Cassius

by Stevens, Madison

  “Not all of us are as good at that sort of thing,” CJ grumbled.

  Julius stepped away from the wall with a smug smile. “Battles aren’t always won with guns, CJ. If you suck at lying, get better at it. It might save your life someday, and I’m not going to apologize for being good at what I was trained to do.”

  CJ grunted. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”

  “Of course you did, but I don’t care. We need to concentrate on the mission and getting new leads. We’ve been running past the place for two days now and haven’t seen anything suspicious other than them setting up obstacles outside. It might be time to enter directly. There might be something in the building itself. Getting closer and just inspecting the obstacle course could be good.”

  “We risk getting tagged if we do that.” CJ reached up and pulled out his brown contacts, revealing his amber eyes. “Even if they can’t see these, if it’s Ouroboros, they might know our faces.”

  Julius scoffed. “Some in the organization do, not every rank-and-file mercenary they hire.”

  A beautiful face sneaked into CJ’s mind. He took slow, even breaths trying not to let his imagination wander lower on her body. With Julius standing in the room, it helped CJ consider how she might be useful for the mission.

  “I ran into a woman training for the race today,” CJ said. “She’s the first I’ve talked to, but I’ve overheard others during recon that were training for the event.”

  Julius nodded. “Yes. It’s like the park’s infested with them.” He wrinkled his nose in disgust. “What of it?”

  “Based on what we’ve seen and what we’ve read, this is a pretty decent-sized event.” CJ shrugged. “It’s not American Samurai Training Challenge, but it’s not six people in some tiny gym.”

  “I get where you’re going.” Julius cupped his chin. “That might limit what could be going on.”

  “That’s what I’m thinking. Ouroboros might not be the Phoenix Corps or the Horatius Group, but they understand they need to keep a low profile. That’s why they were playing fort and secret tunnels in Hawaii. There’s no way they’re going to show up at some major public event and do something obvious.”

  “It could be a dead end. They might even be purposefully feeding bad intel to try and get us and the government off their asses.” Julius shook a finger. “Or we’re not thinking about them the right way.”

  “Meaning what?”

  Julius inclined his head toward the drawn curtains. “Whatever this is, it’s not like Hawaii. We’re not going to find some hidden lab underneath some random gym in NYC, especially one that’s hosting an athletic competition that’s going to attract hundreds if not thousands of spectators. It might be money laundering, or it might be part of smuggling.”

  “I don’t get it,” CJ said. “If they were smuggling, why the event? What about everything you just said?”

  “A lot of people are coming in from out of town for this,” Julius said. “And a lot of people will be leaving soon. People are bringing in all sorts of special equipment for temporary training, and it’s not like the competition and all the nearby hotels are going to demand everyone submit to a full security screening.”

  CJ chuckled. “Why not just hire some scumbags and smuggle the old-fashioned way?”

  “Ouroboros is small, new, and don’t have the full contacts of some of the other groups we’ve dealt with.” Julius’s brow furrowed in deep thought. “The more creative they get with this kind of thing, the harder it is for anyone to find them. I looked over some of the intel sent to Maximus. Most of it wasn’t from the government. Their problem is they’re still stuck hunting someone who operates with a false legal façade like the Phoenix Corps.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small blue rubber ball. “There’s another possibility, even if it relates to the same idea and might explain why they chose a more public event to hide whatever they’re doing.”

  CJ stared at the ball, unsure why his partner had gotten it out. “Terrorism?”

  Julius shook his head. “Anything like that would force the government to take them more seriously. They can’t survive both the hybrids and the government hunting them. They must have learned something from the way the Horatius Group crashed and burned.” He raised his other hand and opened his palm, snapping.

  CJ blinked and looked at the first hand. The ball was gone.

  “Sometimes,” Julius began, “the most obvious thing is nothing more than a distraction.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ball. “And even when you see something right in front of you, it can be easy to hide it because of that.”

  “Knowing that doesn’t get us far.”

