From Darkness (Hearts & Arrows Book 3)(15)
“You’re annoying. This”—Tori motioned to him—“is why we never worked out. You never could handle me.”
“Oh, I recall handling you just fine.”
“You ass.” She laughed and threw his abandoned cloth napkin at him.
He caught it and threw it directly back, hitting her in the face.
“Goddammit, you really are annoying,” she said.
“I learned from the best.”
Tori stuck out her tongue and took a sip of her coffee. “So, when did you see her?”
He sat back in his seat. “Yesterday.”
“Awkwardness abounded?”
“As usual, but she didn’t insult me, not directly anyway. So, that’s progress, I suppose.”
“You need to just send her flowers,” she said matter-of-factly.
“You think you have all the answers, don’t you?”
She nodded emphatically.
“Listen, all I can do is try to prove that she can trust me. I have to believe that if I’m there for her, she’ll see the truth and forgive me. Thing is, she keeps slamming the door in my face, so I’ve got to find a window to climb in.”
“Are you still looking for that guy who killed Anne?”
Jon folded his arms across his chest. “Haven’t stopped since I found out she died, but I’ve only got as much to go on as the newspapers did, which is jack shit. I’ve been trying to let it lie until Josie calms down. I’m worried that asking her about it will set her off.”
“Think you’ll be able to bring it up soon?”
He shook his head and let out a breath. “I don’t know honestly. I know she hasn’t given up—that woman is a dog with a bone—but I can’t push her. I want to help her, but I can’t force her to accept it.”
Tori sat back and crossed her legs. “Maybe it’s time to try to press her to accept. I know you could help, and I’m sure she could use a hand. She’s got to be so far up that case’s ass, she sneezes crime facts.”
“You should write poetry.”
“I really should.” She reached for her romance novel with a pirate and a woman clutching each other on the cover.
He tilted his head to read the title. “Hidden Treasures? I don’t know how you read that stuff.”
She didn’t look up. “I use the same part of my brain that you use when you watch Dog the Bounty Hunter.”
“Goo’ morning!” Lola padded her way into the kitchen in footie pajamas, dragging her stuffed dog, Ruby, after her. Her blue eyes were bright, and her dark hair curled in fine waves just past her shoulders.
“Hey, baby.” Jon turned and opened his arms, hauling the toddler into his lap as soon as she was within reach. “You want some eggs?”
“Gross, Jon. Those are cold.”
“She doesn’t care. Look.”
Lola’s face was lit up like a lightbulb. “Eggies!” she squealed as she grabbed his fork, though it ended up being more for show as she used her chubby little hands to stop the eggs from falling back onto the plate.
Tori laughed, and Jon looked over his family, marveling at life and what a messy, glorious affair it was. For every bit of misfortune he’d had and every loss he’d endured, there was something beautiful that balanced it.
He tried to find a way to be thankful for that at least.
Artemis hoisted herself out of the pond near her camp and walked, dripping and naked, to the massive rock at the edge of the water. The mountains of her realm in Olympus stretched up to the blue sky all around her, and tall pines rustled in the breeze, their needles whispering.
She had climbed the slate of the boulder—her favorite perch—millions of times in her life. If ever she wished for a throne, it would be a deerskin atop that stone, the place where she sought peace and solace. A place where she remembered and tried to forget.
Artemis found the familiar handholds without needing to look as she climbed nimbly to the top, stretching out on the warm stone when she reached it. The sounds of her Oceanids giggling and squealing in the pool below floated up to her as they splashed about, some braiding each other’s hair, threading flowers through their tresses. Even after thousands of years, her companions still acted like girls.
Artemis smiled at the notion as she folded her hands behind her head and breathed deep, listening to the rustle of the trees around her as the sun’s rays warmed her skin.
Her thoughts drifted toward the competition and Aphrodite, and her smile fell. Artemis always enjoyed games with her Oceanids, and most of the other gods proved to be formidable opponents. She knew what to expect with Ares, Athena, Hephaestus, but playing at love?
How drab.
At least she could meddle in Aphrodite’s plans. The thought brought a smile back to her face. Any time she could be the cause of Aphrodite’s discomfort was a happy time indeed.
But all amusement faded away as she recalled Josie’s meeting with Jon the day before. Aphrodite had had something to do with the encounter, she was sure. The likelihood of the two accidentally being at the same bar and going after the same bail-jumper was nearly impossible. The notion made Artemis uneasy, but she found comfort in the even smaller likelihood that the meeting would affect the outcome of the game.
Josie was an ideal choice. Her instincts were strong, and she was an excellent huntress. She was capable and confident, with little care for love. Josie’s hurt and loss hadn’t diminished her spirit; it’d spurred her to build up her armor, particularly against Jon. He had the tallest wall of all to climb.