by Haven Handel
I smiled and headed towards my desk. My two o’clock must be early. Rounding the corner, I was in view of the glass windows of my office. I was surprised to see the broad back of a tall, man with shoulder length light brown hair. Unable to see his face, his frame and the way he stood looked as if he could be a brother of Deo’s. The stranger was standing by my desk, appearing to be admiring my awards.
As I approached my office door, I looked over my shoulder to be sure Andrew hadn’t followed me. I breathed a sigh of relief to see that he was nowhere in sight, having dropped his ‘saving the damsel in distress’ routine. I had no idea who waited for me in my office, and there was no need to add fuel to the fire of my friend’s concern by him witnessing my second unexpected Greek visitor dropping by that day.
“How may I help you?” I asked, entering the room and closing the door behind me. My breath caught in my throat when the man turned to me. His eyes were light green, a shade I’ve never seen, like bottled glass. His long brown hair was the same color as the stubble that ran along his jawline. Slighter in build, he shared the chiseled look of my husband.
“Cassandra.” A smile spread across his lean face, revealing straight, white teeth. He spoke as if we were family, with an accent like Deo’s, only thicker.
“I’m sorry, do I know you?” I asked, trying to hold myself together in this handsome stranger’s presence.
“Deo sent me.” The man picked up my small globe made of gem stones that sat on the shelf and casually tossed it back and forth between his hands.
“For what, exactly?”
“To talk.” He handed the globe to me, his fingers brushing mine as he did. Electric currents ran down my arms.
“Why didn’t he send Alekos?” The few times Deo had needed something from me, a form, or document from the firm, he had always sent his jovial younger brother, Alekos.
Alekos was one of those people who entered a room and smiled, and quickly everyone else found themselves smiling as well. The women especially loved when he stopped by, bringing a warm, happy energy into the office with him. And, of course, like his older brother, it didn’t hurt that he was gorgeous.
The smile dropped from the man’s face. His brow creased over his jade eyes. “Because Alekos can take ‘no’ for an answer. I will not.” Walking away from me, the man leaned his panther like body against the desk.
Though his words were cryptic, the body language was clear. He was here for something I would not want to give, and he was not leaving without it.
“Can you draw the blinds for privacy?” he asked, gesturing at the large windows that looked out into the main office. I could see Debbi peeking around the corner, helping herself to another piece of eye candy.
Nervously, I gave my secretary a small wave and a tight-lipped smile. Giving me a thumbs up, she disappeared down the hall. Pulling on the cord of the blinds, I brought them down to cover the glass. Why on earth would I need privacy with this man whom Deo had sent?
Completing the task, I turned back to him. “Privacy,” I said, waving at the covered windows.
The stranger stood from the desk and held his hand out to me. “You may call me Baal. My name is Balthazar. It means ‘protect the king’.”
Shaking his hand, despite the electricity reappearing, my temper flared. “What is it with you Greeks, always saying what your name means when you introduce yourselves? The first time Deo walked into this office, he did the same egomaniac thing.”
I still remembered the feel of Deo’s rock-hard hand in mine. “My name is Deo. The Greek meaning, ‘god like’.” He had given me a handsome smile and told me his finance firm was looking for a good lawyer and that my name had been brought up as one of the sharpest minds in New Jersey. The first time I’d met Alekos he’d said, “Alekos, ‘defender of mankind,’ at your service,” complete with a saucy wink. I had been married to Deo a decade, and I still never understood this tradition.
“Only to you, Cassandra.” Baal’s green eyes bore into mine, seeming to try and pull understanding from my mind.
“Why only me?”
“Because you’re special. Have you ever wondered the meaning of your own name?” Baal casually took a seat in my chair. I moved from the window, standing before him, in front of the desk. His eyes locked on mine. “Unheeded prophetess, daughter of King Priam.”
“Yes. And I’ve read The Iliad. Cassandra predicted the fall of Troy and the death of Agamemnon. Her warnings went unheeded. She was the most beautiful of Priam’s daughters, but not truly a prophetess,” I corrected him. “Meanings of names can be inaccurate.”
