CHAPTER 13
Light flooded the room as Lia woke. She squinted, stretching. She was sore in the best kind of way. Cooper lay dozing beside her, his arm around her waist. Gradually, the memories crept in. The good, and the not-so-good. He’d shut her out, but why?
To be fair, she probably shouldn’t have pressed so hard, and her timing could have been better, but she couldn’t help it. She was falling for Cooper Hanover, and she didn’t really know him. Not all of him. Not yet.
She carefully started extricating herself from his grip, but instead of breaking free, it tightened. “Morning,” he said.
She looked over her shoulder. “You’re awake.”
“Yeah. Have been for a while.”
She tried not to frown. There was no trace of the easy smile he’d worn the night before.
“I’ve got to get home,” she said. “I’m in desperate need of a shower and change of clothes.”
He nodded and slowly removed his arm from around her waist. She got out of bed and collected her clothes before disappearing into the bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror, she did her best to finger-comb her mussed hair, but her curls were winning. Ugh. She needed her flat iron.
She got dressed and helped herself to some of his mouthwash. That was as good as it was going to get. She opened the door and found Cooper sitting on the edge of the bed in a pair of running shorts and nothing else.
He looked up into her eyes. “I don’t want you to go while things are…weird between us.”
“I had a blast with you last night, Cooper.” She leaned against the doorframe. “But there’s this other side of you that I can’t figure out, and that makes me nervous.”
He stared at his feet. “I can’t let it go. I’ve tried.”
She walked over and sat beside him. “Let what go?”
He lifted his head, regret lining his eyes. “The guilt.” He shook his head. “You make me happy. Happier than I’ve been in a long time, but…I’m stuck in this…” He shrugged. “I guess part of me isn’t willing to let it go. It feels like I’d be letting her go. I can’t.”
She reached over to cover his clasped hands. “Who? An evil ex?”
He chuckled, but there was no joy in it. “Nah. Nothing like that. It’s a family thing.”
She wanted to shake him and tell him to stop speaking in riddles, but it wouldn’t work. Lia was a sucker for a project, but she’d been friends with Callie long enough now to know that “fixing” someone was impossible. Until he took the millstone off his neck, there was nothing she could do. He had to do it on his own.
She forced herself to move. “When you’re ready to talk, you know where to find me. I’ve got a date with the poker group today. Mrs. Zervos’s hair isn’t going to color itself.”
He got up. “Give my grandmother a hug for me.”
“Will do.” She stopped at the door and rose up on tiptoe to brush a kiss to his cheek. “No pressure, but I hope we get to have another date night. I’ll dig out my sexy underthings next time.”
An honest smile curved on his lips as he shook his head. “I don’t know how you can make me smile when I feel so shitty.”
She chuckled. “Muse of Comedy, baby.”
“The gods have a sick sense of humor pairing you up with me.”
She raised a brow. “Or maybe they knew you just needed a kick in the ass.”
Cooper pulled into the parking lot of the theater. He hadn’t been to the site since the fire. His shoulders were tight as he walked across the grass where he’d treated Reed. No sign of Apollo, although that didn’t mean he wasn’t around.
The concrete foundation now had a few walls of framing jutting up toward the sky like a phoenix rising from the ashes.
Nate saw Cooper first and rose a hand. “Good to see you, Cooper.”
Hunter and Reed were over by the white MASON’S CARPENTRY truck talking to a guy wearing a tool belt.
Cooper approached Nate, tipping his head in the direction of the truck. “That’s the carpenter?”
“Yeah. Mason Knowles. He’s not from around here.” Nate chuckled. “He may be wishing he never headed west. He didn’t know what he was getting into with the muses.”
“Does he know the muses are real?”
“Nope.” Nate met his eyes. “No one does except the muses and the four of us.”
Cooper nodded. “Gotcha.”
The three of them came over. Reed grinned and pointed at Cooper. “Mason, remember Cooper from the fire?”
Now that they were closer, Cooper recognized him. “You’re the one who broke through the metal security door.”
Mason held up his hammer. “Had a little help.” His southern drawl was unmistakable. “Y’all ready to put up another frame?”
“Let’s do it,” Hunter said.
Mason pointed to a big, yellow bucket. “There’s some spare gloves in there.”
Cooper went over to grab a pair. When he came back, Nate was on his cell, frowning.
“You’re sure? Dammit. Okay. Don’t let him go anywhere until I get there.” He stuffed his phone in his pocket. “I’ve got to get over to the station. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He looked at Cooper. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
“Sure.” He followed Nate to his car, pulling on the gloves on the way.
When they were a good distance from the carpenter, Nate stopped. “They found some hair on both the front and passenger seats of the Mercedes that hit you. None of it belongs to Mikolas.”
Cooper crossed his arms. “So you were right. Someone else was driving.”
