by Tigris Eden
She needed this job. She needed Diamond to accept her contract. She wasn’t desperate, but she knew he was the lesser of the two evils. The other alternative, working for Attia, could not be an option. What Nadya had, every male would want. She was a rare commodity and she would use that as her bargaining chip.
Nadya made her way back into the sitting area and parked it on the couch. She sat on the one closest to the door. She didn’t want to sit where Diamond had sat. There was something about his posture that screamed territorial. Like everything around him that he touched or gave the slightest attention to belonged to him. Men were greedy that way. Diamond appeared even more so. The couch was worn but comfortable. The towel she’d wrapped herself in barely covered her, and she found herself a bit uneasy. In Inwood, there was no such thing as modesty, but for reasons Nadya couldn’t explain, she’d always been a bit apprehensive when someone was able to view her in the nude. She shifted a bit, and when she moved, the cushion beneath her sunk a little lower, relaxing her body further. The muscles in her neck and back were now free of knots and they hummed with a warm vibration, her legs felt heavy. It didn’t take long for her to fall into a restful sleep. This time, she dreamed of blood and glory. A peculiar thing to dream of for sure, for someone like her, but she dreamt nonetheless.
V
As long as she didn’t touch anything in his crib, he wouldn’t trip. Lavarious knew his anger got the best of him sometimes, and he tried to control it. With all the stuff happening right now, he couldn’t afford to lose his cool. Needed his head clear and free of distractions. The walk up to the top floor served as a deterrent. It gave him time to think. Everyone wanted something from him. More Wave, more electricity—they didn’t like the conservation rule the city adhered to. It was for everyone’s own good. The more they saved, the more they’d have. With constant running water, you could have electricity, which in turn would keep the factories open longer. For now, it was everything in moderation.
He was getting too old for this shit. It had taken him years to get the city back on its feet, and he wasn’t about to let the outsiders or any of the inner-city gangs take what he’d worked so hard to put together. And now to have someone try and blow him up… Well, that was all kinds of fucked up. He had no intention of getting dead anytime soon. He couldn’t pinpoint who his enemy was, but he’d find out. Marius had stopped coming to the council gatherings. Diamond knew there was a reason for it, but the last person he’d thought would try to kill him was Marius. The man had his hands full trying to control those infected with Rage.
There was a quiet snore coming from the other side of his door. Diamond rolled and cracked his neck. He didn’t recall telling her she could fall asleep. He opened the door to find her strewn across his couch, one leg hanging off the edge, the other stretched out along the cushions, her hands underneath her head. She let out another quiet snore. Of all the things he’d expected to find, this wasn’t it. His jaw tightened. He tried really hard to gather some patience. She doesn’t know the rules. But she would.
His hand gripped the doorknob, and with a hefty swing, he slammed the door shut, ensuring his unwanted guest was wide-awake. Her body jumped, her towel fell to the floor, and she quickly stood, eyes wide and surveying her surroundings. She was on the defensive, and she was butt-ass naked.
“Where is the robe I told you to grab?” Fury swept over him, threatening to take him in the harsh curl of a wave. She had a bruise on her ribcage, a scar that indicated someone had stabbed her, and there were markings on her hips he’d never seen before. Three circles interlocking with a curled J at the bottom and a triangle on the top. Interesting. Was it so hard to follow simple orders? Shower, robe, and sit. It wasn’t rocket science.
Disoriented, she looked around for a moment before she shook off the last vestiges of sleep. Her eyes, which were a clear grey-blue, focused on him.
“Couldn’t find one.”
“Right, so you use my Egyptian cotton towels to wrap yourself with. Nothing but the best, I see.”
“Like I know what that even means.”
Lavarious huffed. She was from Inwood, what did he expect? It wasn’t like she’d ever been introduced to the finer things the world had to offer. From the looks of her body, all she knew was pain. Those bath sheets had cost him a month’s worth of semi-pure Wave.
“Don’t move. I’ll be right back. Someone’s on their way here to check you out. Before I enter into contract with you, I want to know that what I’m getting is real. In the meantime, just stand there. I’ll get you a robe.”
Her grey-blue orbs flashed with indignation before the anger quickly disappeared, replaced with acceptance. She didn’t like him telling her what to do. Well, she’d better damn well get used to it, because this was going to be her life going forward. Already, he didn’t like her.
He could feel her eyes tracking him as he made his way to the bathroom. He wasn’t going to let the female disrupt his thoughts. He had shit to do, and he knew that it was going to take a lot of training before she’d be ready to accept her first customer, let alone a patron. There were things he needed to get in place. An announcement would have to be made, provided what she said was true. He knew the leaders in the inner city would want to throw in their bids. She was going to be a prime candidate for breeding. Lavarious rounded the corner and cursed. His bathroom looked as if a sandstorm, complete with lightning, had obliterated the area. Total annihilation. His white, pristine shower was ruined.
“Are you shitting me?” he hollered out into the hall. Diamond got no reply, but then he didn’t really expect to. The girl wasn’t functioning with a full deck. She couldn’t be. Because anyone stupid enough to not try and clean the mess they’d made had to be daft.
