Mortal Danger

by Ann Aguirre

  “You went cheap, huh? Sum things up, if time is limited.”

  “Normally, I manage five cases at once. I grant favors as requested, answer questions when permissible. But my boss called me into his office today. See, he wants your last two burned as fast as possible. He didn’t tell me why.”

  I nodded, listening.

  “I was instructed to win your trust, get close to you by any means necessary.”

  “Which you could be doing right now, by allegedly laying all your cards on the table. Sort of like a double bluff. You tell me enough of the truth to make me think you’re on my side while you’re manipulating me for your own ends.”

  “That’s possible,” he admitted. “Wedderburn suggested I tell you that I’m too into you to stay away, I don’t care about the rules anymore.”

  “I might’ve bought it,” I said quietly.

  With effort I hid the wash of humiliation I felt at the prospect of him pretending to find me irresistible. “Explain the soundproofing. Why do they think you’ve shut them out?”

  “To gain your trust,” he said quietly. “I pretended to go along with Wedderburn’s suggestion about pursuing you. He doesn’t know I’m putting all the cards on the table.”

  “That’s why you told Allison you’re my boyfriend? In case your boss was listening.”

  “Partly,” he admitted. “But also because I thought it might help you.”

  “Huh?”

  Kian explained, “The guys will think you’re a bitch if you turn them all down without giving them a reason. If you have a college boyfriend, it gives you more room to maneuver.”

  That was certainly true. “What if I wanted to date someone at school?”

  “Do you?”

  “No. I was just curious what you’d say.”

  “Am I supposed to be honest?”

  “I’d prefer if you were.”

  “Then … I don’t want you to date anyone else. I hated hearing that you hooked up with Ryu. From your perspective, I haven’t known you long enough to feel that way, but—”

  “You’ve been watching me for a while.”

  His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “I know how that sounds.”

  “I read a novel where this hit man is supposed to assassinate a woman, but he ends up falling in love with her instead, just from watching her.” Maybe that was a stupid thing to say; I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to feel.

  “I can relate,” he muttered. “Anyway, the girls will see you as less of a threat if they’re not competing with you for dates.”

  It was hard for me to imagine that anyone could view me as a potential seductress, but that might be because deep down I was still science-nerd Edie, just wrapped in a prettier package. “Which makes them more likely to accept me. Good thinking. Is this part of making me use my favors faster?”

  “Ostensibly it is. The longer it takes to wreak havoc at Blackbriar, the longer it’ll be before you start wanting something else.”

  “Do you have any clue why they want me to waste my last two favors?”

  Kian hesitated, risking a glance at me, and whatever he saw seemed to trouble him. “Wedderburn didn’t tell me this, but I did some checking on my own. I saw your file.”

  Ice crept down my spine despite the sunshine. “And what did it say?”

  “You have to understand, things at Wedderburn, Mawer & Graf are encoded by department, so I didn’t understand everything I saw.”

  “That’s the company you work for? Sounds like a law firm.”

  “Yeah. And for good reason. They know all about getting away with murder.” Kian offered a grim look.

  “You’re not inspiring confidence right now,” I muttered.

  He ignored that. “From what I could interpret, whatever you’re meant to do, it happens fairly early in your life.”

  “So they need me to use my favors, so they’ll own me before I accomplish this mystery goal.”

  As far as crazy conspiracy theories went, it made as much sense as anything, but logic hadn’t played a big role in my life since I followed Kian off the bridge. Then the faint whisper resonated: You’re dead, you’re dreaming, you’re delusional. And I could only work with this reality, hard to credit as it might seem.

  “Exactly. If they still owe you favors when you reach that pivotal moment, they lose the tactical advantage.”

  “But … for your bosses to be sure of all of that, they have to be able to see the future somehow. What’re we talking about? Crystal ball? Tarot cards?” If I sounded derisive, it was because this was freaking me out. Too much mysterious conspiracy talk made me feel like screaming, but calm rationality was my chief strength. This didn’t seem like an opportune moment to deviate from a functional paradigm.

