by Lizzy Ford
“I don’t care.”
“You should. The highest level political positions in the world are up for grabs. Not only this, but the Queen of Greece is in my hands,” he said loudly enough for only me to hear. “The sole surviving member of the Sacred Triumvirate. Think about it. In a week, with her good favor, I can have control of the military.”
“For what purpose? There won’t be anyone to command!” I said.
“Perhaps. Or maybe, come dawn, this will be over, and we can rebuild. The truth is no one knows what’s going to happen tomorrow. In a week. A month. A year. Are you willing to put your son’s life at risk outside of DC?” Cleon asked. “Or take a chance everything I’ve worked for is about to pay off, and you’ll be on the ground floor of what I’m creating, with Tommy safe at the center.”
In a different circumstance, where my son wasn’t directly involved, I would have walked away. “You never do anything without a reason.”
“I always reward loyalty, don’t I? And smash those who betray me.” A dangerous glint passed through Cleon’s gaze. “What happens to Tommy if you aren’t here to protect him?”
I tensed, sensing the subtle threat. Much of what Cleon said made sense. I was leery of leaving the safe zone guarded by Zeus and equally aware of what happened if I earned the wrath of Cleon. I had never had a reason to doubt myself before now, never had another life depending on my decision. What if I made the wrong choice, and Tommy suffered?
This twisting emotion inside me was another reason I didn’t want the responsibility of a kid in the first place. With Dosy unconscious, I alone had to decide how to protect our son from gods and men like Cleon or worse – men like me, who would rise out of the ashes of the apocalypse because of their ability to survive, at any cost.
“With the old world order gone, there will be no one to scrutinize either of us. I can make you an official member of my security team. You won’t be forced into the shadows anymore, and you’ll never have to grovel to criminals for some dangerous, bottom feeder merc contract in some third world country,” Cleon continued. “You want to be my official security advisor? The job is yours. Stable enough for you to keep your son with you, and you can assign as many of my men as you want to his protection.”
Cleon was asking me to think about tomorrow when I never thought past dinner. My gaze settled on Tommy, who was standing a few feet away, waiting for us to finish our adult conversation. The Queen of Greece had one of her arms wrapped around him, and the boy clung to her. It was clear they were close, two kids stuck in an impossible situation, vulnerable to whatever the gods threw at them. I alone would determine which of the people before me survived the night.
Tommy’s life was a given. It was less Cleon’s pretty words that convinced me and more my fear of how the unknown might hurt my son. I had seen Cleon in action. I understood how deep his ambition ran. There was nothing he would not do to become the person he envisioned himself. If anything was left standing in the morning, Cleon would find a way to claw his way to the top. But was Tommy better off in the reality Cleon hoped to create or with me, away from DC?
The moment I recalled the firestorms I had seen outside of the DC Metro area, I knew the answer. I had a choice between two evils.
I glanced at the Queen. She was a pawn – but a powerful one. Even I understood why Cleon had risked his own life to come to DC. I began to see how Cleon might be in a position to offer what he promised.
Before I could respond, I was distracted by Theodocia tensing. I shifted one arm to prevent her from falling as she began to struggle.
“It’s okay, Dosy,” I said with a grunt. I set her down.
With reflexes nearly as fast as mine, she snatched the handgun out of my belt and pushed me back, pointing the weapon at my chest.
“Whoa,” I said, not expecting her to react this way. True, we hadn’t parted on the greatest of terms, but …
… something about her was off. I studied her eyes. Her dark skin was crimson around the edges of her face, and her gaze was hard and glassy. She appeared fevered. If she recognized me, she didn’t show it.
“Mommy!” Tommy cried and hurried towards her.
Theodocia turned towards our son, cocking the hammer back on the pistol as she did.
Something was definitely wrong.
I snatched her wrist and disarmed her. My second surprise of the night: Dosy fought back. Her attempts at punching and maneuvering my body weight to her advantage were calculated and fast. She was pretty good. Not as good as me, but definitely better than most.
It took a minute to completely subdue her. With one arm wrapped around her neck, I hauled her against me.
“What’s wrong with her?” I asked the royal.
Tommy glanced up at her as well, as if waiting for an answer. None came.
Theodocia’s body relaxed in my grip. Her breathing became erratic, and she clawed at my forearm.
“Niko?” she asked, sounding baffled. “What the hell are you doing?”
The sudden change in her left me uneasy. “I could ask you the same thing.”
“You stay away from Tommy!”
“The kid’s cute. I kind of like him,” I baited her.
“Let me go!”
I did so warily, not lowering my guard until she twisted out of my grip and faced me. The anger on her beautiful face was normal, and fire blazed in her eyes. I had always considered her to be the prettiest woman I had ever known, with a face that matched the beauty of her heart. She hadn’t changed since we last saw one another. Whether she was smiling or furious, her direct look always lit my blood on fire.
“You shouldn’t be here,” she snapped.
“Our son called me. I saved his ass and yours.”
Dosy’s anger faltered, and she glanced around, as if not certain where she was or why. Her eyes went to the Queen, and I guessed the girl was talking to her.
