Chapter Four
Cassandra
Three days later, I hurried, head down against the wind toward the door to my building. With Cynthia booked, and both Andrew and Deo out of town, I’d not taken a true lunch break in days. Going a bit stir crazy, I had stepped out to the Starbucks on the corner for a caffeine fix. Holding my caramel macchiato in one hand, I reached for the door with the other. It opened from within, someone holding it wide for me.
“Thank you,” I murmured, brushing past the figure.
“You’re welcome.”
I looked up, recognizing the familiar friendly voice. “Andrew! Hi. When did you get back?”
“Last night,” he said, giving me a long look. “Cassandra, you look even more frazzled than you did at Hibernia. What the hell is going on? What was your husband doing at the pub the other day?”
“Gee, thanks,” I joked, my mind racing. I’d had three long days to try to sort out my feelings about the new dynamic of my marriage. Three days in which the only real conclusion I’d come to was that I missed my husband far more than I ever had before.
“I’m sorry,” he said, moving with me across the lobby floor toward the bank of elevators. “I’m just worried about you.”
His concern was evident, and I was touched. “You don’t need to be. He just wanted to have lunch with me… surprise me.”
“He seemed upset.” Andrew studied my face, obviously not ready to let it go.
“I think he was just a little taken off guard that his wife was dining with another man. He can be a little archaic at times,” I said, giving a nervous laugh.
Andrew hesitated before locking gazes with me and replying, “Forgive me if I overstep my bounds but Deo didn’t only seem upset. He seemed almost… dangerous.”
Clearing my throat nervously, I brushed at the air with my hands. “He just missed me. We’ve both been super busy lately.” I jabbed the call button a few times, as if that would speed its arrival. There was no way I could explain my suddenly complicated marriage to Andrew, nor did I want to.
The bell gave its polite ‘ding’, the silver doors gliding open. We stepped inside. Alone with Andrew in the elevator, I pushed the lighted number three for our floor, hoping the awkward conversation was over. It wasn’t. The moment the doors slid closed and the elevator began to rise, Andrew pressed for more details. “Are you guys, like, okay at home?”
“What are you implying?”
“I mean, he wouldn’t hurt you because he was jealous, or something, would he?”
I had to smile to myself even as I felt my face heat. Deo taking me over his knee and spanking my bare behind until I was a blubbering mess, then fucking me until I was begging to come probably wasn’t exactly what Andrew had in mind when he asked the question.
“Andrew, I appreciate your concern, but I promise, everything’s good.”
The elevator doors opened, and I was released. As I walked away, Andrew grabbed my arm, turning me toward him.
“Cass, wait.”
I looked up at the genuine concern in those innocent blue eyes.
“I care about you. Just promise me you’ll tell me if you ever need help.” His hand lingered, still holding me.
I needed to proceed with caution. “Andrew, you’re a good friend,” I said, trying to place the emphasis on the word ‘friend’, glancing down meaningfully at his grasp of my arm. “But Deo is my husband and I love him. He’d never hurt me.”
Andrew awkwardly released me. “Of course,” he mumbled.
I gave him my sweetest ‘everything’s wonderful’ smile and walked quickly toward the sleek glass doors of Parker, Anderson, and Roe. Entering ahead of Andrew, I walked toward my office, nodding to Debbi at reception.
Though she was on the phone, she gave me the usual smile and wave. Then with a wink, she covered the receiver with one hand, whispering, “Someone’s in your office. A super hunk.”
I thanked her and continued down the hall. My two o’clock must be early. Rounding the corner, I was in view of the glass windows of my office. I was surprised to see that instead of sitting in one of the comfortable chairs in front of my desk, the client was standing behind it, appearing to be admiring my awards hanging on the wall or placed on the bookshelves.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” I said, entering the room and closing the door behind me. My breath caught in my throat when the man turned to me. His eyes were light green, a shade I’ve never seen, like bottle glass. His shoulder-length light brown hair was the same color as the stubble that ran along his jawline. Slighter in build, he shared the chiseled look of my husband.
