Noir wrapped in manners.
I glance back toward Evie. She stands near the transit map display pretending not to stare at us while absolutely staring at us. Concern tightens her face. The sight hits me harder than the threat itself.
I turn back slowly. “If I refuse?”
“You misunderstand.” The man smooths one glove cuff. “Refusal was never part of the arrangement. Timing is the only negotiable element.”
“I could kill you before the next train arrives.”
He nods once. “Probably. Then three more men watching this platform would report the incident before your body reached the street.”
I had already spotted two. The third I find now near the ticket terminal pretending to read sports scores.
Professional.
“Mr. Lenrog respects caution,” the representative continues. “He also respects capability. You made an impression at the Halo zoo.”
Damn it.
The Poison Memories talked.
Or Lenrog simply pays enough people to know everything worth knowing.
“When?” I ask.
“Tomorrow evening.”
“I work.”
“You repair bakery equipment.”
The dismissal sharpens my temper instantly. “I work.”
He inclines his head again, perhaps recognizing the line he nearly crossed. “Then after work. A car will arrive.”
“No.”
His brow lifts slightly.
“I choose the location.”
“That is not how this usually works.”
“I do not care.”
For the first time, something changes in his expression. Not fear. Calculation adjusting itself.
“Very well,” he says finally. “Neutral ground.”
“I select it.”
“Submit the location through the number I will provide.”
He slips a small data card from his coat and offers it to me.
I do not take it immediately.
“If this threatens her?—”