  “They wouldn’t invest so much on such uncertain glimpses,” he answered.

  “So, what, time travel?”

  “You accepted translocation, but trans-temporal is too far?”

  I stared at him. “You’re serious.”

  “My watch doesn’t have that function enabled, but those with more seniority have been awarded them. In a promotion or two, I could be working in acquisitions.”

  “And that means?”

  “Jaunting to the future to verify that a projected achievement is every bit as vital as the organization has predicted.”

  “That sounds pretty cool.” The science geek in me was actively enthralled with the prospect of skipping ahead, checking how theory lined up with reality. Once the initial buzz dwindled, a shadowy organization that could pop into the future and evaluate people as if they were stocks whose value might rise or fall according to capricious shifts—I couldn’t help but see that as sinister. My enthusiasm dimmed.

  Caught up in his explanation, Kian didn’t seem to notice. “In fact, there’s a department in acquisitions that retrieves tech we use to grant favors like the one you asked for. In the next three hundred years, there will be remarkable innovations in cosmetic procedures—to the point that the average person can give himself a new nose.”

  “Figures. Did they solve the pollution problem yet?” I shook my head, adding, “Never mind. I’m aware that’s a digression.”

  He flashed me a half smile. “The upside is that I get to spend more time with you. As long as Wedderburn thinks I’m pushing you toward another favor, he won’t look too hard at how much we hang out.”

  “And you can claim you’re working on me.”

  “Exactly.”

  “What happens if he figures out that you’re faking it?”

  Kian hesitated. “Don’t worry about that.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “It won’t be good,” he said quietly. “But I can handle it.”

  By this point, the gel on the windowpane was smoking slightly. I took that to mean that private time was almost finished. “So are you just giving me a ride home?”

  “I thought I’d take you to dinner unless you have other plans.”

  Whoever Wedderburn was, he might be listening in. So I made my response simple. “Can we swing by my apartment first?”

  SHADOW DANCE

  My parents weren’t back from university yet, so I left Kian waiting in the front room while I scrambled out of my uniform and into jeans and a T-shirt. I pulled my hair down, conscious that I was trying to downplay my appearance. I hated the thought that he might look at me and see his own creation, not me. If he was on the level, he was taking a big risk, pretending to chase me with ulterior motives, while giving me top-secret info. It chewed at me, not knowing what exactly might happen if they caught him. But he might also be double-crossing me, doing exactly what I’d suggested in the car. There was no way for me to be sure.

  Still, technically, this was my first date. It was cliché, but I was excited, even if he might be doing this to please his boss.

  I sent a text to my parents, who would probably be astonished that I had plans involving other human beings, and then went out to join Kian. “Ready.”


  “Let’s go.” He led the way to the car and we drove for a while in silence.

  “You realize the Mustang makes you the total package. Girls will drive me nuts tomorrow asking about you.”

  “Is that a problem?”

  “Only in the sense that I don’t know anything.”

  Kian tilted his head, and it took all my self-control not to brush back the hair that tumbled into his face. “That means I can be anything you want.”

  “Sounds dangerous. How will I remember what lies I’ve told?”

  “Write it down? Or would you rather know the truth?” He pulled into a small parking lot, nestled behind an Italian restaurant with red-and-white-checkered tablecloths visible through windows draped with twinkle lights. Inside they seemed to be trying to evoke a sense of Tuscany with the textured walls and dark wood. The hostess escorted us to a booth and left us with menus; I couldn’t help but notice the way she studied Kian as if he were a chocolate éclair.

  I held my answer until the hostess moved out of earshot. “If you’re allowed to tell me, I’d like to know the truth.”

  The appreciative glint in his eyes said he knew I was playing to a potential audience. “You’re a special case, Edie. I’ve been granted clearance to be straight with you.”