“Cassandra.” A smile spread across his lean face, revealing straight white teeth. He spoke as if we were family, with an accent like Deo’s, only thicker.
“I’m sorry, do I know you?” I asked, trying to hold myself together in this handsome stranger’s presence.
“Deo sent me.” The man picked up my small globe made of gemstones that sat on a shelf and casually tossed it back and forth between his hands.
Deo hadn’t said anything about sending someone to my office when he’d called me last night. “For what, exactly?”
“To talk.”
“Why didn’t he send Alekos?” The few times Deo had needed something from me, a form, a copy of some file or document from the firm, he had always sent his jovial younger brother, Alekos.
The smile dropped from the man’s face. His brow creased over his jade eyes. “Because Alekos can take ‘no’ for an answer. I will not.” Walking away from me, the man leaned his panther-like body against the desk.
Though his words were cryptic, the body language was clear. He was here for something I would not want to give, and he was not leaving without it.
“Can you draw the blinds for privacy?” he asked, gesturing at the large windows that looked out into the main office. I could see Debbi peeking around the corner, helping herself to another piece of eye candy.
Nervously, I gave my secretary a small wave and a tight-lipped smile. Giving me a thumbs up, she disappeared down the hall. Not exactly sure why I was acquiescing to this man’s request, I pulled on the cord of the blinds, bringing them down to cover the glass. Why on Earth would I need privacy with this man whom Deo had sent?
Completing the task, I turned back to him. “Privacy,” I said, waving at the covered windows.
Setting the small orb down, the stranger pushed away from the desk and held his hand out to me. “You may call me Baal. My name is Balthazar. It means ‘protect the king’.”
Shaking his hand, my temper flared. “What is it with you Greeks, always saying what your name means when you introduce yourselves? The first time Deo walked into this office, he did the same egomaniacal thing.”
I still remembered the feel of Deo’s rock-hard hand in mine. My name is Deo. The Greek meaning, ‘godlike’. He had given me a handsome smile and told me his finance firm was looking for a good lawyer and that my name had been brought up as one of the sharpest minds in New Jersey. The first time I’d met Alekos he’d said, Alekos, ‘defender of mankind,’ at your service. Though Alekos had given his introduction with a saucy wink, I still didn’t understand this tradition.
“Only to you, Cassandra.” Baal’s green eyes bored into mine, seeming to try to pull understanding from my mind.
“Why only me?”
“Because you’re special. Have you ever wondered about the meaning of your own name?” Baal casually took a seat in my chair. I moved from the window, standing before him, in front of the desk. His eyes locked on mine. “Unheeded prophetess, daughter of King Priam.”
“Yes. And I’ve read The Iliad. Cassandra predicted the fall of Troy and the death of Agamemnon. Her warnings went unheeded. She was the most beautiful of Priam’s daughters, but not truly a prophetess,” I corrected him. “Meanings of names can be inaccurate.”
“You know your history,” Baal said, looking impressed. “Though I would expect nothing less than brilliance from any woman Deo would pledge his life to.” Baal’s eyes roved over me.
He stood, walking a slow circle around the desk. His nearness caused my spine to stiffen as he wandered around to me, appraising me, stopping just inches from where I stood. Nervous, I took a step away.
He smiled, but didn’t give me an inch of quarter. “But you are not Greek. Why were you given such a strong Greek name?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
The Irish blood that ran through my body I blamed for my temper. I was green-eyed and had auburn hair with hints of red and gold, my skin was pale—porcelain as Deo referred to it. Nothing about me looked Mediterranean. “My parents were obsessed with mythology, The Iliad, The Odyssey, the Trojan War. They were both historians.”
“Were?”
“Yes. I lost them both, at once, before I met Deo.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Baal turned away from me and walked back to the shelves that lined the far wall.
“Why are you here?” I asked, unable to hide my sudden annoyance. Good looking or not, Balthazar was grating at my nerves, seeming so comfortable in my office, asking questions, touching my personal belongings.
