by Lisa Kessler
Agnes cleared her throat. “Are you in or out, Lia?”
“Oh, sorry.” She laid her cards down. “I’m out.”
The game continued around her as another text came in.
They’re testing the hair, so maybe it’ll lead Nate right to him. Until then, we need to be really careful. Are you still at the Village?
Lia swallowed, her mind racing as she typed her response.
Yep. Poker group. Your grandmother says hi.
Agnes was keeping one eye on the game and the other on Lia.
Cooper’s name flashed again.
I’ll be working at the theater for another couple of hours. Can you stay there? I’ll swing by and pick you up.
She stared at the message, torn. Yes, she wanted to see him, but unless he was ready to open up, she was going to make them both crazy pressuring him to share. Secrets weren’t her thing.
Lia fired off another text.
I’ll be fine. Trinity’s at home tonight so I won’t be alone.
She set her phone on the table, ready to settle back into the game. She jumped when it buzzed one more time.
Probably wasn’t clear from my text, but I was coming by to pick you up for my own protection. I’m the one they ran over with a car.
Lia laughed, drawing all the attention of the poker group. “Sorry.” She glanced at Agnes. “Cooper can be funny when he lets himself be.”
She nodded with a knowing look. “He was a very funny boy.”
Was.
What the hell had happened to the Hanovers?
She picked up her phone.
In that case, come on over. I’d be happy to protect you.
She added a couple of beefy-arm emoji and a smiley face.
Her next hand was much better, and as the stakes rose, she settled into the game, allowing the mysterious Hanover family to fade into the shadows.
Ted frowned and crossed his arms. “And who do you think Pamela is? I’ve known her for years. How long have you known her?”
“I know of her. She used to be a part of the Order of the Titans in Athens,” Mikolas said. “Fifty years ago.”
Ted chuckled. “Impossible. She’d be at least seventy years old by now!”
Mikolas rubbed a hand down his face, frustration in his eyes. “I’ve seen photos. She hasn’t aged a day.”
“It must be Pamela’s mother.”
“Or Pamela isn’t mortal.”
Ted wanted to laugh it off, but Mikolas was dead serious. Ted had watched his father age, but Pamela hadn’t. He’d written it off as a rich woman with a plastic surgeon on speed dial, but now…
Mikolas took a deep breath. “You’ve been helping your father drill into the Earth’s core to release an immortal Titan. Is it so hard for you to believe that the other immortals that weren’t trapped in Tartarus might still be around?”
Ted dropped into the chair. “So, what, you think Zeus could be walking the street of Los Angeles right now?”
“I have no idea, but if he wanted to, nothing would be able to stop him.”
Ted looked up at the Greek. “Do you think Pamela is a god, then?”
“I don’t know, but she’s not mortal like we are, and I want to know why she drugged me so you could steal my car to try to run over a muse.”
Ted stiffened. “I was home last night.”
Mikolas cursed under his breath. “This woman has been a part of the Order for decades, maybe centuries. She has an agenda, and whatever it is, it may not be what you think it is.” He glanced out the window and back to Ted. “I can make this investigation go away and reinstate you into the Order, but I’m going to want something in return.”
“What’s that?”
“Loyalty.”
Ted scoffed. “Fuck you. You stole my birthright. I’ll take you down myself. I’ve already started the ball rolling.”
Mikolas raised a brow. “Oh really? The detectives have the hair samples from my car. I presume they’re from you and that ‘enforcer’ of yours. And right now, your only ally is an immortal who could turn on you at any moment.”
“Pamela cared for my father, and she cares for me.” Ted was no longer sure if he was trying to convince Mikolas or himself.
“You’re not Greek, so you probably didn’t grow up with the gods the way I did, but if there is anything to be learned from mythology, it’s that gods are powerful, fickle, and vengeful. When she’s finished with you, you won’t even be a footnote in the history books.”
“If I’m so useless, why do you want to cut a deal with me?”
Mikolas almost smiled. “Because you’re my best chance to figure out who Pamela really is.”
“Why does it matter? If she’s on our side, we can’t lose.”
Mikolas’s expression darkened. “I had one purpose in this world, and the gods took it from me. As long as I have breath, I’m going to make them pay.”
“What purpose?” Ted stood. “You don’t care about freeing Kronos at all, do you?”
Mikolas turned for the door. “Think about my offer. Lucky for you, the victim survived his injuries. I can pay him financial restitution in trade for dropping the charges, and I’ll make certain the DNA evidence is ‘misplaced,’ but in return, you’ll swear a blood oath of loyalty. You have twenty-four hours to decide.” He glanced back and withdrew an unmarked envelope from his pocket. “And before you tell Pamela about this conversation, you should read this.”
Ted came forward and took the envelope. “Why would I believe any of this?”
“Because those documents are from your father.”
Lia finished folding up the card table and put it into Agnes’s closet. “I’m heading downstairs.”
Agnes met her at the door. “Don’t give up on Coop.”
“No one’s giving up on anyone.” She took the older woman’s hand. “He just won’t let me in. There’s nothing I can do about that. I can’t force him.”
