The tap was running in the bathroom. I cursed as I leant forward and reached into Athena’s bag. Feeling for her phone, I swore again when my hand grasped girly stuff. Picking the bag up, I opened it properly and looked inside.
The small bump that showed in the lining on the bottom of the bag made me pause. I ignored the sound of the bathroom door as Athena came back in the room.
‘What are you doing?’ Her tone was mildly pissed but not completely offended.
She wasn’t panicking about what I would find. Coming back to the sofa, she lowered herself and frowned at me. Waiting for an answer, she raised her hands to invite me to say something.
‘I think there’s a tracker in your bag.’
The widening of her eyes told me that she hadn’t known. My suspicion was crushed as she jumped to her feet and looked around the room. She didn’t know where to go. Her whole body shook.
‘Calm down,’ I said, ripping open the bottom of her bag and pulling out the little chip. ‘We need to get out of here.’
Pushing to my feet, I took her hand. She didn’t say or do anything. She trusted me to lead the way. I thrust her bag at her before leading her to the front door. I would take the chip with us. My mother’s flat was now at risk.
‘Did you know that Liam chipped you?’
We rushed down the steps. I wanted to jump two at a time but Athena’s heels didn’t allow her to move quickly. I cursed myself for not borrowing some of Mother’s flat shoes for her.
‘No, of course not. I saw him do it to someone once but I never thought he would do it to me.’
The screech of car tyres on concrete came from the front of the flats. It was too late. At the bottom of the steps, I led Athena out the back.
‘Kick off your shoes.’
She did as I said, whining when I propelled her forward. There was no time to stop. I would buy her new shoes. Chucking the chip into a bin, I sprinted across the communal grass, dragging Athena with me.
‘Where are we going?’ She panted.
The garden area led to a back street. Glancing each way, I pulled my phone out and started towards central London. The Thames wasn’t far.
‘We need a hotel. And something to eat.’
A hotel seemed the best plan. Or would it be better to go somewhere else?
Athena started to lag behind. She tripped and groaned as her feet slapped against the concrete pavement. I glanced over my shoulder as I called Aries’ number. No one followed. They were probably trashing Mother’s flat. Aries didn’t pick up his phone.
‘I can’t believe you’re thinking about food…ouch!’ Athena gasped, hopping.
Dialling Taurus, I held the phone to my ear. ‘I’ll carry you in a minute.’
The street ahead was busier. Hearing a shout behind us, I ran faster. Fear must have gripped Athena because she sped up without complaining about her feet. I would have to give them a massage later.
‘Taurus! Let Mother know she can’t go back home tonight. Aries knows what’s going on, tell him that Liam found us.’
‘What are you talking about? Who’s Liam?’ Taurus asked.
Ignoring his question, I checked over my shoulder again. I couldn’t see Liam’s men. That was a good thing. The air was thick with humidity and damp. I would have to break out the-
‘Gemini!’ Athena’s shout alerted me to the men that rounded the corner.
Putting my phone back in my pocket, I spun. There was a house beside us. I pulled a sobbing Athena through the gate and into the back garden. I breathed deeply and concentrated on the wind. Using my power in front of Athena twice in one day was stupid. I wasn’t sure I had a choice. My indecision only lasted a moment. The fence at the back of the garden was too high for us to climb.
‘What are we going to do now?’ she cried, yanking on my hand.
The men entered the garden. They smirked when they saw us standing helpless.
‘I’m tired of running. Let them catch me and take me to him. You can get free.’
I smiled at her, raising my hand in the air when the men stepped forward. I swung my whole arm around at the same time as envisioning a whirlwind. The vision I held in my head manifested instantly.
Athena screamed and ducked to the ground as a small tornado swirled around the men, lifting them off their feet. They shouted as they smashed against the wooden fence.
Sweeping Athena into my arms, I started to run through the tornado. Her hair whipped around us, making me almost blind.
