JON LEANED BACK IN his desk chair that morning, running a hand through his hair helplessly.

He’d spent the morning working on his evidence spreadsheet, however irrelevant the task had become. He’d thought it might help him get him into Rhodes’s head, and frankly, he just hadn’t been sure what else to do, what else he could do.

Yesterday, Jon had called in every favor in his arsenal, and today, there was nothing left to do but wait. Rhodes’s picture and info were hanging in every border station from Maine to Seattle, though Jon didn’t think he’d cross to Canada. Maybe to Mexico, but he hoped to God that wasn’t the case.

If it was, they might never find him.

Really, he’d hung his hopes on Jimmy digging up something on Rhodes. If he didn’t, they were probably all well and truly fucked.

So, with nothing to do, Jon buried himself in researching and logging the kills, which was the most menial task he could attend to. He had to keep his hands busy, needed something he could pour energy into. At least he felt productive.

When his phone buzzed in his pocket, adrenaline flashed through him. It was Jimmy Li.

“What’s the good word?” Jon answered casually, the clamp on his throat tight.

“Oh, man, are you in luck. I know the forger who got your guy his papers, sent him the dude’s picture, and he remembered, no problem. Better still…I’m pretty sure I know where he’s going.”

“Holy Christ, Jimmy,” Jon said in disbelief.

“Grab a pen, bro.”

Jon snapped to and picked up a pen, flipping to a new page in his blue notebook. “Shoot.”

“The IDs were for the name Gabriel Reilly, who died in a car accident about six months ago in Seattle. Nobody alerted the Department of Social Security.”

Jon’s pen stopped moving. “That actually happens?”

“Yeah, more often than you’d think. Smart ghosters stick to the state where the ID is from and get a new ghost identity every ten years, max. Even that’s pushing it. Anyway, if you’re going to take over someone’s life and you have fake papers, the best way to keep getting away with it is to not rock the boat. Don’t go to a new state and try to apply for a license because that’s just asking for trouble. You’ve gotta use the IDs of the dead guy.”

“So, you think he’s going to Washington?”

“If he’s smart, yeah. Let me give you all his numbers.”

“You guys keep all this information on file?”

“Hell yes, we do. We don’t want to double book an ID. Plus, sometimes when we put in favors to guys like you, it can keep us safe from the long arm of the law. You ready for the rest of the info?”

“Yeah.” Jon jotted down the information for the license and Social Security number with his mind on Josie. He had to get to her.

He stuffed his phone and the info on Rhodes into his pocket, grabbed his keys and jacket, and ran out the door.

This time, he was ready. He’d made a habit of not pressing his point, but that time had passed.

He couldn’t walk away again.

Josie paced the length of her apartment. Everything else was at a standstill.

She’d barely slept, and through the long hours of the night, her thoughts had run away like a freight train off a broken bridge. Rhodes had disappeared without a single trace, and every minute that passed carried him further away from her. She’d hit the end of the line, scraped the bottom of the barrel, and there was nothing left to do.

She stopped in the middle of the room and stared at the photos of all the women he had killed.

And in that moment she knew they would never be redeemed.

There was no Hail Mary, no last shot, no final play. He was gone, and they wouldn’t find him.

Her eyes lingered on Anne’s photo and welled with tears.

It’s over.

For the first time since Anne had died, she felt the truth of those two words sinking into her, dragging her down, down to her knees in front of the wall that meant nothing. And she folded in on herself, the pain so deep, so intense, she pressed her hands to her heart, as if they could alleviate the feeling of her ribs splitting.

She had lost.

It had been her one tether to her life, and she had lost her grip on it, felt it slipping through her fingers, too fast and hot to hang on to.

Her eyes closed, but her tears found their way down the planes and curves of her face, her breath too short, lungs too constricted in her grief to do more than sip the air. But she did; she sipped it until she could drink it, cried until there were no more tears, burned until she was ash.

Josie pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes, the wash of emotion finally receding, leaving her bare and empty.

And then she grabbed on to that tether again just before it was gone.

Don’t give up.

She knew one thing to be true above all else; she could not keep doing this alone. She needed someone to help her, someone who understood.

And only one person could help her.

Jon.

She had to put her fears aside, put her worry away. She had to call him. Because none of this was about her.

Her heart pitched, her hands numb and cold, when she really understood just how right the decision was. Jon could not only help, but he was willing and offering. Offers she’d refused simply because of her pride.

But she was alone. She’d been alone since Jon left her, but she’d been in hell since losing Anne.

And now, she would ask for his help, and he would give it to her because that was what he did. It would put her in his proximity, forcing them to work as a team, when she’d spent so long stoking the fire of her hatred and anger. The last time they’d worked together, they had been together.

And so she’d have to try to remind herself how he’d damaged her and hope it would be enough to protect her heart.

Josie took a fortifying breath, pulled up his number, and hit Send.

Jon’s phone rang from his pocket, and he almost tripped over his own feet when he saw Josie’s name on his screen.

“Hey, Jo,” he answered.

She took a deep breath in his ear and said in lieu of a greeting, “Does your offer to help still stand?”

A lazy smile crawled across his face. He’d stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, the relief instant and complete. Because even with the information he’d gotten from Jimmy Li, he hadn’t been convinced she’d accept his help without a serious fight. And now he wouldn’t have to convince her of anything.

He threw on his charm to cover up the truth. “I thought you might come around.” He started walking again.

“Oh?” It was just one tight syllable.

“Well, I was hoping,” Jon said, smiling but soft, the words whispering an apology.

She paused for a split second. “I’ve hit a dead end, Jon. I’ve done everything I know to do, but I can’t find a trace on him. His accounts aren’t moving. I canvassed salvage yards and came up empty. I searched his house, and he didn’t leave anything behind. He’s smart, Jon, and now…there’s nothing left. Nothing. And I need help.”

His smile fell away, his heart aching at her hopeless, frantic words. But he kept up his front, his armor, his charm. “You told me to leave it alone, but lucky for you, I’m a terrible listener. Did you think I wasn’t gonna dig around on my own?”

“No,” she said on a small laugh, “I guess I didn’t really believe that.”

“Smart cookie. Listen, I’m right around the corner. I can be there in just a couple of minutes. I’ve got something.”

“What?” The excitement in her voice fluffed his ego, and he smiled.