Agnes sighed. “I’m not getting any younger, and before I leave this world, I want to know my family has healed.”
Lia shook her head. “I think you’ve got plenty of years left.”
“I never dreamed it would go on this long.” She patted Lia’s hand. “You’re like a breath of fresh, joyful air. Tell my grandson not to blow it.”
Lia laughed. “Will do.”
She went to the elevator and pressed the “down” button.
“You a barber?”
She turned and smiled at an older gentleman with a brass cane and a purple hooligan hat. “Stylist. How could you tell?”
He pointed at her chest. “Still wearing the tools of your trade.”
She glanced down at her apron and shook her head as she reached around to untie it. “I forgot all about it.”
He jerked his thumb toward Agnes’s room. “Were you playing poker with the ladies down the hall?”
“Guilty as charged.” She folded up her apron. “You live here?”
“I visit. I’m thinking about moving in.”
She smiled again as the elevator door opened. “You’ll be a popular guy. I know lots of single ladies around here.”
He waggled his white eyebrows. “I’ll add that to the list of reasons to move in.”
“Are you going down?” She held the door.
He shrugged and came in. “I suppose so.” He offered his hand. “I’m Zack Vrontios.”
“My Greek is rusty… Thunder?”
He nodded as she shook his hand. “Not as rusty as you think.”
“I’m Lia Youlos.”
“Short for Thalia?” His watery blue eyes twinkled.
Her jaw dropped a little. “How did you—”
“Lucky guess.” He winked. “You’re Greek…so were the muses.”
His line of thinking made sense, but still…weird. “I don’t think anyone has ever guessed my full name before.”
The elevator reached the ground floor, and the door opened. She stepped out and glanced around the lobby.
; Zack hobbled out with his cane. “Waiting for someone?”
“Yeah. I’m not sure when he’ll be here.”
Zack pointed into the game room. “Do you play backgammon?”
“Of course.” Lia grinned. “My Greek daddy insisted on a game every day until I finally beat him.”
“I was quite the player in my day.” He met her eyes. “Want to play while you wait?”
“Sure.” She went into the other room and sorted the black and white markers into stacks.
Zack sat across from her, propping his cane against the wall.
She pushed his stack toward him. “There you go.”
He grabbed a cup and dropped his dice inside, shaking it. He rolled an eleven.
“Not bad.” Lia smiled and shook her cup. “Damn. Ten. You’re up first.”
Zack moved his pieces and glanced her way. “Do you have a relative here?”
“I used to. My mom’s aunt. She passed away, but I kept going to her poker group.” She hopped two pieces around the board. “What about you? How did you find this place?”
“I’m crafty when I need to be.”
Before she could ask what he meant by that, the main doors opened. Cooper came down the hall toward them. Lia grinned as he approached. “Cooper, this is Zack. He’s considering moving here.”
Cooper reached for his hand. “Good to meet you, Zack.”
He grinned and pointed at Lia. “She’s a strong player. Thalia, the Greek muse, would be pleased.”
Cooper raised a brow. “I bet she would.”
Lia finished the game a close second to Zack. She stood up with a smile. “Thanks for keeping me company.”
“Thank you for the game.” Zack’s gaze moved to Cooper. “Take good care of her. She’s a treasure.”
“I agree.” Cooper took her hand and led her toward the double doors.
As they opened, Lia glanced back to the game room, but Zack was gone.
CHAPTER 15
Ted stared at the unmarked envelope while he ate dinner. He’d replayed his conversation with Mikolas at least a hundred times, but for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to open it. Maybe he just didn’t want to be lured to work with the Greek, or maybe he cared for Pamela more than he’d realized.
Or he simply didn’t want to read his father’s letter.
It was probably the latter.
Ted picked it up, tapping the corner on the table. He couldn’t put it off forever.
Taking a deep breath, he carefully opened the envelope and took out a stack of faded photographs of a group of people in sixties attire. He brought the picture closer, inspecting it. One of the women was definitely Pamela.
On the back of the photo, there was some writing in Greek. He set it aside. The next picture showed a circle of robed people near the Parthenon. He scanned the faces and found Pamela again. A Post-it was stuck on the back, which said, The Order, 1970.
He did the math in his head. The picture was almost fifty years old.
And Pamela hadn’t aged a day.
A chill crept down his back. His phone rang, her name lighting up the screen. Suddenly, he wasn’t sure he wanted to take the call. Hesitating, he finally pressed “Accept.”
“This is Ted,” he said.
“Where are you?” Pamela purred. “I thought you needed to see me?”
He picked up the picture again. “Yeah. I just got stuck working on a project.”
“The others have agreed to welcome you back into the Order.”
“About that…” He dropped the picture on the table. “The police had to let Mikolas go. He may not be so eager to have me back.”
“I thought you had him handled.” Her voice was tight, her words clipped.
“I did, too.”
“We have to talk in person. Now.”
He swallowed. “I’ll be there soon.” He ended the call and carefully removed a folded note from the envelope Mikolas had given him.
Holding his breath, Ted opened it. His father’s controlled script was unmistakable.
Greetings to the Greek Order.
We have a woman requesting membership in Crystal City. She references being a previous member of your Order, so I’m writing for guidance in this matter.
