by S A McClure
A flash of crystalline blue caught her attention. Jerking her head towards it, she saw the pinprick of blue light emanating from Frost’s eye and grimaced.
He had a cybernetic eye.
Although cybernetic enhancements had serious limitations compared to the natural abilities embedded in augmented DNA, they could still be dangerous. She’d once seen a cybernetic eye shoot a laser-beam so concentrated, it melted a tungsten door.
Tungsten.
The laser in that eye got over 3,422.22 degrees Celsius.
She didn’t want to consider what Frost’s eye could do.
He winked at her, a broad smile stretched across his face as he motioned toward the table.
“Please, sit.”
She shared another glance with Jasper. He smiled at her and motioned toward the chairs. She didn’t know him well. They’d met only a handful of times during Morta’s annual staff celebrations but had never talked for more than a few moments. She didn’t know if she trusted him to have her back. Her role in this whole affair was compromised.
A thought gnawed at the back of her mind. How did Spade know she’d be at this meeting? Clenching her jaw, she forced her features to soften as she took the seat indicated by Frost. Morta had trusted her to handle this affair.
She would not disappoint her.
“I assume you’ve read the contract Morta sent over?” she asked. She placed her baton on the table in front of her. If they wanted to make her feel uncomfortable in this space, she’d do the same to them.
Frost smirked at her. “Of course.”
“Good. Then we should be able to finalize this deal quickly,” she replied. Sweat beaded on her brow. and her stomach tightened as she tried to breathe but was constricted by the tight leather of her catsuit.
“Not so fast,” Guinevere said. She slid into the seat next to Frost and trailed her fingers down his back. “The LaRue family has some concerns about the terms outlined by your, uh, employer.”
“Of course, they do,” Amber grunted. Why did she ever think this catsuit would work out? She felt woozy from the lack of air, and her stabilizers continued to blaze uncomfortably on her forearms.
“What are their concerns?” Jasper asked as he took a seat next to Amber. He placed a hand delicately on her arm and raised an eyebrow at her.
She could take a hint. He didn’t like how she was handling the negotiation. Fine. She wasn’t supposed to lead the discussion anyway. She turned her attention back to Frost and Guinevere and smiled.
“First, the amount offered must be a joke. Surely Morta wouldn’t send such a paltry offer and expect it to be accepted. Honestly, it was almost insulting,” Guinevere sighed. Her tone was so monotone that she sounded almost bored with the conversation.
“I am sure that we can come to an agreeable amount,” Jasper replied smoothly. There was barely an edge to his words, though Amber picked up on the sourness to his tone in an instant.
Guinevere slid a small piece of paper across the table. “I think you’ll agree that this amount is much more in-line with the value purchasing Spade would bring to the Underworld.”
Jasper held the paper before him, his eyes bulging slightly. Amber cocked her head at him, and he handed her the slip. Her teeth clenched at the amount listed.
“Do we look like fools to you?” she hissed as she crumpled the paper and dropped it onto the table. “If Spade isn’t serious about selling their properties and place on Thoth, then this meeting is over.”
She pressed her hands onto the table and pushed herself up. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as she met Frost’s lazy smirk. She would give anything to be able to wipe that expression off his smarmy face.
“There is no need for that. Our employers are quite aware that Morta has much more to gain from them than they are from her. This acquisition will seal the Underworld’s place as the top casino on Thoth,” Frost said smoothly.
He rose and leaned toward her. He stretched his hand across the narrow table and tucked a stray hair behind Amber’s ear. Although she wanted to flinch from the touch, she forced herself to remain still. Acid burned the back of her throat. She swallowed it down and clenched her jaw. The way he continued to lazily smirk at her reminded her too much of her the men her uncle had sold her to. She squeezed her abdominal muscles and glared at him.
“But, the LaRue’s have other opportunities they would like to pursue. If Morta doesn’t like this evaluation, I’m sure The King would be more than happy to assume control of Spade’s assets,” he said.
Amber swatted his hand away.
“I would be very careful what you threaten,” she growled, her fingers wrapping around the baton on the table. She wondered if he would continue to smirk with the electrified end jammed into his chest. The thought almost made her laugh.
“I could say the same to you, princess,” he said.
The crackle of the electric pulse from the baton filled the space as she initialized it.
“Go on then, tempt me to show you just what I’m capable of doing,” she entreated.
Jasper laid a firm hand on her arm, pulling the baton down. “May I have a moment alone with my colleague?” he asked.
Amber didn’t break eye contact with Frost. His cybernetic eye glowed an icy blue. She wanted to jab the baton into his eye and see how cocky he felt then.
“Of course,” Frost replied, the lopsided smirk returning to his lips. “But don’t make us wait too long. The LaRue family is not a patient one.”
Sparrow, Frost, and Guinevere exited the small room through a metal door at the back. Jasper waited until the door clicked shut before he withdrew his hand from her arm.
“What the hell was that?” he shouted. “We’re supposed to be negotiating this deal, not instigating a syndicate war!”
Shame filled her. She’d let her emotions get the best of her. Again. Great. What was she going to tell Morta? She couldn’t think about that now. She needed to focus on getting the deal back on track.
