Page 107 of Eternal Surrender

She pressed her fingertips to her lips.

“Not sure I like that term,” I admitted.

“Orpheus told me he needed someone to watch over you, Ingrid,” Blake said. “That’s all he ever asked of me. And I wanted to do that anyway.”

“How much did he pay you?”

“Ingrid, please.”

“How much?” she pushed.

“It wasn’t about money,” Blake snapped.

She shook her head, not believing him. “That’s why you supported my move to London?”

He turned to me for support, his energy waning. I gestured he must show her more than just his circled brand. Blake now peeled back his other sleeve, lifting it further up his right arm, revealing a white square dressing in the bend of his elbow, out of which poked a thin flexible tube.

Ingrid jumped off the stool. “What the hell is that?”

Blake ran his fingers over it. “It’s a PICC line.”

“And why is it in you?” she screeched, thinking the worst.

“I have Hodgkin’s,” he said flatly. “I get my chemotherapy through it.”

She shifted her stance. “What?”

“The reason why I wanted you to move to London,” Blake added, “was so that I could go on sick leave without you knowing.”

“Blake, I’m so sorry. You should have told me.”

“Keeping it from everyone was relatively easy until I started this damn chemo.” He ran his fingers along the edge of the mahogany bar. “You introduced me to Belshazzar’s. I didn’t believe you at first. Thought you were crazy to be honest.” He looked roguish. “But then I decided to check out the place.”

“You came here?” her voice rasped. “Without me?”

“Mentioned Orpheus’s name,” he said, “and walked right in.”

“What did he offer you?” Ingrid asked. “Tell me it’s not what I think it is.”

“Please listen to him,” I said.

“How long have the doctors. . . given you?” she asked softly.

“Not long enough,” he said. “Ingrid, I don’t want to die.”

Ingrid realized. “No.”

“What would you do, Ingrid?” he asked. “Wouldn’t you fight to live?”

“They have amazing scientific breakthroughs,” she said, panicked.

Blake gestured that was naive.

“Orpheus is dead,” she said. “He can’t turn you now.”

Blake’s focus slid over to me.

Ingrid caught it and said, “Blake, we need to talk about this rationally away from this place.”