Page 4 of Zeus

"So the guys back in New Mexico would've known about our... connection."

"I don't imagine it was hard," Ace says, giving me a slight reprieve when he turns his eyes to the room instead of boring his gaze into mine. "Not many people from Darien, Connecticut."

Another wave of unease shifts through my body, drawing the muscles of my heart tighter, which in turn makes a wave of warmth crawl up my back and settle in my cheeks.

"Not that I know this for a fact, but I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't discover the connection first, and through your vetting process found him as a potential candidate for Cerberus."

Ace pulls in a deep breath as if he's preparing to say something he thinks might get a different reaction than the one he hopes for, but he exhales and falls silent.

"I didn't know they work that way," I say, rather than feeding into the urge to know what he was thinking.

"They found Jersey while vetting my life after I left Cerberus."

This shocks me. "They vetted you a second time?"

He swallows, a certain kind of sadness in his eyes that seems to run right through the marrow of him.

"My best friend made some questionable choices. Things the department would've encouraged if he were 'pretending' but were ultimately seen as insubordination when he fucked around while undercover and truly fell in love," Ace says, his voice reducing to a whisper. "They had to make sure that every step I'd taken since leaving Cerberus was on the up and up."

I knew most of this about him before this conversation. I guess trust is there, but Cerberus would need to verify. It's their level of verification and vetting that makes me start to wonder if joining in the first place was the right thing to do.

"Are you catching my drift?" he asks after a long beat of silence.

I turn to look at him, already lost in my own thoughts and more than a little confused with everything that has already happened this evening.

"I guess," I mutter, needing to shift my weight on the sofa once again and glance right back at Zayne.

"I don't know this for a fact," Ace says, leaning in a little closer for the second half of his statement. "But Zayne could be here simply because they found him while vetting you, and they think he could be a valuable asset to the team or..."

"What is that pause?" I ask, my voice nearly a growl.

"That came out wrong. Cerberus isn't in the business of adding folks to their teams if they aren't fully qualified," he corrects. "What I mean to say is that if he's here for any additional reason, then it wouldn't be the first time Kincaid decided to meddle in someone else's life because he thinks things should be a certain way."

"You mean—"

I snap my mouth shut when Ace holds up his hands near his ears, as if he feels like he’s already said too much. I won't be getting another thing out of him.

Chapter 3

Zayne

My skin tingles as I notice Ace get up from his spot on the sofa and work his way in this direction. He isn't exactly making a beeline in my direction, but I can tell that getting to me is his end goal.

I know that as sure as I know he and Frankie were talking about me. It was no different from witnessing all those conversations back in high school, where no one would question who I was or what I had going on to my face. They spent nearly every lunch period whispering and making furtive glances in my direction.

It was frustrating then, but now, in a room full of nothing but adults, it was growing increasingly infuriating. I can only imagine my old friend was trying to figure out exactly how to get me not only off this specific team but out of Cerberus entirely, so he could go about his life without the risk of having to lay eyes on me ever again.

The thought is almost soul-crushing, something that would probably have most people tucking their tails and giving in.

I'm nothing like most people. I'm not only secure enough in who I am to hold my head high even when I'm not wanted, but more so, I'm one petty motherfucker. If Frankie is so put out by the sight of me, then my only recourse is to be in his face every chance I get. If anyone is leaving this house or Cerberus, it'll be him, not me.

The way that thought hits me right in the center of my very being makes me question my own sanity. I have wavered, going back and forth a million times, trying to decide whether being here in the first place was a healthy thing for me to endure. I struggled with it over and over right up until the second I walked into this house moments ago, but the sight of that man somehow calms and enrages me at the same time. I'd be a fool not to explore what that may mean.

"You'll let us know if you need anything?" Zara asks, her pretty face lit up with her soft smile.

"I will," I promise, knowing that I've never been one to ask for help.

I've always been more of a make-it-happen-myself kind of guy, but it's nice to know there are people around me who would offer a hand if I ever needed it.