by Chloe Garner
He narrowed his eyes, tipping his chin slightly.
“It’s a survivor who does just that,” he said. “I shape the world the way I please.”
“You do it for sport,” Sarah said. “I ain’t impressed.”
They held eye contact for a long time, then he smiled.
“I see. You are very interesting, Sarah Todd. You disapprove of me. There aren’t many people who do that to my face.”
“I’ll nod and curtsey and whatever you like, sittin’ in your fancy office in your big house, but you’re in Lawrence, now. Ain’t nothing nice or comfortable about the place.”
Descartes smiled.
“I’d heard the guest housing was quite sufficient.”
She frowned.
“I like having women like you around me,” Descartes said, starting to walk toward the front of the train. “If you ever find you’re ready to leave Lawrence behind, you come see me.”
She stared at his back as Jimmy started to follow him.
“You like keepin’ a feisty harem?” Sarah asked. Descartes stopped. Turned. Met her eye once more.
“No,” he said. “But I would be happy to break you for it, if that’s what you wished.”
“Not if I break you first,” Sarah said. The corner of his mouth pulled back. It might have been the first emotion he’d expressed that wasn’t veneered.
“It would be an interesting engagement,” he said. “Fortunately for both of us, you are spoken for.”
Sarah snorted, and he turned again.
“You plannin’ on walkin’ all the way to Lawrence?” she asked.
“Prepared to,” he said without looking back. “The engineer is in my car, but you blew up the engine, so I assume there will be work required.”
“I have people coming,” Jimmy said. “We want the line running by tonight.”
“I imagine,” Descartes said. “You have riches to bring down out of those hills. That doesn’t happen without transit.” He glanced back, not actually looking at them, but invoking his awareness of them. “Now. My daughter spoke of the beauty of the mountains, and has said that you are taking investors up to see their claims. I may not own it anymore, but I would see the one that started all of this.”
Jimmy looked at Sarah, and while she’d expected to see a warning or a threat there, she shouldn’t have been surprised at all to see a playful spark. Sarah shook her head. There was a town full of bodies, of injured men, of burnt buildings. This was no time for him to…
“Of course,” Jimmy said. “All we have to do is get you up on a horse.”
The End
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chloe Garner is a wanderer with a host of identities in her head fighting each other to get out. Chloe writes about the things that go bump in the night, the future, and all things fantastical. Find her on Twitter as BlenderFiction, on Goodreads and Facebook as Chloe Garner, or at blenderfiction.wordpress.com.
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