“You know your history,” Baal said, looking impressed. “Though I would expect nothing less than brilliance from any woman Deo would pledge his life to.” Baal’s eyes roved over me. “You certainly have the beauty part down.”
I wanted to kick myself for blushing at his compliment. Baal stood, walking a slow circle around the desk. His nearness caused my face to burn as he wandered around to me, appraising me, stopping just inches from where I stood.
“But you are not Greek. Why were you given such a strong, Greek name?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
The Irish blood that ran through my body I blamed for my temper. Brown eyed and dark hair with a hint of red, my skin was pale—porcelain as Deo referred to it. Nothing about me looked Mediterranean. “My parents were obsessed with mythology, The Iliad, The Odyssey, the Trojan War. They were both historians.”
“Were?”
“Yes. I lost them both, at once, before I met Deo.” I had never shared that tragic story with my husband. I left it buried, deep where it belonged.
“I’m sorry to hear that. I have lost both my parents, as well.” Baal turned away from me and walked back to the shelves that lined the far wall.
“Why are you here?” I asked, unable to hide my sudden annoyance. Good looking or not, Balthazar was grating at my nerves, seeming so comfortable in my office, asking questions, touching my personal belongings.
From the floor beside him, Baal lifted an empty, gray duffle bag I did not recognize, to my sight line. “You must fill this with anything you wish to keep, then we must leave, without raising any suspicions. Begin immediately. I have brought paper to wrap any delicate items.” Handing me the bag, Baal slid into my desk chair to watch.
“How thoughtful of you to bring paper when you demand that I gather my things and leave my place of work immediately, with absolutely no explanation whatsoever.” My heated words gushed from my lips.
The twinkle in Baal’s eyes was unmistakable. He was laughing at me. Gesturing at the bag, he said, “Deo said to be quick about it.”
Hands on my hips, I asked suspiciously, “How do I know Deo sent you?”
Wordlessly, Baal held up his wrist. Glinting under the florescent lights, I saw Deo’s gold chain bracelet dangling.
Seeing the recognition in my eyes, Baal smiled. “Start packing, please, Cassandra daughter of Priam.” Picking up my globe that I’d set down, he began to roll it back and forth between his palms, never taking his eyes from me.
Should I run; should I scream? I needed a moment to think. Deo sent Balthazar for me. The bracelet confirmed that fact without a doubt. Was Deo in trouble? I couldn’t imagine this man overpowering Deo. Was Cynthia onto something with her mob theory? I needed to gather more information before I just wandered out of the building with this infuriating Greek god.
“What about my job?” I asked, stalling.
“You work exclusively for Deo, now.”
Of course. I’d threatened to leave Deo. Now he was trying to gain control of every aspect of my life. Canceling my lunches, taking away my job. ‘Protecting’ what was his. Maintaining my composure, I continued my line of questioning.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I tried to look threatening. “And what makes my husband think that I will be agreeing to work for him?”
Baal leaned back in my chair and opened the middle drawer in my desk. His comfort level with
my office was starting to scare me. It was as if he had been here before. Pulling out a white envelope that looked like the one Deo had thrown on his desk last night, Baal held it up and waved it towards me.
“The vows.”
I snatched it from his hands. Opening the envelope, I pulled out the papers. There was our marriage certificate, signed by our two witnesses, and by us, Cassandra Hale and Deo Ambrosia. Dated ten years ago—today. How had I forgotten our anniversary? That seemed like small potatoes compared to the fact that I had threatened to leave my husband last night, and now there was a bully prepared to make me leave my life’s work behind.
Under the certificate, typed on a piece of paper were the wedding vows Deo and I had exchanged.
“Read them, out loud, please.” Baal leaned back in the chair, entirely too cocky for my liking.
Baal’s smugness had me wanting to throw the papers back at him. The desire to piece together the puzzle was stronger. I chose to read them aloud, as he asked, hoping to gain clues to solve the mystery.
