Hermes (Frozen Origin #2) Read online

  She seemed not to realize he was there as she stepped in past the door and dropped the towel to the floor. His mouth went dry as his heart beat rapidly and his lungs refused to take in a breath. Her back was to him, smooth and flawless all the way down to a pert rear end. He could almost feel her perfect handful of ass cheeks squeezed in the palms of his hands. If she turned around and showed him her front he was sure he would die. He tried to look away, to put his head down and pretend to sleep, but he couldn’t stop staring at her beautiful backside to save his life. She pulled on a sleep shirt and broke the spell that he had been under. He ducked his head into the pillow and pretended to sleep. If she noticed him, she never said a word. She just pulled back the covers of the other bed, slipped between them, and went to sleep. He could hear when her breathing evened out and she fell deep asleep.

  He tossed and turned long after she slept, trying to sleep but unable to. Worries and memories chased each other through his head leaving little room for rest. At some point he must have drifted off because when he woke it was daylight and he could smell coffee and bacon. He rose, dressed, and followed his nose to where breakfast was waiting, but Cherish wasn’t.

  Chapter 3

  Hades

  She had gone to a beauty salon for the first time since her father had died. She wasn’t hiding anymore so she was going to look her best. Keven would never recognize her without her hair covering half her face. She had needed to fade into the background because Keven’s friends were criminals, some were even convicted rapists, but now she was free of them and him. She left the salon and went to buy some clothes that looked good and actually fit. She changed into them at the store and threw away her old ones. She was going to get rid of all of them because she wanted no reminders of the last three or so years of hell. She bought some makeup and put it on in the car barely recognizing the girl who looked back at her in the mirror. She and Fabian’s new life was starting now and if she never saw Keven again, it would be too soon.

  She drove to the hanger and walked in, the smells of breakfast still lingered in the air though the food was long gone. She should have eaten in town but fear of being caught made her hurry everywhere she went. She might look different but the fear was still there. She grabbed some stuff out of the fridge and fixed herself a small breakfast in one skillet. She wasn’t paying attention as someone snuck up on her and she was caught in a grip of steel. Her training kicked in and she was lucky he hadn’t expected a small female to put up a fight. Fear spiked her adrenaline giving her extra strength as she relaxed putting him at ease before turning in his loosened hold and kneeing him in the crotch. As her attacker dropped to the floor writhing in agony, she realized it was Hermes.

  “Oh my God, I’m so sorry but you shouldn’t sneak up on a girl like that. You’re lucky I didn’t hit you with the hot frying pan or pour the burning grease on you.”

  He moaned but showed some signs of recovery. “I don’t feel very lucky.” He managed to rasped.

  When he seemed well enough, she helped him to the couch where he sat staring at her. She smiled at him seeing the approval in his eyes. “You like?” She asked and he nodded either unable or unwilling to speak. She wanted his approval too much and she knew no good would come of it.

  “When will we move on and where do you intend to take us?” Hermes asked. She had expected him to ask much sooner than he had.

  “I have options but I thought you might have some input. Fabian and I are free to go anywhere, we have no one but each other. We have no place to be but together.”

  “What is he to you?” Hermes asked.

  “He is my little brother. My father tasked me with seeing to his welfare when he died. Keven was my older half brother. I tried to look out for him and steer him right but he was a lost cause. I am sorry for the pain he caused you. He is beyond saving and I know now I can’t help him no matter what I do.” Cherish explained hoping he would understand and he seemed to.

  “Keven is the guy that was in charge?” He asked and she nodded. “I have a suggestion but I want you to hear me out before you object.” She could see red lights go off in her head since he already expected an objection but she remained quiet waiting for the axe to fall. “I need to go back to Washington D.C. to contact my people. I admit it will be dangerous, but if we make it to them we will all be safe.”

  “It is the first place Keven will look and he will be looking.”

  “I know, but it is the only way I know to contact my people.”

  “You keep saying your people, but you don’t sound or look foreign except for your eyes. You don’t really look Indian either, so who are your people?”

  “You don’t know who I am?” She shook her head wondering what she had missed. “I am a god, do you recognize me now?”

  “No, is that some kind of band? I got rid of the TV because it encouraged Keven to leave me and Fabian alone. He would get bored and bother someone else.”

  “Okay, I’m not sure how to explain this. My people are genetically manipulated super beings that were enslaved by Origin.”

  “I’ve heard of Origin before but never anything bad until I heard Keven talking about them. They kept you against your will?”

  “Yes, but now we are free. We now run the facility where we were kept, but Origin wants us back. Keven wanted to sell me to them. They will do anything to get us all back.”

  She listened closely and now she understood the danger was far beyond just Keven and his merry band of misfits, there was an organized and wealthy company after Hermes that had incalculable resources to use to find him. Life had just gotten even more complicated or at least now she knew how complicated it had been all along. She knew in that moment she would do anything for him as long as she could find a way to protect Fabian. He was innocent and defenseless and she couldn’t risk his safety no matter what she wanted.

  “We have to find a way to get Fabian to safety, then I will go with you.”