From the floor beside him, Baal lifted an empty gray duffle bag I did not recognize. “You must fill this with everything associated with the Ambrosia account as well as anything you wish to keep, then we must leave, without raising any suspicions. Begin immediately. I have brought paper to wrap any delicate items.” Dropping the bag at my feet, Baal slid back into my desk chair to watch.
“How thoughtful of you to bring paper when you demand that I gather my things and leave my place of work immediately, with absolutely no explanation whatsoever.” My heated words gushed from my lips.
“You’re welcome,” he said, ignoring my sarcasm. Gesturing at the bag, he said, “Deo said to be quick about it.”
Remembering Deo’s comment about my naiveté the other day, I shook my head. “Not so fast. Granted, you do look Greek and you are definitely bossy, but how do I know Deo actually sent you?” I asked suspiciously.
The twinkle in Baal’s eyes was unmistakable. He was laughing at me. Wordlessly, Baal held up his wrist. Glinting under the florescent lights, I saw Deo’s chain bracelet, the heavy platinum links dangling.
Seeing the recognition in my eyes, Baal smiled. “Start packing, please, Cassandra, daughter of Priam.” Picking up my globe again, he began to roll it back and forth between his palms, never taking his eyes from me.
Should I run; should I scream? I needed a moment to think. Though the bracelet confirmed that my husband had sent Baal, I had no idea why. Was Deo in trouble? I couldn’t imagine this man overpowering Deo. Was Cynthia onto something with her mob theory? I needed to gather more information before I just wandered out of the building with this infuriating Greek god.
“What about my job?” I asked, stalling.
“You work exclusively for Deo, now.”
Of course. I’d threatened to leave Deo. Now he was trying to gain control of every aspect of my life. Meeting me for lunch, taking away my job. ‘Protecting’ what was his. Maintaining my composure, I continued my line of questioning.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I tried to look threatening. “And what makes my husband think that I will be agreeable working solely for him?”
Sliding his hand beneath his jacket’s lapel, he pulled out a white envelope that looked like the one Deo had thrown on his desk that night. Baal held it up and waved it toward me.
“The vows.”
I snatched it from his hands. Opening the envelope, I pulled out the papers. There was our marriage certificate, signed by our two witnesses, and by us, Cassandra Hale and Deo Ambrosia. Under the certificate, typed on a piece of paper were the wedding vows Deo and I had exchanged. “How did you get these?” I demanded.
Instead of answering my question, he leaned back in my chair, his comfort level with my office starting to scare me. It was as if he had been here before. “Read them.”
I began to scan the document, my progress instantly thwarted when he chuckled.
“No, I can’t hear you. Read them out loud, if you will.”
Baal’s cockiness had me wanting to throw the papers back at him, but the desire to piece together the puzzle of what was going on was stronger. I chose to read them aloud, as he asked, hoping to gain clues to solve the mystery.
“I, Cassandra, take thee, Deo, to be my wedded husband; to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health; to love, cherish…” I stopped, my eyes cutting to Baal, trying to read his face. “What does this have to do with anything?” I snapped.
He simply quirked an eyebrow, not even bothering to answer.
“I should have had a Greek wedding,” I muttered. When we were planning our wedding, I’d gone with Deo to a church. The walls and carpeting were a dark red velvet, the words foreign to me. When the priest had started to wave incense around the sanctuary, I had begun to feel dizzy and had rushed outside to get air and catch my breath. We’d opted for a simple ceremony and reception at a gorgeous cathedral that had been renovated to host events, but now I had to wonder if I’d made a mistake.
Baal shook his head. “It’s not the place, it is the pledge made. Though vows are not exchanged in the Greek Orthodox church, the oath is still made, is still sacred.” He paused as if to make sure that I had absorbed his words. With a nod, he said, “Finish, please.”
Though I looked at the paper in my hand, I didn’t need to actually focus on the words printed. I knew them by heart, picking up where I’d left off. “To obey, till death do us part.”
Baal nodded, his tone lowered to one that brokered no nonsense. “You know Deo sent me. You know his instructions. Now, obey them.”
Looking up, I was not quite ready to surrender. “Is Deo in trouble?”
