Chapter 40

40

Back in the penthouse, the afternoon sun slanted thickly over the living room. Persephone dropped her purse and worked busily over her cell, sending Eurydice’s phone info to Athena to trace.

Goldwringer replied: Cool! Give me five.

Relaxing back on the couch, Persephone allowed herself a satisfied smile. They were one step closer to finding Eurydice.

She raised her head when she heard the front door open. Strange. Hades was never home this early, not lately anyway. But this was good. He wasn’t the one who took Eurydice. Maybe it was time to talk to him, to lay it all out on the table and ask for his help.

Standing, she squared her shoulders. Even if Hades had business reasons he shouldn’t cross Ajax, she was going to convince him. What was a business matter against a person’s life?

“Hades? I thought you were out on business tonight…” she started to say, then gasped.

Ajax’s frame filled the doorway. The man looked larger than when she saw him at the club; his bald head shone in the sunlight. The rest of him was dressed simply in a long trench coat, a grey shadow on his unshaven face. His beady black eyes were fixed on her, assessing.

Shit, what should she do? How had he even gotten in? She must’ve left the penthouse unlocked when she returned from seeing Orpheus. The only people who could even access their home needed a special key to work the elevator. But duh, she’d just proved the same key worked on all the private floors. And as Orpheus’s manager, obviously Ajax would have access to the same key.

“What are you doing here?” Fear made her voice sharp.

Ajax sauntered into the room, looking around like an investor surveying a potential property. Persephone stiffened her spine so she wouldn’t shrink away. One thing the Underworld taught her: if you cowered, they thought you were prey.

Still, she was glad there was a couch between her and the approaching gangster.

“You shouldn’t be here. Hades won’t like it.”

“Nice place.” Ajax strolled forward, taking in the view. His stoop took inches off his height, but also gave his movements a predatory look. Like a bear, sniffing outside its lair.

Ajax stopped to study a white statue of a bearded man capturing a fleeing woman. Walking around it to view it, he rubbed his jaw. “You pick this out?” He squinted at her, then at a small but exquisite replica of a statue, a copy of the first one.

“My husband.” Persephone’s voice was clipped. “And he’ll be home any minute.”

Ajax turned from the statue to face her. The deep lines around his mouth bent into a smile. “You know, for a woman stepping out on her man, you sure invoke his name a lot.”

What the hell was he— “What are you talking about?”

“You think I wouldn’t find out about your little visit to my pet singer?” The man started walking towards her. “I thought I’d hide him here, keep him from the fucking fans. Freaky rabid bitches.”

Ajax smiled. He kept walking forward, closing in on her. Persephone backed up despite herself. “Well, now we have a new story for the paparazzi: Ubeli’s wife doing Orpheus. Little Miss Innocent spreads her legs.”

“How dare you?” Persephone snapped. She’d had enough. She stood up to him, not backing down any more. Her five feet eight inches put her almost at his grizzled chin. “When I tell Hades?—”

“You were in his bedroom,” Ajax spit back at her. His breath was foul on her face. “There are cameras in the hall.”

Persephone froze as what he said sunk in.

Ajax watched her face closely. “Tell me, little girl. What’s Hades going to think?”

What would Hades think? There was no trust between them, not now. Still, she refused to give this disgusting man an inch.

But Ajax took advantage of her momentary silence to reach out and capture a lock of her light hair.

“So, gorgeous,” he twisted the strands between two fat fingers. “What will you give me to keep your little tryst from your husband?”

Persephone jerked back. Ajax let her move away, watching her go with glittering eyes.

“That’s right, baby, think about it. Then think of how to convince me.” His eyes swept up and down her figure.

She felt dirty just being in the same room as him.

“You can’t threaten me,” she said, trying again to channel some of Hades’s authority. It came out sounding petulant. A child refusing to go to her room.

She cleared her throat and tried again. “I know what you did. I’m telling Hades—you kidnapped an innocent woman to threaten her fiancé.”

Ajax stared at her, then his shoulders started to move. A strange, heaving sound came from his barrel chest. Persephone watched nervously, thinking he was having a fit.

Then she realized the man was laughing at her.

Ajax’s mouth gaped, showing his gold tooth. “Are you kidding me? That’s your threat?” The man’s jowls shook with mirth. “I’m going to tell,” he mocked her voice. “Pretty, stupid slut. You think your husband doesn’t know I took Eurydice? Ubeli ordered it.”

Persephone felt his words like a blow. “No,” she whispered.

“That’s right, little girl. And if you ever push me, I’ll tell him exactly where you were this afternoon. And what do you think he’ll want me to do with his cheating whore of a wife?”

Squeezing her fists, Persephone let his words wash over her. She was still stuck on the thought that Hades ordered Eurydice’s kidnapping. But he hated Ajax. Didn’t he? He’d never work with him…

But he already was, wasn’t he? To book Orpheus. If Hades had wanted Eurydice gone and ordered Ajax to do it, he wouldn’t have had control over Ajax’s methods. But Hades was all about control. So did that mean Ajax was ly?—

“Maybe I’ll be the one who gets to punish you,” Ajax continued, smirking. “You might even like it.”

Fighting back furious tears, Persephone watched the man move to the liquor cabinet. “Hell, half of Ubeli’s men must be gagging for you. We’ll get a movie camera; make it a bestseller. The black giant would be first in line. I know I’d pay to watch you choke on him.” He chuckled as he poured himself a drink.

A rushing sound filled Persephone’s ears; she couldn’t find her voice to talk or scream.

“I’m just saying, if Daddy ever don’t satisfy—Uncle Ajax is here.”

“Get out.” Persephone’s voice came out strangled.

He raised the glass to her and then downed it. She watched him, fists balled. She’d never hated anyone so much in her life. “Get the fuck out of my house right this second.”

Ajax took his sweet time moving to the door. “Pleasure visiting you, Mrs. Ubeli.” He spoke her name with a sneer. “Hope to do it again real soon.”

Persephone shivered with anger and fear.

He was almost outside when he turned. “Oh, and we’re moving your boy, so no more little visits. Although, if you do come down—” His hand slipped down to his crotch crudely. “Uncle Ajax will be ready.”

Persephone wanted to kick him where he was so rudely gesturing. With her pointiest heels.

“It’ll be our secret.” He winked at her.

Persephone waited until she was sure he was gone before collapsing on the couch, still shaking with fury. Ubeli ordered it. She mopped her face with a hand, ordering herself to get it together.

He was lying about Hades. Right?

One thing she was sure about, she was going to free Eurydice from Ajax. Then she would find a way to make him pay. Pretty, stupid slut.

Her phone buzzed. She looked down and opened Athena’s text, then clicked on the highlighted address. The link took her into a map, where a light blinked, signaling the location of Eurydice’s phone.

Persephone took a deep breath. She knew exactly where Eurydice was. Or, at least where her phone was. And it was time to finally do something about it.