“I know,” she huffed.
“Do you have any idea what kind of trouble this is going to get us into? Stars’ sake, Fortuna.”
Amber stared at her hands. She didn’t know what had come over her. “I’m sorry,” she said. She meant it.
“You better pray that we can still finalize this deal. Morta was explicit with me that she wanted it sealed today. No matter what the cost. She’s authorized me for way more than the amount listed on that paper you decided to destroy.”
“I got it!” she growled. She didn’t need him to reprimand her. She felt lousy enough about her outburst already. “I just don’t know how they knew I’d be here.”
He looked at her incredulously.
“What?” she asked.
“Seriously, Fortuna, do you have any idea what kind of a legend you are on the dark net?”
“No—”
“—Exactly. You know, for someone who’s supposed to know everything that goes on in the Underworld, you’re kinda clueless.”
She shrugged.
“Look, I’m not trying to cause a problem here. I just think that we need to think about what we came here to do.”
Amber sighed. He was right. “Fine,” she grumbled. “Let’s bring them back in and find out what else the LaRues asked for.”
He placed a heavy hand on her shoulder. She resisted the urge to smack him across the cheek with her baton. She did not like being touched without consent. She’d let him get away with gripping her arm earlier, but this was too much.
She glared at him and bared her teeth. “Let go,” she hissed.
Jasper cocked his head at her before slowly removing his hand from her shoulder. “I don’t know what your deal is, but you’re going to have to get over it. You’re here to ensure the deal goes smoothly. So far, all I’ve seen you do is screw it up. Do that again and I’ll make sure Morta knows exactly what kind of benefit you bring to the team.”
“Touch me again, and I’ll rip your arm off,” she
spat. She knew she was being too harsh on him. He didn’t know her. But, she was pissed at herself for rising to Frost’s bait and just wanted to get things over with.
He blinked at her. She glared back.
“Let’s get this over with,” she said.
She strode to the door Spade’s team had left through and shoved it open.
“We’re ready,” she said and turned her back on them.
“While we were waiting for you, we received a call from Justine LaRue,” Frost said. Instead of sitting, he leaned casually against one of the walls. “I’m sorry to say that we will have to postpone further conversations until we feel Morta has fully considered the benefits of this acquisition.”
“What!” Amber hissed. “We were only in here for a few moments.” Her entire body felt warm. She wasn’t sure if that was because of the catsuit or the anger building within her, but she didn’t care.
“You asked us to leave the table. Deals change when you make that mistake,” Frost drawled. He sounded bored.
Amber clenched the baton in her hand, ready to engage it again but Jasper stepped between them.
“Please, tell Justine that we apologize profusely for Fortuna’s outburst. She became overly protective of the Underworld’s brand. I’m sure the LaRues will understand—”
Frost laughed, cutting Jasper off. “You can quit your groveling. We’re not interested today.” He pushed off the wall and strode towards the table. Guinevere and Sparrow remained in the hallway. “Next time, I would suggest leaving the luck-driver at home.”
Anger boiled in Amber’s veins. If there was one thing she hated, it was being judged for her abilities. Even if she had been intending on using them to manipulate the deal, she didn’t like being pre-judged for something she hadn’t done yet. Besides, they’d brought their own.
She stormed towards Guinevere and pulled the woman into the room. “She’s here!” she yelled, jabbing her finger at the woman. “And she’s just like me. So, I would suggest that if you don’t want a ‘luck-driver’ here, you should get rid of her, too.”
“Get your hands off me, you augg!” Guinevere shrieked, slamming a fist into Amber’s cheek.
Her head snapped to the side. All the wooziness she’d felt earlier didn’t compare to the confusion that swelled in her now. Her vision blurred as she turned to face the other woman.
“What the hell!” Amber spat. She rubbed the already swelling spot on her cheek. Her stabilizers whirred, their heat uncomfortable. Her stomach fluttered as she realized that her natural self-preservation hadn’t kicked in. It was rare for someone to hit her. She could count on one hand how many times this had happened.
Guinevere slapped her again.
Blood bubbled from a split in Amber’s lip. She sucked on the copper-tasting liquid and stepped away from the Spade representative. “Stop doing that,” she hissed.
“Doing what?” Guinevere asked as she jumped forward and elbowed Amber in the stomach.
Okay. That. Was. Enough.
Amber dove towards the other woman. The impact knocked the wind from Amber’s chest. She yanked on Guinevere’s hair as she tumbled backwards. There was a satisfying ripping sound as a chunk of the other woman’s hair came free.
Serves her right.
Guinevere tripped over a chair. She fell to the floor.
“Ladies, there’s no need for this,” Frost said, his cybernetic eye pulsing with light.
Amber screamed as she rushed forward and shoved Guinevere’s head to the floor. She punched her in the nose. Once. Twice. And then a third time. A soft crunch told her she’d broken her nose.
“Enough.” A blast of cold air swept through the room.
Amber wrapped her arms over her head, trying to keep her ears warm. Her breath came out in a visible cloud.
“Guinevere, your presence is no longer needed. Leave,” Frost commanded sternly.
