Page 23 of Eternal Surrender
He hesitated. “And how would you know that?”
“I know him. Intimately,” I said it too quickly.
“He’s never mentioned you.”
“Really?”
“I find that rather odd.”
“I work for him,” I told him. “Deal mostly with the ‘tedious crap,’ as Orpheus calls it.”
“Like?”
Seeing Marcus again brought some comfort, but I knew well enough to keep my distance. “Investments.” I hoped that sounded convincing.
“He has a broker.”
“Orpheus hates his broker.” I bit my lip, thinking of how much better I could have phrased that. “But he likes his accountant.” I gave a crooked smile.
“How come I’ve never met you?”
“I’m rarely in London.”
He scratched his chin, staring off. “Do you know where I can find him?”
“He’s taking care of some personal business, I believe.”
“How do you know him again?”
“We go way back.” I wondered whether now was a good time to explain the truth, though knowing Marcus’s unpredictable nature, I reconsidered. The last thing I needed was to provoke an assault.
“Prove it,” he said.
I tried to work out how best to handle him. “Orpheus rescued you from Blackfriars.”
“That’s not exactly a secret.”
“It’s not exactly common knowledge either.”
He folded his arms across his chest to let me know it wasn’t good enough.
“You once befriended Orpheus’s doppelgänger. . .” I said wryly. “Orpheus was of course flattered.”
Marcus shifted his stance.
Realizing I’d brought up an intimate instance meant to be held in confidence, I tried to change the subject. “You found Jacob for him.”
“His son,” Marcus replied. “That was a long time ago. Orpheus told you that?” Marcus was uneasy. “Why has he never mentioned you?”
A train sped past spraying orange sparks. We both waited for it to head off down the track, allowing us to hear each other again.
“He finds me boring.” I gave a shrug, pleased to see the relaxed shift in Marcus’s demeanor.
He scratched his head, seeming to lose interest.
“He’s done this before,” I said. “Pissed off without telling anyone.”
Marcus took in a deep breath.