Baal shook his head. “Deo can take care of himself.” Then, he lifted his clasped hands, index fingers together, like a gun, the same gesture Deo had used that night. Pointing directly at me, Balthazar’s manner remained confident, but his pale green eyes gave away his concern.
“Me?” I said quietly. “Am I the one in trouble?”
Baal confirmed my guess with a slight nod.
Mind spinning, I tried to process what I knew about groups like the mafia. They often used businesses to launder money, clean it for them. Sometimes the clients were in on it, sometimes they weren’t. Things didn’t go as planned and, ‘boom’, there were kidnappings, death threats.
“My work here? For Deo? Was I into something I wasn’t aware of?” I asked in a hushed whisper.
Holding a finger to his lips, Baal gestured for me to be quiet. He stood and walked over to the bag I had declined, handing it to me. “Hurry,” he said softly, his eyes now kind.
The truth tugged at my heart. As strange as the situation was, I trusted Deo with my life. Baal had the bracelet; he had the vows. I had no doubt that my husband had sent him. I suspected that this was one of the ‘other things’ Deo had hinted at. Whatever the reason, Deo wanted me out of here, now. I would go.
Mind racing and fingers fumbling, I collected all the files pertaining to Deo’s accounts. As for my personal artifacts, I picked and chose as fast as I could. I took nothing breakable, save my small gemstone globe, which Baal was now wrapping in paper. Let the secretaries divide it all when they realized I wasn’t coming back. They weren’t paid nearly enough to put up with us as it was.
My eyes grazed the white envelope on the desk. I stuffed the certificate and vows back in the envelope, seeing there were a few other papers in there, and threw it into the bag on top of my other things. I pulled the zipper shut. Moments later I stood, ready, by the door.
Baal took the duffle bag from my hand and heaved it over his shoulder. “Ready?” he asked.
I nodded.
Casually, Baal opened the door, stepping out first and striding smoothly toward reception.
I followed closely.
When we got to Debbi’s desk, her eyes drank in Baal’s lean figure, as she asked me, “Headed out? Your two o’clock is in the lobby.”
The reminder had me realizing that I needed to give some sort of explanation, though I truly didn’t understand it myself. “I have a family emergency and must leave immediately.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Debbi said, her eyes widening in surprise. “When will you be back?”
I had no idea, but since Baal seemed ready to drag me to the door if necessary, I just said, “I’m not sure. Please ask one of the partners to assign another lawyer to the client.”
Debbi’s look said she wanted to ask more questions, but when she looked from me to Baal, she turned back, gave me a wink, and picked up the phone to do as I’d asked.
Baal and I made it past the glass doors without any further interruptions. I grabbed his arm to stop him from heading toward the elevators. “We need to take the back stairs and leave out the alleyway. Otherwise my next appointment will see me leaving and will want an explanation.”
Baal nodded, and we headed for the stairwell, just as I heard, “Cassandra, wait up!” over my shoulder.
He was too close to pretend I hadn’t heard—Andrew. Baal’s jade eyes flickered to me, then to Andrew, looking annoyed.
Andrew eyed the Greek man and the duffle suspiciously. “Cass, who’s this? What’s going on?”
“I’ll get rid of him,” I whispered to Baal. Flipping my hair over my shoulder casually, I called out, “Andrew,” giving him my most serene smile. “This is Baal. He’s helping me.”
“With what?”
Pointing to the duffle in Baal’s hands, I said, “I’m doing a little work for Deo and there are a lot of files he requested. And his… um…”
“Cousin,” Baal provided, his lips curling with amusement when I struggled to complete my explanation.
“Right,” I said. “Anyway, his cousin, here, is helping me out.”
Though Andrew was eyeing Baal like a criminal, he nodded. “Sorry to interrupt.”
“No problem, man,” Baal said, wrapping a protective arm around my shoulder. Flashing Andrew a wide white smile, Baal guided me toward the stairwell door.
“See you around, Andrew,” I said over my shoulder. There was a look of concern and determination in his icy eyes that told me he didn’t truly buy my story. I could feel his protective gaze remain on me as the steel door slammed shut behind me and Baal as we made our exit.
