looked
a little sheepish. “You have to be on call for us twenty-four hours
a day, you have to get us whatever we want or need since we can’t
go out and get it ourselves…”
“And some of those things are, er…not easily
obtainable,” Simon interrupted. “Then there’s making sure their
hotel rooms are stocked correctly, laundry to keep up with, running
interference with fans backstage, and a lot more aggravation.
They’ll keep you on your toes, so we pay accordingly.”
Athena’s vocal chords thawed. “But six
thousand dollars? That’s crazy, Simon. Can you afford that?”
Paul cast a questioning glance at Simon who
just shrugged. “Well, yes. It’s just money.”
“Just…” Speechless again, Athena could only
shake her head.
“C’mon, Athena, be a love and do it,” Paul
pleaded. “The minute we saw you, we knew you were the one we
wanted.”
“We?” She arched a brow.
“Oh. Well, Derek doesn’t actually know about
it yet, but I’m sure he’ll come round.”
“Mm-hm. You keep telling yourself that.”
Simon stepped forward and took her hands in
his. “We need you, Athena. I don’t want to hire just anyone; I want
someone who knows the lads, and someone they know and trust. It’s
only four weeks. Can’t you make some sort of arrangements for your
daughter?”
To her irritation she found herself actually
considering it, and gave herself a stern mental shake. “Not on such
short notice, no. Besides, I don’t think I could stand being away
from her that long.” A thought occurred to her and she narrowed her
eyes. “And why should any of you trust me? Who says I haven’t
changed? For all you know I’ve turned into a terrible person since
you last saw me.”
A quiet snort of amusement came from Paul’s
direction. “Oh, yes, you’re a master criminal now.” He held up his
hands at the glare she tossed his way. “Come on, love; we watched
you today during all that mad rush. You’re still the same
organized, conscientious, honest girl we knew. Some things might
have changed, sure, but deep down you’re still the same. Just like
we are.”
“Think about it,” Simon urged, giving her
hands a squeeze. “I’ll speak to your boss so your job will still be
here when you get back. Look, we’ll be here until Monday, all
right? We’re at the Holiday Inn near the airport, and I’m in room
215. Ring and let me know, okay?”
“Simon, this isn’t…”
“Think about it,” he repeated. “Let me know
something by tomorrow night, and we’ll go from there. We need you,
Athena,” he added. “And you’re the one we want.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
London, June 19, 1967
Thick, dark clouds and ominous growls of
thunder greeted Derek and Athena when they arrived at Picadilly
Station. Athena could smell rain on the strengthening breeze that
blew her hair over her shoulder, and she cast an apprehensive
glance at the sky.
“If we hurry, we might make it before it
pours,” Derek told her. He took her hand. “Up for a bit of a
run?”
A nervous laugh escaped her, and she nodded.
“Lead the way.”
With a quick grin over his shoulder, he
pulled her out of the station and down the sidewalk. Athena’s
laughter lost its nervous edge and changed to giggles as they
dodged surprised pedestrians, and even jogged in the road for a
brief spell. Just as the first spatters of rain hit the sidewalk,
Derek darted into a doorway, dragging Athena after him.
A clap of thunder punctuated the end of their
mad dash, and Athena pulled the door shut behind them. Breathless
and laughing, she turned to Derek.
Excitement made his eyes even bluer, and his
smile echoed the wild abandon coursing through her own bloodstream.
Mussed from the wind, his hair stood in spikes and whorls, and
without conscious thought she ran her fingers through it to smooth
it.
At her touch, his smile faded and his eyes
glowed with a different kind of excitement. Every molecule in
Athena’s body responded to it,
a little sheepish. “You have to be on call for us twenty-four hours
a day, you have to get us whatever we want or need since we can’t
go out and get it ourselves…”
“And some of those things are, er…not easily
obtainable,” Simon interrupted. “Then there’s making sure their
hotel rooms are stocked correctly, laundry to keep up with, running
interference with fans backstage, and a lot more aggravation.
They’ll keep you on your toes, so we pay accordingly.”
Athena’s vocal chords thawed. “But six
thousand dollars? That’s crazy, Simon. Can you afford that?”
Paul cast a questioning glance at Simon who
just shrugged. “Well, yes. It’s just money.”
“Just…” Speechless again, Athena could only
shake her head.
“C’mon, Athena, be a love and do it,” Paul
pleaded. “The minute we saw you, we knew you were the one we
wanted.”
“We?” She arched a brow.
“Oh. Well, Derek doesn’t actually know about
it yet, but I’m sure he’ll come round.”
“Mm-hm. You keep telling yourself that.”
Simon stepped forward and took her hands in
his. “We need you, Athena. I don’t want to hire just anyone; I want
someone who knows the lads, and someone they know and trust. It’s
only four weeks. Can’t you make some sort of arrangements for your
daughter?”
To her irritation she found herself actually
considering it, and gave herself a stern mental shake. “Not on such
short notice, no. Besides, I don’t think I could stand being away
from her that long.” A thought occurred to her and she narrowed her
eyes. “And why should any of you trust me? Who says I haven’t
changed? For all you know I’ve turned into a terrible person since
you last saw me.”
A quiet snort of amusement came from Paul’s
direction. “Oh, yes, you’re a master criminal now.” He held up his
hands at the glare she tossed his way. “Come on, love; we watched
you today during all that mad rush. You’re still the same
organized, conscientious, honest girl we knew. Some things might
have changed, sure, but deep down you’re still the same. Just like
we are.”
“Think about it,” Simon urged, giving her
hands a squeeze. “I’ll speak to your boss so your job will still be
here when you get back. Look, we’ll be here until Monday, all
right? We’re at the Holiday Inn near the airport, and I’m in room
215. Ring and let me know, okay?”
“Simon, this isn’t…”
“Think about it,” he repeated. “Let me know
something by tomorrow night, and we’ll go from there. We need you,
Athena,” he added. “And you’re the one we want.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
London, June 19, 1967
Thick, dark clouds and ominous growls of
thunder greeted Derek and Athena when they arrived at Picadilly
Station. Athena could smell rain on the strengthening breeze that
blew her hair over her shoulder, and she cast an apprehensive
glance at the sky.
“If we hurry, we might make it before it
pours,” Derek told her. He took her hand. “Up for a bit of a
run?”
A nervous laugh escaped her, and she nodded.
“Lead the way.”
With a quick grin over his shoulder, he
pulled her out of the station and down the sidewalk. Athena’s
laughter lost its nervous edge and changed to giggles as they
dodged surprised pedestrians, and even jogged in the road for a
brief spell. Just as the first spatters of rain hit the sidewalk,
Derek darted into a doorway, dragging Athena after him.
A clap of thunder punctuated the end of their
mad dash, and Athena pulled the door shut behind them. Breathless
and laughing, she turned to Derek.
Excitement made his eyes even bluer, and his
smile echoed the wild abandon coursing through her own bloodstream.
Mussed from the wind, his hair stood in spikes and whorls, and
without conscious thought she ran her fingers through it to smooth
it.
At her touch, his smile faded and his eyes
glowed with a different kind of excitement. Every molecule in
Athena’s body responded to it,
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