Dosy shook her head. “No,” she answered.
“You must be Theodocia,” Cleon said, approaching. “I’m Niko’s … employer. I believe I have you to thank for bringing us together. He fell into my arms after you left town.”
“Left town,” she repeated, one eyebrow going up. “Is that what he said? That I left him?”
Glancing at me, Cleon didn’t try to use any fancy charm at this question.
“Well you did,” I said, unafraid of the woman who tore my heart in two.
“You left me,” she retorted. “After telling me to abort my child.”
“Our child.” I gave a half smile, genuinely happy to see her again, even if she hated me.
“He’s not yours.”
“I pay for him. He’s definitely mine,” I snapped. Any second guessing I’d been doing about my place in Tommy’s life melted away. If she didn’t want me to see him, I’d definitely be there.
“Shall we table this discussion for later?” Cleon broke in before she could respond. “We need to flee at the moment.”
Theodocia glared at me a moment longer then turned away and went to the two kids. She threw her arms around both Tommy and Phoibe, who hugged her in return.
I watched, unable to take my eyes off Dosy or my son.
“Now would be a good time to leave, if you’ve decided to accept my offer,” Cleon prodded me again.
“Help Dimitris up,” I said. I reluctantly turned my attention to our surroundings. “I’ll check the van.” I started towards the vans in front of the house.
Dosy, Tommy and the Queen hurried after me, while Cleon wrapped an arm around Dimitris’ shoulders and supported his trek to the van. I hopped into the back of the van. Cleon’s enemies had left body armor and weapons, a laptop I threw out the back door and two cell phones I also tossed, in case someone had them tagged.
The others gathered around the back of the vehicle, waiting for direction.
“Put this on,” I told the Queen and handed her a heavy, bulletproof vest. Nothing in the van was small or light enough for Tommy, though. After passing out arm
or to everyone else, I stripped off my weapons and then tugged off my lighter body armor. I draped it over Tommy’s head and belted it in place. I handed Cleon and the Queen weapons, ignored Dosy’s expectant look then cleaned off Tommy’s knife before returning it to him. A quick examination of the van revealed it had been professionally modified to withstand minor combat. The walls and windows were lined with bulletproof material, the gas tank reinforced, and the underside covered to prevent damage to the transmission and drive train from explosives.
“Your enemies are well funded,” I said to Cleon. “Any idea which one sent a small army and mini-tanks after you?”
“Why don’t we discuss the challenges of your new position at a later time?” he countered politely.
I said nothing. I wasn’t convinced trusting him was the best idea, but I did want Tommy safe on some government compound where the teen girl could order anyone who came near him shot on sight. Whether or not Cleon would follow through on his promise, I sensed Tommy was safe with the Queen.
I climbed into the driver’s seat and placed three weapons within reach on the passenger seat. The others climbed in back, with the Queen helping bandage Dimitris. Cleon gave me the general location of where we were headed. On a good day with light traffic, it would take forty minutes to cross DC. I didn’t know how long the journey would be this night but was pleased to have a full tank of gas.
When the back door closed, I shifted into gear, about to start driving, when Dosy climbed into the passenger seat beside me. I eyed her then shifted the weapons closer to me, in case she had another weird episode.
She stared straight ahead, ignoring me, and I began to drive.
My gut told me to head west and then south. I stuck to side roads and went out of my way to avoid any area I thought might be filled with looters, first responders or military personnel.
“Tommy seems smart,” I remarked.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dosy snapped.
“That he got those genes from you.”
She glanced at me.
“For the record, you did leave me,” I added under my breath.
“Only because you were about to walk out on me. In my book, you left me!” she replied.
“We’ll have to agree to disagree.”
“Can this night get any worse?”
“It’s definitely not how I planned to spend it,” I agreed. “What happened back there? You weren’t you.”
“What?”
I gave her a look. I knew when someone was hedging.
“It’s complicated,” she said more quietly.
“Second time I’ve heard that tonight.”
She said nothing.
“You almost pointed a loaded gun at our son after you murdered three men, or do you not remember that?” I pressed.
“I would never do either of those things!”
“Ask the Queen or Cleon. They saw you.”
I felt her eyes on me briefly before she twisted to view someone in the back of the van. When she straightened once more, she was silent, frowning.
“You’ve got potential. You need a good combat trainer,” I said. “I can teach you to fight better.”
“I don’t want you in my life! In our lives!”
“Too late for that,” I said. “If the world is done, and we’re both going to have to defend our son, I want to know you can do it as well as I can. You already know no one can get by me. You’re the weak link here, Dosy.”
She wrung her hands together in her lap.
I had no idea what she was thinking.
I drove in silence for thirty minutes. I was moving us closer to our destination a little at a time, doing my best to keep us off the radar of anyone and everyone.
“I don’t want that,” Dosy said through gritted teeth.
“Don’t want what?” I asked.
“I’m not talking to you.”
I glanced in the rearview mirror at the Queen, who was gazing intently at Dosy.
“Phoibe’s right. I’ll be okay, Mommy,” Tommy chimed in. “Daddy’s here.”
