CHAPTER 7
The front door to the improv club opened just as Lia turned out the lights. She spun around, expecting it to be Clio. Instead, Cooper’s broad shoulders filled her doorway.
“Lia? Can I talk to you?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
Cooper came inside and Lia waved to Nick in the ambulance outside. She flicked the lights back on and walked Cooper over to the nearest two seats. She sat down. “What’s going on?”
“Hell if I know.” He sat beside her, his eyes haunted. By what, she had no idea. “I don’t have much time, but something happened this morning. There’s no one else I can ask about it.”
She shored up her emotional defenses. “Okay, shoot.”
He ran a hand through his hair and met her eyes. “First, I need to say I’m sorry I left the way I did last night. This is…big. I didn’t handle it well.”
“I get it.” She nodded, not allowing herself to touch him. “It’s not often that you get pizza, go for a swim, get a haircut, and then find out you were marked by the gods to protect one of the Greek muses—me.”
A smile tugged at his lips. “Can’t be a picnic for you, either. The Muse of Comedy should’ve been paired up with somebody funny. Instead, you got…me.”
She worried her lower lip, fighting to keep from smiling. “You’ve got a sense of humor in there somewhere, but you keep it hidden pretty well.”
He glanced at the door and then back to her. “I wish I had more time. I’m still on call.”
“How can I help?” she asked.
He reached for her hand, his touch sending a ripple of awareness through her. “I had a vision or something this morning.”
Lia frowned. She and her muse sisters had experienced dreams, not visions while they were awake. A chill shot up her spine. “Maybe it’s part of your gift. Nate, Mel’s Guardian, started to have visions after he met her. It’s called psychometry. You could have it, too.”
He winced. “Psych-what?”
“Psychometry. He can touch an object and get a vision about it.” She held his hand a little tighter.
“No. That’s not it.” He shook his head. “I was in the shower.” He swallowed, his gaze locking with hers. “I blinked, and light came at me from everywhere. There were statues of Thalia. She had the comedy mask in her hand, and then the light took the shape of a man and reached out to me.” He chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “Jesus, it sounds even crazier out loud.”
She gasped. Light. It made sense, in an insane kind of way. She’d had a flash of it, too, when the other muses met up earlier. “Apollo.”
He frowned, tensing. “Did Nick tell you that?”
It was her turn to be confused. “Nick?”
“Yeah.” Cooper glanced at the door and back to her. “Did he tell you Garcia calls me that?”
She blinked. “How did Garcia know?”
“You’re not making any sense.” Cooper groaned, rubbing the back of his neck again.
“Why does he call you Apollo?”
“It’s dumb.” Cooper shrugged. “Just a nickname. I came into the station all big, blond, and tan, and Apollo was the only Greek God he could remember.”
“Apollo was the God of the Sun, a healer.” She cleared her throat and added softly, “And he loved Thalia.”
Before Cooper could process her words, his radio buzzed. “Sorry, Coop,” Nick said. “We got a call.”
“Shit.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “My head is swimming.”
“Mine, too.” She stood with him. “When are you done working?”
“I’m off at ten tonight.”
“Perfect. I was running out to get dinner, but I’ll be back here for rehearsal tonight. Come by the theater, and we can go back to my place. I’ll make you a killer ice cream sundae.”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “Ice cream is my favorite.”
“Your grandmother told me.”
He smiled. “You’re slick.” He took a few steps toward the door and stopped. “See you soon. Be careful.”
She nodded. “You too, Cooper.”
He glanced back at her as he opened the door. “I don’t understand any of this, but being with you…calms the storm. Thanks.”
He jogged out to the rig and hit the lights as Nick drove away. His partner spoke without taking his eyes off the road. “You seem better.”
“Lia has that effect on me.”
Nick smirked while he made a right turn. “You like this one.”
“Yeah.” Cooper stared out the window. Baring his soul didn’t come easy. “I don’t recognize myself when I’m with her. She makes me laugh.” He shook his head. “I’ve never met anyone like her before.”
“Doesn’t hurt that she’s good-looking, either.”
Cooper chuckled, glancing at his partner. “Oh yeah. She’s beautiful without even trying.”
Ted followed the petite assistant with jet-black hair into the library. She turned around, all business. “Pamela will be with you shortly.”
She exited the room, closing the large double doors behind her. He wandered to the north wall, running his finger along the shelf in front of the aged leather volumes. Pamela had expensive taste, and it apparently carried over to her books, too. First editions of Charles Dickens, Washington Irving, Percy Shelley, and Robert Louis Stevenson lined the shelf. Under a glass case was an ancient copy of The Iliad, and another housed a hand-lettered edition of the Bible.
He flinched when the door opened. Quickly composing himself, Ted made his way over to take her hand. “Hello, Pamela. You look stunning as usual.”
