“Is all of the work like what you’re doing for Patterson?” Hale asked, taking another bite of steak and chewing with carnivorous pleasure. “Personal bodyguard to the rich and famous, I mean.”
She tasted the squash, trying to figure out what they’d spiced it with. Definitely Parmesan cheese and maybe a little rosemary. “I do a little industrial counterespionage, helping big companies keep their crap from being stolen, too. But yeah, mostlyit’s the personal protection stuff. I think you’d be surprised at how often people want to kill the rich and powerful.”
“Probably not that surprised,” he said with a snort before digging into a ridiculous mound of mashed potatoes. “So you mentioned there were aspects of Athena’s gifts that sucked. What did you mean by that?”
“It’s not so much the gifts that suck,” she corrected, squirming a little at the way Hale had posed the question. According to Nicos, Athena no longer existed in a form that could be offended. The spirit of the goddess carried on but only in the form of her Paladins. Still, it seemed wrong to act…unappreciative…of the gifts she’d been given. “But how my life has changed since I’ve gained them.”
Hale nodded but didn’t push for more, apparently content to enjoy his dinner and let her explain as much or as little as she wanted to.
“I don’t really have a life,” she finally said, pushing her Caesar salad around with her fork before eating some of it. “I go from one assignment to another, usually back-to-back without a break. When I do make it home to Chicago, I sleep in my old bedroom at my parents’ house. I don’t have a car and everything I own can fit in a single suitcase.”
“Wow. That does meet the definition of suck,” Hale said. “Have you ever thought of taking a break? Or is that even a decision you’re allowed to make?”
She frowned. “I’m not sure. I know my parents are using me and my gifts to make themselves incredibly rich. I know that my brothers—outside of Deven—don’t really care about me. Worse, I know that I’m frequently ignoring where my Paladin instincts are telling me to go thanks to my family’s desire to make money. But they’re family, so what the hell am I supposed to do?”
He let out a rueful laugh. “I don’t know. It’s not like I have much experience with family. But maybe you can start by telling them you’re getting your own place and then go on a two-week vacation somewhere with no phone and no internet.”
“You make it sound so easy,” she said, wondering if she’d truly ever have the courage to do something like that. She’d spent so long accepting her parents’ guidance when it came to her gifts that she wasn’t sure if she’d know what to do on her own.
As they ate, they talked about where Karissa would go on vacation if she could go anywhere. It was a surprisingly difficult decision. It turned out that while she’d been to many countries for work, she’d seen very little of those places while she’d been there. In fact, she remembered the airports more than anything else. Which was kind of sad.
When their server came to take their empty plates and ask if they had room for dessert a little while later, Karissa almost declined, but when the man described their specialty, a chocolate cakewith peanut butter, banana mousse, and vanilla ice cream, she couldn’t resist.
It was while they were waiting for their cake and coffee that she sensed a change in Hale’s demeanor. Karissa wasn’t sure if it was her Paladin instincts, but she could definitely feel the tension in the air.
“Can I ask you something?” he said suddenly, before she could question if there was anything wrong. “It’s something I’ve wanted to ask you for the past ten years.”
The way Hale spoke—like the words were being forced out under duress—combined with the tightness along his jaw told her this probably wasn’t anything she wanted to hear. But she nodded nonetheless.
He took a deep breath. “First, I want you to understand that I get it. I really do. You’re given these amazing gifts, your life is completely changed overnight, and there was simply no place for me in it anymore. But why couldn’t you have told me that instead of dumping me the way you did?”
In the space between one heartbeat and the next, it was like the entire world around her froze. There was no movement, no sound. Well, except for her ragged breath whooshing in and out of her lungs. Confusion warred with anger as she attempted to make sense of what Hale had just said.
“What are you talking about?” she demanded, the words coming out almost in a hiss as theanger began to win out. “I didn’t dump you—you dumped me. That Friday before spring break we talked about hanging out the entire vacation, but you never called like you said you would. And you didn’t return the messages I left for you either. Then when we got back to school, I find out that you’d moved away without telling me. So how is that me dumping you?”
Chapter 11
Hale stared at Karissa were she sat on the other side of the table, feeling like they were suddenly speaking different languages. That would at least explain why he was so damn confused right now. And why she was suddenly so angry at him.
“Karissa,” he said slowly. “You might have used your three brothers to deliver the message, but it was still you breaking up with me that Friday night before spring break.”
Anger drained from her face, replaced by an expression of complete confusion. Which only baffled him all the more. He was sure he was missing something important here. Only he wasn’t sure what.
“I’m going to ask this again. What the hell are you talking about?” Karissa said, her voice trembling a little, like she was fighting to retain some semblance of control. “I didn’t tell my brothers to give you any kind of message. And I sure as hell never wanted to break up with you.”
Breathing became difficult then as a two-ton weight settled on his chest, the invisible force trying to crush the life out of him.
“But Lorenzo and your other two brothers…”Hale trailed off, stumbling and feeling like he didn’t have enough breath in his lungs to form the words. “They showed up at our apartment right before I was getting ready to go over to your house. They told me that you didn’t want to see me anymore. That you decided we were too different for it to ever work out. That you wanted to be with someone more like you.”
Karissa recoiled like someone had slapped her. “I never said any of that. I would never say any of that. How could you believe them?”
Time continued to slow until Hale swore he could feel every thump of his heart within his chest. “Because everything they said was true. They told me that my family’s criminal background defined me. That I would never escape it and was doomed to end up in that life eventually. That I would never be good enough for you.”
Across from him, Karissa looked like she was going to be sick. “And you took Lorenzo’s word that I had given up on us all of a sudden? Just like that? You didn’t think I’d have the courage to say it to your face?”
Hale opened his mouth to answer but closed it again as their server appeared with two slices of cake and two cups of coffee. If the man was looking for some kind of enthusiastic response at the sight of all the gooey goodness, he left disappointed. Neither of them said a word.
“I wanted to talk to you,” Hale said, deciding now would be a good time to stare at that cake. It was the most delicious-looking chocolate cake he’d ever seen in his life, and right now, it was wasted on him. “But when I headed for the door, intending to go to your house, they stopped me.”