  I grinned. Despite the risks, this was kind of fun, knowing how much subtext simmered between the lines. “Then tell me about the real you.”

  “I’m twenty,” he said quietly. “I was fifteen when I had my … moment.”

  Extremis. When Raoul made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. He’d already told me this, but if Wedderburn hadn’t been listening in, it was best to pretend that conversation never happened. Kian couldn’t afford for his boss to doubt him. Or maybe he just wants you to believe he’s loyal to you. But why would he support a girl he just met over the powerful figure who can do unspeakable things to punish him? I had no ready answer.

  “Do you want to tell me?” It seemed really intimate, but I still wanted to know.

  His voice was soft, barely audible below the music tinkling from the speakers. “It feels like a long time ago. I can talk about it. But let’s order first.”

  I hadn’t even opened the menu. “I trust you.”

  The waitress came over in response to Kian’s signal. “We’ll start with the bruschetta and then we’ll share a Caesar salad and chicken parmigiana. Just bring two plates. We’ll divide the food at the table. Thanks.”

  Once she left, I sat frozen, staring at him. I mean, he’d informed me that he knew everything about me, but it didn’t feel real until he ordered all of my favorite things in the same meal. “You weren’t kidding about being an Edie expert.”

  “Work occasionally gives me an edge. You’ll be even more wowed when I take you to the Science Museum for a planetarium show.”

  “Is that in the works?”

  His gaze met mine. “It could be. If you want.”

  “Maybe. So you were about to tell me…?”

  His smile faded. “Right. My family had money, up until I was twelve. At that point it came out that my father’s empire had been built on a Ponzi scheme.”

  I dug around my memory, trying to recall where I’d heard the term. Oh yeah, on the news, when the anchorman was talking about fraud and how a fake investment business stayed afloat when the “broker” took money he got later and paid it out to early investors, constantly moving money around. From what I recalled, that could go on for years, but eventually all the stockholders would demand their own payments. I suspected that was when things fell apart for Kian’s dad.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “Rather than go to jail, he killed himself and left my mother to clean up the mess.” He responded in a monotone, like he was talking about something he read, not his own life.

  I hesitated, not knowing what to say. “Was it just you and her?”

  “No, I had a sister.”

  “Had?” I asked with growing dread.

  Kian closed his eyes briefly and flattened his hand on the table. Impulsively I reached over and covered his fingers with mine, because whatever was coming, it had to be awful. “She came into my dad’s study … he had the gun—”

  “Tell me he didn’t kill her.”

  “Not on purpose.”

  That painted a picture in my mind. I imagined her rushing over, trying to stop him, them struggling for the weapon. It goes off, he’s shocked and horrified. Then he turns the gun on himself. Bang, bang. Half a family’s dead in just a few seconds. Jesus. I had no idea what to say. I’m sorry seemed so inadequate.

  He went on, “So then it was just my mom and me, and … she leaned, so hard. I wasn’t even thirteen. I tried to step up … to help. But it wasn’t enough and pretty soon, she was hooked on pills. In time my uncle put her in rehab and I went to stay with him and my aunt.”

  “You said something about his fishing cabin?”

  “Yeah. He’s hard-working, my uncle. Not like my dad. I tried to restart my life, but it felt like there was nothing but a hole from everything I lost.”

  “And there was a girl,” I guessed.

  “Right again. She was the last straw. It took all of my courage to talk to her, and when she said, in front of everyone, that she’d rather die than date me, I kind of … lost it. Hitchhiked to my uncle’s cabin where nobody would find me. I had already tied the noose when Raoul showed up. Not gonna lie, he freaked me out.”

  “But he also saved you. So this girl … to impress her, you asked to be incredibly hot, you asked for the sports car, what was the last favor?”

  His eyes burned with an intensity that stole my breath, locked on mine so I couldn’t look away. “Show me how clever you are. Guess.”