  “Where can we take him?”

  “There’s only one place, one person I would trust to see to Fabian’s care. Ben Ryman was a friend of my dad most of his life. They went on safari together until Ben lost a leg and couldn’t go anymore. He’ll take care of him until we can come back for him.”

  “Won’t Keven know to look there?”

  “Keven didn’t hang around at home enough to know anyone who Dad was friendly with.”

  Now they had a plan to follow and it was time to go. She got on the phone to reach the pilot who would be available at a moment’s notice. Larry answered on the first ring as if he expected her call. “I’ll be there in an hour. Where do you want to go?”

  “We need to go Texas, Dallas to be precise.” She hung up and turned to Hermes. “We have an hour to get ready and pack.” She wasn’t expecting him to pull her into his arms and hug her tight. He just held her until he was ready to release her then he kissed her lightly on her forehead before he dropped his arms to his side. She felt oddly disappointed that he had let her go. She went into Fabian’s room to tell him to get ready but he was already packed up. It was sad that at so young an age, he had learned to anticipate what would happen next.

  The pilot arrived, they loaded everything on the plane, and they headed for Dallas. She hadn’t seen Ben since just before her dad had died. Dad had visited Ben regularly over the years, never forgetting to visit and encourage him since Ben had sunk into a depression after he had lost his leg. It wasn’t just because of that, Ben’s wife had left him and taken their two children with her as soon as she found out. They were grown up now and visited him often, but he had lost many of their childhood years because his ex-wife moved often and hid the children from him. Ben was what most people would call a character; he was friendly, likable, and could tell a tall tale with the best of them. He had lived an exciting life that most only dreamed of when he was younger so it was sad to see how he had pulled into himself after the accident. It was years later before he started to come back out of his shell and live
d life again.

  They landed after only a couple hours since they weren’t that far away. She worried that Ben might not be home because he had remarried, even had another child, and taken back to his adventurous ways to some extent. Maybe she should have called him but it was too late to worry about that now. Larry would wait at the airport for them either way since she and Hermes would go on to Washington. Ben lived about ten miles from the little private airfield where they had landed. A rental SUV was waiting for them full of gas and ready to go. Her dad had traveled a great deal and had contacts all over the world, the owner of this airfield being one of the many friends he had made when he had gone on his safaris and other travels. There was no doubt when you were in a situation like she and Hermes now found themselves, it paid to have friends.

  They made it to Ben’s house in thirty minutes because traffic was heavy in the populated area they had to travel through. Both the airfield and Ben’s home were in more rural areas but there was a heavily populated area in between the two. She feared at first that no one was home but Hermes heard conversation behind the house and when they walked around, they found Ben and his son breaking a pair of horses.

  “Cherish, Fabian these old eyes haven’t seen such a welcome sight in years. Did you finally ditch that asshole Keven? Sorry, I forgot that was a sensitive topic. What ya’ll doin’ out here?”

  Cherish doubted he forgot the topic was sensitive but she was glad he was happy to see them. His son was around Fabian’s age and the last time her dad had brought them here, they had enjoyed playing together. She worried about Fabian’s social skills since he spent all his time around adults or alone. She wasn’t worried about the rough lifestyle Ben led because Fabian took classes in all kinds of things including horsemanship, self defense, weaponry, and he took trips regularly to hone survival skills and sports like skiing and diving. He wouldn’t have any trouble keeping up physically and would actually enjoy the activities Ben participated in these days.

  They talked a little, catching up and she introduced Hermes to Ben and his son while they got the horses ready for his farm hand to take back to pasture. She didn’t want to discuss anything around possibly unfriendly ears. They went inside where Ben had his housekeeper set out supper for all of them. They were starving so it was appreciated. Once they were done, the table cleared, and the housekeeper working in the kitchen, they retired to the family room to have a long talk. Ben suggested Fabian and Ben Jr. go to the game room and play.

  Now that it was just the three of them it was time to tell him everything. She explained about Keven and how he had spiraled out of control as soon as their dad had died he had taken to illegal activities. She let Hermes explain about Keven kidnapping him and his need to get to Washington to contact his people.

  “That’s a dangerous way to get to them.” Ben observed.

  “It’s the only way since they are so isolated and I have no other way to get a hold of them.” Hermes insisted. “Or do you have a better idea?” Of course neither of them knew enough about his males to suggest anything.

  “Why don’t you go check on the boys, Hermes, make sure they are alright?” Ben suggested in an attempt to get her alone and she was sure Hermes knew it for what it was but went anyway.

  “I’m glad to see you got yourself a good guy, Cher. I worried about you when you were still single when your dad died and all that responsibility fell on your shoulders.”

  “Hermes and I aren’t together.”

  “Not yet, huh. It won’t be long, believe me, I know what that look in a young feller’s eyes means and I’m happy for you, girl. I always saw you as an adopted daughter of sorts. Hell, I better change the subject or my eyes will get red. Not that I’m about to cry, no siree, not me.” Ben smiled at her and she detected a sign of those tears he denied. Hermes came in so they got back down to business.

