Chapter 24

Chapter

Twenty-Four

ATHENA

I freeze when Eros pulls the gun from the back of his pants and takes over. He is pacing around like a caged tiger with all tight lean muscles and determination. He is in complete control of the room, and it is the sexiest thing I have ever seen.

I should be pissed that he took over. This is supposed to be my interrogation. But the way he is moving, I decide to take a seat and see what is going to happen. Sometimes it’s better to watch and learn, let someone else do the dirty work and jump in when it benefits me.

“Freya pulled all of us out of our own personal hell. We were each lost, abused, and unwanted. She gave us a home, a purpose, and a mother’s love. Who did this?” Eros’s voice rises with each word until he is practically screaming, his face is turning red and the thick vein in his forehead is pulsing in time with the tendons in his neck.

The room is silent. Each of them giving piercing glares at Eros as he paces like a general before his soldiers.

“Tell me which of you betrayed the only person who ever gave a shit about any of us.” He lowers his voice to a deadly whisper as he cocks the gun.

I glance at each of the men, trying to read their expressions, looking for some sign of weakness or doubt. Some guilt, something. All I see are matching expressions of rage. I can’t tell if they are angry they were drugged and tied up, angry because they think Eros betrayed them, or angry they have been caught .

“Put the gun down and untie us now,” Perseus says between gritted teeth.

“I will happily let you all go as soon as I find out which one of you betrayed us,” Eros snaps back. “I will have my confession.”

“Oh, I don’t know how about the one who drugged us and tied us all to fucking chairs,” Heph booms. His face is turning flushed from trying to pull at the zip ties. If he breaks free, I think it’s fair to say that Eros is a dead man.

“I need to hear the traitor say it. Admit what you did,” Eros says, staring at the floor this time. His voice is still low, quiet, and somehow far more menacing than when he is shouting.

I grew up knowing about every part of my father’s business. How it runs, who runs it, and what tools are used both above board and far below. I have spent my fair share of time around violent men, and I have watched them work, with everything from curiosity, boredom and sometimes when I was much younger, fear.

My father raised me to know what these kinds of men are capable of, not only to keep myself safe, but so I know what was needed and what is expected of the next head of the family. I refuse to shy away from the less ladylike aspects of reality because of a weaker disposition. That being said, I have never seen a man quite like Eros in charge.

The way he moves, the way he commands attention, which I am pretty sure he could do without the gun in his hand. He looks like a vengeful angel, beautiful, graceful, and deadly. Watching him work like this is making heat build in my core. When all of this is over, I swear I am bringing this man home to make him an enforcer for Medusa just so I can watch him work. I want to see him work over someone trying to steal from me. I want to watch his muscles glisten with sweat as he takes out vengeance in my name. Then I want to take him home and reward him for doing such a good job.

“Eros, look at us,” Perseus tries again. “We would never hurt Freya. We loved her. She was my fucking mother! She adopted me so that one of us would legally be hers. I was the chosen one. Do you really think I’d be the one to then kill her? You got it wrong. She died after years of drinking herself to sleep every night. She abused her body, and it caught up with her far before her time.”

“Yeah, why did she choose you?” Eros asks as Heph turns to look at Perseus. “Why not the rest of us? Did you convince her of that?”

“I don’t know, man. We had a connection. But if you really want to know the truth, it’s because she knew without a fucking doubt I’d never turn on any of you. She knew I’d protect and watch over.” His eyes dart to me and then back to Eros. “She knew I’d share.”

“Well if it wasn’t you, then who?”

“No one!” A vein in Perseus’s forehead appears as if it’s going to pop.

“Lies. Someone was threatening her. Someone in this room was stealing from her and they wanted more. So they killed her,” Eros spits before taking three long steps across the marble floor to grab Perseus by the back of the neck and press their foreheads together. “See, brother, I know. I know who did it. Just like I know that if I tried to talk to you or anyone about it, you wouldn’t listen to me.”

“I will, I am listening now.”

“You are”—Eros nods—“but only because you don’t have an option. I know you won’t believe one of us is capable of this. I don’t want to believe it, so you have to hear it from the traitor’s lips.”

“You’re the only traitor here,” Heph says. “You did this to us and for what? Some half-rate pussy? You betrayed us all just so you could get your dick wet.”

“Okay, first of all.” Eros crosses over to face Heph. “It’s first-rate pussy. Best I have ever had, in fact, but this isn’t about me and Athena. It’s about Freya. My loyalty was to her first, all of you second.” He looks back at me and shoots me a wink. Fuck me this man is so hot. “Now I will admit lately my loyalty might be a little torn between my boys and Athena, but Freya came first.”

“You are a traitor,” Heph growls out.

“I’m not the one who murdered Freya,” Eros says calmly. “The real traitor needs to confess now.”

The room is dead silent again.

Eros lets out a breath and shakes his head like he is disappointed. “Confess now, and I will make sure you never feel a thing again.” Eros moves to the center of the room. He keeps his eyes trained on Perseus as he slides the safety of the gun off with an audible click.

“Last chance.”

The room is silent.

“So be it.”

He extends his arm straight out with the gun pointed directly in Paris’s face.