by R. J. Blain
No matter how hard I thought about it, he didn’t make sense to me. Maybe I didn’t trust Rob or his motives, but he hadn’t done anything to hurt me. I reminded myself of that fact several more times, and determined to be polite to him, I gathered my composure and ignored my damaged pride.
It wasn’t his fault Arthur had kidnapped me. It wasn’t his fault I had become ill. He had never shown any anger towards me, not even when I had bitten him for putting his fingers against my mouth and embarrassing me.
“I have things to do,” I stated, careful to keep my tone of voice as neutral as possible.
“Things dealing with Kenneth Smith?” Rob’s smile faded.
“I have a job to do, and if I don’t, I’m screwed,” I reminded him.
“Terry Moore again,” the dae grumbled.
“Yes.”
“I figured I wouldn’t be able to change your mind about doing that scum’s dirty work. Very well. How can I help?”
I tensed. “I don’t need your help to do my job.”
“You don’t, but I’m giving it, regardless. I don’t like what he’s having you do. It’s too dangerous, you’re not paid nearly what you’re worth, and it’s too risky for you.”
I flushed, but because his accusations were true, I kept my mouth shut.
A hint of his smile returned. “I have a proposal for you.”
“A proposal,” I echoed.
“You’ll allow me to work with you and help you deal with this Terry Moore problem. In exchange, I will give you information. Since I made your work more difficult, I think it’s only fair I repay that debt and aid you in your efforts.”
“What sort of information?”
“Places Terry Moore has lived in the past six months, the addresses of his parents’ estates, and a list of places he frequented before his death.” Rob smirked, relaxing and shoving his hands into his pants pockets. “It’ll save you a lot of time. I found one of your friends who feels she owes you a debt, and she helped me get the information I needed.”
A friend? Which one? While Kelsie would view my help as a debt to be repaid, I hadn’t thought her the type to sniff anything out on anyone, although everyone who managed to survive in the fringe learned tricks of my trade to some degree.
A wise woman alone in the fringe learned a lot of tricks, and I saw no reason to believe Kelsie couldn’t be like me.
Colby could have helped Rob to find her—and Rob struck me as the kind, for all he had severe personality flaws, to help someone in need. Colby also knew I went to help her, and it had a much easier time communicating with Rob than with me.
I frowned, considering how long it would take me to gather that much information, especially if I couldn’t access secure databases. Several days was a conservative estimate. Rob’s recent absence made a great deal more sense to me, even if he had secured Kelsie’s help. “You were out getting that information. That’s why you’ve been gone.”
“If Mr. Smith ever realizes how much he has underestimated your intellect, he is going to be very annoyed. I hope I’m there to witness it.” Rob’s smirk grew into a grin. “That is, indeed, what I was doing. I think it’s a fair exchange. I want to see you work, Miss Daegberht. I’ll try not to get in your way.”
“I don’t take dead weight on hunts,” I replied, narrowing my eyes. “What do you have to offer besides information—information I can find out on my own?”
“How does a pair of handguns and a rifle sound?”
Handguns sounded nice, and a rifle sounded even better. “Are we talking a hunting rifle or an assault-style rifle? Are dae immune to bullets?”
Rob’s eyes hardened, and his grin turned predatory. “Assault, and not a style of weapon—an actual military rifle. In many ways, we’re not so different from humans. If you cut us, we bleed.”
Where in hell had Rob gotten a military rifle? My respect for him skyrocketed, as the military almost never let those weapons out of their hands. Even the police struggled to get them. To cover my astonishment, I muttered, “Unless you’re Colby.”
“Colby is a rather notable exception, yes. Do we have a deal?”
“I’ll think about it,” I replied. I considered Rob, and once again, my curiosity roused. While I had been taking antibiotics to aid my wrist’s healing, I was clean of other drugs. “Let me see your hand.”
Rob stepped closer, sliding his hand out of his pocket and holding his arm out. I poked his palm with a finger and counted for a minute before staring at my skin.
There was no sign of redness.