“I tried to clean it, then I gave up. You told me to clean off all the dirt,” she protested from the other room.
Gave up?
Gave up?
Totally mental, Diamond decided seconds later. She was calm, and he was livid. Anger was a slow simmer in his veins. Anyone else would have done everything in their power to get rid of the dirt. She did nothing.
“Woman, I was hoping the dirt I saw on you wasn’t caked on as much as I first thought. This will never get fixed. I don’t have a plumber on speed dial, and even if I did, and I could make a call, who’s gonna come here and work on pipes begging to burst?”
No response. Nothing.
She stood there, buck-ass naked with a look of boredom on her face.
Of course.
Lavarious opened his closet and pulled out a robe. It was plush, but it was old and fraying on the ends. At least, she’d be covered up, and he wouldn’t have to look at all of her tan skin. How the hell had she gotten so tan? There wasn’t enough sun to allow for that type of glow. He had to admit, that in itself would work to his advantage. As long as she checked out. If she wasn’t a virgin, he was going to throw her out on her ass.
Taking a deep breath, he made a mental note to see if Lip knew of anyone who could fix the drain in his shower and made his way back to his living room.
“Here,” he tossed the robe in her direction. She briefly made a sound before wrapping it around herself, pulling her arms through, and tying the sash at her waist. “You can sit down now. Tell me about yourself. In what part of Inwood do you reside?”
“My family and I stay closest to the marsh.” Her answers were too quick. Practiced.
“How is it you’re dirty. I thought those closest to the marsh faired the best.”
“Misconception.”
“Really?”
“Really.” She snorted right before she rolled her eyes.
“How old are you?”
“I’m going to be twenty-five.” Her eyes darted left then right before she looked past his shoulder. She either didn’t know how old she was, or she was lying. He was going to pick the latter.
“Aren’t you a little old to be a virgin? There are girls younger than you selling it for their next meal. Why have
n’t you?”
She fiddled with the sash on the robe for a moment before answering.
“There weren’t any men I wanted to give that to. Having sex with someone is intimate and makes you vulnerable. A person has to open themselves to another. Share their soul. There is no one to do that for me. Not now.” There was some truth in what she’d said. Or, it was truth for her, anyway. He shared his soul with someone every damn day and twice on Sundays. Sex wasn’t intimate. It was a way to release pent-up energy and aggression.
There had been someone at some point. He could hear it in her voice. He would have laughed at her. Probably should have. Instead, he asked her another question.
“What happened to the man you wanted to give your soul to?” He said the last with derision.
Her eyes tracked him as she swallowed. She was going for innocent, and she was doing a stand-up job of it. Lavarious found himself staring at the delicate column of her throat as she tried to come up with an answer she thought he wanted to hear.
“The truth, girl. Don’t lie to me. I’ll know if you do.”
Her eyes snapped to his, and for a second, he could have sworn he saw some sort of challenge. But then it was gone.
“He was infected. There was nothing we could do. He knew he was changing, and he left. Didn’t even say goodbye, just left.” Her voice wavered, and he could tell she was struggling to hold back her tears. Sympathy was for the weak, and Lavarious always made a conscious effort to be sure and show none.
“The boy wasn’t very bright, then. And there are no such things as souls. If there were, that would imply there is some sort of higher power, leaving people to believe there is hope after Biel. There is none; when you die, you die. Your life is no longer of any value. Since we are on the topic of such trivial things as souls and life, you do know all who sign contracts with me are subject to a clause written into the agreement? When you no longer have use of your body and are on the verge of meeting what fools call the afterlife, you are to relinquish your organs to me. If all you say is true, and Emerald confirms, that’s what you will be agreeing to. Among other things.”
She gave a non-committal shrug.
Lavarious watched her closely. Wanted to know if she were really willing to take this game of hers further. People knew what it meant when their organs were harvested by him. It wasn’t a pleasant procedure. It was archaic and extremely painful to the person that was being harvested. Eightball had yet to come up with a way to perfect the procedure. They didn’t have drugs that could put a person under. They’d used up that supply a long time ago.
“I have some conditions of my own.”
The laugh she coaxed from him was almost heartfelt.
“Do you now?”
She nodded slowly. “Yes, when Emerald confirms my status, I want my mother and sister to be brought here to live at the Quarry.”
That was not something he did. Ever. His contracts didn’t extend to family members. This female wore her emotions on her sleeve, or pretended to, at least. There was something missing from her request, however. It was the lack of emotion behind her eyes. Did she even care for her family? Or was this just an agreement for her? In his line of work, he had to know how to read people. He teetered back and forth with her. It bothered him.
Half the women and men he employed came here for a multitude of reasons, but the main one was survival. They didn’t care about their families or whom they considered loved ones. All they cared about was themselves, and that trait—their selfishness—ensured they did whatever was necessary to stay on top. The new recruits would eat her alive, prey on her weakness and use it to their advantage. She’d never make it out on the floor.