“We don’t know that, either, but it’s enough for his attorney to get him bail.” Nate raked his hair back from his face. “Every time I think we’re getting somewhere with the Order, we slide back.”
“Anything I can do?”
“Once he’s out, I’m going to put a tail on him, but keep an eye on Lia. If she was the intended target that night, they could go after her again. And if this Philyra is hungry for revenge for her son’s death, she’s going to be sure they don’t stop coming for us. Pair that with Ted Belkin blaming the muses for his father’s death, and it’s a recipe for murder.”
The thought of anyone hurting Lia had rage festering in his gut. “Lia’s cutting hair and playing poker at the Blessed Mary Village today.”
“Good. After we started airing the security footage, showing their Kronos masks to the world, the Order backed off for a while. I don’t think they’re eager to be exposed. They won’t attack in a public place.”
Cooper glanced at the three guys tipping the wood frame upright and then back to Nate. “Don’t forget the warning from Apollo. Kronos is among us now. And he could be anyone.”
Nate nodded. “Yeah, like we didn’t already have enough enemies in this shitshow.”
Cooper dropped his hands to his sides, a crease forming on his forehead. “When did this Mikolas guy come to town?”
“After Belkin, Sr. died. The board of Belkin Oil elected Mikolas Leandros to be CEO.”
“Was that after the oil rig exploded?” Cooper’s hands tightened into fists as he put the pieces together. Kronos.
“Dammit.” Nate’s shoulders tensed up. “You’re right. And this guy is Greek, too.”
“Would Kronos really allow himself to be tossed in jail, though?”
“Hell if I know.” Nate shook his head. “But I’m going to find out.” He turned for the car. “Keep your eye on Lia, and watch your back.”
Cooper jogged over to the theater, offering his shoulder to brace the framing while Mason attached it to the foundation. Cooper’s thoughts raced like a hamster in a wheel. He hoped the manual labor would help him get a grip.
Mason finished with the toggle bolts and stood up straight. “Should be steady now.”
Cooper, Reed, and Hunter cautiously took a few steps back. Nothing fell over.
Score one for the team.
Mason glanced at the parking lot and back to Cooper. “Nate’s got his hands full.”
Cooper nodded. “Yeah, he does.”
“Appreciate you helping out.” Mason slid the handle of his hammer through the loop in his tool belt and lifted his arm to wipe his brow. “We better make use of the sun while it’s up. This theater’s not going to build itself.”
Cooper embraced the hard labor. It took his mind off Kronos and whether or not he had tried to run over him with a car, or counting the minutes until he could see Lia again.
“What do you mean he got out on bail?” Ted growled into his cell. “I thought you said Malone was a good detective.”
“M-Malone had h-him,” Ted’s inside man in the Crystal City police department stammered, “but the crime lab found DNA that didn’t belong to Leandros, so his lawyer convinced a judge to grant bail. He had to turn over his passport, though. He’s not going anywhere.”
DNA? But they wore gloves.
“I don’t care about his goddamned passport.” Ted rubbed the back of his neck. “What kind of DNA did they collect?”
The voice on the other end got quieter. “Hair. Why?”
Ted didn’t answer the question, instead saying, “If anything changes with the investigation, I want to know right away.”
“It’ll cost you.”
Ted rolled his eyes. “We both know I’m good for it. Keep your ear to the ground.”
He ended the called, pacing in front of the window in his office. Hair. How could he have been so stupid? They had taken off their masks in the Mercedes. The strap that held them in place must’ve taken some hairs with it. Shit.
Ted froze. Mikolas would suspect him. He needed to get out of the building. Ted hurried to the door, just as it flung open. An angry Greek filled the doorway.
“We need to talk,” Mikolas growled.
Ted shook his head, adjusting the cuffs on his shirt. “I’ve got an appointment.” He met the Greek’s eyes. “And you should probably make some phone calls to the board and the shareholders. Being thrown in jail twice in one week has them restless.”
Mikolas stepped inside and closed the door. “Pamela is helping you set me up.”
Ted’s heart began to race, his blood pressure skyrocketing. He struggled to maintain a puzzled expression. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You banished me from the Order.”
“Drop the act.” Rage pulsed off Mikolas, but he didn’t come any closer. “She came over to meet with me about my stance on handling the muses. Next thing I know, there’s a police detective at my door and a Mercedes that needs body work in my garage. It doesn’t take a genius to put the pieces together.”
“You don’t have any proof.” He cleared his throat. “Besides, Pamela was my father’s mistress. Why would she help me with anything?”
Mikolas’s voice dropped to a feral hiss. “They found hair in my car that didn’t come from my head. It won’t be long before they trace it to you.”
“If that were true, why are you warning me?”
“Because Pamela isn’t who, or what, you think she is.”