  Julius tossed the ball to CJ who snatched it out of the air easily. “We need an informant. Someone who knows the event better than we do and might notice something or someone who shouldn’t be there.”

  “You know someone like that?” CJ asked. “Maximus didn’t tell me we had anyone local who could help. Isn’t that why we’re running around like two obsessed marathoners?”

  Julius pointed at CJ, his annoying sly smile returning. “You found an informant already.”

  “I did?” CJ blinked.

  “You talked to a woman,” Julius said. “I’ve listened to people, not talked to anyone. I don’t think I’ve said a thing to somebody other than you or the motel clerk since arriving.”

  “What can I say?” CJ shrugged. “I’m more personable.”

  “Pump that woman.”

  CJ blinked. “W-what?”

  He couldn’t help but imagine a moaning Kendra lying naked underneath him as he slid in and out of her. That couldn’t possibly be what Julius was suggesting, but rejecting the idea out of hand might be bad. For the mission, of course.

  “We need information, and if she’s training so much, she probably knows what to expect,” Julius said. “Chat her up and see what she knows. If she doesn’t, then she knows someone who will.”

  “I’m not sure she likes me.” CJ shrugged, realizing that Julius wasn’t talking about seducing Kendra. “She invited me to come watch the race, but also seemed annoyed with me at the end.”

  Julius scoffed. “Who cares? Just appeal to her ego about the race. We don’t need her to like you. We just need her to tell you about the race.”

  “There’s one small problem with that.”

  “What now?” Julius sounded annoyed.

  “I know her name, but I don’t have her number or know anything else about her, and I know she’s not from the city. How are we supposed to track down one woman among millions visiting this city?”

  Julius shook his head and chuckled. “You’re thinking about this the wrong way. You don’t have to track her down among everyone in New York.”

  “But if we wait until the race, it’ll be too late. We won’t know what to look for.”

  “Then find her before then. It’s not like you have to search every house in every borough.” Julius gestured toward the door. “She’s training for the race and hit the park for the same reason we did.”

  CJ stood up. “Because it’s close to the Big Apple Sportsplex, which means she’s probably staying close.”

  “Exactly.” Julius grinned. “I’ll leave you to find and exploit our new informant. I’m going to check on some local public records and see if I can turn anything up. Consider this a little field training exercise from my side of things.”

  “And what if we don’t find anything?” CJ asked.

  “Then maybe there was nothing to find. For all we know, Maximus will pull us back tomorrow to go reinforce another team. Until then we do our job.”

  “Sounds easy enough.” CJ let out a nervous chuckle.

  Easy? He had to go track down a hot woman who was already distracting him after a couple of minutes conversation. On top of that, she left annoyed. He would much rather just kick in a door and shoot a mercenary.

  Chapter Six

  Graham threaded his fingers together and rested his chin on t
hem, his elbows propped up on the table in the corner booth of the diner. He stared at Kendra with a slightly smug but knowing look.

  “W-what?” she asked, her gazed dipping to her half-eaten salad. She looked around. There were a couple of people left in the restaurant, but there hadn’t been anything unusual since a girl recognized her and asked for her autograph twenty minutes before.

  Graham’s knowing looks never irritated her, but they always worried her. The man knew her too well. Sometimes he knew her better than she knew herself. Deflecting by acting like she thought it was about someone else might help her avoid the uncomfortable conversation she knew was coming.

  “You’re drooling,” Graham said.

  Kendra wiped away some drool over the corner of her mouth. “It happens.”

  “Salad’s that good, huh? If only I could get Kevin to look at me the way you were just looking at that kale.”

  Her cheeks burning, Kendra averted her eyes. She didn’t want to admit to Graham that she’d been thinking about the park stud and what it’d be like to lick him from top to bottom. It’d be a great way to experience all those wonderful muscles.

  No. There was no way she could talk about how she’d been running that exact scenario through her head while she ate her breakfast.