“Everyone that lives here has a job. No one lays their head here for free. What can your sister and mother do for me? Is your sister like you? Untouched?”
The widening of her eyes was all the answer he needed.
“Well, then, I’ll take you both on. And your mother, what about her?”
“You can’t have Nika, she’s barely twenty. I won’t let her work here.”
“Well, what the hell do you want me to do with your people, woman?”
Was he actually negotiating with her? He never negotiated. It was his way or no way. She’d bring in a lot of resources he normally didn’t have at his disposal. He’d have to wait at least three full years before he could use Nadya’s sister. But during the waiting period, he’d train her. Bring her to heel under his boot.
“Isn’t there something else they can do? What if they, um…” Nadya looked around. Her eyes calculating as she tried to come up with a solution. A solution he’d never agree to, but there was something about her being uncomfortable and unsure that appealed to him. “They could be your personal assistants.” Her eyes brightened as the idea sprang from her lips. She really thought her idea would work.
“Have a personal assistant. Two actually, don’t need four.”
Her shoulders slumped in defeat, and that’s when he saw the tears threatening to escape the rim of her eyes. She was going to cry. Actually cry. Oh, hell no! That was on the top of his list of shit he did not deal with. They were fake tears. He knew it down to his soul. Her wet eyes held no emotion as her lip quivered. She put on quite the production, though. Her shoulders shook and a small sob escaped.
“Lady, don’t start with the waterworks. You’ll find I’m unsympathetic to your plight. Tears don’t do anything but piss me the fuck off. “
A very un-ladylike sob came out of her mouth, or it could have been her attempt to hold back a laugh. That time, he wasn’t sure. Her legs gave out and she tumbled to the ground. He almost believed her act. He went to her anyway. This way, she’d at least think she was the one running the show. He’d see what it was this act was leading up to.
“What is your problem? Seriously. You came to me, not the other way around.”
There was a knock at the door. Emerald and Lip were walking in. Both men looked at the scene in front of them, and Diamond stood to his full height then cleared his throat and took a seat in the chair opposite of the woman.
“She started crying and she fell.”
“What did you do to the poor girl?” Lip asked.
“Emerald, check her out. That’s why you’re here.”
The big-ass Maori nodded his head before walking over to Nadya.
“Lip, help the girl up, and let’s head over to Lavarious’s room,” Emerald said.
Chapter 4
Men, no matter how much of an asshole they were, had a tough time dealing with a crying, sniveling woman. She’d broken down in his living area. She knew the score but had hoped this time, things would be different. Turned out, Diamond was like any other man she’d encountered before. Her mind was definitely fractured somewhere because she knew this wasn’t her first time being overly dramatic in order to get what she wanted. Something for her to remember. Lip had helped her up, and foolishly, Nadya had looked over her shoulder to see if Diamond had even a little bit of kindness towards her in his eyes. What she saw was steely determination. And irritation at her outburst. She cursed inwardly for thinking he’d show a modicum of emotion. Her thinking he’d show anything other than irritation was stupid.
Nadya was in his room. A place he slept. It wasn’t what she’d expected, but then, nothing was ever what she expected. She was used to sleeping on the hard benches inside of a subway car. The entire park was littered with subway cars. Rundown and rusted out, she made do. The outsides were painted with graffiti and dried blood from the Rage Wars. The wars had been brutal, claiming more than half of the city’s inhabitants. If they didn’t die from the disease itself, they were consumed by rage. Anna had told her the story of the war. She had been alive during that time, but she didn’t have a single memory of it.
Diamond’s room was masculine and neat. Nadya was reluctant to take a seat, but at the urging of Emerald, she did. She looked around, peering out a large window. It took up an entire side wall. There were gold and br
own curtains pulled back to show the view of outside. The bed she sat on was firm but comfortable. Some sort of leather covering on the wall with square patterns and gold circles supported the bed. Soft pillows were stacked and situated in a way that showed he was a man who didn’t like items out of place. In front of the bed was a bench, and across from that was a desk where Emerald stood, talking quietly to Lip. Adjacent to her was another mini-bed that only had one pillow, but long enough for her to sleep on. She remembered there was a word for the sleeper, but couldn’t recall what it was. Her brain catalogued everything. Her attention moved back to what was going on in front of her.
The man called Emerald was huge. But he had a gentle disposition. Nadya didn’t know how she knew, but she did. His face was covered with some sort of tribal markings. They were dark against his already deeply tanned skin. The markings traced his nose in a delicate but masculine pattern, sweeping down his cheeks and ending just beneath his jaw. There was a long scar on the left side of his face; however, it did not distract from his masculine beauty. His brows were furrowed as he looked her over. His eyes gave nothing away as he studied her. She couldn’t quite place the color of his eyes. They were a mixture. Gold swirls and bright blues mixed with a deep emerald green all came together to give off a color so stunning it stood out against his dark skin, drawing a person in. Nadya found herself leaning forward until she almost fell over. Hypnotizing eyes.