“I called in a favor. I have Rhodes’s new name and Social, and I have a good idea where he’s going.”

“Oh my God. Where?”

“Washington.”

She paused before saying with more relief than even he felt, “Thank you, Jon.”

“Don’t mention it.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll be there in a few. Just sit tight.”

“All right.”

Josie wiped her sweaty palms on her thighs as she paced, more nervous waiting for him than before she called him. She hadn’t really expected Jon to keep going and certainly hadn’t thought he would find any leads. But that was why she needed him after all.

She tried to balance her relief and gratitude and giddiness with her intent to be angry, repeating her mantra in her mind, He hurt you. He left you. He chose her.

He knocked, and she jogged to the door, hesitating, her hand hovering over the knob for a moment before pulling it open.

Jon leaned against the doorframe on his forearm with twinkling eyes and a crooked smile, looking proud of himself. She felt something inside her shift, a flutter in her chest when she looked at him. It was the remnant of what she’d buried so far down in her heart, she hadn’t truly believed it was still alive.

Hope.

She felt herself smile back at the smug bastard.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

She rolled her eyes to cover for the fact that she’d been standing there like an idiot. “Come in, smart-ass.”

He made his way in, and she smelled the leather of his jacket as he walked by.

“Is that any way to treat your knight in shining armor?” he asked.

“No horse, no knight,” she said, glad his back was to her, as her cheeks were on fire.

He just had to be charming. It was like it was genetic, completely beyond his control.

He dug into his back pocket and handed her a slip of paper with a name, address, Social, and driver’s license number on it.

Josie’s mouth hung open, feeling like she held the map to El Dorado in her hands, humbled and disbelieving. “I can’t believe it. You actually did it,” she whispered. Her eyes met Jon’s. “You must have been owed one hell of a favor.”

“Jimmy and I have been friends a long time,” he said seriously. Then, he smiled. “And yes, he owed me one hell of a favor.”

She sat down heavily on the couch, her mind racing as she stared at the scrap of paper. “Washington. He’s definitely trying to get as far away as possible. Why not just jump the border?”

“His picture is posted at every border crossing into Canada. I called in a favor on that one, too. Anyway, it’s cheaper and faster for him to get US papers than to try to get Canadian papers and a passport. He’s driving, and he’s driving to Washington to take over this man’s identity. Right now, he’s somewhere between here and there.”

Josie opened her laptop and pulled up an interactive map, inputting the cities until the direct driving route was outlined in blue. “As smart as Rhodes has been, I don’t believe he’d take the fast and straight route, which means it’ll take him twice as long to get to where he’s going. Do you think we can catch him on the road?”

“I think it’s possible.” Jon sat down next to her, and their thighs touched as he leaned in to look at her computer screen.

Goosebumps trailed up her arms and shoulders to the hairs on the back of her neck, and she took a breath that was filled with him.

He hurt you. He left you. He smells good.

Wait, what?

She cleared her throat.

“He would stay off the interstate, but he’d be as direct as possible. Something like this.” She pointed at the screen to a scenic route. “I think he’d be cautious and stay off the road when there wasn’t a lot of traffic. Assuming he stopped every night, at about five hundred miles per day at a slower pace…that would put him about…here.” She pointed to a small town in South Dakota.

Jon nodded. “If we leave now, we could take the highway to gain on him. Once we hit around here”—he pointed to a spot in Montana—“he can only take the highway. There’s no other way to get into Spokane, not without taking about a four-hour detour. I think he’d risk a few hundred miles on the interstate to save the time. We should be able to catch up with him at that point.”

“But what about this route?” She pointed to an alternate route that ran through North Dakota. “Or this one,” she said as her heart sank.

There were too many variables.

“This is too risky, Jon. There’s no way to know where he is, what route he’d take, not with any certainty. We’re never going to find him.”

“I don’t know, Jo. I think he would go through Montana; that’s where he’s from. He’s familiar with it, and I think he’d take a route he knows over one he doesn’t. The real question though is, just how are we going to find him?” He stared at the screen for a moment. “He’s got to use cash, which means he’ll only be able to stay at motels. The number of possible places on either route is limited.”

She brightened up as a spark of hope lit in her. “I can fax them all of his info and offer a reward for information.”

“Fax? That’s current.”

Josie laughed. “I’ve got an online fax account that can send to fax machines via email.”

“Fancy,” he said with an eyebrow wiggle. “That’s a damn good idea. We’re sure to get a hit off one of them. All right. We need to leave as soon as possible. How much time do you need?”

“Just let me get my stuff together. I need to call my dad at some point too, but I might wait until we’re far enough that he can’t say no.”

“Probably smart. Anything I can do?”

“Start researching the motels and get a spreadsheet going.”

He was already typing in a search term. “On it.”

Josie headed back to her room and grabbed her duffel bag. Her hands trembled a little as she packed, excited and nervous and not exactly sure what had gotten into her. That bastard had found a way to wiggle his way in and in a way that was undeniably chivalrous even if he’d done the opposite of what she’d said and even if he was a jerk who had left her.

She felt the rush of adrenaline that came with every chase, the clarity that it brought. The relief she found in having a plan was a tangible thing. There was nothing she hated more than winging it. It made her downright crazy. The last few days had been proof of that.

Josie came out with her bag, and Jon turned with a smirk on his face.

“Got your toothbrush?” he joked. “You can’t use mine if you forgot it.”

She tried not to think about the fact that she’d be sleeping in the same room as him. “I got it. Don’t forget your hair ties because you can’t use mine.”

“I’m good.” He held up his wrist where a couple of rubber bands were wound.

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but smile.

He hurt you. He left you. He chose her.

“Come on, let’s get going.”

He snapped her laptop closed and handed it to her.

She cradled it in the crook of her arm and grabbed her keys. “I’ll drive.”

“Oh no, you won’t.” He chuckled. “We’re taking my car.”

Josie propped a hand on her hip and eyeballed him. “I’m driving. My car gets better gas mileage.”

“No way am I riding across the country in a Mazda. We’re taking my Jeep.”

“Your Jeep sticks out too much. Could your tires be any bigger?”

“As a matter of fact, yes, they could. I’m driving. I’ll pay for all the gas, and it doesn’t matter what car we take because your hair draws more attention than if we were driving a Testarossa.”

“Jon, come on—”

“Stop being a control freak, Jo,” he said with firm tenderness.