‘What the hell just happened?’ Athena cried as we escaped down the side of the house and back out onto the street. I left the whirlwind going as I stumbled towards the main street. A taxi was about to go past when I waved it down.
‘Where to?’ the driver called when I threw Athena in.
‘A hotel about ten minutes away from here in whatever direction you like,’ I said, glancing over my shoulder as I slammed the door.
No one chased us so I dropped the vision of wind from my mind.
The driver put his foot down, sensing that we were in danger. He didn’t ask questions, he just drove. I was relieved.
‘Are you okay?’ I asked Athena.
She huddled in the corner of the cab. Her shoulders shook as she refused to make eye contact with me. Putting a hand on her arm, I cursed when she jumped. ‘I’m s-s...sorry,’ she stuttered.
I gave her space. The last thing she needed was someone touching her. Liam had screwed her up big time. Why had she come to me? She must have friends that she could have gone to instead. I already owed the man thousands of pounds. Now, he was probably going to kill me.
‘Here we are,’ the driver announced, parking outside the hotel.
I paid him and helped Athena out of the car. Swinging her into my arms, I took her inside. The receptionist glanced at us before smiling kindly.
‘That’s so romantic,’ she uttered to her colleague.
Athena glanced at me with raised eyebrows. The last thing on both our minds was romance. Although, if she wanted to share-
‘Can I help?’ the receptionist interrupted my thoughts.
‘No,’ Athena said.
‘Yes,’ I countered.
We glared at each other before looking back at the confused receptionist.
‘I would like a room please.’ I used my poshest voice.
Nodding, the woman typed on her computer and requested my credit card. I cringed when Athena reached into her bag.
‘No, use mine,’ I said under my breath.
She shook her head abruptly, almost head-butting my chin.
‘Liam might be keeping track of your transactions,’ I said, trying to keep my rising voice low.
She blinked before tears sprung to her eyes. I didn’t want to put her down. Her feet would most likely be bleeding. If the receptionist saw it, she might start to question us. Athena’s feet hung away from the desk.
‘Are you okay?’ the receptionist asked.
Athena shook her head. ‘I’m not feeling well.’
My head spun as Athena reached into my jacket pocket and handed my card over. It felt like déjà vu. I recalled Antony telling us the story of when Pisces had jumped in the Thames, almost freezing herself. He’d taken her to a hotel. I found myself in a very similar situation.
‘I hope you feel better soon,’ the receptionist said as we gave our thanks and made our way to the room.
As soon as the door closed behind us, I dropped Athena on the bed. I was strong but my arms ached terribly. Hunting around, I searched for a container of some sort. There wasn’t anything. She was silent as I pottered about.
Going into the bathroom, I filled the bath with a little bit of warm water before going back and picking her up again.
‘What are you doing?’ she murmured, burying her head against my chest.
I cleared my throat as the small gesture made my heart thump. ‘Sorting your feet.’
She kept quiet as I sat her on the side of the bath. Lowering her feet into the water, s
he gasped when they connected with the warmth.
‘That bloody hurts,’ she mumbled.
Getting a flannel, I soaked it, wringing out the water. ‘You owe me two dates now.’
The click of her tongue made me look up as I leant over the bath. I picked up one foot and gently washed away the grime and blood. The skin on the bottom of her feet was rubbed raw and grazed in places. I felt bad for making her leave her shoes.
‘I can’t believe…after everything…’
She shook her head, obviously too tired to berate me. It was true, though. I had saved her twice in one day. Surely she could pay me back.
‘What’s wrong with that? Don’t tell me you’re not tempted.’
Lifting up the other foot, I scrubbed her grubby heel. Athena slapped my arm when I rubbed a bit too hard.
‘That hurts!’
The grin that came to my lips was unexpected. ‘You like it, don’t you? Me tending to your wounds.’
Rolling her eyes, she looked down into the now dirty water. ‘Is everything you say and do to try and get someone into bed? It sure feels that way.’
I barked a laugh. Her forthright words were not a bad judgement of my character. So what if I was a charmer? I couldn’t help it.
