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Holy shit, he’s fine as hell.
I walk quickly toward him, sliding into the seat opposite him as I flick my eyes up to his. “Corvus, I presume?” I say.
“And you must be Agent Lykaios,” he says. His English pronunciation is perfect, with a slight lilt that almost sounds Italian. “You’re early.”
“I prefer Penn, and I’m always early,” I mutter. “Can we get out of here? A human woman sitting with a single Aelyd male will attract attention, and that is theoppositeof what I want.”
“No one will bother us,” he says. “But come with me—I’ve secured a meeting room near the ground floor. You can stay there until your Ganivet transport arrives.”
He stands, and I try to stop myself from gawking at how tall he is. Slender, too, but jacked—a climber’s build. He’s wearing long sleeves and black pants, the high collar of his shirt characteristic of Aelyd fashion. I second guess myself for a split second; this guy is big enough that, if it came to a one on one fight, he would probably be able to take me out.
But I have to remain confident, otherwise this whole plan will go up in smoke.
“C’mon,” he murmurs, his voice low and dark. “This way. Just stay at a distance so no one knows we’re together.”
He rises and walks away, and I stay put for another few seconds before I go after him. Corvus walks leisurely with his hands in his pockets, his long legs carrying him through what I think is a food court. He takes a hard right and I watch as he slips into a stairwell, disappearing behind a sliding metal door like he was never there at all.
But I saw him.
So I follow.
I make a slightly softer right, wind through the food court, and then I’m slapping my hand against the control console myself. I turn as I step inside, only to find myself face to face with Corvus, his muscled chest just inches from my eyes.
“Boo,” he says.
I curse, glaring up at him. “Not funny.”
He chuckles, a sound that goes straight to the pit of my stomach, but at least he steps away. “There’s a utility lift in this maintenance shaft,” he says. “Follow me.”
“That’s what I was already doing,” I scoff.
I follow him, though, through another sliding door and into a tiny little box. He looms over me, at least six and a half feet tall, maybe more. I’m petite, but it’s helped me get the better of men bigger than him. Corvus crosses his arms and surveys me, a jet black tongue darting out to wet his metallic lips.
That tongue is pierced.
Dear God,that tongue is pierced.
“You’re not as composed as I thought you’d be,” he says, like he’s reading my dirty thoughts. “After hearing so much about your organization, I have to admit I’m—”
“Before you say disappointed, I would like to clarify that I just got off a two-week-long hyperspace flight, and that I am one of the sole women on a planet of horny men,” I snap. “And besides—I wouldn’t be here if you could do your job alone, now would I?”
He snorts. At least he has a sense of humor about it. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Damn right I am,” I say. “Now—what’s the deal? You didn’t seem too worried about anyone listening in back there. I thought an Ombra assassin would be more careful.”
Corvus smirks, tilting his head and giving me the win. The Ombras are another gang, albeit one that doesn’t hold any real power. Instead, they carry out contracts for other houses. My understanding is that Corvus had my contract with the Diavolos first, but that he’s failed to deliver…which is why they had to bring in the First Wave.
Corvus taps his temple with a long, iron finger. “I have implants,” he says. “I always know when someone is listening. And you should be careful what you say about the Families; I might have a good sense of humor, but not all of us do.”
“Noted,” I say.
“You want to stay in my good graces, little human,” he continues. “After all, I’m to be your eyes and ears in the city. And if you want to succeed in your mission, you’ll need to have the city’s pulse.”
The lift door slides open and Corvus steps out into a maintenance shaft much like the one where we got on the elevator. I look at his ass. I look away from his ass. It’s solid, looks thoroughly grope-able. That’s not the mission, though, it’s just impulse. He leads me to a blue door in the opposite wall, and then opens it and gestures me through.
I stop dead in my tracks.
“I don’t make a habit of walking into dark rooms and turning my back on strangers,” I say.
