Page 104 of The Duplicity of Thieves

“I should get this one to bed.” Minos rises and lifts Hermes over his shoulder, carrying him down the hallway. Their relationship is funny. You would almost mistake their camaraderie as romantic interest. I listen to Minos chastise a half alive Hermes, tuck him into bed, and close the door. He goes to the other guest room, and with a click they’re both in their own domains. Their residence here is going to drive me insane, even if it’s for my wife’s safety.

I extract myself from Josie and scoop her up. Her lids flutter open for just a moment before she settles into me. I put her in the bed under the covers, and she immediately curls into a ball, shoving her face under a pillow. The way she sleeps is a mystery to me. I don’t think she has ever just laid in a bed and slept in it. Always the floor or a chair or the couch, pushing herself until she passes out. After the conversation with Hades, sleep evades me. I go into my office instead and sit at my desk, thinking. The worst pastime.

I think about the things Hades did say. How he gave away the box for peace, and that same mysterious woman brought me to him. His gentle refusal to tell me how all of this involves my wife. I think about the symbols that line our skin, and the way she makes me feel. I think about the box sitting in the museum, and the exodus of the Rems. Then I think about the guards that must be outside by now, and Samuel downstairs. I think about how dangerous this situation has truly become. Mostly, I think about a world without Josie, and how I wouldn’t be able to live in it.

Chapter twenty

Aedonaeus

The sun was up, and the place was still quiet when I finally found sleep. The brutes never get up early, and with the amount that Josie has been sleeping you would think she hasn’t been unconscious in years. She probably hasn’t.

I finally wake, cracking my eyes open to see that the sun is already creeping toward the horizon. Josie is absent from the space beside me, and the sheets are cold. She’s been gone for a while. I can’t help but panic. I jump up and throw open the bedroom door to be met by a delicious smell and the sounds of female voices. I round the corner to catch a glimpse of Vivian and Bella sitting at the counter while Josie stands over the stove cooking. I recall Vivian saying that she used to cook but had stopped a long time ago.

“This place is amazing. Even better than David’s,” Vivian says with wide eyes.

“Not sure how long he’ll have it. He and Hermes broke up,” Josie tells her.

“How would you know?”

“Because I was hanging out with Hermes last night.” Josie shrugs and returns to stirring. I glance over at the spare bedroom doors, and both are open. The brutes must have gotten up hours ago and left, but they’ll be back.

“I guess you’re upgrading. Leaving us behind,” Vivian teases.

Josie rolls her eyes, grabbing a piece of pear from a plate on the counter and popping it into her mouth. “Give me a break.”

I haven’t sent anyone to the market, which means she either went herself, or the brutes did.

“I mean look at you. Aedonaeus has you acting like a housewife. The master of torture is cutting vegetables instead of people,” Bella chimes in.

Josie throws a spare carrot at her, and they all laugh. “I’m not a housewife. I’ll still carve you to pieces.”

I love seeing her joy. This must be how it was between them at some point. A glimpse into the life she led before it was smashed to pieces.

“I’ve missed your cooking,” Vivian groans, coming to stand behind Josie. She reaches around and tries to dip a spoon into one of the pans, and Josie swats her away.

The three of them look comfortable. Josie wears tight shorts and a long-sleeved shirt I don’t recognize hangs loose on her shoulders. When she showed up, she didn’t bring anything with her. I haven’t shown her, but I had clothes purchased and brought here, even if I wasn’t sure I would see her again.

Her hair is up in a bun with messy strands hanging around her face. Vivian’s hair is in a clip on the back of her head. She wears a hoodie and a pair of leggings. Bella is in a pair of sweats and a shirt, her cropped hair in a messy mop on her head. I’m not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t this. Their comfortability makes this that much sweeter.

Something catches my eyes and in the center of the living room are two pairs of shoes. Both sisters are like this. Intrusive and messy. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Someday I’ll trip over the goddamn shoes, and even if I break my nose, I’ll be grateful for it. I didn’t realize how lifeless this place was.

Bella stands. “Where’s the bathroom?” Josie points at a door off the kitchen, and Bella ambles away leaving the sisters alone.

“I recognize the shirt,” Vivian says, reaching for more fruit.

Josie leans against the counter crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at her sister. “Just say what you want to say, Viv.”

“You didn’t get rid of his stuff.”

“It’s just a shirt.” Josie shrugs, but I can tell there is more to it. Whose fucking shirt is she wearing that isn’t mine?

“You said you were going to burn it.”

“I say a lot of things.”

“You actually don’t,” Vivian snorts. “You seem happy, like you’re finally okay with moving on. Why keep that?”

Josie bites her lip in thought. She opens her mouth to speak but doesn’t, turning back to the stove. Finally, she says, “It’s not like it was really his.”

---