She knew there would be no arguing with him, not with that look on his face.

“Look, it’ll give you the time to research while I drive because I’m never gonna drive a Mazda.”

She sighed, knowing it was a lost cause. “Fine, you win.”

“Thank you. Now, let’s go.”

They walked the block to Jon’s apartment, and he turned to her when she paused at the foot of the stairs to his building.

“Come on up, Jo.”

Josie looked warily at the door, not wanting to see what was inside. “I’ll just wait here.”

“I need you to make sure I don’t forget any other important supplies. You know, like headbands and extra underwear.”

She shook her head. The last thing she wanted to see was the home he shared with his family, and the last person in the entire world that she wanted to see was Tori.

“I’m not going in there, Jon.”

“Tori’s not home, and neither is Lola,” he said, soft and serious.

Josie squirmed and shifted her duffel bag on her shoulder. She’d been so sidetracked before they left that she didn’t realize she had to pee until they started walking. She was ready to get on the road and didn’t want to pull over unless they had to, so she figured, if no one was there, she could bear seeing reminders of the reasons Jon had left her so long as the reasons themselves weren’t around.

She waved him on. “Fine, fine.”

They made their way up the stairs and to his door, and Josie braced herself for what she’d see—proof of his family, proof she had no interest in acknowledging.

But when they stepped in and Josie heard a little girl yelling, “Daddy!” as she ran through the apartment, she went numb, wishing she could sink into the floor as the toddler jumped into his arms.

And just like that, her traitorous warm, hopeful feelings about Jon were gone. All that was left was her feelings of regret and foolishness.

She’d been stupid to get her hopes up. So, so stupid.

“Hey there, baby. What are you doin’ here?” His voice was tight, and she knew he was just as surprised as she was.

Well, maybe not just as surprised.

“I thought you and Mama were going to the zoo?” He smoothed her hair with his big hand.

Josie wanted to die. Her insides physically reacted to seeing him holding her like that, looking at her like he was.

“No zoo,” Lola said. She poked her lip out.

Josie didn’t know she could be any more embarrassed and out of place until Tori walked around the corner.

She was pretty—so pretty, blond and gorgeous, even with a cherry-red nose and in her pajamas.

“Hey,” she said. “Man, it was so weird. I had a crazy allergy attack on the subway. Everything smelled like grass and pine, and I just couldn’t stop sneezing. It was miserable, so we turned around about halfway there and came—” Her eyes flew open, her mouth gaping when she caught sight of Josie. “Oh my God.”

Josie reminded herself to breathe, gripping the strap of her bag like it was a lifeline. “I’m just going to wait outside.”

“Don’t be silly. Hi, Josie, right?” Tori closed her mouth and stuck out her hand, her smile welcoming and curious, though her voice was worn from her stuffy nose.

“Hi,” Josie said as she took Tori’s hand, absolutely mortified. She glanced at Jon, who looked equally mortified.

“Come on into the kitchen. Would you like some tea?”

Josie knew it was a peace offering, one she couldn’t refuse, no matter how uncomfortable she was. “Sure, whatever you’re having. Could I use your bathroom?”

“Yeah, it’s just down the hallway there.” Tori pointed across the living room.

“Thanks.” Josie laid her bag in the entryway and gave Tori a small smile. But when she turned, she shot laser-kill eyes at Jon.

He looked apologetic. She couldn’t give a single, solitary fuck.

Jon’s daughter grinned from his arms and waved at her, and the frost on Josie’s heart melted. The little girl looked just like him with wavy dark hair and intelligent blue eyes.

“Hiyee. My Lola.” She touched her own chest proudly.

“Hi, Lola.”

When Josie smiled at her, she giggled and tucked her head in the crook of Jon’s neck. At the sight of Jon holding that little girl in his big arm, she found her willpower completely shattered.

She looked away and walked to the bathroom, unwilling to meet Jon’s eyes again, unable to process everything in her heart and mind. So she closed the door and looked in the bathroom mirror, faced with too many realities to recognize her reflection.

She had too many feelings, and none of them agreed with each other. She’d felt so separate, so alien as she watched him with his family. For so long, Josie had villainized Tori and Jon, never really considering their child past a sticking point for her pain. But they were real, not just some faceless offenders. They were real, and she found she couldn’t hate them anymore, couldn’t believe they’d wanted to hurt her. That hadn’t stopped her from using them to hurt herself.

And nothing was as it seemed. Those years had been spent feeding a lie that she built in her own heart, a lie that had been wiped away so quickly, she spun from the force. And there was no time or way to find her footing.

Jon’s anxiety had been stretched tight as a drum as he watched the entire exchange go down, waiting for Josie to freak the fuck out, go nuclear, raze all of them to the ground.

But she’d kept her composure, though it was clearly paper-thin.

The second the bathroom door closed, he entered into a hissing argument with Tori. “What the fuck, Tori?”

“Da fuck, To-wi?” Lola echoed.

“Jesus, Jon, watch your mouth.” She reached for Lola and stood her on the ground. “Go play for a little bit, okay, baby?”

“Okay, Mama.” Lola ran off to her room.

He glared at Tori. “Of all the shit timing.”

“It’s not like I planned it. What in the world is going on? How did you get her here, and what are you up to?” she whispered.

“Jimmy Li found a trace on Rhodes, and we think we know where he’s headed. We’re going after him.”

Tori frowned. “Chasing a serial killer? Tell me why I shouldn’t be freaking out right now.”

“We’re not going to hit any problems bringing him in,” he said, knowing full well the percentages were fifty-fifty at best. “Don’t worry.”

“Well, your confidence is reassuring, but damn, Jon,” she said, the words hushed and uneasy.

“I know, but we’ll be okay. I promise.” He hoped he could keep it.

“So…together? You’re going together?” she asked as her enthusiasm sparked.

“Of course together. Why else would we be here together?”

“God, I don’t know. I’m just surprised she’s even speaking to you, never mind going on a road trip.”

Jon sighed. “You and me both.”

“So did you figure this out on your own? Or did she ask you for help?” Her eyebrows inched up, and a grin split her face.

“Both. I found out and was on my way over to her when she called me.”