“Aren’t you satisfied I’m not going to hurt you yet?” Rob sighed.
“No, I’m not,” I spluttered, grabbing hold of his wrist. His skin was really warm, soft and smooth compared to mine, which was marred from scars and callouses.
His suit jacket and shirt prevented me from examining his arms, so I focused my attention on his palm and ran my fingers over the lines crisscrossing his hand. Maybe he was a dae, but his hands looked human.
“You’re so much like a human.”
“I’m as close to human as dae get.”
“How are you different?”
“Physically, I’m not that different from human men, I suppose. Our blood is different, and I’m pretty sure that while we share similar internal organs, mine are less critical than yours—at least some of them. It’s not something that’s been extensively studied, although I’m sure someone will start carving up dae cadavers to find out soon enough.”
“But dae turn to ash when they die.”
“That’s changing. The newborns are now old enough to maintain their forms.”
“Oh.”
“No redness?” he asked.
I released him, staring at my hand. “No redness.”
“I told you I wasn’t drugging you to prevent any reactions.”
All of the things I couldn’t do with others and all of the interesting things I had been told about but hadn’t been able to experience for myself rattled around in my head. Rob could touch me.
I could do all of the things with him women like Lily talked about and liked. My face burned as the realization sank in.
With him, I wouldn’t have to die a virgin or wonder what it would be like to kiss someone. No one would care who I slept with; everyone from the fringe assumed only the younger girls were virgins, anyway.
Even Lily believed I had slept with someone. To her, my reluctance to go to bed with Kenneth was a matter of pride and spite. No one except Arthur and Rob had any idea I couldn’t enjoy a man’s touch like other women could.
“Is something wrong?” Rob asked.
“Why did you make that absurd claim I was yours when you came out of my refrigerator?” I demanded, fighting against the urge to clap my hands over my face to hide my blush.
“I had to before someone else did,” he replied, snorting. “I saw you, and I knew I had to have you. It’s as simple as that.”
“You realize I have a say in this, right?” I scowled. “I get to decide.”
Rob crossed his arms over his chest and matched my scowl. “Why don’t I get to decide?”
“How would you like it if I decided you were mine and you had no say in it?”
“I’d be okay with that.”
That wasn’t what I was expecting him to say. Flabbergasted, I turned my head so I wouldn’t have to look him in the eyes. “Bullshit. You would have to forget about other women entirely. Are you saying you’re capable of that? I don’t share.”
It was a challenge, and it was one most people would laugh at me for issuing. Only the religious and the super-wealthy elite cared about monogamous relationships. People slept with who they wanted, and that was that. People in the middle caste cared sometimes, but only because the government DNA tested parents and children to keep track of who deserved what benefits.
Rob leaned towards me, pressed his finger to my chin, and turned my head so I was forced to face him. “I don’t share, either. You’re mine exclusively. D
id I forget to mention that?”
“I’m not property.”
Rob grinned at me, pressing his fingers to my mouth. “You’re pretty when you’re angry. Your eyes are so full of fire and life.”
His fingers warmed my lips. “I’m still not your property.”
“I’ll enjoy every moment I spend arguing with you over this. However, it’s a discussion that can wait until later. There are more important issues to deal with first. I want to accompany you while you do Mr. Smith’s dirty work. I have the information. I can provide you with weapons, should you want them. I’ll be able to keep up with you, no matter where you need to go.”
“How do I know you’ll do what I say when I say it? I don’t need your help to do my job.”
“Ah, but with me, you’d get it done a lot faster, and then we can deal with Arthur once and for all.” Rob straightened, lowering his hand from my mouth. “Two birds with one stone. We can remove your obligations to Kenneth Smith and hunt Arthur Hasling at the same time.”
“Have you found him yet?”
Rob’s expression darkened. “No. You’re going to have to show me where he held you captive. No one knows where he is, not his employer, no one.”
“Prove I can trust you to do what I need you to do when we’re out there. Once you do, I’ll consider it.”
“How would you like me to prove it?”
