We lie together, holding each other for a bit longer.
“Why is your dog’s name Gurgi?” I ask as her fingers trace the tattoos on my chest, and I trace one of her scars along her hairline.
“Have you ever seen The Black Cauldron?”
“No. Klay and I were raised in foster care, and they didn’t think we should be allowed to watch movies.”
“Well, you should. Gurgi is a loyal companion. He always asks for ‘crunchies and munchies.’ My Gurgi always wants to eat too, so I gave him that name. I knew when I woke up with him next to me, he would be loyal to me.”
“He’s a good dog for you, baby.”
A pounding sounds at our door. “Cronus wants to talk to you both,” Hermes calls from the other side.
“Okay, we’ll be there soon,” I shout.
Chapter Twelve
Stormy
Holding Atlas’s hand, we walk into a common room. The giant Hermes is sitting there, along with another guy. He’s a bit older, with strawberry-blond hair and a long scruff along his jaw.
“That’s Thanatos.” Atlas points. “You remember Hermes?”
“I do.” I nod at Hermes and wave at Thanatos.
“Okay, you have until tomorrow to get this figured out,” Cronus says as he walks into the room.
“She said she would do it,” Atlas tells him, and I just stand there, looking around for Maisy.
“Where is Maisy?” I finally ask.
“She’s sleeping,” Cronus says, and all I can do is nod. “She can’t be a part of this conversation. If you agree to marry Titan, we can tell you how we plan to save you.”
“How?” I ask, not sure about this, but I’m willing to listen. I haven’t decided yet whether I’m going to stay or take off at the first chance I get.
“Has Titan told you what he does?”
“When he came to the hospital to see me, he said he worked for a government agency. Maisy said his badge identified him as an officer with the National Security Agency. She called him Officer Ulrich.” I turn to Atlas and smile.
“You didn’t have amnesia, did you?” he asks, and I pull my lip between my teeth.
“Maisy and I thought it would be a good idea to protect me. She didn’t know until later that I really did know who I was.”
“Maisy has a hacker friend working with her named Fury. Did he contact you?”
I shake my head and only give them a partial truth. I’m not going to blow Fury’s identity. He’s helped us so much already.
“We contact him. We haven’t spoken to him since we exchanged trucks. We were going to contact him this evening before we left town.”
“We’ve been working on a case involving a wealthy man who purchases women for his billionaire and influential friends. His name is Andrus Ahriman,” Atlas says beside me, and I can’t help but tremble.
I jump up and move away from him, panic filling my lungs instead of air. It can’t be. They’re investigating the man who tortured and raped me. The man who will forever be the monster in my life.
“No.” I shake my head. “No.” Tears run down my face, and I feel Gurgi’s big body before Atlas wraps his arms around me.
“Breathe, baby. I got you. You’re safe. Gurgi and I will protect you,” Atlas says softly, and for the first time since he said the name, I take a full breath. “I got you,” he repeats, and I curl into him.
“He’s the man.”
