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Helpless tears continue to stream down her face, but there’s a fierce determination in her eyes too. That’s interesting. In the face of all this danger, there’s still some fury in her.
I like that.
“I couldn’t let them do it,” she says through her teeth as her voice trembles. “I couldn’t let them hurt her. So I found them. This guy, this anime villain reject, he told me he’d wipe away her debt if I stole this pyramid thing for him. I don’t know what it is, and I don’t know why he wants it. I don’t care either. There’s no way I can get that much money together before the deadline. So it was either steal this stupid little thing, or they hurt her in one horrific way or another. And I’ll do anything to keep that from happening.”
Her words hit me in the chest. I freeze my glare on my face, staring her down as I reel internally. To be willing to do anything for one’s sibling is a powerful thing. The terror at losing one’s own life pales in comparison to what you feel when their life is in danger.
The drive to protect them.
The helplessness when you can’t…
I recognize her feelings as if they were my own, because I’ve lived through something like this myself. Still, centuries later, I relive those events in my dreams.
Careful to keep my thoughts hidden, I maintain my furious posture as I release her wrist from my grasp.
She rubs her hand, staring at me as she trembles. There’s a spark of defiance in her expression, and I realize I like that too. There’s potential here, but I have to be careful. I have a reputation that needs to remain intact, so I’ll need to do this in a way that will not expose me as being particularly forgiving. Havek is doing enough damage on that front.
There’s a very old tradition, on this plane and the one below, which has only recently gone out of style. I think it’s time to bring it back.
“Punishing you is the simple solution,” I tell her. She sucks in a breath, her body stiffening, but I ignore it as I continue. “But if I were a great proponent of simple solutions, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”Literally. “I’m willing to overlook this transgression—on one condition.”
She gives me a wary look. “And what condition is that?”
“Instead of letting you fly away like a little bird, I’ll keep you close. You will pay off the debt of your attempted theft by working for me,” I tell her. “As my personal assistant.”
Chapter6
Sophia
I blink.
His… personal assistant?
That seems insane. I would have to be around him all the time. His fucking gorgeous dark eyes following my every move all day, every day, that brooding glare judging everything I do. It’s not like I even have the skill set. I’m a fucking waitress, for crying out loud.
I secretly hoped to see more of him when he was the man who saved my life. He scared me a little, even then. Now, though, the fear is a lot bigger than the carnal pull I feel for him. Okay, maybe not so much bigger. I can feel his body heat, and it’s making my insides melt. I’m too close to him.Way too close. And yet, my body wants to get a whole lot closer.
But the fear curling in the pit of my stomach is a lot louder than any of that. Even if it wasn’t, I’ve learned to listen to the part that’s afraid. If Jason taught me anything, it’s that. I have to get out of this somehow.
Lucas is watching me with his hooded dark gaze, the threat of violence lingering in every line of his body, and I lick my lips before I speak.
“I can’t. I—”
I what?Already have a job? Not after today, I don’t. Walking out in the middle of my shift and pulling a no call, no show the next day? Yeah, Angela’s already taken me off the schedule and blacklisted me for that, I can virtually guarantee it. Okay, so that excuse is gone. What else?
The little pyramid burns in my hand, heavier than it has any right to be.
“I still have to make things right with the dealer,” I finish. “If I can’t get this to him, I still owe him money. It’s not a debt that I can ignore.”
Lucas looks bored as he flips a dismissive hand. “I’ll pay you for the work. That will cover what you owe.”
My jaw drops. “It’s ten thousand dollars! And they want it, or this, today!”
He’s getting annoyed. It’s better than furious, but not by much. “So you’ll be paid today. Consider it an advance. Unless you prefer punishment?”
The way he says that sends a shiver down my spine. A completely uninvited image of certainpunishmentsflickers through my head, followed by sounds and sensations which make me squeeze my thighs together.
That’s not what he means, damn it.
