Page 74 of The Only Way Out Is Up

“Business partner,” I correct him. “Eclamia.”

“Really.” He glances at me. “Where’d she come from?”

“Search me.” I lower my voice, as though imparting secrets. “But she’s got ideas. We’re onto a big one.”

“Are you,” he says warily. “And has this business partner brought some cash with her? Because it sounds like what you need is going to add up—”

I frantically beckon Ky below the counter, and she saunters over. She’s doing some kind of thing with her hips that’s almost hypnotic. Ekkeban’s attention snaps to her, and he straightens up and tugs pointlessly at his tightly braided locks.

“I can do better than that,” she says, her voice a purr. “I can provide an opportunity.”

“Opportunity,” Ekkeban echoes.

“For investment. If you can provide financing for our little expedition, then the rewards could be substantial.” She leans forward on the counter. “And of course I’d be very grateful.”

“How, um, grateful? And substantial?”

“Five percent? For a week’s float.”

“That’s… quite generous.” Some unoccupied part of Ekkeban’s distracted brain supplies, “There must be considerable risk involved.”

“Oh, Taj is handling things.” Ky pats my shoulder, and I can’t help but thrill at the contact. “I have complete faith in him. I’m sure you do, too.”

“Complete faith?” His eyes flick to me.

I spread my hands. “Have I ever left you to hang?”

Ekkeban looks between my guileless smile and Ky’s sultry one, and sighs.

“I like him,” Ky says. “He’s sweet.”

“It’s insulting, honestly,” I mutter. “Do you know how long it took me to talk him into giving me a tiny bit of credit? He guards his cashbox like he’s got the secrets of creation in there when it’s me asking, but he’ll open it up for any girl who comes along?”

Ky shoots me a look.

“Any pretty girl,” I amend. “Very pretty girl.”

She grins, apparently mollified, and looks back at the little handcart I’m tugging behind us. The goods are concealed in canvas sacks, but the longer spars stick out the top, gleaming lengths of metal.

“Is that going to be enough?”

“It’ll be the same basic frame as the Mark 4,” I say. “But without the orange and yellow sigils, it won’t be as strong or as tough.”

“But your new weapon will make up for it.”

“We hope.”

“It will.” She pats my shoulder again. “Complete faith, remember?”

I haul the hoard upstairs to my room, and Star peeks excitedly out of the trapdoor. I’ve kept him out of sight for so long it feels weird having Ky around. Honestly it feels weird having anyone in my room besides Star and my siblings. I get the urge to clean the place up. I hurriedly clear some space for Ky to sit on the bed while Star examines the sacks.

[Disbelief: Ekkeban agreed to your terms?]

Ky applied some extra persuasion.

[Supposition: she threatened to kill him?]

Just some human mating behavior.