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“Shhh . . . It’s me. I didn’t want to wake you.”
I blink a few times until I can focus on Athanasios. “You came.”
“Yes, I came. I said I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you or the twins. I’ll die before I break that promise.”
Athanasios
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
“What did Odin say?”I ask, pacing back and forth in Zeus’s library. I can’t stand still. My blood is pumping furiously through my veins.
When it was suggested we monitor Brooklyn’s phone, I thought there was a slim chance Shelley might try to contact her. But now that she has, rage consumes me entirely. She tried to kill her, and still, she isn’t satisfied. She’s come after her again. This time, though, her problem is with me.
“As we suspected, Shelley Edward is already back in the country, which means she lied to Brooklyn.”
My woman—yes, because no matter how upset she is, one thing is certain: Brooklyn is mine—is with Madison, Eleanor, and the kids in the room next door.
Even though Silas and Soraya don’t understand what’s happening, they seem to sense that something’s wrong. What finally calmed them down was Madison’s brilliant idea to bring Popcorn along.
When Silas saw me, he clung to my legs, and it hit me hard. Over the few days I spent away from them, I missed them terribly.
And her, of course.
I was in the middle of surgery when Zeus called me, and I didn’t find out what had happened until two hours later. I came as quickly as I could, and even so, I felt like I’d failed my woman.
It doesn’t matter that we’re fighting. Brooklyn is my priority.
When William told me Zeus had asked the neurologist I assigned to Brooklyn to check on her, the guilt hit me even harder.
Even though I’m confident she has no lingering effects from her coma and that the tumor was completely removed, she needed me in more ways than one, and I wasn’t there for her.
“Was he able to locate where she’s hiding?” Hades asks.
“What do you think? We’re talking about Odin. Shelley’s in New York.”
“Damn it!” I roar. “Did she ever even leave the country?”
“Odin says yes. She could have been in Mexico or Canada and crossed the border by land. Never forget, she’s a former FBI agent. She knows how to stay under the radar.”
“Do you think she’d risk coming after Brooklyn?” Ares asks.
“Yes, I have no doubt,” I reply. “Brooklyn is a living witness and will testify at the trial. She’ll talk about Jordan’s ‘cousin’ and provide a physical description. Don’t forget, Shelley’s concern isn’t just being linked to Jordan’s death but also that both the FBI and the Chinese mafia are hunting her.”
“I don’t know, but I think Shelley’s issue with Brooklyn isn’t about the trial. She wants revenge,” Dionysus says. “In her twisted mind, she might blame Madison’s sister for Jordan’s death. After all, he stepped into the line of fire trying to save her.”
“That’s exactly why I’m saying we can’t just sit around waiting for the police or even hire more private investigators,” Zeus says.
“So what’s the alternative?” I ask.
“Odin and Beau,” Zeus responds.
“Who’s Beau?”
The Kostanidis brothers exchange glances before Hades finally answers, “Trust me when I say you don’t need to know about him, Athanasios.”
“As I was saying,” Zeus continues, not giving me time to protest, “it might require a joint operation between the two. One will track her down, and the other will capture her. If they can’t do it, no one can.”
“I’m not taking any chances,” I warn. “I don’t care if I have to put an army around her. I’m not losing her.”