Tori was practically bouncing. “Oh my God. This is it, Jon. This is your shot.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “I know. Don’t you think I know?” He glanced over his shoulder when he heard the toilet flush. “Tori, I swear to God, you’d better not say a word. I don’t need your help, so keep your sledgehammer—”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” she said with the wave of her hands. “Don’t worry, Romeo. I’m not going to do anything to fudge your chances.”

The door opened, and Josie exited the bathroom with her chin high and a mask of composure on her face.

You can do this, Josie said to herself.

She was determined to walk out of the situation with some shred of dignity and repeated one of the many lessons that her grandmother had taught her, “Good manners are made of petty sacrifices.”

Jon and Tori’s heads were together, but they straightened up when they saw her. Jon looked like a rat in a snake den, and Tori gave her another warm smile. Josie tried to give her one back, but it was bullshit; she only hoped Tori couldn’t tell. Josie assessed the pair of them as she approached, noting their body language and proximity, and realized with some certainty that they really weren’t together. She hadn’t even known she’d doubted it before that moment.

Josie watched his eyes bounce uneasily between the two women.

“I’m gonna go grab my stuff. I’ll just be a minute.”

He gave Tori a pointed look, but Tori just kept on smiling as he turned and walked away.

“Come on, Josie,” Tori said benignly. “Let’s see about that tea.”

They walked into the kitchen, and Tori started her teapot.

“How about vanilla chai?”

That sounds terrible.

“Sounds great,” Josie, a coffee girl through and through, said as she took a seat at the table.

Lola came running in with a brush and a Barbie doll and thrust them toward Josie. “You brush the hair for Barbie?”

Tori held her hands out for the doll. “Here, baby, let Mama help you with that.”

The little girl hugged the Barbie and brush to her chest and gave Tori the stink eye. “No.” She took a step closer to Josie.

“It’s okay,” Josie said as she turned to the little girl. “You want me to help you?”

“Yes, pwease.”

Josie smiled as she took the brush and the doll, whose hair was snarled. As she brushed out the Barbie’s mane, Lola laid her hand on Josie’s thigh and leaned in to watch.

“Ooh, so pooty!”

Josie couldn’t help but laugh. “She is something else,” she said to Tori.

Tori was leaning against the counter, watching them with a smile on her face. “That, she is.” She pushed off and sat down across from Josie. “I wanted to tell you, Josie, for what it’s worth…I really am sorry. We never meant—”

Josie held up her hand, unwilling to have that conversation with the manifestation of her pain, who was sitting across from her, offering tea. “Tori, please. Please don’t. It’s just better for all of us if we leave it alone, okay?”

Tori took a breath, her face tight, almost like it physically pained her to stop talking. “Okay. Whatever you want, I owe you that.”

Josie nodded. “Thank you.”

“But, please, if you ever want to talk about it—”

Jon cleared his throat from behind Josie with his eyes on Tori. He’d practically dumped a drawer directly into his bag in the rush to get the two women out of the same room. Josie glanced at him and then back at Tori, who looked mildly cowed but mostly challenging. He wouldn’t be surprised if she stuck her tongue out at him.

“I’ve got my stuff, Jo. You ready?”

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

Tori jumped up. “Hang on, let me get your tea to go. Sugar?”

“Just a little,” Josie answered.

Jon watched from the threshold of the kitchen as Tori poured out tea into a paper to-go cup with a little spoon of sugar and handed it over to Josie, who looked like she had a porcupine in her pocket. Tori gave Josie a knowing smile, and Jon shot Tori what he hoped was an authoritative look as Josie thanked her and turned to face him.

Tori gave him two thumbs-up with a stupid grin on her face behind Josie’s back.

He rolled his eyes. “I’ll text you and let you know how things are going.”

“All right. You two be careful, okay?”

Lola ran to Jon, and he knelt down.

She looked at him with the biggest blue eyes on the planet. “Bye, Daddy.”

He scooped her into his arms and kissed her cheek, squeezing her tight, holding her close, not knowing how long it would be until he held her again, until he smelled the sweet scent of baby soap and lavender or felt her tiny arms around his neck or her weight against his chest.

Life seemed so much more dangerous when you had something to lose.

“I love you.” He kissed her hair.

“Love you, Daddy.”

He passed the little girl to Tori along with a good-sized portion of his heart. “Call me if you need anything.”

“We’ll be fine, Jon. You just take care of yourself. Come back in one piece.”

They smiled at each other, and he nodded.

Josie watched the whole exchange with her heart in her stomach.

Thinking about Jon having a baby and seeing him with her were different things. He was a father. That tiny person was his, and she seemed to make up nearly his entire universe. As desolate as his leaving her had been, she understood why with sudden clarity.

“Let’s get this show on the road.” Jon slung his bag over his shoulder and brushed past Josie to open the door.

“Thanks again, Tori,” Josie said as she picked up her bag.

“Anytime, Josie.”

“Bye-bye.” Lola waved her chubby little hand.

“Bye-bye, Lola,” Josie said as she wiggled her fingers at the little girl.

They left his apartment in silence, neither of them speaking until they reached the Jeep in the parking garage. The fluorescent lights hummed above them, and their feet echoed against the concrete as they walked around to her door.

Jon unlocked it but didn’t open it, instead taking the moment to search her face. “I’m sorry, Josie.”

She looked down at her paper cup of tea that the mother of his child had given her, unable to keep herself in check with his eyes on her like that. “It’s fine, Jon.”

His hand moved like he meant to touch her but fell back to his side. “I mean it.”

“I know.”

They stood in silence for a few seconds until it almost broke her, but before she could reach for him, he opened the door and waited for her to climb in. She sat in the Jeep, trying to find composure as he walked around and slipped in beside her, firing his engine with a rumble, and she stared out the window as they drove away.

Before long, the city was behind them as they chased the sun across the sky, relaxing into easy conversation, forgetting the awkwardness, the heaviness that had brought them to that point. Josie felt herself unwind even though she was overly aware of him as he sat next to her, could feel him there, pulling her attention like he was magnetized. But her emotions were muddled, leaving her confounded, because over the course of a few hours, everything in her heart had been rearranged into something new, something she didn’t recognize.

Dita’s mind slipped into consciousness, her limbs heavy, her bed so soft, so warm. She didn’t want to move, didn’t want to do anything but lie there forever and ever and ever to the tonal sound of the sleep machine.

The sleep machine.

Her eyes flew open, and she sat up in surprise, her heart racing. She glanced at the clock.