I considered him, looking him over from head to toe. Was it the suit that made him look good despite him being older than me? The fact I could touch him and explore him without consequence helped.
I wanted to know what a man could offer me and if one was as good as Lily and the other girls claimed. “Maybe I want you to give me a reason to keep you around. You are rather annoying, and the whole treating me like property bullshit is rather obnoxious. Make it worth my while. Your information is nice, but I can get that on my own. I don’t generally need weapons, so they’re just a bonus. What else can you offer me?”
“I will be helping you get your revenge on Hasling,” he muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. The way he glared brought out the vivid blue in his eyes. “You’re stubborn.”
I smiled at the frustration in his tone. “Elites are so often out of shape, incapable of keeping up with the hard-working men and women of the fringe. It must be so difficult walking around all day looking pretty. Can you keep up with me? Are you going to slow me down?”
Rob blinked, his brows furrowing. After a long moment, his eyes widened, and he laughed. “Did you just call me pretty?”
“Is there muscle under that suit, or are you like Kenneth?” I narrowed my eyes, focusing my attention on his tie. Rob really liked blue ties; almost all of them were some shade of blue or another. “He sits around all day and lets us bitches do his dirty work, you know.”
“You’re not his bitch,” the dae snapped.
I ignored his annoyance, although part of me appreciated the way he spoke without hesitation. “You’ll slow me down if you’re not in shape. It’s in my better interests to know what’s under that suit of yours.”
Rob narrowed his eyes and reached for his tie, loosening the knot. “You want me out of my clothes.”
“How does it feel to be property, Rob?” I sat straighter, crossing my legs while watching his fingers work at his tie.
His gaze dropped to my bare legs and stayed there. “If I didn’t know better, Miss Daegberht, I’d say you were flirting with me.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m telling you I need to see if you’re a flabby liability,” I replied, smirking at him. Maybe I had no experience with men, but I had listened to Lily often enough to know how she kept one’s attention. Her legs were far nicer than mine, always waxed smooth.
Rob didn’t seem to mind the fact I hadn’t shaved, and his eyes followed my every movement as I shifted my weight and crossed my legs the other way.
“I assure you I will not be a liability.”
“I’ve seen Kenneth without his shirt on. He might look lean, but there’s no real muscle on him.” I wrinkled my nose, knowing full well the elite had gone out of his way to run around without his jacket and shirt to try to entice me into his bed.
Those days were the ones Lily hated me the most.
Kenneth was attractive enough, but I liked him better with his clothes on.
“You’ve been around Kenneth when he’s not wearing a shirt?” Rob’s gaze shifted from my legs and swept upwards. He focused on my face, and his mouth twisted into a scowl.
“Strategic planning on his part,” I murmured, and because I wanted him to understand what it was like to feel like a piece of meat, I snapped my fingers and gestured at his jacket. “You’ll wear your tie out if you keep fiddling with it like that. Do you have the goods or not?”
Rob snorted pulled his tie over his head. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the end whipping at me. I had no idea how he managed it, but the loop settled around my right hand. “Do you really want to know?”
“Don’t like being bossed around, do you? If you want to stay underfoot and in my way, you better not be a slob under that shirt, Rob. I don’t need you getting in my way while I’m working.”
With a twist and a tug, Rob tightened his tie around my wrist. “If you want to see me demonstrate my strength, Miss Daegberht, try to pull free. You won’t.”
“You’re not very useful as property if you can’t follow simple directions,” I muttered, shaking my head. At the same time, I gave the tie a firm tug. Rob kept his grip on it, taking a single step closer to me. “Let’s see what you have under that shirt of yours, dae.”
Narrowing his eyes, Rob unbuttoned his jacket and slid out of it, shifting his hold on his tie from one hand to the other. He tossed the jacket onto the end of the bed. Kenneth wore looser shirts, probably to hide the fact his chest wasn’t nearly as nice as his face. Rob’s slick shirt clung to him, and as he went to work unbuttoning his shirt with one hand, I watched with interest.
