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“I see. You are upping the ante and trying to negotiate with other means. Diamonds are so cliché, and I have plenty of them, but I won’t mind hearing about her. Is she up for trade? She could be useful in my ship and a sight we would all love to see.” There was a smirk. “She could warm up some beds, too….”
The words were said mildly, but the idea of Winter on a ship with hungry, vicious men had him forgetting the irony and seeing red. His hand snapped out, reaching for the pirate’s neck and ignoring Winter’s protest. A blur later and the man was pinned to the wall, fighting for his breath. Then she was there, hand on his wrist, voice soft and soothing.
“It’s not any different from what a lot are thinking here,” she said. “Don’t let it get to you. This is Isaiah, not an enemy. He’s not an enemy.”
It helped that she was right, because Isaiah had nothing to do with all the manipulative maneuvering the vampires were doing. When his hand loosened, there was no anger on the pirate’s face. There was no fear, either, but just a touch of nerves and an enthusiastic nod.
“There is no need for all this violence,” Isaiah said. “Unless you are a pirate like me, which you are not. I have no defense against the likes of you vampires, and I didn’t bring any weapons with me to honor this most wondrous meeting. Besides, I didn’t mean I was going to enslave her. That’syourthing. I was merely going to make her a crew member, and it’s her decision to warm up as many beds as she likes—ouch, fine, fine. No talking about beds when it comes to her.”
“Winter,” she offered, surprising Nate. But a glance at her told him that she was reading the man and wasn’t offended.
“Do you always talk this much?” Nate asked.
“Only when I’m negotiating for my life. Now, tell me what you want and what I can do.”
Nate let the man go, backing away with Winter and watching as he composed himself. The man rubbed his neck and straightened, sizing up Winter before turning to Nate in wait.
“I want you to meet another person in this room and tell me what you know about him.”
Isaiah’s eyes gleamed. “Oh, so this is becoming a party.”
“In a sense.”
“It depends on who the person is, by the way. As I said, I am loyal to my clients.”
Winter hid behind Nate, hiding a smile. What was she reading from the damned man? Before he could ask, the door was pushed open, and another figure came strutting in with utmost confidence…until he saw who was in the room.
Denison panicked and made a run for it, a knee-jerk reaction. But Maddox blocked the way and shut the door at once. At the same time, Nate was moving and on him in seconds, pinning the man to the floor and locking in parts that kept Denison from fighting him. Nate looked up.
“Is Denison one of your clients?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me what you know about him.”
Isaiah perused the scene, then shot Winter a disbelieving look. She shrugged, her lips sealed. It gave the man a chance to pick his side before his shoulders rolled back, and he approached the two with the same swagger when he came in.
“Denison is from House Rue and one of my clients. I mostly exchange recreational stuff with him, including drugs and spirits. A few weeks ago, he offered me double our usual deal for a little side job: to kill the daughter of House Rue, his cousin Stephanie, so he can be the next in line for leadership. He threatened me when I refused to do it but backed off at the last minute. He has never spoken a word of it since, and Stephanie Rue, who has private dealings with me—quality clothing and weapons to provide to her house’s human servants, who she trains to defend themselves when needed—is still alive.”
Shock visibly jolted Denison’s body, not expecting the tidbit. A glance at Winter was all Nate needed to guarantee it was the truth, and he stomped on Denison’s neck when the vampire attempted to talk.
“Does she know what you were asked to do?” Nate asked.
“No, but she was surrounded by a private protection squad during our last trade. I assumed she’s aware.”
There was no missing the relish in the tone. Nate raised a brow.
“Whatever happened to loyalty to your clients?”
Isaiah lifted a finger that looked shorter than normal and just as scarred as his face. “Keyword, quality. Denison loves to cancel orders or change his mind at the last minute. He also bosses me around too much and threatens me for fun. I can’t kill him, but I admit that I’m not a very big fan of him, either.”
“Can I have all of that in writing?”
“Sure. As long as I get to keep my other dealings.”
“You will.” There was a tap, then Maddox peeking in. “Take him to the dungeon. Alert House Rue so I can let them know what’s going on.”
Denison howled in protest, but the man was no match for Nate’s strength. Within seconds, he hit all the points that had the other limp underneath him, allowing Maddox to tie the man up and take him away. Isaiah watched the whole thing like it was a great form of entertainment until Maddox and Denison were gone. Then all remaining eyes were on him.