There was a car waiting on Main. It was a sleek black Escalade with dark windows, a duplicate of the one that had picked Deo up outside Hibernia. Baal held the door open for me as I climbed into the backseat. Shutting the door, he went around to the passenger side.
I peeked over the front seat at the driver, but I didn’t recognize him. Though he was seated, he appeared to be the same height as Baal but with a thicker build. His brown hair was medium length, with wave and body to it. His tanned skin was clean-shaven, showing off his strong jaw and full lips. He didn’t acknowledge me, just turned to get a good look at me, his chestnut eyes locking on me, the warmth and kindness in their depths drawing me in. After a moment, he turned back to the front. The glimpse I caught of his face stunned me. Had all the Greek gods suddenly fallen to Earth?
“Cassandra, meet Draco. He’s our dragon guardian,” Baal said, arranging himself into his seat.
“You mean his name translates to dragon,” I corrected.
“That too,” Baal quipped, exchanging a knowing smile with Draco. “We still have one more for you to meet—Xander.”
“And let me guess. Xander has some amazing meaning as well?” I quipped.
“Protector,” Draco murmured. His deep voice was low and velvety, his accent much thicker than Baal’s.
Glad to have something to take my mind off the question of why my heart had skipped a beat the moment Draco’s eyes met mine, however briefly, I rolled my eyes so hard they hurt. “Let me get this straight. Deo is godlike, his brother Alekos defends mankind, Balthazar protects the king, Draco here”—I threw a hand up in our driver’s direction—“is the dragon, and Xander is protector? Did I miss anyone?”
Baal turned back, beaming at me. “Perfect. And, you pronounced them all correctly. Good for you.” With a wink, he said, “You’ve only forgotten yourself.”
I leaned back in my seat with a groan, the back of my head hitting the leather cushion. “Right. Cassandra, the unheeded prophetess.” I lifted my finger in the air as a reminder. “Though according to the story, she wasn’t really a prophetess.”
“But she was beautiful,” Draco said, throwing me a look in the rearview mirror that made me blush.
“And smart,” Baal added.
We rode in silence for a few minutes. When we approached my street, I felt the anxiety start to melt away. Deo would be there, and he would explain all this. As my house neared, I admired the manicured lawns and ornamental trees that lined the steep winding driveway to our stone house on top of the hill. Draco did not slow the vehicle as we grew closer.
Leaning forward, signaling with my hands, I called, “Stop, this is it on the right.”
“I know. I’m afraid we won’t be going there,” Draco said quietly.
I watched as we passed by my beautiful estate. My husband and I shared a deep love and appreciation of stunning architecture, and we had fallen in love with this house as fast as we had fallen in love with one another. Deo and I had moved in on our wedding night, choosing to spend our honeymoon furnishing the massive home.
The first night, we had dined on Chinese takeout, on a mattress in the center of the grand foyer, staircases swirling up on both sides above us. Afterward, Deo had lit candelabras filled with tall candlesticks, the light reflected in the mirrors that hung from the gilded walls. It was an unforgettable night.
I knew the answer, but as a lawyer, I had to ask. “Can you gentlemen answer a few questions?”
“No, I’m sorry,” Baal said to me apologetically. “But you will be with Deo, soon,” he added softly as he began to push buttons on a small black box that resembled a GPS.
The stress from the day bore a heavy weight on me. Sighing, I curled up on my side against the car door as best I could. Closing my eyes, I chose to remain in the memory of the night with Deo, amongst the hundreds of flickering lights. As I drifted off, I overheard Draco speaking. “She’s strong, this one.”
Baal chuckled. “And stubborn. She doesn’t give in easily or accept things without question. I felt like I was being deposed.”
“That will serve her well.” After a brief pause, Draco’s voice softened as he continued. “She may have a warrior’s heart, but she looks like an angel when she sleeps.”
I didn’t truly understand the meaning of their whispered conversation but couldn’t help the small smile that played at my lips as the darkness took over.