“I, Cassandra, take thee, Deo, to be my wedded husband; to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health; to love, cherish, and to obey, forsaking all others.” I stopped, my eyes cutting to Baal, trying to read his face. There was no message in his smooth features. “Till death us do part.” I tossed the papers on the desk.
“What does this have to do with anything?” I snapped, trying to think quickly. Something from last night—maybe it was a reminder from Deo of what might happen if I were to cross him.
“It says, many things.” Baal gave me a knowing look. “But right now, it says ‘obey’. You know Deo sent me. You know his instructions. Now, obey them.”
“They’re just wedding vows,” I murmured.
“You should have had a Greek wedding—no vows.” He shrugged, smirking at me.
“There was no way I was converting and marrying in the church,” I said unapologetically. I had only been in the Greek Orthodox church once. The walls and carpeting were a dark, red velvet, the words foreign to me. When the priest had started to wave incense around the sanctuary, I had begun to feel lightheaded and had rushed outside to get air and catch my breath. Deo and I had opted for a simple ceremony and reception at a gorgeous cathedral that had been renovated to host events.
Religious preferences aside, it was time to cut to the chase. “Is Deo in trouble?”
Baal shook his head. “Deo can take care of himself.” Then, he lifted his clasped hands, index fingers together, like a gun, the same gesture Deo had used last night. Pointing directly at me, Balthazar’s manner remained confident, but his pale green eyes gave away his concern.
“Me?” I said quietly. “Am I the one in trouble?”
Baal confirmed my guess with a slight nod.
Mind spinning, I tried to process what I knew about groups like the mafia. They often used businesses to launder money, clean it for them. Sometimes the clients were in on it, sometimes they weren’t. Things didn’t go as planned and, ‘boom’, there were kidnappings, death threats.
“My work here? For Deo? Was I into something I wasn’t aware of?” I asked in a hushed whisper.
Holding a finger to his lips, Baal gestured for me to be quiet. He stood and walked over to the bag I had declined, handing it to me. “Hurry,” he said softly, his eyes now kind.
The truth tugged at my heart. As strange as the situation was, I trusted Deo with my life. Baal had the bracelet, he had the vows. Deo had sent him, and Deo wanted me out of there, now. I would go.
Mind racing and fingers fumbling, I picked and chose as fast as I could. I took nothing breakable, save my small gemstone globe, which Baal was now wrapping in paper. Let the secretaries divide it all when they realized I wasn’t coming back. They weren’t paid nearly enough to put up with us as it were.
My eyes grazed the white envelope on the desk. I didn’t want to take it, but something told me I should grab it. I stuffed the certificate and vows back in the envelope, seeing there were a few other papers in there, and threw it into the bag on top of my other things. I pulled the zipper shut. Moments later I stood, ready, by the door.
Baal took the duffle bag from my hand and heaved it over his shoulder. “Ready?” he asked.
I nodded.
Casually, Baal opened the door, stepping out first and striding smoothly towards reception.
I followed closely.
When we got to Debbi’s desk, her eyes drank in Baal’s lean figure, as she asked me, “Headed out? Your two o’clock is in the lobby.”
“Have him wait in my office,” I answered coolly. “I’ll be just a moment.”
Debbi gave me a wink as she picked up the phone to call down to my client.
Baal and I made it past the glass doors without any further interruptions. I grabbed his arm to stop him from heading towards the elevators. “We need to take the back stairs and leave out the alleyway. Otherwise my next appointment will see me leaving.”
Baal nodded, and we headed for the stairwell, just as I heard, “Cassandra, wait up!” over my shoulder.
He was too close to pretend I hadn’t heard—Andrew. Baal’s jade eyes flickered to me, then to Andrew, looking uneasy.
“I’ll get rid of him,” I whispered. Flipping my hair over my shoulder casually, I called out, “Andrew,” giving him my most serene smile. “I’ll be right back; I’m just helping Deo’s cousin with some paperwork.”
Andrew eyed the Greek man and the duffle suspiciously. “The firm doesn’t usually send paper in bags like that,” he said, point-blank. Running a hand through his sandy locks, his furrowed brow indicated his mind was working over a problem.
