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I place my hand on his wrist, and his eyes narrow. “Hey, relax. You don’t have to be so serious all the time,” I say, trying my best to sound soothing.
But he barely looks at me, jaw working as he murmurs, “Yes, I do.”
My heart sinks into the pit of my stomach. I’m led toward the back of the café where my agent, Luthor, is waiting—and he does not look happy. At all.
19XAVIAN
“Isaid I was sorry, like, nine times already,” Kallista hisses.
She’s barely touched her green tomato bisque; meanwhile, Margot has already finished her baguette sandwich and fries. It doesn’t escape my notice that when Kallista wanted to order fries, Margot gave her a look that would have wilted a field of flowers. She didn’t get the fries.
Luthor, the agent, didn’t even bother to introduce himself to me. Margot simply said I was the new security guard, and that was that. Then he went on to spend the first fifteen minutes of the lunch berating Kallista about the mess she’d made, how difficult things have been on him and Lydia, her publicist. It was painful to listen to.
I stand behind Kallista’s seat, scanning the room like a good bodyguard while I listen to the abuse they lob at her like rocks, each one sharper than the last. Yeah, I may be the new guy, and I’m only just getting to know Kallista, but she doesn’t deserve even a fraction of the shit they’re slinging.
Kallista, searching for a way out of her current mess, turns to look up at me with her bright, violet eyes. It’s not her actual eye color, and when she peers at me, all sparkling innocence, I can’t help but feel a tightness creeping into my throat. Damn, I miss those hazel eyes. They were gorgeous, and so uniquely hers. Can’t tell her that, though. Could barely even talk to her in the jammer ride over here, as much as it hurt to ignore her. Margot already seems suspicious of our relationship, if her glares are anything to go by.
“Yes?” I ask, slamming my brows together.
“I said, do you want something to eat?” Kallista asks sweetly.
I hadn’t realized she asked me a first time, but I shake my head. “No. Thank you,” I say, and jerk my gaze away before I can make eye contact with her agent.
He doesn’t like me. Over the years, I’ve become frighteningly adept at pegging down body language, so I can say without a shred of doubt that her agentreallydoes not like my presence, but I can’t figure out why. This guy is all polish in his slate gray suit and wine-colored tie, perfectly pressed and crisp. His facial hair is meticulously groomed close to his face, and his full head of hair looks as though someone spray-painted it on. Hell, maybe someone did. Or maybe it’s just an expensive Weave. The latter is more likely, since most people with shit tons of money are also extremely lazy and don’t bother with hair grafting procedures anymore. If I had that kind of money, I’d probably do the same in his position.
“Where do you come from?” Luthor asks, his voice greasy and thin, like a water moccasin. I peel my gaze away from the doorway and force myself to look Luthor in the eye. His dark gaze twinkles with maliciousness. He may not like me, but after Nocturne, the feeling is definitely mutual.
“Terra,” I say, resisting the urge to follow up with something sarcastic. Obviously. I’m six-four with long blond hair and pointed ears. How could he not tell where I’m from?
“You look familiar, is all,” Luthor continues, and my stomach ties itself in knots. I’ve been getting recognized on this planet more often than I’d like.
Kallista and Margot stare up at me, wide-eyed, waiting for me to say something. But I merely offer a slight shrug and avert my gaze back to the door.
“He probably just has one of those faces,” Kallista says.
I look down at the back of her head and frown. She still hasn’t touched her food. Her arms are like sticks, so thin that, with just the tiniest bit of pressure, I could snap them in half. Maybe if they actually provided this woman with some protein, she’d be able to fend for herself. She certainly has the right attitude, at least. Some training in the gym, and she’d be a force to be reckoned with.
At least the attention has moved smoothly off me, thanks to Kal’s defense, and the trio chat about this evening’s show. I keep my face impassive as I listen, trying to discern any clues that might be helpful later.
From the way Kal’s voice trembles at the ends of her sentences, I can tell she’s lacking confidence in herself despite her flashy outward appearance. There’s no way she picked that dress out for herself. Margot runs the show here, clearly. She has no problem challenging Luthor. And she does it often.
“This venue should be no problem, but the next three are giving us problems over capacity issues,” she says, her voice stern as she glares at Luthor. “What can you do about this?”
Luthor offers her a sickly sweet smile. Fake, like everything else about him. “It’s no problem. I threatened them with legal action, and they changed their tune quickly. They increased capacity. Everything should be fine.”
“Should be?” My voice cuts through the conversation like a knife, and the three of them peer up at me like I’ve suddenly sprouted a pair of extra arms. “Is the venue actually safe at that capacity, or did they just feed you a line to keep you happy?”
Luthor’s eyes narrow on me. “Everything will be fine. This doesn’t concern y—”
I knew he was going to tell me to butt out, so I step forward, asserting myself. “It does, actually. If there’s anything that might affect my ability to protect Kallista, I need be aware of it. Do you have a floor plans for me to look at? I also need to know where all the exits are.”
Luthor’s brows pinch together as he continues to stare at me. Margot has a smug smile on her face, and Kallista blinks, clearly confused.
“I’ll send them to your terminal, Xav,” Margot interjects quickly. I nod curtly to her, and Luthor leans back against his chair.
“This whole business with the interview and the birthday party,” he says. “Lydia’s been working harder than a gerbil trying to power the Super Bowl stadium. We need to smooth things over with Lacie.”
Kallista leans forward in her seat. “I have nothing to apologize for. She’s been going after me. I’m not instigating any of this!”
