Chapter 19
Aida knocked on the door that separated her office in the palazzo from her aide’s. “Trista?”
“Enter.” Trista’s voice wafted through the closed door. When she saw Yumi standing behind Aida, the woman drew herself up
and cleared her throat. “Miss Tanaka. I had heard you were in Rome.”
Yumi reached out her hand. “It’s good to meet you in person finally, Miss Acheron. Aida has told me how much she loves working
with you.”
Aida smiled, hoping she didn’t appear on the verge of laughing at Yumi’s bald-faced lie.
Trista seemed flustered at the idea, hesitating for just a fraction of a second before shaking Yumi’s hand. That slight pause—was
it surprise? Or calculation? Aida had never thought twice about Trista’s measured responses before, but now, with what she’d
learned about the gods’ use of automatons, the thought slithered in uninvited. What if Trista wasn’t even human?
“Well, that’s nice to hear,” Trista said. She sounded sincere.
Aida shoved the idea aside. She was letting paranoia get the better of her.
“The palazzo is beautiful,” Yumi went on. “You must love living here.”
Trista shrugged, but it seemed Yumi had cracked her hard veneer. “Tell me what I can do for the two of you,” she said, her
voice warmer.
“I’ve told Yumi a lot about London, and how much I love the city, and we thought it would be nice to spend some time there. I wanted to find out what mode of travel you recommend if I’m flying with a friend.”
“The jet is fine,” Trista said. “And I’ll book you both rooms at the hotel right away.” She turned to go toward her desk.
“Are you sure, Miss Acheron?” Yumi asked, stopping Trista in her tracks. “I have a friend with a B and B we can stay in.”
Aida doubted this was true, but Yumi was great at making a good impression, and appearing unassuming was one way to do so
with Trista.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Trista said. “Why on earth would you stay somewhere like that? I’ll book you both now.”
They opted for an evening flight, and just three hours later, they were being whisked north across the dark European countryside.
“I still can’t believe this,” Yumi said as she leaned back in the white leather seat. She sipped at her champagne. “This is
how you travel all the time?”
“I’m lucky. And now, so are you.” But Aida also knew this luck was running out. How many more of these luxurious flights would
she be able to take?
“I have the most boring job, mostly sifting through code all day,” Yumi said before launching into a complaint about one of
her coworkers.
The small talk was just that . . . small talk meant to keep MODA from thinking anything else was going on between them besides
a friendship that crossed years and distance. They reminisced about their younger days: meeting for the first time, nights
out clubbing, Yumi’s bad dates, her family, and life in Boston. Yumi even mentioned hating her job enough to consider moving
into something non-software related, hoping to divert attention from her expertise in security.
A nervous energy that wasn’t usually there vibrated between them, and Aida hoped it wasn’t apparent to anyone who might be watching or listening.
She eyed the flight concierge who sat behind a closed windowed door at the far end of the plane.
The woman didn’t seem to be paying attention, but Aida knew that wasn’t likely true.
She would report the trip details to MODA, as she had in the past.
Yumi finally decided she wanted a nap, leaving Aida alone with her thoughts. She watched her friend sleep, and then panic
hit her, sharp, like a punch in the gut. They had never asked Aggie or Vulcan to give Yumi an aegis such as Sophie had given
to her and Luciano. Every misgiving ran through her with the thought. She should never have dragged Yumi into this. She wouldn’t
have the same calmness if a god was in her presence. What if she inadvertently gave them all away? What if that lapse got
her killed? Or got all of them killed?
The concierge opened the door and came to her. She spoke in a low voice so as not to wake Yumi. “Miss Reale, may I get you
anything? Perhaps something to calm your nerves?”
Aida froze. Could the woman have known what she was thinking? “Calm my nerves? Why would you ask that?”
“My apologies, Miss Reale. You looked like something was terribly wrong and I thought I might try to help.”
“Oh, nothing is wrong,” Aida said, making a mental note to find a way to keep her features calm when gods weren’t around.
“I was just thinking I forgot to pack my favorite jacket.”
“Do you want to describe it to me? I can have Trista ship it overnight for you.”
“No, that’s all right. It’s a good excuse to go shopping,” she said, forcing a smile.
She watched the woman return to her post, realizing that an aegis might not save them, after all. Mere mortals could be the
end of any one of them.
The next morning, Yumi knocked on the door in the sitting room that connected their two rooms. “Up and at ’em,” she called.
Aida wiped the sleep from her eyes and looked at the clock before heading to the door. “Seven a.m.?”
