In The Darkness (Project Artemis #1)(41)

“Hey, let’s take a break for a second.”

“Don’t you want to see the rest of the place?”

“I will. I’d rather just be here with you for a moment,” he said before leaning down to kiss her on the lips.

“Do you like the place, Nick?” she asked wide-eyed, like his opinion meant the world to her.

He looked around at the room he stood in and wondered how anyone couldn’t like it. It reminded him of some of those European palaces he’d seen on TV some nights when he couldn’t get to sleep. Sky-high cathedral ceilings made the living spaces feel even bigger than the actual square footage. The walnut hardwood floors, newly refinished, grounded the rooms and gave them warmth. She’d told him all she’d been up to, but until he saw it for himself, he hadn’t believed the estate would be this impressive. It had more bedrooms and bathrooms than all the places he lived in over the past decade combined. For someone like him, this estate or anywhere like it could never be even a dream because it just sat too far out of reach.

“I like it if you like it,” he said, keeping the real truth of how impressed it all made him hidden.

Reaching up, she caressed his cheek and kissed him. “I want this to work, and I’m willing to spend my last dime to see it happen. The men you’re bringing in deserve a nice place to live. People who put their lives on the line to help others shouldn’t have to live in a rundown house. I just want them to be appreciated for the good they do.”

“Have you always been this way?” Nick wondered aloud, curious how a woman who had been given everything in life could be so generous with herself.

Persephone thought about the question for a moment and answered, “I don’t know. All I know is that on the first night back at my parents’ house, all I wanted was two things. I wanted to be with you, and I wanted to help other women like you helped me. Now that we’re here and you’re finding men to work with us, I’ve made both of those dreams come true.”

Taking her face in his hands, he kissed her and wondered how he’d been so lucky to have the love of someone like her. He didn’t know what he’d done in his life to deserve her.

“I must have been a saint in a past life or something because you’re way too good for me,” he said with a smile, knowing how true that statement was.

But she shook her head like she always did when he said things like that. “Come on. Let’s take a look at the game room these guys will get. I ordered a new pool table that was delivered yesterday, and the designer persuaded me to get a foosball table, although I have no idea what that is. Do you know?”

Nick chuckled at how her background sometimes made ordinary everyday things sound so foreign when she talked about them. “Yeah. I’m sure the guys will love it. I might even have to spend some time in this game room.”

“Should I have told her to get two foosball tables?” she asked as she tugged him into another pretty damn great room.

With a smile, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “No. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay. Well, just wait until you see the kitchen. With all those people living here, I made sure to get an industrial refrigerator and two stoves. I still need to find a cook, but don’t worry. I’m on it. But the kitchen is absolutely perfect.”

As he followed her through one room into the next and she talked about how much she loved the blue and soft white color scheme she chose for the kitchen, a sense of pride in what she wanted to accomplish with this place welled in his chest. Sure, maybe she enjoyed redecorating a house the size of a small state, but he believed in his heart she wanted to do this for the good it would help them do in the world.

And he had the right men for the job. He had a few lined up already, so it wouldn’t be long before he brought them all here so they could start fulfilling Persephone’s dream of helping women in danger.

He knew from far too much experience that there would be no shortage of them, unfortunately. Seven men might not be able to save everyone, but it was a damn good start and he was proud to be a part of it.





Chapter Fourteen





Persephone checked her makeup and hair in the mirror one last time before heading down to the great room to meet the seven men Nick had settled on in just the past week. He didn’t tell her much about them other than the files he offered to show they had the skills necessary to do the job they needed them for, so all she knew was on paper each of them looked like perfect choices.

She trusted him with this job like she’d trusted him with her life. If he believed in these seven men, then she did. Meeting them now was more of a formality.

If Nick wanted these men on the team, then they were part of the team already.

The bedroom door opened and he peeked his head in. “Ready? You’ve got an audience waiting for you.”

Turning away from her reflection, she looked over at him and smiled. “I’m ready. I can’t wait to meet them, Nick. I’ve already got two leads on women who need our help right now, and I expect to hear about more leads later this afternoon. Your team is already very much in demand.”

He held the door open for her, and as she walked past him, he snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her to his body. “Have I ever mentioned how much I love your passion for this project?”