I got the feeling that Andrew was deciding whether to try and stop us, perhaps using some of the taekwondo moves he was so proud of. I needed to be more convincing. I didn’t want Andrew delivering any of his famous roundhouse kicks he had told me so much about.
“Look, it’s a little anniversary present for Deo. I wanted to surprise him. It was ten years, today. Can you believe that?” I ignored the pained look that crossed Andrew’s face. “Anyway,” I said, waving my hand in the air casually, “I completely forgot, and I’m trying to make it up to him with a great gift.” Gesturing to Baal, I finished with, “And his cousin, here, is helping me out.”
“Sorry to interrupt,” Andrew answered gruffly, placing his hands on his hips and widening his stance. Andrew was eyeing Baal like a criminal.
“No problem, man,” Baal said, wrapping a protective arm around my shoulder. Flashing Andrew a wide, white smile, Baal guided me towards the stairwell door.
“See you around, Andrew,” I said over my shoulder. There was a look of concern and determination in his icy eyes. I could feel Andrew’s gaze remain on me as the steel door slammed shut behind me and Baal as we made our exit.
There was a car waiting on Main. It was a sleek, black Escalade with dark windows. Baal held the door open for me as I climbed into the leather backseat. Shutting the door, he went around to the passenger side.
I peeked around the front of the seat at the driver, but I didn’t recognize him. Though he was seated, he appeared to be the same height as Baal but with a thicker build. His thick brown hair was medium length, with wave and body to it. His tanned skin was clean shaven, showing off his strong jaw and full lips. He didn’t acknowledge me, just turned to get a good look at me, his chestnut eyes locking on me for only a moment, then focusing back on the wheel. The glimpse I caught of his face stunned me. Had all the Greek gods suddenly fallen to Earth?
“Cassandra meet Draco. He’s our little dragon guardian,” Baal said, arranging himself into his seat.
“You mean his name translates to dragon,” I corrected.
“That too,” Baal quipped, exchanging a knowing smile with Draco. “We still have one more for you to meet—Xander.”
“And let me guess. Xander has some amazing meaning as well?” I quipped.
“Protector,” Draco murmured. His deep voice was low and velvety, his accent much thicker than Baal’s.
I rolled my eyes so hard they hurt. “Let me get this straight. Deo is God-like, his brother Alekos defends mankind, Balthazar protects the king, Draco here”—I threw a hand up in our driver’s direction—“is the dragon, and Xander is protector? Did I miss anyone?”
Baal turned back, beaming at me. “Perfect. And, you pronounced them all correctly. Good for you.” With a wink, he said, “You’ve only forgotten yourself.”
I leaned back in my seat with a groan, the back of my head hitting the leather cushion. “Right. Cassandra, the unheeded prophetess.” I lifted my finger in the air as a reminder. “Though according to the story, she wasn’t really a prophetess.”
“But she was beautiful,” Draco said, throwing me a look in the rearview mirror that made me blush.
“And smart,” Baal added, his tone indicating the time for conversation was over. He began to push buttons on a small black box that resembled a GPS.
We rode in silence for a few minutes. I got the feeling that any questions I asked would not be answered. When we approached my street, I felt the anxiety start to melt away. Deo would be there, and he would explain all this. As my house neared, I admired the manicured lawns and ornamental trees that lined the steep winding driveway to our stone house on top of the hill. Draco did not slow the vehicle as we grew closer.
Leaning forward, signaling with my hands, I called, “Stop, this is it on the right.”
“We know,” Baal said quietly. “I’m afraid we won’t be going there.”
I watched as we passed by my beautiful estate. My husband and I shared a deep love and appreciation of stunning architecture, and we had fallen in love with this house as fast as we had fallen in love with one another. Deo and I had moved in on our wedding night, choosing to spend our honeymoon furnishing the massive home.
The first night, we had dined on Chinese takeout, on a mattress in the center of the grand foyer, staircases swirling up on both sides above us. Afterward, Deo had lit candelabras filled with tall candle sticks, the light reflected in the mirrors that hung from the gilded walls. It was an unforgettable night.
