Page 10 of Zeus

I know better. I always feel a rush of adrenaline when starting a new job, and this one is no different. Guns and drugs are horrible, don’t get me wrong. But hurting other people to advance yourself in life is one of the lowest things that someone can do to another person.

I'm ready to take down this group of assholes. Plus, the sooner we can get this done, the sooner I can get away from Zayne.

Chapter 5

Zayne

I don't have the same sense of purpose I usually do after leaving the meeting.

It's not that everyone wasn't welcoming, well, maybe except for that Nyx guy. He seems like the type that would slit your throat just to see if your blood looks different in the moonlight.

I'm just feeling a little off and can't pinpoint the reason.

Well, that isn't true. I know Frankie has everything to do with why I can't seem to get my mind in the right place for this new job. I don't know what I was expecting, but I also didn't think that far past me walking into the house and seeing his surprised face at my presence. I didn't take a minute to consider the fallout from joining Cerberus.

It's stupid of me, really, the idea that I could show up, turn around the next day, and get to work on the same team as him without it affecting me in any way.

My shower doesn't rejuvenate me the way it normally does, and by the time I towel off and get dressed, I'm once again thinking that maybe putting myself in front of that man just to get this reaction was possibly the dumbest thing I could've done.

My work is important to me on a visceral level, and now I'm hating my choices because of what they could mean for my work. My life and his will literally be on the line if I can't get my shit together.

I pull in a deep breath as I lean in to look at my reflection in the mirror, hating that I can't help but wonder what the man thinks when he sees my face. Years of hard work have left a faint roadmap of lines on my skin. Despite only being in my early thirties, I can't help but notice the speckle of gray hair at my temples. I feel exhausted, as if I've spent a lifetime fighting for my existence only to purposely put myself in another stressful situation.

I stand to my full height, drawing in a deep breath, and conclude that Frankie not wanting me here doesn't make my ability to help others any less. What I struggle with is knowing just how hard we'll both work on this mission, which increases the chance we’ll be paired together on another job.

I may not know who the man has become, but I spent enough time with him in our youth that I know he won't let whatever hatred he has for me get in the way of doing what he's supposed to do. And I'm too stubborn not to give a hundred and fifty percent to any job I take on.

"You got this," I tell my reflection before turning around and walking out of the bathroom.

The walk to the other cabin is slow, filled with less determination than I tried to muster just moments ago. Letting the self-doubt sink in any further is thankfully thwarted when I see Casper walking out of one of the other cabins, a girl in a long, fluffy robe smiling after him in the doorway. This is the same cabin where the women were having such a good time yesterday evening when I arrived.

The man would never do well in an undercover position, given the shock on his face when he spots me walking toward the other cabin.

"Little afternoon delight?" I ask with a wide grin on my face, grateful for the distraction.

His hand immediately grips the back of his neck as his cheeks turn pink.

"I-umm—"

"Don't worry, man. I won't tell a soul."

He dips his head in thanks. I fully expect him to clamp his mouth shut and keep walking, but he pauses, glancing over his shoulder at the other cabin before turning his attention back to me.

The girl is long gone, no doubt heading back inside to gossip with her friends about her little tryst with the guy next door.

"I don't have much time to myself," he explains.

I hold my hands up by my ears to let him know that he doesn't have to explain anything to me.

"She's not married, is she?"

His eyes widen as if he never even considered it.

"Fuck. I don't think so?"

"That sounds like a question."

"I didn't ask."