Her name is Pamela Costas, and I’m enclosing her photo. She’s a philanthropist for Grecian historical charities.
Please inform me as soon as possible in regard to her status.
Ted Belkin
Belkin Oil Industries
It was dated fifteen years ago, but the enclosed photo could have been taken today. Not to mention the others from fifty years ago. No plastic surgeon could manage that level of agelessness.
His hand trembled as he withdrew the final document. Another handwritten letter from his father to Mikolas’s father.
Mr. Leandros–
There has been a delay in the special project on the Oceanus. I’m sure you’ve already seen the news reports about the explosion. I’m handling the media fallout, but I need your help with something. Two of the injured men claimed there was a blond female dressed in black at the control panel on the rig. When they approached her, they were paralyzed.
They’re both in shock, but the description they gave matches that of Pamela Costas. When I showed one of the men her picture, he identified her.
I never brought her to the Oceanus. I don’t know how she found it or how she got out here, but I’m concerned about her origins. Is there any chance that she is more than she seems?
Lastly, if anything happens to me, please send your son to California. My son will need his help to see our mission completed.
Ted tossed the letter aside.
His father hadn’t said a word about his suspicions about Pamela or his belief that Ted couldn’t free Kronos on his own.
Ted couldn’t even win his father’s approval from beyond the grave.
No, it couldn’t have been Pamela. The Oceanus rig sat a few miles offshore, and the location wasn’t on any public records. How would she have found it?
He drummed his fingers on his desk. If Mikolas was right and Pamela was…not human, then why would she be so anxious to bring back the Golden Age of Man?
Then it hit him. She’d mentioned that she only answered to Kronos. Maybe she didn’t give a shit about mankind. Maybe all she wanted was Kronos.
And the death of the muses.
He put the letters and photos back into the envelope and locked it in the bottom drawer of his desk.
He had too many questions and not enough answers. But maybe Pamela could change that.
Cooper stood at the stove, flipping their grilled ham-and-cheese sandwiches, but he could feel Lia’s gaze on the back of his neck. He peered over his shoulder. “What? Did my grandmother tell you some embarrassing story from my childhood? For the record, I wasn’t streaking at the public pool. I got locked out of the locker room.”
“No, but now I want to hear all about it.”
He turned, spatula in hand. “So what’s eating at you?”
She shrugged. “Honestly, I’m trying really hard not to shake you. I had the same struggle at poker today with your grandmother.”
“Oh yeah?” He took out a couple of plates and put the sandwiches on them, then he grabbed a bag of chips and brought everything to the table. “You wouldn’t be the first person who wanted to throttle a Hanover.”
“It wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t like you both so much.”
He popped a chip in his mouth, trying not to crack a smile. “So you’re saying you might accept a rematch at pinball?”
She rolled her eyes, but her grin buoyed his spirits. “See? This is what makes me crazy. There’s this fun side of you that’s all smiles and laughs, and then there’s this switch that flips and you shut down. I don’t get it.”
The chip suddenly became a rock in his stomach. “So you’re saying there’s probably a reason I’m still single.”
She pointed her sandwich in his direction. “Exactly.
” She took a bite of the sandwich and hummed. “Oh. Damn. You’re a sandwich master, too?”
“I try.” He sobered. “I care about you, Lia. I want to impress you, not dredge up the past.”
She set it back on her plate. “You’ve already impressed me, though. You practically have a Superman cape blowing in the wind behind you. You saved Reed, took a hit from a car meant for me, and don’t get me started on how amazing last night was…”
He hoped they could relive it again, but he didn’t get a chance to tell her that before she spoke again.
“But here’s the thing.” She searched his face. “The Muse of Comedy lives inside me and I’m still not happy all the time. It happens. I’m laying my cards on the table right now because I care about you. Heck, I slept in a hospital chair for you. But if I put my heart on the line, I don’t want only part of you. That’s not real, Cooper. If I’m all in, then I want to know all of you. When we laugh or when we cry, we need to be a team or I can’t play this game.”
He shifted in his chair, his gut twisting into knots. “Remember the night I came to the improv show? When you told me about losing your two friends?”
“Yeah. Nia and Polly.” She swallowed. “I think about them every day.”
“You said you sometimes feel guilty for being happy.”
“I did at first, but then I’d remember laughing with them. It reminds me that they wouldn’t want me to give that up. It’s one of the things they loved about me.”
She was right, but she was also stronger than he was. It was so much easier to lock the past in a chest and hide it in the attic. Opening it was too painful, and sharing the night he lost his sister with someone terrified him. What if she blamed him like his family did?
He stared at her beautiful face, at the wisdom in her eyes, and his heart thumped. If he wanted any hope of a future with her, he’d have to let her in, even if it meant reopening old wounds that never healed.
“I had a sister.” His throat went dry, his voice tight, but he forced himself to go on. “Sarah was the light in our family; everyone’s favorite person to be around.” He leaned back in his chair, struggling to put words together. “She was a year older than me with a bright future ahead. When she graduated high school, she already had her whole life planned out. She was going to go to Stanford in the fall.”