There was nothing pudgy about Rob; a hint of muscle showed, and his chest was as tanned as his arms, unlike Kenneth, who was pasty beneath his clothes. I yearned to touch him, to find out if his skin was as smooth as it looked.
Rob tossed his shirt on the end of the bed to join his jacket. “Are you satisfied yet?”
Instead of causing him misery, perhaps I’d make my payback for his claims far more enjoyable for both of us. “Not even remotely,” I murmured, giving the tie another tug.
Rob drew closer, staring at me through narrowed eyes. “Is it a demonstration you’d like, then?”
“Perhaps,” I evaded.
I knew how fast dae could move from my experience with Arthur; Rob was faster, and before I could do more than gasp, he had his tie wrapped around my left wrist and both of my arms over my head. The pressure against my bandage was enough to make me aware of the dull ache. He braced one knee on the edge of the bed beside me, leaning over so his forehead touched mine. “Ties are very useful things, aren’t they?”
Part of me was absolutely terrified Rob held my hands hostage. Another part of me, the one that wanted his pants to join his jacket and shirt on the bed, was thrilled by his speed and strength. I gave a tug, careful of my left wrist, to find he had an iron grip. “I’m not sure how your skills in tie usage will help me sniff out information on Terry Moore.”
Rob laughed. Leaning forward, he whispered in my ear, “You asked for a demonstration. You didn’t specify what sort of demonstration you wanted. I heard you gasp, Miss Daegberht. I surprised you. I’m fast. You can try to break free if you’d like. You won’t. For a practical use of this specific skill, I’ll keep your prey immobile while you carve out payment for what he’s done. That’s useful to you, is it not?”
Rob’s breath was warm on my neck, and I shivered. I gave another experimental tug at the tie, wiggling my right hand in an effort to free myself. However, the way he tied the knot made it tighten with my efforts, until it was so snug I couldn’t shift the tie let alone remove it.
“Well?”
“Perhaps,” I conceded, staring up at my hands. Rob held the tie just out of reach of my fingers in one fist. When I relaxed my arms, his grip loosened. I lunged for his wrist, my fingers slapping against his skin as I sought purchase. He laughed, giving the tie a jerk to restrain me.
“You enjoy provoking me,” Rob accused, pulling away so he could grin at me. “What are you after?”
I widened my eyes. “A bad partner could get me killed—or caught. If you can’t keep up with me and do what you’re told, you’ll be in the way, and you’ll screw me over. You’d get away with it. I’d be expelled from Bach studies and sent to prison to rot for the rest of my life.”
“Under no circumstances will I permit you to be imprisoned,” Rob snapped.
“That’s part of the job, Rob. I don’t exactly do legal work.”
Rob growled something under his breath before saying, “And neither does Kenneth Smith, and if he lands you in hot water, he’ll burn for it.”
“No one crosses Kenneth and gets away with it. He’s too influential.”
“You’re mistaken. I will cross him and ruin him the instant he even thinks about turning on you.” With his cheek twitching, Rob pulled away from me, forcing me to sit straighter by lifting my arms higher. “You have no idea how much I want to keep you like this, tied up and unable to get into any more trouble. What should be illegal is how good you make that silk look.”
I sucked in a breath, my eyes widening. Kenneth only wanted me because he had already slept with the rest of his bitches. I was no match for the other women he recruited, and my scars over the years hadn’t helped matters any.
I was average and plain. My skin was the wrong color, too bronzed to be properly Caucasian-American, but too pale to be properly anything else, either.
“You don’t believe me.”
“I’m scarred.”
Rob lowered my arms, worked his finger between the tie and my right wrist, loosening the smooth fabric. He freed me, but before I could pull away, he caught hold of my arm and pulled my hand to his mouth. His lips found one of the scars, and he kissed my skin, light and gentle. “Then I’ll just have to show you how wrong you are, one scar at a time. I told you; your hands tell a story. Yours is one of strength and courage in adversity. Any man who fails to see your worth at a single glance isn’t worth your attention.”
