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As soon as the door snaps shut behind her, I’m on my feet. Casper swipes at my leg with his paw, excited to play a different game. The look he gives me when I shut the cage door on him makes pain flare across my chest. “I’m sorry, little dude. I have to do something important. Hopefully, it won’t take long.”
The monkeys claw at my ankles as I run past their cage. I open the laboratory door and duck inside, slamming it shut behind me. I pull down boxes, making a path to reach the crappy old computer at the back of the room.
I boot it up. The screen flickers through several different colors before finally springing to life. I check the network analyzer – a tool George lent me that I plugged into the ethernet socket a few days ago, and then covered it back up with boxes. I follow George’s instructions to find the password for the archive.
My heart races against my chest as I scan through the file directory, searching for backups for the different network shows in the database for Cleo’s show. I don’t know how long I have before Livvie comes back. I like Livvie, but she’s Nero’s daughter. I’m not ready to stake my life on her secrecy.
“Yesss.” I click on the show’s icon and find an archive of all their old footage organized in date order. I plug in the USB thumb-drive I ‘borrowed’ from George and copy over all the pre-show and first-episode footage. The screen beeps. It’s going to take seven minutes. Fuck fuck fuck. I pace across the room as the bar on the screen fills with blue.
Come on, come on, I’ve got to get back out there before Livvie—
The door flies open. Livvie peers in at me. My cheeks flare red. I can’t think of a lie that’ll sound convincing. Behind me, the computer whirs as it downloads.
“Eli?” She tilts her head. “What are you doing?”
“I’m, um—”
What does it look like? I’m stealing from a crime lord.
“I thought so.” Livvie drags one of the boxes off a stack and places it in front of the desk. “Here, put these in front of the computer. Dad’s coming any—”
“What are you two doing in here?” The door flies open. Nero looms over us. He looks as jolly as ever in his impeccable suit, with a sprig of mistletoe pinned to his lapel. His eyes sweep from his daughter to me to the whirring computer, and he cracks up laughing. He goes from jolly to unhinged in the flick of a switch.
“Oh, hey Daddy. We’re pulling some old footage for the NYE party social campaign,” Livvie says. “I was showing Eli how to use the archives.”
“I told you he’s not to be unsupervised in this room.” Nero flashes a smile. “I’m sorry, son, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but you work for my rival now and I’ve got trade secrets to protect. It’s just business, you understand.”
“I understand.” My heart hammers so loud against my ribcage, he’s got to be able to hear it. I place my hands behind my back and step closer to the computer, so my fingers brush against the thumb-drive. “And I’m sorry things haven’t been running smoothly with the party. Livvie and I have some ideas for entertainment that don’t require the girls—”
“I’m sure you do, but I’m not interested. I’ll be giving my clients what they paid for.” Nero’s jolly face collapses into a frown. It’s disarming not to be able to read him. “I came to fetch you because your Imperator is here. She wants you to sit in our meeting.”
As Nero turns to leave, I yank out the thumb-drive and shove it deep into my pocket. “Sure thing. Lead the way.”
Claudia rises from her seat when I enter Nero’s office. She’s dressed in a shimmering cocktail dress with a plunging neck, her tits spilling out the sides in a way that dries the saliva on my tongue. She’s so damn fine, I can’t believe she belongs to me.
She touches a hand to her hair, which has been swept up into an elegant bun. I’m guessing she showed up in this dress to make a point. I’m not sure what point it is exactly, but I know she wouldn’t go to this effort for Constantine. Already she understands the difference between the two Imperators – she chooses the sides of herself she allows them to see.
“We usually conduct these meetings in complete solitude,” Nero tells her as he hands her a glass of Dom Perignon. I search his features for signs of the rage Livvie says he’s feeling right now, but I don’t see it. He’s as cool as ever. I don’t know how anyone can comprehend the guy, but Claudia says Julian taught her how to read Nero like a book.
“I have no secrets from Eli. He stays.”
“As you wish.” Nero eases himself into his expansive leather chair. I notice he doesn’t offer me a drink. “I’m not in the mood for small talk. You have my property.”
“If you mean I have fifty-three malnourished women you intended to turn into sex slaves, then yes.” Her eyes flash. “I have your property.”
“I paid for that shipment in good faith.” Nero taps his finger to his chin. It’s a gesture I associate with Howard Malloy, and seeing Nero do it makes my chest ache. “Surely you don’t mean to begin our alliance on such a sour note.”
Claudia reaches under her chair and pulls out a briefcase, which she drops on his desk. “Your deposit is inside. All the money you paid to Brutus for those women. We’re even now.”
“We’re far from even.”
“My father never dealt in skin, and Brutus only agreed to this trade because he needed your protection. I have no such need. Surely you don’t believe I’d allow this on my turf.”
“Times have changed, my dear.” Nero tsks. “Your father had old-fashioned ideas about the business, and he died for those ideals. I don’t choose to draw lines in the sand. I like my options gloriously wide open. If you find what we do unsavory, may I suggest another line of business?”
“May I suggest you find alternative entertainment for your party? These girls are no longer for sale. And speaking of items being off the market…” She tosses Gabriel’s money sack onto the desk. “This is the debt Madeline Drysdale owes you. She’s now under my protection. If you bother her again, I’ll consider it a direct threat to the August family.”
“Such a fuss over a high school teacher.” Nero’s smile stretches at the edges. “You risk making an enemy of me. And so close to our wedding night. If I think you’re playing me, woman, I won’t be gentle.”