It was two in the afternoon.

“I slept,” she breathed her awe, a smile creeping onto her face.

Bisoux stretched out on his side next to her, his limbs straight and trembling as he locked his muscles. She picked him up, holding him in the air as she laughed like a crazy person.

“I slept!” she crowed, giggling, hugging him to her chest.

She felt like a million bucks. Her body was rested, and for the first time in days, the aching pressure in her chest was gone. She kissed Bisoux and set him down. Then, she hopped out of bed and to the mirror. Her eyes were clear, not a sign of redness or a single shadow under them, and her cheeks had color that had been absent for what felt like ages.

“I fucking slept,” Dita said to her reflection. She and squealed as she did the Flashdance maniac dance all around her bathroom.

She hadn’t had a single dream, not one. No torture, no torment, only sweet, blissful sleep. She had all but forgotten what it was like to be rested.

Bisoux jumped off the bed and ran to her, hopping and barking as she danced.

She scooped him up, unable to stop giggling. “Come on. Let’s go thank your daddy.”

Dita bounded into the elevator humming, bouncing out into Heff’s foyer when the doors opened. She set her dog down, and his nails clicked on the brushed concrete floor as he followed her around, but she couldn’t find Heff. She trotted down the stairs to his workshop, and when she saw him behind a workbench, she took off running.

Heff looked up to see Dita beaming as she flew across the room with her golden hair swinging behind her. He barely had time to put down his soldering iron before she slammed into him, almost knocking him over.

She threw her arms around his neck, and he wrapped his around her waist, spinning gently from the force, the scent of honeysuckle and roses in every molecule of air, and he closed his eyes, breathing her in, aware of every inch of her pressed against him.

Her arms relaxed a hair, and he took the cue to loosen his grip and drop her to the ground. If she hadn’t let him go first, he would have kept on holding her forever. Her cheeks were flushed, her smile so bright, it could have put the shine on the sun.

“I slept,” she said, breathless, her face full of wonder.

He smiled so wide, he thought his face might split open. “It worked.”

“It worked.” She grinned. “I knew it would. Thank you.” She reached for his hand, slipping her long white fingers into his clumsy, dirty ones.

He squeezed them gently. “I started working on the machine and bracelet after you came to me. I’m sorry I didn’t get it finished sooner, but I had a little trouble with the algorithm to sync it to you.”

“It was perfect. I don’t know how to thank you.”

He brushed her cheek with his free hand and slipped it into her hair, cupping her neck to pull her into his chest. “You don’t have to thank me. I’m just glad it helped.”

Her arm snaked around his waist, and she sighed her contentment. “It did. I needed that so much, and now I feel shiny and new and amazing.”

“Did you tell Perry yet?”

“Not yet. I came here first because I couldn’t do anything until I thanked you.”

He kissed the top of her head, needing to send her away. If he held her too long, he’d start wishing for things he could never have. “Go on. She’ll want to know.”

“Okay,” she answered as she unwound herself. She stretched up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek before turning and running out of the room, calling “Bye!” over her shoulder.

He watched her go until she was out of sight. And when he picked up his soldering iron again and got back to work, he smiled at his hands until his cheeks ached.

Dita stepped into the elevator again with Bisoux at her heel, toying with her bracelet, relieved that Heff was on the other end of it. Two little clicks, and he would find her. And if he was there, she would be safe.

Safe.

It was a word she barely knew the meaning of anymore.

Armed with that and legitimate sleep, she felt like she could move mountains.

Ares was no match for her. She wouldn’t have to hide or worry or be afraid.

She was free.

When the elevator doors opened into the underworld, her dog ran out, and she followed him, calling Perry’s name.

“Hey,” Perry answered from her living room.

Dita did the Dougie into the room. “I slept, I slept, uh-huh, I slept.” She clapped and got low.

Perry laughed and hopped up. “That’s amazing!”

They danced around, giggling, until they couldn’t breathe and fell down on the couch.

“How?” Perry asked.

“Heff made me a magical, glittery, mystical machine of epic brilliance to help me sleep, and it worked. And now I am back. I’m back!”

“This is the best news.”

“Yes!” Dita threw her fist in the air from where she lay slumped into the couch. “I just woke up.”

“Oh gods,” Perry said with big eyes. “You missed this morning.”

Dita hadn’t even thought about the competition. “Shit.” She looked in on Jon and Josie as they drove through Pennsylvania, and her mouth hung open. She couldn’t comprehend what she was seeing. “What the fuck? Oh my…what? How did they…”

“Your plan played out. Jimmy Li called Jon this morning with all of Rhodes’s info.”

“I fucking did it,” she breathed.

Perry nodded with delight. “You fucking did it. I’m glad Heff waited until after you set Jimmy up yesterday with the guy who had gotten Rhodes his papers. You could have cocked that whole thing up.”

“Please. I wouldn’t have passed out until I had my plans in place.”

“Right, like you wouldn’t have slept through all the things that happened this morning.”

“Why didn’t you wake me, ass?” Dita tossed a throw pillow at her.

“I thought you were watching.” Perry threw her hands up, laughing.

“Tell me what happened.”

“Well,” Perry said as she re-situated herself, “Li called Jon with the info on Rhodes. And then Josie had a breakdown when she realized she was at a dead end and called Jon, but he was already on his way over.”

“Yesssssss,” she hissed.

“Yeah, but then, when they went to Jon’s apartment, Tori was there.”

Dita’s chin dropped. “How did that go?”

“Surprisingly not bad. I mean, as good as it could go. Josie had an epiphany about Jon and the baby and everything. Oh, Tori wasn’t supposed to be there. Artemis intercepted and gave Tori an allergy attack to send her home. I think that’s everything.”

“Ha! I love a good backfire.”

They glanced in on Jon as he laughed at something Josie had said.

“I hope Artemis feels like an idiot. This is so freaking perfect. They’re going to be alone in a car for days, staying in hotels. Together.”

“It’s your chance. What are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know. I feel like I’ve been living in a vacuum for a week.” She let out a breath. “Perry, I can’t tell you how much better I feel. It’s like I was buried alive.”

“Well, what do you want to do first?”

“Man, I don’t even know.”

“Well, I was about to go see Daphne. Wanna come with?”

Dita clapped her hands, which was totally ridiculous and she didn’t even care. “Yes!”