‘What’s wrong with trying to make you feel better?’ That’s all I was doing, wasn’t it? She felt bad so I was making her feel better. I wasn’t being serious. Although, I would be taking her out on a date. She had no choice in that matter.
‘Everything seems to be an innuendo with you.’ She tugged out the plug and watched the water drain away.
‘Innuendo? I don’t even know what that means,’ I joked, picking up a towel.
Athena spun her legs over the bath and placed them on the floor. I bent in front of her and started to dry her wounded feet.
‘I’m never going to get away from him, am I?’
Her whisper made me pause. She was right. People didn’t treat Liam the way we had without consequences. He wasn’t a nice man. He was a thug.
‘I need to run away.’ She pushed herself to her feet, biting her bottom lip hard when the pain was too much. Picking her up again, I backed out of the bathroom and put her on the bed.
‘Right now, we need some food. And rest. We’ll think about it tomorrow.’
The memory of Antony telling me a very similar scenario came into my head. I couldn’t understand why I kept thinking about it. It had been almost two years since it had happened. Pisces and Antony had harmonised a long time ago.
‘Do you have a girlfriend?’ Athena asked as I took out the room service menu and scanned it.
Aries’ words came back to me. There was no way she was my twin flame. I avoided looking at her as I made my selection and handed her the menu. ‘No, I don’t,’ I snapped, impatient to order now that I knew what I wanted.
She glared at me before taking her time to read the menu. It was pitch black outside. I strolled to the window and looked out over the Thames.
‘You don’t relax easily, do you?’ she said, throwing the menu at me.
It hit my arm and slid to the floor. I bent to pick it up and went over to the phone on the bedside table.
‘Do you want anything?’
She wanted burger and chips. The same choice as me. When I had made the order, I shrugged off my jacket and went back to the window. I clenched my phone in my hand. None of my brothers had rung to see if I was okay. Did that mean they had been attacked too?
‘Why don’t you come and sit down?’ Athena said, patting the mattress.
The corner of my lip quirked without permission.
‘Not like that! Gosh, your mind is constantly in the gutter.’
I laughed as I dialled Taurus. It rang once before he answered.
‘Where are you? I thought I’d wait for you to ring me. What took so long?’ His worried tone confirmed what I already knew. My hard, down to earth brother actually cared about me. Ever since Kerry had come into his life, he had been getting softer by the day. It was good to see.
‘We’re in a hotel. Safe for now. I’ve ordered something to eat. I’m starving.’
‘Me, too!’ Athena shouted.
Glancing over my shoulder, I winked at her. She didn’t even know who I was talking to. Her acceptance of my family and the little she knew of it was encouraging.
Taurus grunted on the end of the line. ‘You’re not dead, then?’
The question made me blink. ‘Would I be talking to you if I was dead? Did you get the message to Mother?’
The television in the hotel room burst into life. I swung to Athena. She stretched her neck to the side and shrugged as she pointed the remote control and muted the sound.
‘Yes. She’s going to stay at Fathers’. That’s weird, isn’t it? It would be awful for her if Father made love to Bev when she was in the house. It would be like if Sophie was still alive…ow! Kerry just hit me.’ Taurus laughed.
Shaking my head, I looked out of the window again. Watching Athena inspect her injured feet was making me think all sorts of inappropriate things. Her leg was bent on the bed. The dress she wore wasn’t designed for that kind of flexibility. She had no clue that it had ridden high up her legs.
‘You’re disgusting, mate,’ I said, trying to get the image of her out of my mind.
‘Anyway. Aries said to stay where you are tonight. We’ll have a think and speak to you tomorrow.’
I glanced at the clock. It was getting late. I had no idea how I was going to get us out of the mess we were in.
‘Okay. I’ll speak to you tomorrow.’ As I hung up the phone, someone knocked on the door. I opened it, grinning when I faced a pretty girl holding a tray with two covered plates on it. She handed it to me. I smiled at her, winking when her cheeks turned red.
