You’d think unloading Delilah on the PNT would’ve put Raif in a better mood. It didn’t.
“Anya!” His voice thundered through Xander’s foyer. “Where the hell are you?”
I’d never seen Anya move so fast. To be honest, I don’t know how she managed, bound up in her clothes the way she was. As she rounded the corner at a dead run, her breath came hard, as if she’d sprinted ten miles to Raif’s beckoning voice. “Sir,” she said, her head bowed.
Sir? Oooh, I liked that. Her tone held more reverence in that single word than any groveling title she’d used when addressing Raif’s brother. A warm satisfaction grew in the pit of my stomach. It was better than Christmas!
“I want every inch of that cell cleaned,” Raif said. “I don’t want to smell any lingering trace of the offal that occupied it. Do you understand me?”
“Yes,” Anya said, her gaze downcast. “Consider it done.”
She took off like a shot, her shrill orders carrying to every corner of the house. Raif would be able to eat his dinner off the floor of that cell by the time she was done with it. I gave a contented sigh. There were days when I just really loved my job. The thought occurred to me, as I basked in smug amusement, I’d forgotten to discuss payment for services rendered. No matter what Xander thought to the contrary, I did not work for free.
“How’s this going to work from now on?” I asked as though the previous moment hadn’t happened. “Will I be receiving a monthly stipend, or will the royal treasury be cutting me a check per job?”
“You do have a one-track mind, don’t you?” Raif ran his fingers through his hair, looking around as if he’d forgotten something. “You’ll have to take that up with my brother,” he said. “I’m sure he’ll pay whatever you’re asking. He’s around here somewhere. You can find him on your own, right?”
Raif’s distraction had me worried. He never lost his cool-never. But the dull sheen of his eyes told me he was a million miles away, his thoughts disconnected from the present. I wasn’t sure when I’d lost him, though I was willing to bet it had been the second we’d stepped foot in Delilah’s cell.
I didn’t have to go far to find my paycheck. Xander was holed up in his office, bent over something no doubt worthy of his precious time. He looked up as I walked in, a broad, seductive smile gracing his face. Gold flecks glowed in his amber eyes, which took their time in absorbing every curve of my body. “Get a good enough look?” I asked, unceremoniously falling into a chair opposite him. I propped my legs up on the desk, crossing them at the ankle as I made myself at home.
“Not nearly good enough,” Xander said. “You have far too many clothes on for what I’d like to see.”
Charming. “I can safely say my naked body is not a sight you’ll be seeing anytime soon. I’m not here to listen to your cheesy come-ons, Xander. I’m here to talk business.”
“Cheesy come-ons?” Xander said, leaning forward in his chair. “What if I told you I dream about you nightly? Your skin glorious and bare beneath my hands. What if I said I crave you like a drug and won’t rest until I have you in my bed?”
I ignored the pleasant glow that threatened to settle in my stomach from his words. I wasn’t completely immune to Xander’s charm. Flocks of women would be more than happy to strip naked for him with fewer words than that. But somehow I had a feeling it was the thrill of the chase that really turned Xander on. “I guess you’re going to have to look forward to many sleepless days and nights, Xander.”
“You’re beautiful,” he said, ignoring my sarcasm. “Each second without you is torture.”
Being the stubborn, arrogant ass he was, nothing I could say would deter Xander from wanting me. I suspected it was simply because I was the one thing he couldn’t get with a seductive smile and snap of his fingers. He was laying it on particularly thick today, but I wasn’t interested in playing his game. Raif’s mood had brushed off on me.
“I’m here to discuss one thing and one thing only. Money.”
Xander opened a drawer and withdrew a square ledger book. He flipped it to the appropriate page and grabbed a pen. “What will it take to get this matter of payment settled once and for all? One hundred thousand? Two? I’ll cut you a check, and you can never mention the subject again.”
My jaw hung slack. The bastard always had to one up me. But it didn’t matter. I wanted something from him, and his arrogance would ensure I was going to get it. “Are we talking about a retainer?”
“If it makes you feel better, yes.”
I could name my price and Xander would pay it? Well, it would eliminate having to seek him out every time I set foot on his property. Working for the Shaede King brought with it certain advantages I needed, but did I want to work on retainer for him? He’d dangle the money over my head and use any ridiculous excuse to get me to drop everything for him. “I’ll consider it,” I said. “On one condition.”
He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. Oh yeah, arrogance, thy name is Xander Peck. “I want to answer to Raif and Raif only. I will not wait at your beck and call. If you have work for me-fine. I’ll be glad to operate under retainer. But I won’t bat a lash unless Raif tells me to do it. And when he doesn’t need me, don’t expect to see me. I’ll reserve the right to work for other employers.” Take that, asshole.
“Done,” Xander said. “How much should I make the check out for?”
How ’bout a billion dollars? “Two fifty ought to cover it.” I held my breath, waiting to see how much he really wanted me around.
“I’ll make it three,” Xander said, his pen scratching against paper, “just in case.” With a flourish, he ripped the check from the ledger and slid it across the desk. Shit. He wanted me more than I’d thought. “Now you’re paid, and you can quit whining about it.”
I took offense at his comment. I had never considered myself a whiner. “Great,” I said.
Xander’s lips curved in a triumphant smile. Trumped again, I was sure he’d gloat for a long while over this one. If only I could be so outwardly smug. For a moment, I considered tearing the check to shreds and showering him with the confetti. But that would only prove his point and call my bluff. I needed an in, and this was it. So, instead, I brought Xander’s check to my nose, inhaling the scent of all those zeroes before stuffing it in my pocket. I swung my legs down off his desk and stood, hoping like I hell I could walk out the door without being ogled in a way that made me feel as though I’d need a scalding-hot shower afterward. “See you around, Your Highness,” I said.
“Yes.” Xander’s velvet voice chased me out the door. “You will.”
By paying my retainer, Xander hadn’t only just given me an assload of money; he’d also gifted me with what I really wanted out of our arrangement-power. No one would question my authority as Xander’s agent. And what I’d have to sacrifice through our bargain-my sanity at being his paid employee for starters-was a fair price to pay for what I’d gained. I’d be able to walk right into the PNT facility and question Delilah, at Xander’s request, of course, whether or not he’d actually asked me to do it.
Well…what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
I could get past Adare. I knew from our first meeting that he was an easygoing sort, not prone to suspicion. My only concern with getting in to question Delilah was Adare’s partner. Adare wouldn’t have told Raif that Fallon was dangerous if he wasn’t. And the fact that someone as deadly as Raif had warned me to stay away from him made me even more nervous. With any luck, I wouldn’t have to see him at all. I could slip past Adare with a few kind words and a fabricated story. But with the way Fallon’s intense stare had unnerved me, I doubted my ability to properly deceive him.
Who was he? Obviously he had a reputation that preceded him. But Raif’s explanation simply wasn’t good enough for me. Could I Google him? Sure. That’d work. Fallon on Facebook. View my complete profile here. I needed to get back into that building to question Delilah. Bringing Raif in on my plan was not an option. He’d shut me down before I could step a foot on PNT property. A few centuries had passed since his daughter’s disappearance. Opening up a wound that had long since scarred over would be terrible for him. I’d have to do this alone. I just hoped I had the backbone required to face those piercing gray eyes should I come across them again.
As I made my way down the stairs to the foyer of Xander’s ridiculously large house, the sound of Anya barking out frenzied and fear-fueled orders drifted up from the basement-level staircase. I smiled, striding for the door while humming a tune. “Don’t scuff your new leather pants on the tile floor!” I called out as I opened the door. The crash of something metal followed by a furious shriek answered me. Yep. Better than Christmas!