“Okay, let me go say bye to Hades,” Perry said as she peeled herself off the couch before heading to his office off the living room.

“Aw, you guys are so cute.”

“Yeah, King and Queen of the Dead. Adorable.” Perry rolled her eyes as she pushed open the massive, carved mahogany doors and disappeared inside for a moment.

Dita hummed, smiling as she watched the fire from the couch, feeling silly and light and amazing, and when Perry appeared again, Dita stood, and they made their way to Apollo’s apartment.

They found Apollo and Daphne lying on the floor, playing backgammon. The sunshine poured in through his wall of windows, and Central Park stretched off into the distance.

Daphne smiled as she stood to embrace Dita. Daphne’s curly red hair smelled like sunshine and wild basil.

“Aphrodite, how are you feeling? You look like you might have finally gotten some rest.”

“I did, thanks to Heff. I’ve missed you.” Dita held her at arm’s length to look her over. “You look amazing. This dress.”

Daphne looked down at her loose white slip dress, lined with lace chevron stripes along the bottom third. “Thank you. I’m learning,” she answered with a smile.

Apollo hugged Dita, landing a kiss on her cheek. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m good. Just been watching Jon and Josie after getting the best night’s sleep of my life.”

Dita and Perry sat on the couch, and Apollo and Daphne took their spots on his white shag rug.

“What have you two been up to?” Dita asked.

“Not a lot,” Apollo answered. “Been watching the game. This morning was pretty epic, and Jon, well…he’s something else. I don’t know that Josie really stands a chance.”

“She really doesn’t, does she?”

Apollo chuckled. “Artemis is even worse at the game than I am.”

“Nobody’s perfect.” Dita smiled.

“True, though Artemis won’t hear logic on Josie—or anything else for that matter.”

“Oh?”

Apollo sighed. “She’s not speaking to me.”

Daphne laid her hand on his knee and leaned into him.

“I didn’t know you fought. What happened?” Dita asked.

“She implied that I chose you over her,” Apollo said as he wrapped his arm around Daphne.

Anger and guilt stirred in Dita’s chest at the thought. “Apollo, I would never put myself between the two of you.”

“You didn’t. I stuck up for you and called her on her shit. She didn’t take it well.”

“Well, thank you. But you didn’t have to do that.”

“I did, and it’ll be fine. It’s not the first time we’ve disagreed, and I doubt it will be the last. She knows that I will always back her up, but she used you as a diversion when I mentioned Orion.”

Dita shook her head. “She’s never going to get over it if she doesn’t face it.”

“Pot, kettle.”

She scoffed. “This is different. All of this just happened to me. Artemis has had thousands of years.”

“You know that she doesn’t accept change very well, and she doesn’t talk about anything—ever—just makes her judgments and buries all her feelings like rotten seeds. She feels justified. You can’t talk sense to someone who’s been rightly pissed off about something for thousands of years. I think we both can attest to that.”

“Yeah, I guess we can.” She tugged at her hair. “I mean, I kind of get it. How do you face such loss? All we can do is try to get through each day, face each challenge that we come across, and listen to ourselves. Time. That’s what people keep telling me. But if Artemis has been ripped to shreds for thousands of years, what hope is there for me?”

Apollo spoke cautiously. “Do you think that your feelings for Ares and Adonis are the same as the love Artemis felt for Orion?”

She considered that, and a heavy, cold feeling snaked through her chest, into her stomach. “No, I suppose you’re right,” she answered, her voice flat. “I’m coming to realize that my feelings are wrapped in fear and guilt, and the love that I thought I had for Ares and Adonis was false. Artemis and Orion had a pure love, based on respect and companionship.” The words made her sad at all that she had missed, though there was a glimmer of hope that her pain wouldn’t last tens of centuries.

“Well, you’re the universal expert on love. How does she get over it?”

“Normally, I would suggest dating, but that’s off the table for Artemis. I’m sure her feelings for Orion were a one-time occurrence for her.” She ran a finger across her lip. “Really, she needs to talk about it or find a way out of the fog and to her truth. Maybe we could help her—talk to her, try to guide her.”

“We’d have better luck trying to teach a goat how to tap dance like Gene Kelly.”

“If anyone can do it, it’s you.”

“Wait.” Apollo’s eyebrow quirked. “Are we talking about the goat or Artemis?”

“Both,” she said with a laugh.

Josie’s bare feet rested on the dash, and her computer lay open on her lap as they drove through Pennsylvania. The sun had slipped down in the cloudless sky, burning a gradient of tangerine and yellows to purples and blues, up and away behind her. Her hair whipped around her face, and she twisted it up into a fresh bun before checking her hotspot connection.

“Want me to put up the windows?” Jon asked over Waylon Jennings wailing about a good-hearted woman.

When she met his eyes, she knew he’d been watching her and felt herself flush. “No, it’s so nice out.”

He smiled at her, and she couldn’t help but smile back. Because she had purpose once more. She had a goal and a task and a busy mind and full hands, and it was absolutely, utterly glorious. And she had Jon sitting a few feet away, looking at her like he was, with one hand hooked casually on the wheel and his hair fluttering around his face.

She cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. “Well, I just sent the fax to all the cash motels along both routes and marked all the ones where I think he might have stopped based on travel speed and the time of day he might drive through. I’m about to call those directly and see if I can get someone on the phone.”

“Is Hank sending Walker and Davis this way?”

“He can’t. The information we have on Rhodes isn’t official evidence, so we’re on our own until we get a sighting on him.”

Jon nodded. “And hopefully your dad won’t kill me for dragging you across the country, chasing a serial rapist.”

“Well, let’s be honest. It’s not like he could have really stopped me. When do you want to stop for rest?”

“If you’re okay to drive, I think we should try to stop tomorrow.”

“You’re going to let me drive?” Her eyebrow inched up.

“Only out of necessity. Don’t get any big ideas.” His smile tilted lazily.

“Will you sleep with one eye open?”

“Why don’t you just assume I will?”

Josie laughed and settled into her seat, noting with a certain amount of surprise that she was enjoying herself. She was relaxed, relieved to be in motion. Some of it was certainly adrenaline from the hunt. The rest of it was Jon. Being around him was easy, just like it had been before.

Before.

It seemed so long ago with the soft sunset painting the sky and promise riding the crisp spring air. And she found she didn’t have a single desire to look back.

