop being silly and thinking of this as an extended date. If he wanted to win her over, he needed to be respectful. Distant. Let her come to him. Any attempts to come on to her only seemed to confuse and push her away.
He grabbed the rest of their belongings and locked everything up, procrastinating going to the bedroom with her. But when he had no more excuses, he finally joined her, setting his stuff next to the large cherry wardrobe.
She was happily snoring, snuggled on top of the covers, and he walked over and pulled them over her, pushing her curls off her forehead once more, knowing full well they would just spring right back.
“Good night, Cassie,” he said, leaning forward to place a kiss on her warm forehead. His lips lingered, and he could swear he heard her breath hitch, so he pulled back, staring down at her.
His whole body tensed with desire. A want that would never stop, but all the same, he pulled away. Dressed in a tee and pajama pants, since he didn’t think she’d appreciate him sleeping naked, he lay on top of the covers with his hands behind his head.
The urge to get under them with her, to hold her, snuggle her from behind, was nearly unbearable.
But he’d endured harder trials.
Her scent filled his nose. Warm vanilla and violets. He ached for her, even after the long drive, even with the danger they were in and the new, unfamiliar surroundings.
Her scent was home. The small sounds of her breathing were shelter. Just being with her felt like healing.
He touched the scars on his face, making sure they were there. Yes. Evidence of what he’d been through.
But lying here next to her in the dark, the entire world outside where it couldn’t touch them, he could almost imagine nothing bad had ever happened.
That it was all a dream, that he and Cassie were together as they always should have been. That he’d never lost anything in that fire, never come home to face just how much was gone.
He rolled to his side so he could watch her as he waited to get sleepy.
In the quiet of the night and the crisp mountain air around them, he hoped this feeling of a fresh start wasn’t just a dream he would have to wake up from in the morning.
Even if in the morning he had important things to do. Like one, going after the loan sharks in whatever way seemed best, and two, getting in touch with Ares about how to win over his mate. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed help in that area, even if he’d rather take a rocket launcher to the face than hear his friend’s smug laugh.
But a soldier did whatever needed to be done, and this fight for a chance with his mate would be the most important battle of his life.
4
As obnoxious as Hades knew Are
s was going to be, it turned out to be worse.
Ares had laughed for a straight minute, his mate asking in the background what was going on, and then taken a deep breath and started laughing again.
Cassie was taking a shower, and Hades thought it was the right time to call, both because she wouldn’t be able to hear him and because it would distract him from the thought of his naked mate just a couple walls away.
Sweat broke out on his forehead at that thought, and he focused on his grating friend rather than the image of her silky curves lathered in soap.
Damn, he wanted to join her.
But he guessed Ares’s advice wasn’t going to be, “Get in that shower and seduce your woman.” Shame.
“Wow, so this is the one you mentioned before? The one that didn’t want you?”
Hades nodded, then realized Ares couldn’t hear that. “Yes.”
“And you brought her here why?”
“Did Zeus say anything?”
“No,” Ares said, going serious. “Why?”
“She’s in trouble with some loan sharks. I wanted to get her away from that environment and also get backup…”
“So you don’t tear them to pieces,” Ares said.
“Yes,” Hades said shortly. He was glad Ares seemed to understand sometimes it was the smaller foes that were harder to deal with when you were as strong and skilled as they were. It was like trying to figure out how to deal with bugs when you were an elephant.
“Well, you’re in the right place. Besides, Zeus and I would love to have you out here. We miss you, bro.”
Hades grumbled something unintelligible at that, and Ares just laughed again, once again making his mate wonder what was going on.
He heard Ares try to cover the receiver and update Katrina and grimaced as he heard her react in shock.
“Hades? That Hades? Trying to win over a woman?” she said in the background.
“Hey, I can hear you,” Hades said. “And I can win over a woman as well as anyone else.”
Big Strong Bear Page 3