  Desperate gambits played out in her head. She could deny knowing what Graham was talking about or lean into the idea that her salad was that damned good. That might get him off her back.

  Or she could try something novel if more immediately painful. The truth.

  Kendra let her head loll back. “I’m an idiot, Graham. I should change my name to Kendra Idiot and start a new channel Roving Idiot.”

  “I’m pretty sure that’s already a channel with one of those two prank brothers, but what’s wrong, girl?” Graham lowered his hands and looked concerned. “We can’t have you getting in a funk right before the competition. You know your fans. They like your intensity, but they love your smile more.”

  “You’re right.” Kendra lifted her head and managed a weak smile. “I know you are, and honestly, you’re right about everything.”

  “I don’t mind being told how great I am.” He offered her a lopsided smile. “But where are you going with this?”

  “I need to get laid.” Kendra shrugged. “It’s a simple as that. I’ve tried to ignore it, but it’s become blazingly obvious.” She leaned closer to whisper. “I can’t even go for a jog without getting horny.”

  “Is that all?” Graham laughed. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. And you’re upset about that? You’re a young, fit woman. Just because you throw yourself into all the training and fitness doesn’t mean you’re not going to miss company when it’s been a while.” He grinned. “A hand just isn’t the same.”

  “Don’t I know it,” Kendra muttered. “But it’s not that I’m upset about that. I’m upset about how I’m handling it. I keep passing up obvious opportunities from good guys.” She speared some kale with her fork, like she was driving it through the heart of an enemy. She’d need another intense run to get some of this out of her system. “David asked me out, you know.”

  “I noticed. A person could read that body language from across a stadium.” Graham smiled. “I tried to give him space for the attempt, but I also knew you’d probably turn him down, and I didn’t want to embarrass the poor guy.”

  “I don’t know what to say.” Kendra munched on her kale and swallowed before continuing. “It’s not just about being horny.”

  “I know. You’ve told me, and I believe you. There’s nothing wrong with wanting a relationship. We both know I was extra bitchy before I met Kevin.”

  “It’s been a while now, and I don’t have anyone to blame but myself,” Kendra said. “It’s not like I don’t want a relationship, and I’ve had good times in the past when I have. I can’t even say any of my relationships ended badly, but they always end up feeling fake somehow, and that feeling has only gotten worse these last few years.”

  Graham nodded. “And it’s been easy for you to throw yourself into work.”

  “Exactly.”

  “You might be making this harder than it needs to be.”

  “How so?” Kendra asked.

  “First of all, there’s nothing wrong with accepting a guy might not be your forever guy.” Graham shrugged. “I’ve always played it breezy at the beginning of my relationships. I didn’t even like Kevin the first time I met him. You’re overthinking your men and making it harder to even get started. You don’t need to be planning your reception and picking out a wedding dress before the first date.”

  “It’s not like that.”

  “Then what’s it like?” Graham raised an eyebrow. “I want you to be happy, girl, but for you to be happy, you need to be honest, not with me but with yourself. If you don’t even know what you want, you can’t go after it properly.”

  “That’s just it. I thought I knew what I wanted, but I still am confused.” Kendra set her fork down. “Turning David down made sense. He’s not my preferred type, and I didn’t see a problem being a little picky.”

  Graham nodded slowly. “Yes, and…?”

  “When I was in the park earlier, I ran into this gorgeous guy. Ridiculous. I know you don’t like them all big and burly, but he was like my perfect example of a man. Right size, great smile, all that. If you asked me to draw you a picture of my dream man, it would have looked just like that guy.”

  “Okay,” Graham replied. “I get that. Nothing better than a hot guy, but we’re both not kids anymore. There’s a lot more to dating than looks.”

  “I know, I know. I’m just saying it’s not all that often that I run into, basically literally, the man of my dreams.” Kendra shrugged.

  “Wow,” Graham said. “You’re lucky. Is that what’s gotten you so torn up? If you’re worried about the competition, I’m sure he’ll be willing to wait a few days.”

