said.
“I’d like nothing better than to go get some lunch, lik e in a restaurant, in public.”
“There is this quiet, out-of-the-way sushi place I found recently,” Xanthus said.
Gretchen smirked. “You and your sushi.”
“We Mediterranean men love fresh fish. How about I walk you out and give you directions?”
Kyros was glowering as they stepped outside. The three of them were quite a draw for curious eyes—a short, skinny “ bag lady”, walking between two nearly seven-foot-tall, muscular men. Minds were spinning.
“ Have you heard from Drakōn?” Kyros asked.
“Not yet ,” Xanthus said. “He’ll let us know if there’s any news.”
Xanthus turned to Gretchen. “Have you thought of anything else that might be helpful? Did you think of anyone who might want you dead?”
These men knew nothing about being subtle. “Um, not anyone recently .”
“Recently?” Kyros stopped walking and whipped around to face her.
She tugged him across the parking lot crosswalk before the elderly man approaching in the large sedan ran them over.
“What do you mean, recently?” Kyros asked.
“My birth mother was not exactly happy when I left her. She had a bit of a temper, hurt a lot of people. But it’s been ages since I’ve seen her.”
“How long?”
“About fifteen years.”
“ How old were you when you left her?”
“I’m not sure.”
“You don’t know?”
“No. The social worker thought I looked to be about eight years old.”
“And this mother wanted to kill you?”
“She threatened me.”
“What exactly did she say?”
Gretchen frowned and took a deep breath. “She said if I ever l eft her, she’d hunt me down and rip my heart out.”
Xanthus and Kyros seemed to share a ‘look .’
“What?” she asked.
Kyros shook his head. “It’s nothing. You left her anyway,” Kyros continued, “regardless of her threat to your life. Did you not believe her?”
“Oh no, I believed her. I left because I knew she was capable of that and more.”
“Where did all this take place?” Xanthus asked. “In Hawaii?”
“No, um , it was Florida… Miami.”
“Isn’t Miami nearby?” Kyros asked Xanthus.
“It’s about a thousand miles away—southwest of here.”
Kyros nodded.
Squealing tires marked a car coming at them fast. Kyros pushed Gretchen back out of the path just as the car braked, stopping inches from them.
Drakōn rose from the rumbling car. “Kyros, I need you to come with me.”
“What’s wrong with you, Drakōn?” Xanthus growled. “Are you trying to run us down?”
“I need Kyros to come with me ,” Drakōn repeated as he turned to Xanthus. “And you’ll need to take the girl back to the house. I’ve found the would-be killer.”
Xanthus narrowed his eyes. He looked suspicious. Kyros turned to her. “Go with Xanthus.”
“What?” Gretchen squeaked. “You’re not going with him. We need to call the police. Now is no time to play hero.”
“I have to go.”
“No, you don’t have to go. You can just pull out your phone and dial 9-1-1 or whatever number they use here to call the police.”
“Gretchen, I’m not debating this right now.”
She pulled Kyros toward her. “I need to talk to you.”
“But we’re already…”
“In private,” she snapped and turned to lead the way. She heard him sigh at her back as they walked. They passed a couple of cars and ended up standing behind a minivan. Gretchen stopped and turned toward him. She tried to ignore how close he was standing, or how much she wanted to reach out to him. The way he’d been acting since their kiss, he’d probably just push her away.
“I don’t know how they do things where you come from ,” Gretchen said, “but here there are laws, laws you are not exempt from. You can’t just go chasing after criminals. You can’t.”
“Mm hmm,” he hummed in agreement as he took a step toward her.
“You need to let go of your anger. Let go of your need for revenge. Let
“I’d like nothing better than to go get some lunch, lik e in a restaurant, in public.”
“There is this quiet, out-of-the-way sushi place I found recently,” Xanthus said.
Gretchen smirked. “You and your sushi.”
“We Mediterranean men love fresh fish. How about I walk you out and give you directions?”
Kyros was glowering as they stepped outside. The three of them were quite a draw for curious eyes—a short, skinny “ bag lady”, walking between two nearly seven-foot-tall, muscular men. Minds were spinning.
“ Have you heard from Drakōn?” Kyros asked.
“Not yet ,” Xanthus said. “He’ll let us know if there’s any news.”
Xanthus turned to Gretchen. “Have you thought of anything else that might be helpful? Did you think of anyone who might want you dead?”
These men knew nothing about being subtle. “Um, not anyone recently .”
“Recently?” Kyros stopped walking and whipped around to face her.
She tugged him across the parking lot crosswalk before the elderly man approaching in the large sedan ran them over.
“What do you mean, recently?” Kyros asked.
“My birth mother was not exactly happy when I left her. She had a bit of a temper, hurt a lot of people. But it’s been ages since I’ve seen her.”
“How long?”
“About fifteen years.”
“ How old were you when you left her?”
“I’m not sure.”
“You don’t know?”
“No. The social worker thought I looked to be about eight years old.”
“And this mother wanted to kill you?”
“She threatened me.”
“What exactly did she say?”
Gretchen frowned and took a deep breath. “She said if I ever l eft her, she’d hunt me down and rip my heart out.”
Xanthus and Kyros seemed to share a ‘look .’
“What?” she asked.
Kyros shook his head. “It’s nothing. You left her anyway,” Kyros continued, “regardless of her threat to your life. Did you not believe her?”
“Oh no, I believed her. I left because I knew she was capable of that and more.”
“Where did all this take place?” Xanthus asked. “In Hawaii?”
“No, um , it was Florida… Miami.”
“Isn’t Miami nearby?” Kyros asked Xanthus.
“It’s about a thousand miles away—southwest of here.”
Kyros nodded.
Squealing tires marked a car coming at them fast. Kyros pushed Gretchen back out of the path just as the car braked, stopping inches from them.
Drakōn rose from the rumbling car. “Kyros, I need you to come with me.”
“What’s wrong with you, Drakōn?” Xanthus growled. “Are you trying to run us down?”
“I need Kyros to come with me ,” Drakōn repeated as he turned to Xanthus. “And you’ll need to take the girl back to the house. I’ve found the would-be killer.”
Xanthus narrowed his eyes. He looked suspicious. Kyros turned to her. “Go with Xanthus.”
“What?” Gretchen squeaked. “You’re not going with him. We need to call the police. Now is no time to play hero.”
“I have to go.”
“No, you don’t have to go. You can just pull out your phone and dial 9-1-1 or whatever number they use here to call the police.”
“Gretchen, I’m not debating this right now.”
She pulled Kyros toward her. “I need to talk to you.”
“But we’re already…”
“In private,” she snapped and turned to lead the way. She heard him sigh at her back as they walked. They passed a couple of cars and ended up standing behind a minivan. Gretchen stopped and turned toward him. She tried to ignore how close he was standing, or how much she wanted to reach out to him. The way he’d been acting since their kiss, he’d probably just push her away.
“I don’t know how they do things where you come from ,” Gretchen said, “but here there are laws, laws you are not exempt from. You can’t just go chasing after criminals. You can’t.”
“Mm hmm,” he hummed in agreement as he took a step toward her.
“You need to let go of your anger. Let go of your need for revenge. Let
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