Theodocia gripped her temples. “We’ll talk about it later.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“None of your business.”
“How can you not remember killing three men?”
Dosy sighed. “Just drive, Niko.”
Whatever it was, she was serious about shutting me out. I wasn’t as upset as I thought I would be. After all, it had been seven years since we last saw one another. If not for Tommy, we never would’ve seen each other again.
I began to notice SISA roadblocks the closer we drove to the compound Cleon spoke of. I avoided several. However, it soon became clear the compound had layers of security extending outward in every direction, blocking any attempts at entering illicitly. We’d have to bypass the outer layer somehow.
Drawing to a stop in front of a set of barricades, I evaluated the ten men on guard, displaying SISA riot gear. Behind them, a block away, was an armored vehicle blockade with some serious firepower and beyond that, a metal gate topped with barbed wire and probably sporting some serious security deterrents I wasn’t able to see from here.
“Cleon,” I said. “This is an official blockade. I suggest, before I smash through it, you do what you do best and see if you can’t get us in another way.”
“I’ll handle this,” he said and opened the back door of the van.
I put the vehicle in park then leaned down to grab weapons, just in case Cleon’s political sweet talking didn’t pan out. He approached the SISAns with his hands up and began to talk. Several minutes later, one of them radioed back to someone else. Cleon remained where he was, and my eyes stayed glued to the situation.
A full ten minutes later, two armored cars drove through the second layer of blockades to us. Two men dressed in purple exited the lead car.
“Oh, thank the gods,” Dosy said when she saw them. “It’s the Queen’s royal guard.”
Cleon led them to the van and opened the back doors.
The two men bowed deeply to the teen girl. “We thought you dead, Your Majesty!” one exclaimed. “Praise the gods!”
“Screw the gods,” I muttered under my breath.
Dosy slapped my arm before she got out of the van and circled it to act as the intermediary between the mute Queen and her guards.
Within seconds, everyone was hurried out of the van and toward the awaiting cars. I hung back, eyeballing the SISA guards who lifted their weapons when they saw how well armed I was.
“Hey, Niko, can I have the keys to the van?”
Dosy’s question drew my attention from the nervous SISAns. “Why?”
“Does it matter?”
“If you don’t want to tell me, yeah.”
She sighed. “I have to go somewhere.”
“In this mess?” I asked.
“It’s important.”
We stared at one another.
“I don’t know if I’m coming back,” she said in a hushed tone.
“Want company?” I asked casually. “I’m pretty good at surviving shit storms.”
She almost smiled for the first time tonight. “No. If I don’t make it back, promise me you’ll watch over Tommy. And the Queen. We’ve never met the DC arm of the royal guard. I don’t trust anyone here yet.”
But you trust me to protect our son. “Done,” I said. I handed her the keys without another word. I couldn’t begin to imagine where she was going, but I found myself looking forward to spending time with the boy I never wanted.
Dosy pocketed the keys and strode away from us, back through the barricades, and to the waiting van.
I watched her for a moment before facing the car my son was in. I slid into the backseat beside him.
“Phoibe says we’re safe now so not to worry,” Tommy told me matter-of-factly.
I glanced at the Silent Queen on Tommy’s other side. I didn’t trust her any more than I did Cleon, although, she appeared to be fond of Tommy
. If Cleon’s plan failed, then maybe the strength of the relationship between the Queen and Tommy would offer my son some protection from what was going on outside of DC.
Tommy slid one of his hands into mine. The knife I’d given him protruded from the pocket of his jeans.
“What’s this mean, Daddy?” He touched the tattoo of a winged foot displayed on my neck. It was the mark of Hermes, the patron god of mercenaries.
“It means people hire me to do jobs they don’t want to do,” I replied.
“Like dusting the house?” he asked. “Mommy hates that.”
“Something like that, kid,” I said, the corner of my mouth lifting in a smile.
One of the guards closed the car door, extinguishing the light.
“Will Mommy be okay?” Tommy whispered.
“Yeah,” I lied. I had no idea what she was doing or whether she was coming back. I didn’t think Tommy needed to hear the truth after his rough night.
We were whisked away from the barricades and towards the compound, everyone except Theodocia, who, for some reason, had somewhere else to be.
My hand closed around Tommy’s, and I couldn’t help thinking again about where I’d been at his age. There was a time when it was smarter to keep my distance from him; that time had burnt to the ground with the rest of the world. Cleon was right. We were on the cusp of an existence very unlike the lives we used to live where we had to learn to survive both the wrath of gods and the ruthlessness of men. I didn’t belong in Tommy’s life when the world was safe, peaceful and secure.
But in this world, I was the right kind of dysfunction to keep Tommy alive. I’d do whatever it took to protect him, even if it meant working for a man like Cleon.
Theta Beginnings Miniseries
Silent Queen (Available now)
Mercenary
Shadow Titan
People’s Champion
Also by Lizzy Ford …
Non-Series – 2014 & 2015
Black Moon Draw (about a reader sucked into her book)
Highlander Enchanted
The Door
Water Spell (2016)
Dragon Tear (2016)
Trial Series
Trial by Moon
