Page 49 of The Deeper Game
“I want to visit him,” Zeus announced.
“Are you afraid he’ll tell the authorities about us?” I asked.
Zeus sniffed, like that was the craziest thing he’d ever heard. “Sleazy Travis would never snitch on us. We could get to him so fast.”
“What is it, then?” Thor asked.
Zeus paused, as though his thoughts were baffling even him. “Just to make sure it’s really him in that hospital bed. And I want to ask him to his face about the package he left. I want you to come too, Odin.”
“He won’t admit it,” Odin said.
“I know, but did you think it was too easy?” Zeus asked. “Did it feel too easy?”
“Hmm,” Odin said, considering it
Zeus grunted.
“You’re not suggesting we postpone the Prime because we’re awesome in ferreting out our enemies, are you?” Thor asked.
“It felt easy. And the frame job on Ingvey—that was off,” Zeus said, ever the instinctual one. His gaze fell to me. “It can’t hurt to make sure. It felt so easy.”
“So easy forus, you mean. Easy relative to the shit we do now,” Odin said. “Running down criminals is much easier than knocking off the mostfucking-gwell-protected structures in the Western hemisphere.” Odin flicked water at Zeus. “You, my friend, are unused to easy work.”
“Whycan’tit be easy?” I asked. “Why can’t that be a goal? Don’t you guys deserve better?”
Thor groaned. “Is this the Tunisian island again?”
“It’s being good to yourselves,” I said. “You’ve messed with your enemies, but where does it end?”
Odin frowned.
“She’s picked out an island for us to retire on,” Thor explained.
Zeus furrowed his brow. “You knew this was what you were signing on for when you joined us, Isis,” he said, seeming troubled. “Are you regretting—”
“No! Of course not,” I said. “I wouldn’t go back and change a thing. I’m with you one hundred percent, you know that.”
“It’s our moral obligation tofucking-gmake them wish we were dead, Isis. What possible reason would we have to abandon it?” Odin stared into the dark trees.
“Because you need to start being good to yourselves,” I said.
Because I love you,I thought.
I needed to tell them how much I loved them—each of them individually, and them together—but not in the middle of an argument.
I knew they loved each other, too. They thought they were saying it with their matching tattoos, but it wasn’t the samething. Especially now that they’d soon be emblazoning that stupidYou WISH we were dead, motherfuckersmotto on our arms. That wasn’t about love.
“We can’t just fade away and let them win,” Zeus said.
“Haven’t you ever heard? Living well is the best revenge.”
Odin shook his head.
I thought again about their talents and intelligence. What they’d given up. It made me feel desperately sad—too sad to sit there one second longer.
I wanted, suddenly, to be alone. To mourn the happiness they could’ve had. Could still have.
“Excuse me for wanting some peace and serenity for you.” I shot up out of the tub, grabbed a towel, and headed toward the sliding door.
