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CHAPTERTWENTY
HADES
I’m in a strange mood for the next couple of days. Most of the time I spend staring out the panes of glass that line the walls of the loft. Penny is trying her best to recreate a lesser known Manet painting, a still life with fruit.
I have too much time on my hands. Usually I have my phone buzzing with calls and texts. But now protecting Penny is my primary focus. I while away the hours, glowering down at the figures of people that cross the busy street below.
I see an older couple walk by, arm in arm, seeming comfortable with each other. If they speak, I do not see it; instead, they seem as comfortable with silence as they are with each other.
Witnessing that makes me tense somehow. How is it exactly that the man isn’t looking around, trying to gauge whether anyone means them harm? And the woman seems lost in thought… a perfect target for any kind of crime from a purse snatching to a kidnapping.
And yet they merely part ways, kissing each other quickly and then walking opposite paths until they are both out of view. It’s only when I can’t see them anymore that I release a huge breath that I didn’t realize I had been holding in.
That level of comfort that I just witnessed was dangerous. It begs for someone, someone with terrible intentions, to step in and ruin the whole moment. A simple blast of automatic gunfire or a speeding car, used as a weapon…
That couple would be on the ground, their lives forfeit.
I can’t ever let Penny get close enough for our dynamic to be so easy. Without the relentless tension of keeping an eye on our surroundings, I have the suspicion that my manner with Penny would become more familiar, less guarded.
I can’t let that happen.
She may have my heart, but I have to put space between us.
Space could very well keep her alive.
A crash sounds in the next room, startling me from my brooding thoughts. I get up off of the couch and move toward the art studio, searching for the source of the sound.
Pushing the gap in the door open, I find Penny kneeling on the floor, picking up large shards of glass from where they now lie in a shattered mess. She tosses her hair over her shoulder, her mouth pulling down.
“What happened?”
“A couple bottles of vintage paint fell. That’s all. I’ve got it,” she says, not bothering to hide her irritation.
“Come on,” I say. “It’s time for us to go do literally anything else. You need a break.”
She looks up at me, tossing her hair over her shoulder, annoyed. “Like I can take a break right now. I have so much to do in so little time.”
I walk over to her and bend down, grabbing her firmly by the arms and forcing her to her feet. She looks distraught and shoves her hands through her hair.
“What a mess,” she mutters.
I look around at the spilled paint on the floor and shrug. “We’ll get to it later. I promise. Right now, I want to take you somewhere.”
Penny looks at me suspiciously. “Where?”
I give her a tiny smirk. “You’ll have to wait and see, won’t you?”
She wrinkles her nose. “I really despise that answer.”
Still, she heads out of the room and into the bathroom. Ten minutes of grooming later, Penny presents herself again. She has changed into a dark silk dress with a full skirt. I had a shop assistant pick out clothes for her in my colors, black and white. They look elegant on her as she pulls on a light jacket. Her raven hair is piled on top of her head. Already, she looks calmer.
“Today, we’re going to be incognito.” I produce heavy dark sunglasses and two stylish hats. I let her pick and after she dons hers, I put mine on as well.
Giving her an appraising glance, I grin wolfishly. “You look good enough to eat.”
Penny cuts her eyes at me but the flush in her cheeks says that she appreciated my comment. I escort her out of the apartment, down the stairs, and out onto the street.
Spread out around the street corner are a number of our security team members. A woman pushing a stroller, a man stretching in his running outfit, an older guy talking loudly into his cellphone. I don’t say anything to them, but I notice as they begin following us at a distance.