‘You’re the biggest flirt I’ve ever seen,’ Athena commented when I put the tray on the bed. Climbing onto the other side, I lifted the cover off one plate and picked up the burger. Taking a big bite, I ignored her comment.
‘You’re a pig,’ she said, doing exactly the same thing.
I grinned through my mouthful. She returned the smile, and for a moment, it was peaceful between us. We hardly knew each other but it felt like a lifetime had passed since she’d first come up to me in the casino.
‘What are we going to do?’ Athena asked.
I swallowed my mouthful as I watched her chew. Who was she? Something inside made me want to find out. Where had she come from? And most importantly, why was she now an important person in my life?
‘Tomorrow, we’re going to see Liam.’
Chapter Twelve
‘I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ Aries said.
He stood by the front desk, waiting in line. We had just joined him in the bowling alley.
‘How else are we going to stop him from chasing us? I will get his money somehow but I need more time.’
Athena linked her arm through mine. I glanced down at her upturned face. She blinked, causing her fake eyelashes to hit the top of her cheeks. It was a good job she carried a big bag with her. The amount of makeup she put on her face made me laugh. She didn’t need it, she was beautiful. Nothing I said made her feel better, though. She still plastered the stuff on.
‘You need to try and win it now. We can’t bail you out. You’ve been so wrapped up in yourself this week, you haven’t really made an effort to raise the cash.’ Aries glared at the woman serving as she leant over the desk.
‘I’m not sure if you can play with those,’ she said, looking at his titanium legs.
Seeing his back straighten, I pushed Aries out of the way. ‘He can put any type of shoes on those, including bowling shoes. I suggest you let him play. We wouldn’t want to complain to the-’
‘Of course he can play,’ an older man interrupted. ‘In fact, he can have a free game.’
Aries nodded his thanks before strolling over to the shoes. We followed slowly.
‘You’re playing.’ Aries gestured to us both.
/>
I shook my head. ‘Don’t be stupid. I’ve got to sort out my life.’
Aries’ eyes narrowed on me. He looked at Athena, his gaze calculating the whole of her. I didn’t know whether to be pleased that he was checking her out or angry that he even dared.
‘I have a few things to tell you. I’m sure Natalie would like to meet Athena.’ Aries gestured to the alley where Natalie waited with her hands on her hips.
Athena couldn’t play, her feet were too sore. I left her sitting with Natalie as we started to play a quick game.
‘What did you want to tell me?’ I asked as I picked up a ball.
Aries bounced on his prosthetics. His frame was taller than my own and twice the size. How his legs held his weight often baffled me. He was pure muscle.
‘Nick has been sniffing around. Matt has-’
‘Crap! I completely forgot about him. What’s happened with him?’ How could my brain have forgotten the married man that Cancer was in love with?
‘Brothers! Be prepared to get your arses whipped!’
I turned to see Leo circling his hips in an uncoordinated type of dance. My gaze shot to Athena. Her eyes widened as she watched my brother swagger over to us.
‘You wish, bellend. It’s time to meet your bowling maker.’ Aries picked up a ball and went over to the lane. Swinging his arm back, he threw the ball as hard as he could. I raised my hand, about to send a puff of wind in the ball’s general direction. Leo put his arm around my shoulders.
‘No cheating! You have an unfair advantage. Just because you can control air, doesn’t mean you can use that skill on us.’
Athena was speaking to Natalie. They pointed at Leo’s tattoos. The taller man was covered in them. They told a story but I never listened when he drunkenly pointed at each one.
‘Aries, tell me about Matt,’ I said when he started to hump the air after getting a strike.
He ran over to Natalie and grabbed the back of her head. ‘Every strike, I get a kiss!’ he declared, crushing his mouth to hers.
She giggled when he let go and ran a circle around us.
‘Okay, my turn,’ Leo shouted.
Gemini: Book 4 in a Young Adult Paranormal Romance Series (The Zodiac Twin Flame Series) Page 9