  Before I could, the waitress brought our food and Kian served. After eating only salad and yogurt for lunch, I was starving. I ate a few bites of the chicken while I pondered.

  “You wanted her to fall for you, probably so you could shoot her down.”

  “Spot on. After my last request kicked in, she became completely obsessed with me. Stalked me, in fact. I had to take out a restraining order.”

  “What happened to her?” I asked.

  His expression was flat and dark, completely unreadable. “She killed herself.”

  A gasp slid out of me, and I nearly dropped my fork. “Jesus, Kian. That’s taking payback way too far.”

  He flinched. “I didn’t mean for that to happen. I just wanted her to know what it felt like to be rejected. They didn’t tell me until later, but in my best timeline, I was supposed to be with her. The opposition interfered, drove her over the edge.”

  “That’s horrible.” It dawned on me how dangerous this deal was. So many factors I hadn’t calculated before making the agreement. Quietly I stared at the marks on my wrists. No going back now.

  “I know.” He paused, unsure whether he should continue. “When she died, I lost my potential as a catalyst. That’s why I work for the company now.”

  “You say ‘work’ but that’s not the impression I get.”

  Kian swallowed hard. I guessed I’d trespassed into forbidden territory. His boss likely wouldn’t be happy, no matter what he said. So I was surprised when he pulled a pen and notebook out of his pocket, then scribbled an answer. With his watch under the table, he nudged it toward me and ate some chicken parm with his other hand.

  Aloud, he said, “It’s not so bad.”

  Yeah, that’s the company line. I nibbled at my food while skimming the reality of his response. My life’s not my own. Indenture might be the right word, except that means having the chance at freedom someday. I don’t. I belong to Wedderburn. Shock and sorrow cascaded through me. I might’ve suspected that was the case, but seeing the desolate look in his green eyes as he finished his pasta tightened my chest until I couldn’t breathe.

  I struggled to keep the conversation going, casting back to a different point. “Wait, what’s a catalyst?”

  “You’re one. It’s somebody dest
ined for great things.”

  “And who gets offered a deal. But … what opposition?” I seized on that like a lifeline. There were so many mysteries that I couldn’t decide what I needed to know most—or what might get in him in trouble, if Wedderburn was listening.

  A flicker of his eyes told me his boss wouldn’t like him focusing on the downside of this arrangement. He was supposed to be wooing me, not scaring me. “It’s complicated.”

  But I couldn’t help asking. “What I’m extrapolating is that I could be in danger?”

  “That’s why I told you not to trust anyone but me. The competition might contact you, just to screw with your head.”

  Damn. Apparently, when I’d worried that the deal seemed good to be true, I was on target. Yet if I hadn’t, my parents would’ve claimed my body from the morgue, and I wouldn’t even be here. So the complications and risks were better than the alternative.

  “Because…?”

  “If they shift the equilibrium enough, your fate changes and you cease to be a factor in play. If that happens, you lose value as an asset, and Wedderburn puts you to work.”

  I thought about that. “So … whatever you were supposed to accomplish, it’s not happening, because this girl died?”

  He nodded.

  “And you’re trapped because you have no way to repay the favors. That could happen to me, huh?”

  “It could,” he admitted. “There’s no way to be sure what events are pivotal in your personal timeline. You’ve heard about the butterfly effect?”

  “I’ve read about chaos theory, and I probably qualify as a strange attractor.” It was a weak joke at best, but my heart caught at his smile. “I think I see where you’re going with this. Basically, there’s no way to be sure I’ll retain my worth as a catalyst.”

  “I’m sorry, Edie. I wish I could guarantee your safety.” He closed his eyes for a few seconds, as if bracing for intense pain.

  I immediately wanted that look off his face. “Hey, it’s okay. At least you’re honest.”

  Or is he? There was no way for me to verify any of this … unless …

  “What’s your last name?” I hated myself a little for asking.