AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Given the man’s connections, this would require a delicate touch. And a person who wasn’t easily intimidated. When Greene found out he was undergoing an audit, Walker expected all kinds of records to vanish. Which was why he preferred to do it by surprise. And then the yelling and bullying attempts would commence.
Those were always good for a chuckle.
Walker tapped his fingertips together. This could be a palate cleanser after the last sad case; bringing a cheat to justice always brightened his day. He rose and grabbed his tablet. The life of an auditor was a thankless one, but at least he had a decent expense account. And since he wasn’t going to be able to rest, he might as well make sure Silver didn’t sleep either.
As he strode down the hallway toward the elevator, curiosity nibbled at him. The timing was unusual, normally Silver wouldn’t bother him for several days after an assignment like the one he’d just finished. Nor was this case urgent; the money wasn’t going anywhere. What was up?
The breathtaking view of Capitol through floor-to-ceiling windows distracted him for a moment. Cupped in a valley, mountains rising around it, the gleam of steel and glitter of crystal in the skyscrapers made a magnificent sight. The gravcars zipping around near ground level reminded him of an ant colony, aimlessly building.
The soft whoosh of the door sliding open broke the tense silence. Silver frowned at him as he faced the door. In contrast with Walker’s office, Silver’s space was sleek and modern, with glossy white tiles reflecting the natural light and making the room appear even larger. A large desk made of polished wood dominated the center of the room, its surface uncluttered. A holographic projector cast a shimmering image of a slide on the wall behind the desk.
In one of the visitor’s chairs, a young woman in shabby clothing sprawled almost bonelessly, looking as if apathy and boredom were about to kill her. Alys Stormdust-Quinn, the Indentured. She had been unconscious the only other time he’d seen her. Awake, the force of her personality filled the room was like a dancing fire. Her grey-green gaze was intent as she openly stared at Walker.
Walker raised a brow, surprised but flattered by Alys’ intense scrutiny of him. It had been a long time since he had been regarded as if he were a steak and the viewer starving. Her blunt assessment charmed him; from what Silver had mentioned, she rarely bothered to hide her thoughts or feelings, and it appeared Silver had been correct.
He let his eyes wander over her, returning the compliment. Her hair shone a rich auburn in the soft lighting, her heart-shaped face and large eyes almost elfin. The Stormdust look; she had it more than most of that clan. While petite, she was richly curved in all the right places.
And her smile dazzled.
He didn’t like the onyx on her forehead; Indenturement was distasteful to him and he’d argued long and loud about ending the practice. He understood that it was the only way Silver had to prevent people from being executed, and that the ‘life sentence’ was often commuted after a few years. Then Silver would arrange a new identity and ship them to wherever they wanted to go, usually far away from the Guild. Still, indentured servitude didn’t sit well with Walker. Worse, if Silver thought he could follow that path with this woman, he was insane. Too many powerful people were focused on her and how she could be used.
Movement caught his eye and he saw Silver hide a smile.
"Why has my assignment been changed?" he asked, reluctantly glancing away from Alys. He shifted position and stood next to the tiny bonsai azalea Silver kept near the window. It looked ready to bloom.
Alys leaned forward, her eyes still intent on him. She moved like silk in heat, graceful and deadly. The knives weren’t only for show, he reminded himself. She knew how to use them. In his eyes, it increased her attractiveness even more. Fierce competent women were the only kind worth having.
"Have you heard of knocking?" Silver retorted. His eyes gleamed, but his expression had gone sphinxlike. Yes, he was definitely up to something.
"You didn't have the privacy light on," Walker countered with a smile. "Is this a lady friend?"
He already knew the answer, but the slight narrowing of Silver’s eyes amused him.
Alys snorted, the sound emphatic, and Walker bit his cheek to stop the smile.
Silver’s love life- or more properly, total absence of it- fed speculation and betting pools in the Halls. Gossip was more fun than work. Walker didn’t add anything to the gossip mill, but he did listen. The best current rumor was that Silver was divorced and had sworn off human contact, planning to join a religious order in a few years.
Himself, he thought Silver wasn’t entirely human, and so might not view sex the way a typical person would.
With a sharklike half-smile, Silver gestured for him to sit next to the woman. She remained focused on him, like a cat sizing up its prey. He could feel her magical energy, which almost cracked in the air, but her control over it was lacking. It was very strange that a magical powerhouse like that had no real training, almost criminal. And surprising that Silver hadn’t taken it over, if no one else was available.
A sharp knock sounded at the door and she jumped.
The possibility that Silver’s e-correspondence was being spied on again went up in Walker’s opinion. Silver didn’t normally have anyone drop in to visit him other than Walker and a few friends, none of whom were in the city at the moment.
This time, several people filed in. President Cohen, flanked by two SecForce personnel in civilian clothing. Cohen smiled with surprise as his appreciative gaze wandered slowly from Alys’ toes to the crown of her head. Something deep in Walker raised its head and bared its fangs. He didn’t like the way Cohen looked at her.
“Well,” Cohen purred, extending his hand to Alys. “You are?”
There was no way he didn’t know who she was. What game was he playing?
“Alys Quinn.” She glanced at her bare hand, gave a stiff smile, and offered it. Cohen shook it in a firm gesture. As usual, he created a minor magical working to try to influence her to be more friendly to him. It skirted the edge of the law, but didn’t quite cross since the effects were short-term and it didn’t affect free will.
It still annoyed Walker a lot when he saw it done. Slimy and predatory seemed to sum it up nicely.
Swallowing hard, Alys took a step back, pulling her gloves from her belt and tugging them on.
Interesting; had she sensed the working? Just how trained was she?
