"So why haven’t you given the go-ahead order to attack them?" Old Mr. Thorne asked after a while, his voice sounding more relaxed than when he had first spoken.
"We have their coordinates and the nature of their movements every day... why aren’t we doing anything yet? We could eliminate them once and for all and face the future. I am sure that will be a source of comfort even to the nation."
Athena took her lower lip in, pondering the best way to answer the question without her older friend thinking she was naïve or foolish. But then she let her thoughts flow out, choosing to damn the consequences. "I don’t feel it is the right time."
A thick pause enveloped the conversation on the other end of the line. Unconsciously, Athena waited with bated breath for the response, finding herself questioning why Old Mr. Thorne’s words meant so much to her now.
"If you feel the time isn’t right, then the time isn’t right. I learnt the hard way that if we disregard our instincts—our gut feelings—it often leads to trouble."
There was a second pause.
"If I had listened to my gut feelings twenty-nine years ago, I wouldn’t have lost my daughter and her precious husband."
The mood nosedived quickly, and Athena felt a weight of sudden grief crashing over her.
"I’m sorry about that, friend." She spoke aloud, feeling an immense sorrow for her older companion, even as she wondered why her heart ached when she didn’t even know his daughter.
"It’s alright. It’s all in the past. So, should we just keep watching them?" Old Mr. Thorne asked, his tone chirpy once more.
"Yes, please. Are they still engaged in those strange activities?" The most update n0vels are published on No(ᴠ)ᴇlFire.nᴇt
"Yes," he replied. "As a matter of fact, the boxes they carry on a daily basis have increased. We are keeping our distance, so we can’t check them out."
"Do you think it’s drugs?" Athena asked, glancing at the ceiling with furrowed eyebrows, her mind racing with the implications.
"I don’t know. We can’t know for sure unless we check the boxes. Should we send a spy in?"
"Not now. The unrest in their circle is high considering their disrupted plans. We should let everything lie low for now. We can send in a spy later."
"Alright then. Are you visiting Mrs. Thorne anytime soon? Since I told her you will be joining the kids this time around, she has been excited, arranging and rearranging the house."
Athena chuckled deeply and stood up from the cushion. "I will be coming soon, hopefully a few days from now."
Old Mr. Thorne’s voice got even chirpier. "That’s great! I will see you then! Greet Kate and Nate for me! Gianna too! I had to leave them after a couple of hours; Florence was missing me."
Athena laughed as she bent down to pick up her tote bag. "I will, old friend. Have a beautiful night with Mrs. Thorne."
With that, she ended the call and walked to the exit door. When she opened it and stepped into the corridor, she heard nothing. She wondered if Antonio and Aiden had fallen asleep while waiting for her.
She sighed gratefully. These two good men in my life...
But when she stepped into the living room, she found the two men hunkered over a game of cards.
Athena tsked, shaking her head.
"I see you both have made yourselves comfortable to spend the night here," She started when they didn’t notice her presence.
The two men jerked in surprise—making her laugh—and turned to face her. They both cursed at their startled reactions.
"Sneaking up huh..." Antonio spoke, rising to his feet.
"I didn’t! You both were just too engrossed in your games," Athena retorted, casting a glance at Aiden, who had mirrored Antonio’s movements.
"Are you done treating him? How is he now?" Aiden asked, putting the cards into their container.
"Yeah. He is getting better. I will be checking in on him from time to time, though, to see how he is doing. Hopefully, he will be up and about very soon."
Aiden nodded and gestured toward the door. "Are you ready to leave, my lord? I might faint if I spend another hour inhaling the scent of herbs."
Athena and Antonio laughed, shaking their heads, but they walked toward the exit door.
"You are crazy, Aiden," Athena replied just before stepping through the door.
In the car, on their way home, Athena recounted the text that Morgan had sent her. The trio laughed heartily at Morgan’s obvious frustration before settling into a more serious discussion.
"Can it be traced?" Antonio asked, referring to the phone number.
"I doubt it. Morgan is wiser than that," Aiden replied as he cut through a bend in the road.
As they approached Athena’s street, she turned to Antonio. "Where will you be sleeping tonight? You never mentioned it. If at my place, I can ask Gianna to move over to my room... or you can even stay with Aiden. I’m sure he won’t mind. There is enough space in his house."
Aiden agreed with a nod, but Antonio shook his head. In a perfect world, he would have loved to sleep in Athena’s house, in her bed... with her. But this wasn’t a perfect world.
"I already have somewhere to be. It’s just by the way."
Athena nodded and looked ahead, counting the minutes until she would be with her children. It had been a long day, and she deserved a very long rest.
"You mentioned that your house is by the way..." Athena began, a few minutes later, turning to Antonio again. "The next stop is my house, and you haven’t come down yet."
Antonio chuckled mischievously. "That’s because I have not gotten there yet."
Athena huffed and looked away, deciding not to pursue the topic until they got home.
When Aiden parked in the building’s garage, Antonio followed them into the building. Athena and Aiden exchanged curious glances but said nothing.
In the elevator, the silence was broken when Antonio punched in the floor number below Athena’s.
"You sly cow!" Athena shouted, laughing with Aiden now as she playfully punched Antonio on the shoulder. "You should have told me you rented out the space from the vacationing couple!"
"And where is the fun in that?" Antonio asked, winking at Athena when she huffed and gave him no reply.