Page 25 of Dark Restraint
I almost follow them right inside before my common sense takes hold and I turn into the bar and bistro next door. It’s barely open, the place empty this early in the day. It’s not positioned properly to see the entrance of the boutique, but stepping inside feels like waking up from a strange waking nightmare.
What the fuck am I doing? I have shit to take care of. At the very least, I should be going through the motions to ensure Minos doesn’t decide to micromanage me. If he realizes he no longer holds my leash, it will…complicate things.
“Can I help you?”
I look down at the little server, and I have to fight the urge to growl. No one can help me right now. I need to get out of here. I start to turn for the door when a voice stops me in my tracks.
“I know you take your reputation seriously, but maybe we could draw the line at terrorizing the staff?”
I twist to watch Hera walk through the door. I check the space behind her, but she appears to be alone. Not that I trust the appearance. I thought Dionysus was alone, and look how that mess ended up. I take one step back, putting the wall behind me. If Eros is coming in the back door…
“The big, bad Minotaur, skittish around little old me? What a compliment.” She turns to the server and her smile becomes slightly less sharp. “We’ll have two beers.”
“I’m not drinking.” I snap out the words before I can think better of it. I regret them instantly. The last thing I want is these Olympians to think that I’m scared of them. They should be scared of me. I could snap Hera’s neck in an instant, and there’s not anyone close enough to stop me.
“Thinking about murdering me?” She laughs softly and walks right past me to take a seat on one of the barstools. “Maybe you could toss my body on the ground at Ariadne’s feet like a cat displaying its hunting skills—the same way you did with Dionysus’s guards.”
So she knows about that and doesn’t seem bothered. Despite myself, I follow her. Curiosity really is a bitch. “The thought did cross my mind.”
“I’ll just bet it did.” She grabs a beer and takes a sip and then slides it over to me. If I needed confirmation that she knows what happened with Dionysus, there it is right in my face. She seems to know a lot of shit she shouldn’t. Hera snorts. “See. Not drugged. Feel better?”
“Hardly.” But I take a seat and take a long drag of the beer. It’s another of Dionysus’s brews, and while I’m not an IPA guy, even I can appreciate the way the taste brings to mind a crisp fall day. “You want something. Let’s hear it.”
She takes a long drink of her beer. “You’re going to attack Dodona Tower.”
I shutter my expression. “What makes you say that?”
“You asked Ariadne to get you the blueprints. I may not be someone with active combat experience, but I know how to draw a straight line between one point and another.” She cuts me a look. “And no, Ariadne didn’t tell me. I watched that cozy little meeting you had the other day in the coffee shop. Honestly, it was very shortsighted of you to do that right out in the open where anyone could eavesdrop.”
There hasn’t been any one close enough to eavesdrop…or so I thought.
I glance over my shoulder at the door, but there is no security waiting to snatch me up the moment I walk out. Which begs the question—why? What does she want from me? “If you knew this a couple days ago, then you know where I’ve been in the meantime. Easy enough to snatch me up.”
“Yes, it would be—if I wanted you to fail.” She traces the rim of her glass with a sharp nail. “I’m willing to offer you a deal, Minotaur.”
Now this is interesting. “I’m listening.”
“I won’t stand in the way—of any of your plans—as long as the only person you kill in Dodona Tower is Zeus himself.”
The high lady of the upper city, intent on the murder of her husband? This is the kind of information Minos would kill for. This is the potential ally Circe dreams of.
Too bad I’m not going to get her in touch with either of them. “I’m not the one you should be making deals with.”
“And yet I think you’re exactly that person. Everyone believes it’s Minos who holds your leash, but that isn’t the truth, is it?” She finishes her beer and pushes it gently away. “She’s made her own bargain, you know. She will ensure you get the blueprints without any interference from me, in exchange for the safety of her brother. Isn’t that sweet?”
I’m not remotely surprised Ariadne would make a deal like that. She knows her brother’s weaknesses just as well as I do. Without a strong protector, his chances of surviving what comes next are minuscule. Before today, I would’ve said Hera doesn’t fit the definition of a strong protector. Now, I wonder.
“That’s what you offered her. What motivation do I have to do what you want?”
“Beyond your life?” I’m sure she doesn’t move, but she seems closer. Menacing. “Who do you think arranged for her marriage to Dionysus? Who could just as easily pressure your precious little Ariadne into a marriage with someone less…safe?”
I clench my fists and then force myself to loosen them. “It won’t matter who she’s married to when they’re dead.”
Her laugh is downright musical. “You Aeaeans love your threats of violence.”
“And you Olympians love your little power plays that ultimately do nothing.”
“Not this time.”