“A good time out in the middle of nowhere?” she asked, though that wasn’t nearly as surprising as the idea of his bodyguard taking off.
“The nearest real town was about ten miles away, and they had a licensed brothel. So, he took the car out there.” Then, maybe because the tequila was already in effect, Justin randomly added, “I’ve never paid for sex, you know. No matter what else you think of me, I’ve never done it.”
“Noted.”
“Anyway, I went to bed and had this dream. That’s where things get messed up.”
“More so than being set on fire?”
“In a different way.” His gaze turned inward, and the expression on his face grew troubled. No, more than that. Pained. “I had this dream that felt really real. I mean, a lot of dreams do, but you’ve got to believe me when I say it about this. Really real. I was out in the woods at night, but there was a brilliant full moon that lit everything up. I sat on the ground, and three people sat in front of me. I was holding a golden apple.” Justin gave her an expectant look. “Does that mean anything to you?”
“No, should it?”
“A golden apple initiated the Trojan War.” Her face said she didn’t understand that reference either. “The short version is that a mythological war began when a Greek goddess of chaos gave a golden apple to this guy named Paris. He was supposed to give it to the most beautiful goddess, and three of them tried to get it by bribing him. The details don’t matter, but the results of who he chose caused a war.”
“Okay.”
“Anyway, I had this golden apple, and these three people wanted it.”
“They wanted you to pick the most beautiful?”
“No.” He frowned and seemed to be grasping for words. “It’s hard to explain. The apple wasn’t about beauty here. It was more than that. The choice was about, I don’t know, power. Power and allegiance.”
“Allegiance to what?” she asked.
“To one of these three. Giving the apple was a commitment, I guess.” The more he spoke, the more obvious it was that this dream had deeply affected him. “They told me I had power with the apple, but that if I gave it to one of them, they’d give me something in return. And just like in the story, they tried to bribe me.
“One of them was a man wrapped in smoke and darkness. I couldn’t really see him, but he spoke in this deep voice that made the ground shake. He told me if I followed him, he’d give me power and authority. He said I’d have wealth and influence and people scrambling to serve me. That they’d fear me. It was kind of intense, and he made some cryptic comment about how he knew my adversaries and could help me fight them. The woman—there was only one—was a little gentler. But still dangerous. And alluring. I could see more of her. Her skin was pure white, and she had gray eyes and silver hair. Not like graying silver. Like, real silver. Brilliant and beautiful…it nearly hurt to look at her….” He trailed off for a moment. “She told me she liked clever men and that if I gave her the apple, she’d give me wisdom that could unlock all the secrets of the world. I told her I already had wisdom.”
“Of course you did,” said Mae. Even in some life-changing dream, his self-confidence would still be going strong.
“She said I was wrong, that I had knowledge and cleverness—but not wisdom.”
“Like the Lady of the Book versus the Lady of Keys.”
The reference seemed to surprise Justin, but he nodded slowly. “I suppose so. The third guy was older, and I could only see half of his face. The rest was in shadows. He said no one could give wisdom, that it had to be earned. He said he’d teach me and that his thought and his memory would guide me. He also said he’d show me how to outwit my enemies and that I could have love that would make others stop and stare. That kind of pissed off the woman. She said, ‘So love can be given, but not wisdom?’ And he said that he never said he’d give it to me…just that I could have it, like if I worked for it. She called him a cunning bastard.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t give him the apple just for that. He sounds like a kindred spirit.”
“I didn’t get a chance to mull it over,” said Justin, though he had the first genuine smile she’d seen since they got back. “Because then the smoky guy scoffed and said that he could do that and more, that he’d give me more women than I’d know what to do with.”
“I assume you told him the impossibility of that,” Mae interjected.
“You’re on a roll here, aren’t you? Never thought I’d have a heckler while I was pouring out my heart and soul.”
“Okay, sorry.” She had to remind herself of all that was at stake.