“We’ve a lot to do today, Miss Reale,” she said, imitating every person who had talked to the two of them since they had arrived—the
doormen, the bellhop, the front desk, the service staff that passed them in the hallway all knew them by name. “I’ve already
called down for breakfast to be sent, and they’ll be here in ten minutes, so throw some clothes on.”
Breakfast was silent as Yumi and Aida texted each other on their personal phones to plan the day, not daring to talk about
their plans aloud. Occasionally, Yumi would regale Aida with some TikTok video or other, purely for appearance’s sake.
This is going to be impossible, Aida texted. There could be meanders all over the city.
Yumi, as always, was more optimistic. Vulcan said that there are five meanders, and they are located in some of the city’s most important public places. I pulled a list of the top ten locations by number of visitors and antiquities
to get us started.
What if they aren’t at the spots on the list?
Yumi shrugged. That’s for me to figure out. Worry not your pretty little head, Miss Reale.
Aida glared at her friend over their tea and croissants. Please tell me you’re going to stop calling me that.
Certainly, Miss Reale. Your wish is my command. Yumi passed Aida her phone. On it was a GIF of a beautiful woman curtsying, with the words, Yes, Your Majesty.
Aida couldn’t help but laugh.
They were leaving the hotel when a voice called out across the lobby, stopping Aida in her tracks. “Miss Reale!”
Aida turned and saw Mo coming toward her. The dread she first felt upon hearing her name dissipated with every step closer, leaving her with a deep sense of calm. She objectively knew that she should feel worried about Yumi’s potential reaction, but no anxiety came to her.
“Hello, Mo,” she said with a smile. “I wondered if I would see you.”
“I didn’t expect you here so soon after your last visit. And you brought Miss Tanaka with you.” He reached out for her hand
and kissed it. “I am honored to meet you.”
Aida wondered at his odd, cordial demeanor. Was it just a show for her friend? “Yumi has never been to London,” she said placidly.
“We’ll take in the sights for a few days.”
“So, this is Mo!” Yumi exclaimed with a girlish giggle. “You were right, Aida. He is handsome.”
Mo raised an eyebrow at Aida. “Handsome? I would never have guessed, Miss Reale.”
Aida was shocked at Yumi’s tactic for managing Mo, but she always had a knack for navigating awkward situations. “Admiration
isn’t the sole purview of men,” she said.
He chuckled. “You are always full of surprises, aren’t you, Miss Reale?”
“You live in London, right?” Yumi jumped in, putting on her best attempt at innocence. “Where should we go first today?”
He lifted his hand to his chin in a stereotypical gesture of thought. “The Crown Jewels in the Tower of London. I say start
there.”
“Perfect,” Yumi said, going along with his suggestion. She pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Let’s see if I can get tickets.”
“Don’t do that,” Mo said, waving his hand at her phone. “Go talk to the concierge. He’ll arrange it. You’ll never get in on
your own last minute.” He indicated a young man at a nearby desk.
“Be right back,” Yumi said, abandoning Aida to arrange for the tickets.
“Your friend is rather perky,” he said to Aida once Yumi was out of earshot. “A bit too perky. How can you stand being around
someone so annoying?”
“The same way I stand your criticism of my friends,” she retorted.
“I suppose I deserved that.” He seemed oddly contrite. “So, handsome? Of course, I am. How could you think anything otherwise?”
“There’s no conceit in your family, is there?” Aida said, knowing she was being cheeky. “You’ve got it all.”
He only gave her that damnable grin. Then he grew serious. “Are you really just sightseeing?”
Aida silently thanked Sophie for her aegis . . . Without it, she didn’t think she would have been able to keep her cool at
such a question.
“You don’t think I came here to see you, do you?” she asked.
He stared at her for a moment, then shrugged. “Fine. Tower of London, British Library, Tate Modern, London Bridge, the Churchill
War Rooms, and the Museum of London. Those are my suggestions.”
Yumi reappeared at Aida’s side. “The concierge pulled some strings so we could enter early. We’ll be the first ones to see
the Jewels today! Thank you for the suggestion, Mo.”
“My pleasure, Miss Tanaka. Now then, I must be going. Ta-ta, little sightseers!” He headed away from them toward the elevator,
his absence bringing her anxiety about the encounter back to the forefront.
Aida ushered Yumi out of the hotel and down the street. When they were a few blocks away, she pulled out her phone and did
as Vulcan said, tapping it three times and saying, “Hephaestus.” Her phone glowed brightly, then dimmed to normal. Yumi did
the same.