With every thump of Pegasus’s wings against the wind and the heave of his body in answer, Artemis found herself closer and closer to memories she only wanted to forget.

They flew over mountains capped with snow and over the lake far below, sparkling and shimmering in the wide valley. Everything seemed so small, but it was only her who had changed her viewpoint.

Artemis leaned forward, laying her cheek against his mane, watching the land pass by beneath her, the wind whipping her hair and her robes as the wind rushed past. And her heart lit fire in her chest as she was reminded of Gaia, the Earth herself, and the day Artemis had lost her love.

It was the day she had lost herself.

* * *

The heat was oppressive that day. Artemis’s damp hair stuck to her neck as she and Orion trudged through the woods, laughing and talking with Sirius at their heels.

He held a branch out of her way and waited for her to pass with a bow. “My Lady,” he said with a flourish.

She laughed. “So regal,” she teased as her cheeks burned a degree hotter.

Everything had changed since they kissed.

Their bond was stronger, so strong that Artemis knew it couldn’t be denied, and the notion of naming it, of stating what she knew to be true, was more than she could agree to.

But when she was near him, everything was so simple, so easy, so perfectly right. When they were together, there were no questions, no expectations. She was not Goddess of the Hunt. She was only a woman, and he was only a man.

The truth of the circumstance was that she did have responsibilities, expectations.

Because regardless of what she felt when she was with Orion, she was The Maiden, forever bound to her maidenhood. Her Oceanids were bound to theirs, had sacrificed their futures to be with her. And her father…

She shivered in the blazing heat at the thought of her father’s wrath. If ever she chose to walk away from her vows, she would also betray Zeus’s blessing. Her maidenhood granted her the life she wanted, the freedom she desired above all else.

But walking away from her vows was all she found she wanted, spurring questions that clamored constantly in her mind, demanding answers.

Could she be with Orion? Would he want her, could he love her? Could she give herself to him, body and soul? And what would it mean for all of them if she did?

What had once been black and white melted and mixed and changed, and all the lines and boundaries that had guided her were gone.

But as she walked with Orion that day, as she laid her gaze upon his face, she knew a fact that was beyond all doubt and reason.

She was most assuredly in love.

“How many animals do you think there are in the world?” Orion asked.

“Oh, an unknowable number.” Artemis ducked under a branch and ducked away from her thoughts, grateful for a distraction. “Hundreds of millions at least.”

“Do you think we could kill them all?”

She considered. “Well, I suppose so. It would take centuries, but between the two of us, I am sure we could. If you could only choose one weapon, which would you choose?”

“Hmm,” he said as he stepped over a log. “Bow. Otherwise, how could we kill the creatures who fly?”

“Well, if we are together in this, then I would choose a spear. A bow would be unwieldy underwater,” she mused. “Whatever would we do once they were all dead?”

He smirked at her. “Oh, I am certain we could find something to occupy us.”

She opened her mouth to speak, the flush on her cheeks having nothing to do with the heat, but before she could say a word, the ground beneath their feet rumbled and pitched, knocking them off balance and sending them to their knees as Sirius barked madly.

“Artemis, Daughter of Zeus.” Gaia’s voice came from all directions. A rock face in front of them morphed, and Gaia’s face appeared, her eyes glowing like coals. “My children are sacred, hallowed, protected, and you speak of their slaughter as if it were a game. I will not stand for this. You will do them no harm.”

Artemis picked herself up, her hands in front of her and voice strong and sure. “Gaia, we were only—”

“Silence! You mock me with your games, but you are nothing more than insolent fleas who crawl along my back.” Gaia boomed, and the earth shook again.

Artemis narrowed her eyes. “We have done no wrong, and you are too quick to anger.”

“Who are you, child of Olympus, to judge the mother of all things?”

“I only observe. My father is the one who passes judgment.”

“Your father,” she hissed, “the son of The Usurper, Kronos, does not judge me. None shall judge me. And when Zeus killed the sky, my love, my Uranus, he stole my life,” she wailed. “He stole my heart, stole all I’d held dear, and I am alone, alone.”

“And perhaps that solitude has edged you to madness.”

“You insult me? You threaten that which I have created, child of Olympus. You plot to murder my children, you who are charged with protecting them! You have lost your way, and you must be stopped.”

The ground before them thundered and rose, cracking and crumbling as the surface mounded. A gigantic claw broke from the ground and then another, and out of the earth rose a scorpion the height of three men, its tail the height of six. It hissed and charged, and the air rang with Gaia’s laughter.

Sirius edged back, barking, teeth snapping as Artemis pulled her bow and nocked an arrow, and Orion stood with his spear at the ready. Gaia was powerful enough that even Artemis was not immune. She could be harmed, but worse, Orion could be killed.

Her heart drummed its warning, and there was nothing to do but fight.

The scorpion skittered around, its long legs puncturing the earth, its eyes hard and shining as it loomed over them. And without warning, its tail flew forward, driving into the ground between them. Rocks and dirt flew as it pulled its stinger out, and it hovered over them like the tip of an arrow.

The feather on her arrow brushed her cheek as she loosed, the arrow puncturing one of its beady eyes. The monster let out a shriek, and Orion’s spear slipped into its maw, lodging in its skull.

The scorpion screamed again—the pitch high enough to rattle Artemis’s head—and crushed the spear in its jaw, unswayed, undeterred. Artemis nocked another arrow and drew her bow as quickly as the beast turned on her.

His stinger came down faster than she could move.

Everything slowed, as if time had all but stopped, as she looked up at the point, at her fate, at the end.

And then everything flew sideways as Orion slammed into her. When she hit the ground, the air blew out of her lungs, leaving them burning and empty, her vision dark and bursting with flashes.

She gasped for air, blinking away stars, and when she could see him, she knew. And nothing would ever, ever be the same.

Crimson blood pooled in the dust beneath him, spreading with each beat of his heart.

“No!” she screamed, rage crawling up her body, up her neck, over her cheeks. She roared, pulling her longsword as she charged the beast, dodging its legs until she stood in the cool of his shadow.

She jumped with her powers at her back, sword raised, sliding the blade between plates of armor with a crunch.

It screeched and stumbled, and she swung her legs, using her weight to drag the sword and open it up. It began to collapse, and she flung herself off and away, barely escaping its massive body as it slammed to the ground with a quake.

