Innocence (Tales of Olympus #1)(29)

The man jerked his head, teeth gritted. “They were watching you. They were planning to pick you up from the start. I was watching you. Those were my orders.”

“Orders,” Cora repeated, her head starting to throb.

“I gotta go. I gotta run. They won’t like it. Once you’re in, you’re in forever.” He was babbling. He was crazy. He’d had a blow to the head. Multiple blows to the head.

Behind him, a long black car pulled up to the curb. Her ride was here.

She turned, but the man had gone. The door to the back was swinging closed.

Sharo found her there, still clutching her arms to her chest among the aisles of dog food. “Ready to go?” he asked, looking her up and down.

“I need to change,” she said, fighting the urge to back away. Sharo seemed to sense this, and stayed close, hovering, protective.

“You can do that at the club.” He turned, stiffening when the back door opened, but it was only Maeve, frowning for some reason.

“You nearly forgot this,” she said in her low, no nonsense voice, handing over Cora’s purse. Sharo held out a hand for it, and Maeve pulled it out of his reach. The older redhead gave him a level glance. “Excuse me.”

“It’s okay, Maeve,” Cora said. “I trust him.” She blinked suddenly, surprised at how quickly she said those words, wondering if they were lies. Gods, she needed to think.

Maeve looked at her with an unhappy expression, but gave Sharo the bag.

“Good night.” Cora’s small smile must have helped Maeve hold her thoughts in, but lines still formed on the older woman’s forehead.

Cora survived the drive in silence. Warn me? She rubbed her bare arms.

Once you’re in, you’re in forever.

When Sharo guided her down the steps to the club where she had run to that night long ago, she didn’t struggle. But the illuminated door that had once seemed like such sanctuary now felt like… Cold shivered down her back as she crossed the threshold.

Her mind felt blank. It was all too much to process. Whenever a panicked thought tried to break through, she reminded herself that that man was crazy. He’d kidnapped her for gods’ sake and then had continued stalking her. Why should she trust anything he said?

But he’d been so beaten down, literally and figuratively. He’d said he wanted to make amends, like he was in some twelve-step program.

What if he wasn’t lying?

A minute later Cora was alone with Marcus in his office. Mr. Ubeli. The shadows still cut across his face among the mahogany and rich carpet. Nothing had changed from that first night.

No, everything has.

“Hey, babe,” he said, and leaned back in his chair with a sigh. With one hand he scrubbed his hair out of his face; the other reached out, calling her toward him. She had planned to be strong, but something in the way he pushed the dark spikes of his hair away from his eyes reminded her of a little boy, up past his bedtime. She went to him. Gods help her, she went to him.

“Long day?” she asked, and he didn’t reply, simply put his hands on her hips and pushed her back so that she was leaning on the desk. His fingers stroked her arms, wrists, and hands, before retreating.

As soon as they left her skin, Cora wanted them back. She was the one who needed a twelve-step program. She was addicted to Marcus.

“Where’s your ring?” Marcus’s voice didn’t sound cold, not quite. But his face was blank in a way she knew he wasn’t happy.

“Oh,” Cora grabbed the chain around her neck. The diamonds flashed in the light. The garnet was so dark it seemed to drink the light in. “I put it here so it wouldn’t get dirty.”

Marcus’s lips pressed together, and she quickly undid the delicate chain, freed the ring, and replaced it on her fourth finger.

She wiggled her fingers in Marcus’s direction. “All better. Did you think I’d lost it?” Just like always, when she was with him, everything else disappeared. She knew she’d been very upset before coming into the room, that she still should be, that there was a chance that man had been telling the truth—

“No.” Marcus captured her hand and toyed with the slim band. His touch ignited a wildfire, racing up her arm, turning her insides into an inferno. Oh—

“Don’t worry,” she breathed out, fighting to keep her voice normal as her pulse jumped, hammering a million times per minute, “I won’t forget I’m engaged to you.”

“Not you I’m worried about. It’s every guy who looks at you, sees an angel and thinks he can get close.”

“Possessive, much?” she joked, but the intensity in Marcus’s gaze seared her.

“You have no idea.”

She closed her eyes as his fingertips grazed her temples, then traced down her cheeks. Her universe expanded, and it was full of Marcus. Everywhere Marcus, Marcus, Marcus.

And she let him, remaining still, heart now hardly daring to beat, as if even a breath might break the moment.

“I should have done this a long time ago,” he murmured.

“What?” she started to say and leaned forward to hear the answer, but at that moment he looked up, and caught her mouth with his. And then it was all over.

Every thought went out of her head, all but Marcus, and he was standing now with his arms around her, his body pressing hers against the desk.