Amber sat back, giving her enough space to heave herself to her feet and run.
“Thor, if you don’t mind, I’d like a moment alone with Fortuna,” he continued, his eye still pulsing.
Jasper glared at her. Amber just shrugged and pressed a finger to the cut on her lip. She didn’t care if she’d botched the negotiation. No one called her augg.
Sparrow followed Jasper from the room, leaving her alone with Frost. She didn’t like being in the same room alone with him. She leapt to her feet and put as much space between them as possible.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she scowled at him. “What?” she barked.
He smiled warmly at her then. “I’ve been waiting for a chance to be alone with you this entire time,” he said, stepping towards her.
“What the hell?” she asked. Her cheeks heated at his words, but her head screamed for her to run.
“I said it earlier. You’re a legend, Fortuna.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “I just do my job and try not to get killed. That last part is normally pretty easy, considering I have a strong sense of self-preservation.”
“I can see that.” He took another step towards her. “Look, I can tell we’ve started off on the wrong foot. I would like to remedy that, if I can. But you have to trust me.”
She cocked her head at him, one eyebrow raising. There was no way in the stars that she was going to trust him. “You seriously think I can trust you now? No. I don’t think so. Better luck next time.”
He took another step towards her. She clenched her hands, the stabilizers flaring to life.
“Back off,” she commanded. Her entire body tensed as she anticipated his next move. She’d seen his type before. Overconfident. Completely focused on one thing and one thing only. She could normally dispatch them quickly. But they were alone in a secret, underground meeting cavern which left a lot to be desired in terms of escape routes.
He held up his hands plaintively at her, the gesture not quite meeting his eyes. He stared at her hungerly for several seconds before giving her more space. He shoved his hands into his pockets.
“I would very much like for us to be friends,” he said.
Well, she could give him one thing. With his tousled hair and relaxed stance, he gave the appearance of not caring about her answer. Yet, there was a tension to his shoulders and a slight tick to his lips that told a different story. She could toy with him, make him feel secure. Maybe even get him to accept terms that benefited the Underworld. She stopped herself from smiling at the thought. Maybe Morta really was right. Sex did sell.
She leaned her back against the wall, the black leather stretching uncomfortably across her abdomen. His eyes narrowed on the cleavage bursting at the top of the catsuit. Men were so predictable.
She smirked. “We can be friends when the acquisition is complete.” Too bad Amber wasn’t interested in sealing the deal through those means.
The chamber became suddenly cold as a gust of wind swirled around her. She shivered, her eyes narrowing on the hazy blue light emanating from Frost’s eye.
“Stop it,” she hissed.
He shook his head as if startled, and the breeze dissipated as quickly as it had come. He lowered his gaze to hers and murmured, “Sorry,” before backing away from her.
“You don’t know how to control it, do you?” she asked before she could stop herself. She’d met plenty of naturally augmented individuals who didn’t have anyone to teach them how to use their abilities, but it was rare for someone to become cybernetically enhanced who didn’t go through the proper training.
He shrugged.
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” she said. Despite herself, she felt empathy for his situation.
“Says the girl who’s a legend,” he replied contemptuously. “How could you possibly understand what it’s like to be ridiculed by your friends for not having a handle on your abilities?”
Instinctively, she rubbed her hand across her arm where the scarring was the worst. She was always nervous someone would recognize them for what they were: a bad reaction to faulty tech
.
She squared her shoulders at him. “We all start somewhere. I’m just surprised the LaRue family would risk sending in someone as,” she paused, “uh, untrained as you to handle this big of a negotiation.”
“I asked for it.”
“Really?”
“It was more like I begged to be assigned to this case.”
“Why?” she asked. She couldn’t understand it.
He blushed again before shaking his head and meeting her gaze. “I knew there’d be a pretty girl here, and I didn’t want to miss my shot.”
Heat swelled in her abdomen and she chuckled. In spite of herself, she felt her reservations about him melting away like butter in a frying pan. She was determined to remain guarded around him, but there was something intriguing about him that left her wanting more.
Then she remembered that he’d told Jasper to leave her at home next time, and she seethed.
“If you wanted to meet me so badly, then why did you tell me to stay away for the next meeting.”
He smiled at her, his eyebrows raising. “Isn’t it obvious?” he asked.
“Umm, no. It’s not, actually. Otherwise I wouldn’t have asked.”
“It was a show. I couldn’t have Guinevere or Sparrow report back to the LaRues that I showed you any kind of favoritism. Think about it, Fortuna.” He stepped towards her as he spoke. Before she knew what was happening, he’d placed both hands on her shoulders and was staring down at her, a wolfish grin on his face. “If they thought, even for a second that I would compromise Spade’s interest during this negotiation or that I let you manipulate me, I’d be floating in the sludge pools.”
The hair on the back of her neck prickled slightly at his touch and his words. He sounded earnest. He didn’t blink when he met her gaze, and his hands were warm and gentle on her shoulders. Ignoring the mild tingle of her ability’s warning, she smiled at him.
“Just so you know, I will be coming back next time. I’d suggest you prepare for it.”
His smile deepened. “Of course, Fortuna. As you wish.”