And he wasn’t lying. The mysterious, wealthy heiress had dated his father for a couple of years while Ted was in college. And while the years had weakened his father, Pamela stood before him unchanged. Her olive complexion showed no signs of wrinkles or discoloration, her dark eyes sparkled in the soft lighting of the library, and her cleavage in the red silk blouse was distracting to say the least.
She shook his hand and went to the wet bar in the corner, her shapely hips swaying in a hypnotic rhythm. “Why are you here, Teddy?”
He ground his teeth to keep from correcting her. He was hardly the twentysomething she’d known in the past, but he needed to win her over so he swallowed his pride. Pamela wielded power with a good majority of the members of the Order of the Titans. She could get him reinstated, maybe even get his leadership position back.
“I’m here about Mikolas Leandros.”
She turned to face him, forcing him to stop in his tracks. “The new leader of the Order?” A red, perfectly manicured fingernail poked into his chest. “Interesting. Why?”
He cleared his throat. “He banished me and our enforcer after the theater fire.”
“I’m aware. We watched the ashes of your masks and robes fly up to Father Sky.” She spun on her heel and went to the bar, turning over two glass tumblers. “He explained that you were reckless and have led the police closer to discovering us.”
“Tartarus is nearly opened. If we can silence the muses—”
“You want to continue your father’s mission,” she cut in. Her full lips curved into a seductive, barely-there smile as she removed the lid to the ice bucket.
“Yes,” he answered, probably too quickly. The last thing he needed was for her to decide Mikolas was right about his recklessness. He smoothed his hair back. “Mikolas doesn’t have the mettle to see this through. We can’t fail when we’re so close to the finish line.”
She dropped two ice cubes into each glass, her dark eyes meeting his. “Kronos.” The way she whispered his name was almost sensuous. “He will reward those who free him from his prison.”
“And I intend to be the one to open the door for him.”
She poured amber liquid over the ice and offered him a glass. “Why are you telling me this? I could go directly to our new leader with this conversation.”
“If you ever cared for my father, you won’t.”
Her eyes sparkled as she swirled her drink in the glass. “Do you think it was your father I cared for? Or his money?”
Hell if Ted knew, but he was fairly certain of one thing… “You were fond of his power.”
She raised a sculpted brow. “Smart boy.”
Ted took a sip of the drink and chuckled. “I’m hardly a boy.”
She came closer, looking up at him from under her thick lashes. “Are you a man now, Teddy?”
Pamela was a heady mixture of temptation and danger, and suddenly, his blood was pumping below his belt. “More of a man than Mikolas Leandros.”
She took another step toward Ted, her breasts almost touching his chest. Almost. Her voice was a throaty whisper. “Man enough to deliver Kronos into this world?”
“Fuck yeah.” He slid his arm around her waist and tasted her lips.
Her free hand slid up his chest, setting him on fire as he devoured her mouth. The sweet brandy mixed with something spicy, just beyond his recognition, something rare and ancient.
When she pushed him back one step, he already ached for her.
She ran her tongue along her teeth, sizing him up. “Bedding me is not going to free Kronos.”
“No.” He took another sip of the drink, praying the cool liquid might quench the fire she had just stoked in him. “But I have a plan. I need the Greek’s Mercedes tonight. I was hoping you could pay him a visit and keep him occupied.”
After he said the words, a vision of Pamela tangled in satin sheets with Mikolas filled his head, and he hastily added, “If you slipped some tranquilizers into his drink, we could use the car and leave it back at his place. He won’t even realize it was gone.”
“I could.” She finished her drink and set the glass on the bar. “But I want something in return.”
His pulse thumped in his ears. “Sure. What’s that?”
She came closer, her floral musk intoxicating. Rising on her toes, her lips brushed his ear as she whispered, “Make Zeus weep for the loss of his daughters. There is no greater pain for a parent.”
“Yes.” He nodded, trying to bury his eagerness. “We will. Just make sure Mikolas is knocked out.”
“Oh, he will be.” She went to the door leading out of the library. “You can show yourself out, no?”
She didn’t wait for an answer. Once the door clicked, he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Holy shit. What the hell was he doing?
He ran a shaky hand through his hair. Pamela had been his dad’s mistress. Was she old enough to be Ted’s mother?
But more importantly, did he even care?
He finished his drink. No. He didn’t give a rat’s ass. Since he’d dated Trinity in college, no other woman had lit a fire inside him.
But Pamela just had.
She’d kindled an inferno.
By the end of his shift, Cooper’s body ached, but his mind was pleasantly clear. There hadn’t been anything out of the ordinary on their calls today. A few weeks ago, he would’ve been hoping for the chance to save a patient, to get a heart beating again, but right now, ordinary was soothing.
Back at the station, Cooper showered and changed while Nick rambled on about his truck not passing the smog test and the cost of his catalytic converters being a racket.
Cooper was barely listening, though. Once he had his shoes on, he grabbed his bag. “Catch you later, man.”
Nick looked up. “Set your alarm this time. I’m not going to swing by your place and drag your sorry ass out of bed.”
“I’ll be here.” As he turned to go, Garcia was entering the locker room.