  “The dream’s become a nightmare already.” Kendra groaned and lay her head on the table. “I’m sure he would have been willing to wait before I ran him off by being a prickly bitch.”

  Graham waved a hand dismissively. “On your worst day, girl, you’re not a prickly bitch.” He snickered. “I can be a prickly bitch. You max out at mildly annoyed stuffed toy.”

  “Ha-ha. Okay, so I ran him off by being a mildly annoyed stuffed toy.”

  “I’m trying to make you feel better, but do go on. What exactly did you do that was so unforgiveable?”

  “I thought he was talking down to me, so I kind of snapped at him.” Kendra kept her head on the table and started moving a saltshaker back and forth with her hand.

  “Did you cuss at him?” Graham asked.

  “No,” Kendra said. “I kind of yelled at him. Not like real yelling, but semi-yelling.”

  “Stuffed toy.” Graham folded his arms and nodded firmly. “Let’s assume worst-case scenario. Any potential openings?”

  “I invited him to the event, but I’m sure he’s not going to come now just to watch prickly bitch Kendra.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure,” Graham replied. “A lot of men like a little fire in their women.” He winked. “And a big, athletic guy like that probably wants a woman who can keep up with him, not some quiet mouse.” He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter if you were rude. He’s got your number, and he’ll call you eventually. I guarantee it. Even if you were a pricky bitch, you’re a hot prickly bitch.”

  “Says my gay best friend. I don’t know if that’s filling me with confidence.”

  “I can appreciate feminine charms.” Graham shrugged. “And I’m sure park boy can, too.”

  “There’s a big problem with your plan.”

  “Whatever you doubt, don’t ever doubt how attractive you are,” Graham said in a serious voice. “I don’t care if I’m your gay best friend. It’s the truth.”

  “That’s not the problem.” Kendra knocked over the saltshaker and groaned. “The problem is he doesn’t have my number. I never gave
it to him.”

  “Okay. We can work with it. He can send a message on one of your videos, or email through the channel.”

  “He didn’t know who I was, and I mentioned the channel, but I didn’t make it clear it was an internet thing. I doubt he’s going to search the net for me. It’s over. I scared off my dream hunk.”

  Graham picked up his soda and took a long drink. Kendra was having strips of baked chicken breast and her salad, while he downed a greasy burger, fires, and a soda so big it would have been illegal under the old NYC laws. Sometimes Kendra wondered how he could eat like that all the time and not gain any weight. Carrying the camera around must have been great exercise.

  “Why didn’t you ask for his number?” Graham asked.

  “Because he’s the guy,” Kendra insisted.

  Graham smirked. “Oh, the guy has to do it?”

  “Sure, in your case, too, right? A guy asks somebody out.”

  Graham laughed. “Your logic is impeccable, but, girl, it’s the twenty-first century, and you’re an internet star. You could have asked him out without ending society as we know it.”

  Kendra slumped down in her chair. “I know. I don’t know what’s going on with me. I think I’m in full self-sabotage mode. I get why I passed on David, but I’m having a hard time understanding why I passed on CJ.”

  “CJ?” Graham rolled his eyes. “What kind of name is that? Was he a frat boy?”

  “Uh, no? I don’t know.” Kendra shrugged. “He wasn’t wearing any frat clothing. He’s just a big, gorgeous guy covered in muscles. He might have been a couple of years older me, but not much. A little too old to be a frat boy.”

  “Once a frat boy, always a frat boy,” Graham muttered. He rubbed underneath his nose. “I’ve been sitting commiserating with you because I thought you screwed up, but now I’m doubting you did.”

  “Huh?” Kendra blinked.

  “Love and relationships don’t belong to the realm of the mind.” Graham wagged a finger. “You try to think through any of this sort of thing, and it’ll drive you crazy. It’s about the heart and the soul, and so you shouldn’t try to sit through and figure it out. You have to trust your instincts.”