“It’s what I would have expected,” Sebastian said honestly.
Lord Fine smiled thinly. “Well, then we both need to examine our expectations, because I wasn’t expecting a man to set me on fire.”
Sebastian opened his mouth—
Lord Fine held up the revolver. “Don’t give me whatever lie you’re about to spin,” he said curtly. “Mercier lit up that alley—lit upme—like a match. Thenyoushowed up, and all the fire was gone, and I want an explanation or you can spend the rest of your days handcuffed to my bed.”
Sebastian considered that. “It’s a nice bed.”
Lord Fine cocked the revolver.
Sebastian let his head fall back against the pillow with a sigh. How was he going to explain this?
There was a loud scrape of wood against wood as Lord Fine stood so abruptly the chair slid on the floor. Then Lord Fine’s face filled Sebastian’s vision, narrowed eyes of cool gray-blue, a thin, straight nose, morning stubble on a sharp jaw.
Nice view,some wildly untimely part of Sebastian’s mind decided to observe.
The revolver was still in Lord Fine’s hand, and he lifted it to point between Sebastian’s eyes.
Sebastian raised his eyebrows. “What are you doing now?” he asked curiously.
“Conducting an experiment.” Lord Fine held the revolver steady for several moments, then his eyes narrowed further. “Look at you. You’re not remotely scared of this gun. You’re not even nervous.”
“Should I be?”
Lord Fine looked at him like he was stupid. “I’m pointing a gun between your eyes, Mr. de Leon. Most men would be.” He lowered the gun, only an inch. “But you’re not most men, are you?”
Sebastian winced. “Maybe I believe you won’t use it.”
“I most certainly would,” Lord Fine said. “I would shoot you as easily as I would a fox.”
Sebastian frowned. “Why would you shoot a fox?”
“It’s an analogy,” Lord Fine said testily. “You don’t actually shoot the fox, you sic the dogs on it, but the point is—”
“You make yourdogskill it?”
“It’s a fucking fox—”
“But they’re so cute,” said Sebastian. “They’ve got those little noses, and those big ears.”
“Are you serious right now?” said Lord Fine incredulously. “You’re handcuffed to my bed at gunpoint and you’re more upset that the English hunt foxes?”
“No,” Sebastian lied. He held his tongue for a moment, then couldn’t help adding, “Butyou shouldn’t.”
Lord Fine tilted his head back, appraising. “You have no fear of me at all. Can this bullet even hurt you?”
“Oh yes,” Sebastian admitted. “You could kill me if you shot me right now.”
“But you’re not defenseless, are you?”
Sebastian hesitated.
Lord Fine clenched his jaw and steadied the gun. “What happened last night?”
“Perhaps you had a lot to drink?” Sebastian tried.
“And there’s the lie I told you not to tell,” Lord Fine said. “I don’t know what kind of imbeciles you’re used to dealing with, but I was not drunk, or touched in the head, or any of that other rot people say when they want you to doubt yourself. I know what I saw. More to the point, I still have blisters on my bloody arms.”