“Apollo! Save any lives today?” he asked.
Cooper’s nickname had a whole new meaning now, but he tried not to act any differently. He just shook his head. “Only transports today. No trauma.”
Garcia opened his locker. “Gotta come on the night shift with me. That’s where the action is.”
Every couple of months, they flipped schedules. Cooper would be back on nights soon enough.
He clapped Garcia’s shoulder. “Sorry, man. I’ve got a better offer tonight.”
Garcia chuckled and called after him, “Don’t break too many hearts, Apollo!”
Cooper sent a text to Lia to be sure they were still on, and then he pulled into the grocery store. He went inside and stared at the flowers. Why was he here? He couldn’t remember the last time he’d brought a woman flowers, but the idea that they might make Lia smile encouraged him.
What kind would she like? It was too late to call his grandmother, but that was probably for the best. He wanted to do this on his own.
He quickly wrote off roses. They were too serious. Next, he looked at a bouquet with purple flowers. They were pretty, but when he read the tag, he put them back. Forget-me-nots weren’t what he was looking for, either. Then he noticed a bouquet of sunflowers surrounded by a forest of daisies. He caught himself grinning. They were bright, like the sun. Like Lia.
Perfect.
He grabbed the flowers and went to check out when the back of his neck started to throb. Frowning, he paid and reached for his phone as he headed for his car.
He hit Lia’s number and held his breath.
“Cooper?” she answered.
Just hearing her voice relaxed him, but his birthmark was stinging now. What was it she’d said about the other Guardians’ birthmarks hurting when their muses were in danger?
“I’m on my way over now.”
“Oh good. I just finished with the improv group. I’m locking up.” Keys jangled in the background.
“I’m right around the corner. Can I pick you up?” he asked, trying to keep the concern from his voice.
“Um, okay. I do have my car, though.”
“I know.” His damned birthmark was burning up. Something wasn’t right. “Just wait for me. I’ll be right there.”
Ted stayed in the shadows outside the improv theater as the Make ’Em Laugh marquis went dark. That was Bryce’s signal. Sweat ran down Ted’s face behind his father’s Kronos mask. The borrowed robe still carried his father’s scent, bolstering Ted’s commitment. Besides, he was only the distraction.
He looked toward her car. She wasn’t crossing the parking lot to it yet.
What the hell?
In the distance, on the other side of the lot, an engine revved. Bryce was ready.
So where was the Muse of Comedy?
Ted crept out of the shadows searching for something to draw her out. She ran a neat shop, he’d give her that. The Dumpster was locked, and he couldn’t even find a stray soda can to roll her way.
Shit.
Suddenly another car pulled into the lot, and Ted scurried back into the darkness. The car door opened, bathing the blond paramedic in light from the overheads. He had to be one of the Guardians.
Ted’s hands trembled as he fired a text off to Bryce.
Target is now the paramedic. Go.
The guy got out of the car, flowers in hand. He started for the door, and Ted stepped into the yellow glow of the streetlight.
The man froze, frowning. “Who are you?”
“The Golden Age of Man is returning,” Ted said. “Sacrifices must be made.”
A black Mercedes without its headlights on raced toward him. The paramedic spun at the last second, but it was too late. His body smashed into the windshield and flew over the car as Bryce plowed through the lot. He stopped the car by Ted, but he didn’t get in. Not yet.
A woman screamed, running to the fallen man. Tears streamed down her face as she looked over at the car. That was what Ted had been waiting for. She’d tell the police about the Kronos mask and the Mercedes.
The windshield was shattered and the front fender and hood were crunched from the impact. Ted got in the passenger side, and Bryce gunned it. They’d leave the borrowed, battered car back at the Greek’s place. The cocktail Pamela had given him should keep him sleeping until sunrise.
Maybe Detective Malone would wake him up.
Ted grinned and turned toward Bryce as he removed his mask. “Back roads. No one can see the damage to the car.”
Bryce nodded, handing Ted his mask. “Think he’s dead?”
“I don’t know.” Ted stared out the window. He’d spoken the line about sacrifices a million times. It was true: they did need to be made in order to free the Titans from their prison in Tartarus. But deep inside, he still couldn’t commit himself to killing. Death was something he’d never be able to wash off. Besides, Bryce was trained and conditioned for the job; Ted was the brains.
But knowing that didn’t make him any more comfortable. He ached to get home to a hot shower.
“We want him dead, right? So he can’t protect the muses?”
Bryce’s voice yanked Ted from his thoughts. “Doesn’t matter. We just want them to tell the police what the car looked like and that they saw the Kronos masks. The detective will have to check with Mikolas, and when they see his car, he won’t have an alibi. He’ll be done. I can take over Belkin Oil and the Order of the Titans, and we can finish what my father started.”
Bryce’s leather gloves squeaked as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “And my name will be up there with yours. We’ll be immortalized forever.”
Ted nodded. Bryce would probably not live to see that day, but Ted was keeping that knowledge to himself.