  “I don’t want to bring Fabian with me, the risk is too great so I need you to keep him for me. I’ll give you access to his account so he’ll have money for anything he needs.”

  “Of course I’ll keep him for you, but are you sure you want to take a risk like this, either of you?”

  “We have to so Hermes will be safe. I’ll come back to get Fabian as soon as I’m sure there’s no problems.”

  She sat down and took the necessary documents out of her satchel. She had them made up when her dad died in case anything happened to her with one set for her to keep the other kept by the estate’s attorney. She had hoped never to need them because once Fabian hit sixteen, he would slowly take control of his part of the estate. At eighteen he would have more control, and at twenty one, he would take full control, but not have full access to all funds until the age of thirty at which time he could choose to pull everything out of the estate and set up his own accounts or leave it in the estate accessing only what he needed. Only a limited amount could ever be accessed by a temporary guardian, but it was plenty to pay Fabian’s way until she returned.

  With everything taken care of, she hugged her little brother goodbye, leaving him completely in someone else’s care for the first time since her dad’s funeral. It was hard for her to go, but Fabian seemed okay with it. He had a fellow gamer to challenge and play with him, what more could a young man asked for? Hermes pulled her out of the house by her arm, they had no time to waste. They got into the SUV and drove back to the airfield. Larry waited by the plane ready to go once they arrived. She was already getting tired of riding in the plane where conditions were rough. It was a small plane her father used for those impromptu trips he was known for. That spur of the moment ‘let’s go’ thing he had done often that had led to his death. Maybe he had wanted to die since his illness drained the vitality of life from him, but they would never know one way or the other.

  She sat next to Larry helping pilot the plane and Hermes sat right behind Larry where she noticed his eyes were on her more often that not. She tried not to read anything significant in his attention even though she wanted it to mean something more than it probably did. They flew above a storm, encountering some turbulence which kept her and Larry watchful and cautious. Fabian would have been sick had he come along so it was best he’d stayed behind. They rode out the storm and continued on for hours before they finally landed at another private airfield near Washington. They would clean up and rest a couple hours before going where Hermes wanted.

  The hanger they would stay in was much like the last one had been only smaller. Land was more expensive here and an airfield like this costly to keep. They shared the only bedroom, it had two twin beds for pilots to rest in. She showered first while Hermes unloaded their things from the plane. She had offered to help but he had insisted saying it would take her longer to shower and prepare for bed so it was best this way. Arguing with the man was a waste of time so she gave in. She showered quickly and put on her nightgown brushing her teeth before exiting the bathroom.

  He was already unloaded and waiting for her to leave the bathroom so he could get ready for the night. Maybe there was some truth in what he had said, but she still felt lazy when she didn’t help out. He finished his shower in record time giving her the feeling he really was anxious to get to their destination as quickly as possible. She wanted to sleep more than anything so she’d be rested in the morning, but her thoughts were going a mile a minute and nothing seemed to help slow them down.

  “You’re awake, aren’t you?” Hermes asked from his bed.

  “How can you tell?”

  “You keep sighing. What is bothering you?”

  “I’ve never been away from Fabian any length of time, this mission we’re on is crazy scary, and the more you know you need to sleep, the harder it is to do.”

  “Oh, that’s all.” He said and she could hear the humor in his voice. “Come over here and I will help you relax.”

  She could imagine all kinds of ways he could do just that, but somehow she didn’t think that was what he had in mind. The bottom line was she trusted him so she got out of b
ed and made her way to his. He pulled her into his bed and in front of him. He put his hands on her shoulders and began to gently knead them. He kneaded harder digging in to the stiff, tense muscles until they began to relax. He whispered encouragement into her ears and she relaxed more and more. She leaned against him as he continued, now it was more of a soft stroking, soothing motion. At some point she realized she was about to fall asleep, but it was too late.

  The next morning, she woke with a hard body pressed against her. Judging by the firm press of flesh and the shape it seemed to be, no it definitely was, male. She breathed in the fresh clean masculine scent all around her closing her eyes again and just enjoying the smell and the warmth. She felt him start to stir and wished with all her might that they could just stay like this just a little longer but it wasn’t to be.

  “Ready to get up? I hope you slept well.” He whispered in her ear making her shiver with delight. She knew he was the man she wanted, but could he ever want her? He was so handsome and perfect, he was everything she wanted while she was just an ordinary girl.

  She went to the bathroom to dress leaving him to dress in the bedroom. She hurried putting a minimum effort into looking good. She looked in the mirror, not too bad especially considering she had looked like shit for years to avoid the attention of undesirables. She went back to the bedroom to find Hermes gone, he was in the kitchenette cooking a simple breakfast of bacon and scrambled eggs. They ate then loaded up the rental SUV and headed to the room Hermes had stayed in while he was in Washington. He had called it a hotel room but it was actually a room kept by the government in one of their buildings where they kept agents, military visitors, and others they wanted off the grid. It hadn’t worked well bringing up the question of who knew where they would send him and did they give up the information purposely or just slip up.