What’s more, I believed him.
But for Athena to think she somehow had little value to those who loved her… I couldn’t let that slide. I needed to find a way to ground her, to give her something to strive for, to work for. I’d never considered how difficult it must be for her since ROGUES had taken off. How rudderless Elliot’s endless riches made her feel. Most people spent hours dreaming of hitting the jackpot, winning the lottery, having more money than they could ever hope to spend, but unless you had goals, that stuff got old real quick.
For the six of us, the founding members of ROGUES, we’d stumbled upon our passion and turned it into a diverse global business that kept us all busy, and we enjoyed every second. Sure, we all could have sat back and done fuck all for the rest of our lives, but where was the fun in that? But Athena had become collateral damage, cast adrift on a stormy sea she hadn’t worked out how to navigate.
The stealing she’d admitted to had to be an outward sign of an internal struggle, a cry for help, a way of rebelling against the world.
And Tanaka had taken advantage of her.
Cold fury surged through me, eliminating any possibility of sleep. Throwing back the covers, I showered, then paced the living room, planning what form my retribution on Tanaka would take, because one thing was certain: that bastard wouldn’t get away scot-free.
My revenge might not come today, or tomorrow, but it would eventually. I’d been blessed with an abundance of patience, the ability to stay calm in the most challenging of circumstances, as well as having access to limitless resources.
I opened my briefcase and took out the file on Tanaka. There wasn’t much information, but that was because I’d asked for the bare minimum. I hadn’t needed a full background check—then. Things had changed.
I snatched my cell phone off the table and sent a text to Scott Daniels, a damned fine investigator and one I kept on the payroll, ensuring my needs always came first.
Priority one. Full sweep on Hiroto Tanaka.
He replied instantly. Timeline?
Yesterday.
He sent a row of laughing emojis.
I replied with a ticking clock meme.
Tossing my phone on the couch, I ordered room service and a copy of the Wall Street Journal. I could read it online, but there was something retro about holding an actual newspaper—even if it did leave ink on your fingers—that appealed to me.
The food and, more importantly, a pot of coffee, arrived within twenty minutes. I poured myself a cup and sat at the table to drink it and read the paper. Whether Athena smelled the food, or she was just an early riser, I watched as her door opened, and she padded out, still swaddled in the robe. She’d covered herself properly this time, thank Christ. I didn’t need any more temptations placed in my way.
“Coffee?” I asked, picking up the pot.
She nodded and sat adjacent to me. Placing one foot on the chair, she hugged her knee to her chest.
I poured her a cup, added a dash of cream, and placed it down in front of her, then removed the covers from the plates. “There’s eggs, bacon, toast, and pastries. If you want anything different, let me know and I’ll have it brought up.”
She reached out and picked up a croissant, taking a delicate nibble. A crumb stuck to her lips. I had to draw on every single reserve to stop myself from leaning over and licking it off.
“This is fine. I’m not that hungry.”
Needing to keep my hands busy, I picked up the Wall Street Journal and opened it. “How’d you sleep?” I asked breezily.
“Okay. You?”
“Fine,” I lied.
She sipped her coffee, staring out of the window. I peered at her over the top of my newspaper. I’d never known her to be so quiet. Athena didn’t do quiet.
I folded the paper and set it on the table “Talk to me.”
She shrugged. “Nothing to say.”
“I disagree. Given your parting shot a few hours ago, I’d say there’s plenty to discuss.”
She blinked slowly, then glanced my way. “Don’t sweat it, Ryker. My life’s a fuckup. So what?”
I raised my eyebrows. “So what?”
She bit into the pastry, then cast it aside while chewing slowly. “I’ve accepted I’m going home, okay? Let’s just leave it at that.”
“Let’s not,” I said, my tone crisp and direct.
Her flat gaze worried me, her ever-present sharp tongue dulled to an alarming level.
She blew out a breath through pursed lips, the action puffing up her cheeks. “Why do you care? Oh, wait. That’s right. You don’t.”
She got to her feet and stepped over to the window. She folded her arms over her chest, one hip jutted slightly forward as she transferred her weight to her left foot.
“I do care, actually.”
She snorted but remained with her back to me. “Sure, Ryker. Sure you do.”
I was about to continue the argument when there was a knock at the door. Athena spun around.
“Who’s that?”
I pulled my lips to one side. “Probably Elliot,” I said nonchalantly.
She shot me a horrified stare, blood rushing to her cheeks. “Shit,” she hissed. “He can’t know I’m here.”
“Then you’d better hide, hadn’t you?” I stated.
She dashed into the bedroom and closed the door with a quiet snick.
I dabbed a napkin to my mouth and rose from my chair, crossing the room to answer the door. Sure enough, Elliot lounged outside, his shoulder propped against the wall.
“What took you so long?” he asked with a grin, sauntering inside. His sharp gaze immediately fell on the two plates, two cups scenario, and Athena’s half-finished croissant discarded in her rush to hide.
He spun around, a broad smile almost cracking his face. “Jesus, you’re a fast worker. We only got back to the hotel a few hours ago.”
Ignoring him, I retook my seat. “Coffee’s still warm if you want one.”
“As warm as the pussy you’ve spent the night buried inside?” He glanced around. “Where is she? Do I get to meet her?”
A small part of me reveled in his questions, knowing Athena would have her ear pressed right up to the door, squirming in case Elliot discovered her hiding out in my suite. I wanted to light a fire underneath her, and if worrying she might be discovered at any second achieved that, I’d take it.
“What time are you flying home?”
He grinned. “Your diversionary tactics won’t work with me. You’ve set my mind at rest, actually. I was worried your dick would shrivel up to the size of your pinky if you didn’t get some action soon.”
I gave him a blank stare. “Finished?”
“I haven’t even started.”
Rolling my eyes, I picked up the paper. “Dow took a hit yesterday.”
“Boring,” Elliot singsonged. “No wonder you struggle to get a date. I hope last night’s fuck buddy doesn’t speak English—for her sake.”
“Is this what a lack of sleep does to you? If so, I’m going to slip a tranquilizer into your evening cocoa.”
Elliot laughed, adding cream and sugar to his coffee. “I’m leaving shortly. Michael has logged a departure time of ten this morning.”
Michael was the pilot of the company’s private plane. “You can’t have the jet. You’ll need to book commercial.”