She didn’t hear the groans and whines of the creature as it languished, not with every piece of her focused on Orion.

He was still and gray, his hand limp on his stomach, his blood soaking into the thirsty ground with Sirius whimpering next to him. Artemis called his name as she fell to the ground at his side, her hands on his chest, her eyes searching his face, his body, looking for anything, any way to help him, to fix him. And every question, every doubt was banished. Because nothing mattered, nothing but him.

His eyes were on her as he took a labored breath. “There is…no time. Artemis…please…”

“Wait, please,” she begged, her voice unrecognizable. “Please, let me summon Apollo. He can help you. He can save you.”

She tried to pull away, but he reached for her hand.

“No. Do not leave me.” Another breath, this one more ragged. “Please, I must…I want…”

“Anything,” she breathed. “Anything.”

“Kiss me.”

And she did. She pressed her warm lips to his cool ones, her tears sliding down her cheeks and onto his.

When she broke away, she looked into his eyes, eyes she would love until time ceased and the stars were no more.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“As I love you,” she whispered back.

And then he was gone.

That night, when the moon was high, Artemis brought Orion to the top of the large stone over her favorite pond, her Oceanids circling the boulder, their faces turned up to the stars. He had been cleaned and dressed, the flowers laid in his hair, his face soft and calm, hands still at his sides.

She knelt by his side, unable to speak. She cupped her hands over his heart, her tears unending as her palms filled with light, white and cool, brighter and brighter. And then the light consumed him, separated, splitting, hovering over her palm. One by one, she placed them on the tip of an arrow, aimed at the endless sky, and fired toward the horizon, placing him among the stars forever, at the edge of the world where he could always be seen, where she could never forget him.

* * *

The wind rushed against Artemis’s cheek, streaking her tears. For so long, for thousands of years since he had died, she’d been adrift, floating through her life with no anchor. Her love for Orion was left loose and flying, the ends never cut or tied, and she longed for purpose, something in which she could put her faith when everything else was undefined.

Artemis ached for comfort, and her thoughts turned to her mother, who lived at the edge of the lake below her. Leto always made her feel better, no matter the situation, and it had been too long since Artemis saw her.

Her mother would make things seem brighter.

She ran her hand down Pegasus’s neck and pointed to the edge of the great sparkling lake below, and he reared his head in answer and dived for Leto’s home.

The green hills grew larger, the mountains rising up to meet them until they approached her castle.

It was small in the way of castles with small turrets that reached up to the heavens and hatched glass windows. Stone walkways and balconies rounded the house, and Leto stepped out of one, tall and regal, the gold lining of her white robes shimmering in the sunlight. She waved like a queen as Pegasus’s hooves touched the ground.

Artemis dismounted and ran her hand down his jaw. He whinnied before kicking off the ground, his wings stirring up dust in a cloud.

Leto bounded out of the entrance with open arms. “Artemis.”

“Mother.” The warmth of their embrace lightened her heart, earning a sigh that lessened the weight of her burdens.

Leto pulled away, smiling, her cheeks rosy. Her diadem sparkled atop her crown, her long blond hair waving down her back. “I am so pleased to see you; it has been too long. Come inside. Are you hungry?”

“Famished.”

Artemis smiled and followed Leto into the kitchen, feeling like a girl as she always did when in her mother’s presence. Of all the places in all the world, it was the only one where she felt safe and free, released from her responsibilities, able to just be.

Leto reached for a block of ambrosia on the shelf and transformed it into a steaming loaf of bread. She sliced a piece off, drizzled honey on it, and placed it on a plate before sliding it across the worn wooden table to Artemis.

“How are you, darling?” Leto asked.

The bread melted in her mouth, the honey thick and sweet against her tongue, and a groan escaped her. “Admittedly better now.”

Leto laughed and propped her head on her hand as she watched her daughter with sparkling blue eyes. “So, all is not well?”

Artemis’s brows furrowed as she swallowed another bite. “I am competing with Aphrodite, and the outcome is…unknown.”

“Ah.” Leto nodded, though she still looked amused. “Competitions with Aphrodite have always nettled you.”

“She and I do not see eye-to-eye.”

“No, you do not. What is the current dilemma?”

Artemis huffed. “I have been cut off at every turn. Every effort has been batted away, and now, my player is in close confines with Aphrodite’s for at least the next few days. My chance, my only chance, was to keep them apart. And my play, my one play, was turned around on me by Aphrodite. She is now at a gross advantage.”

“I see,” Leto said with a nod.

“And I am alone in the competition. Everyone has abandoned me.”

“Everyone?”

“Eleni and Apollo,” Artemis answered, realizing she sounded like a child.

“Hmm. Everyone.” Leto’s eyes were merry, and agitation crawled under Artemis’s skin.

“Apollo took sides, and he did not choose mine.”

“Well, dearest, Aphrodite did just return Daphne to him.”

“Gods, not you, too.” She set her bread down and glared at her mother. “Yes, she returned Daphne—after she tortured him for thousands of years.”

“Granted, but does sacrifice have a time limitation? Is the act any less noble in that it took time to come to fruition?”

“It shows lack of character.”

Leto laid her hand on Artemis’s. “Your brother would never betray you. He only wants what is best for you, as do we all.”

Artemis stood and walked across the room, stopping at the window to look across the open water, listening to the waves lap the shore. “Mother, is it possible to leave your pain behind when you have been through so much?”

Leto followed Artemis and leaned against the wall next to the window, facing her daughter. She tucked a stray hair behind Artemis’s ear. “I do believe this. How could I not? I have lived almost all of my existence surviving one trial after another. I have been chased and hunted. I have had to fight for everything I love, for everything I believe in. If Hera had her way, I would have been dead long ago. Only since we have lived here have I found true peace. And do you know what has guided me through all of that?”

Leto waited until Artemis turned to look into her eyes before continuing“Hope.” Leto smiled. “I look forward, not behind me. I enjoy every moment because I have lived through so many I thought would be my last. You cannot live your life looking back, considering things that you can never change.”

Artemis reached for Leto, who stroked her hair and kissed her cheek. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling lost and reassured, wondering what kind of life she could live if she could only be as brave as her mother.

Because she didn’t know if she had the strength to turn around and look forward, not when everything she loved was behind her.