Authors: Colleen Gleason
“What? Like he’s your sugar daddy now?” Keely made a sound of disgust. “That’s gross. He’s Dad’s age.”
“I don’t need to listen to this. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Becca continued shoving things into her bag.
Keely tried another angle. “What about the shop? I can’t run this place without you. You know that. How are we supposed to pay the rent if we’re not bringing in any money? It’s due next week.”
“Seriously, Keely. You worry too much. Mr. Reaux is taking care of all of that for us. The rent is paid for the next few months.”
Keely was stunned. “He’s paying the lease on Sisters?”
“Yeah, isn’t that great of him? I told you he’s really generous. In fact, when I told him about you, he said he’d love to meet you, too.”
Keely swallowed hard. “What for?”
Her sister shrugged. “I don’t know, silly, but my guess is that he’d be interested in hiring you as well. He only hires Talents for certain positions and the pay is amazing.”
Horrified that Becca had been talking to Mr. Reaux about her, Keely shook her head.
“Well, you should let me introduce you and then maybe you’ll stop being such a spoil-sport. Listen, nothing bad’s going to happen. He’s on our side, don’t you understand? He would never do anything to hurt us.”
Keely walked over to the window and glanced out, trying to calm her racing heart. Becca was talking as though she’d been brainwashed or just joined a cult. Could she not see what was going on?
“Becca, take off your glasses.”
Her sister sputtered. “Why?”
“I want to see your eyes.”
“So you can accuse me of being high? Oh my God, Keely! Stop being so…so judgmental.” She zipped up her bag and threw it over her shoulder. “You’re starting to sound just like Mom and Dad. And frankly, I’ve had enough of that kind of bullshit. I don’t need it from you as well.”
“I’m not being judgmental,” Keely said. “I’m just worried about you, that’s all. Trust me, Mr. Reaux isn’t the wonderful person you think he is. He’s a bad, dangerous man, and you’re a fool to think otherwise.”
Becca swung around to face her and lifted up her sunglasses. Her eyes were rimmed with red and the dark circles underneath were so pronounced they looked like bruises.
“You know nothing about him,” she said through clenched teeth. “Nothing. So shut your mouth.”
“Well, for your information, someone broke out a few windows in the shop the other day.”
“And you think Mr. Reaux had something to do with it?
Please
.” Becca rolled her eyes and headed down the stairs. “Protesters, Keely. That’s what they do.”
Or a not-so-subtle message that they needed Reaux’s protection.
Keely debated whether or not to tell her she’d been by the club only to be chased by Reaux’s men, but in the end, she decided not to.
“When will you be back?” she asked, following her sister down to the shop.
“Not ‘til after the party.”
“And you’re going to be gone for a few weeks? For God’s sake, Becca, I can’t keep the shop open without you. You know that. Why didn’t you run any of this past me first?”
“I did,” Becca said, biting off each word. “And you were okay with it.”
In her delusional drug-induced memory, maybe.
Becca stepped around her and reached for the door. “You should be happy that I’m not implanting a suggestion in your mind right now that you should come work the party, because I totally could, you know.”
The little hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Of course I wouldn’t. I’m just teasing.” Becca winked and then adjusted her sunglasses as she walked out the door. “I’m not that much of a bitch.”
***
“Have you gone completely insane?” Konal stared at Toryn as if he’d just sprouted horns. “Rickert will have your head if you bring an outsider to an Iron Haven.”
“What do you call Sean then? He's not an Iron Guild warrior.”
“Sean's situation is different. I know you don't like the guy, but he has the permission of the Magistrate and the Council to be working with the Iron Guild. Your girlfriend, on the other hand, does not.”
“I don’t do girlfriends,” Toryn bit out. Truth was, Keely was much more than that, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to admit it.
Konal lifted an eyebrow. “Yeah, I know, which is why I’m so confused right now.”
“There’s nothing to be confused about. She’s in danger from the man we’re after and has nowhere else to go. Until it’s safe for her to go home, she’s going to be staying with me.”
“Sounds like a girlfriend to me,” Konal muttered under his breath. “Bottom line is, you do not have permission to take her to the Iron Haven. Doing so would expose Iron Guild secrets to an unauthorized Pacifican and risk your standing with the Guild. You’ve worked too hard for that.”
Damn the rules
.
He knew his friend was right, but it didn’t make it any easier to swallow.
“Besides,” Konal added, “if you did that, Rickert would be well within his rights to have you flogged.”
Their leader was not into any rule-bending since he got his command back. He’d been punished and temporarily stripped of his command for bringing an unauthorized enemy soldier—Neyla—through a portal, so the guy did everything by the book now. Which was irritating.
Toryn inwardly flinched. Even though it had been many years, he remembered exactly how the sting of the whip felt on his bare skin. At the orphanage, it was the headmaster’s favorite form of punishment. After a particularly brutal flogging, he’d run away and wound up training for the Warrior Games, a competition where young men competed in various speed, strength and endurance events for the chance to join the Iron Guild.
“You’ve always been a rebel, Toryn, I get that. But even a rebel has to follow some of the rules or there will be hell to pay.”
“Then I’ll take her to that old hunting cabin on the river. It’s no longer used as a rendezvous point now that the Iron Havens are operational.”
“You’re going to take her to that shithole? Ha. Good luck with that. The last time we were there, we had to knock down a huge wasp nest inside. It was not pleasant.” Konal folded his arms over his brawny chest. “So what’s with this girl, anyway? You seem…pretty attached to her. And that’s not like you.”
It was true that he kept himself emotionally detached from the women he slept with. And he was good at it. Never spending more than a night or two with each one.
But with Keely, things were different. He ached to have her in his bed night after night, watching the desire in her eyes turn to molten lava as she came, holding her in his arms, talking about things that mattered and feeling like she understood him. Although the risk of betrayal weighed heavily on him, she was chipping away at his self-control.
If he could get past his trust issues, was a future together even possible? Sure, a few of the other warriors had made it work, but could he and Keely? The truth remained that they came from two different worlds, and unlike his friends’ women, she’d grown up with personal, deep-seated beliefs that his people were barbaric assassins. Despite her assurances, their differences could ultimately tear them apart.
“She’s going through a rough patch right now and has nowhere else to turn. I’m just helping her out, that’s all.”
She was strong and capable on the outside, but on the inside, she was sensitive and vulnerable. Maybe no one else saw her like that, but he sure as hell did.
Konal sighed. “Let me talk to Rickert. I can’t make you any promises, and he’s probably going to have my head for even asking, but I’ll explain to him that you’re falling for a Pacifican girl with a Talent and that you’re concerned about her safety. That’s something the guy can relate to.”
Toryn gritted his teeth but didn’t argue. If that’s what it would take for Rickert to agree, then so be it.
Konal continued. “Maybe it’ll make a difference to him knowing she’s got the
fata-blood
. That’s got to count for something, right?”
As Toryn drove back to New Seattle, he thought back to that conversation on the stairs when Keely told him she was falling for him.
It would shatter her heart when—if—they parted ways. And the thought of hurting her twisted his gut into knots.
“You can take it off now,” Toryn said gruffly.
Keely reached up and removed the blindfold, a requirement set forth by the other warriors. She blinked a few times as she peered out the Jeep’s windshield. Even though it was dark outside, it took a few moments for her eyes to adjust.
She had zero clue where they were. No one outside of the group he worked with could know the location of this place, and they obviously took that very seriously. She and Toryn had left New Seattle earlier in the day and been four-wheeling over rough terrain for the past several hours. And she’d had the blindfold on the whole time.
The headlights illuminated part of an old building surrounded by tall fir trees, but then Toryn turned off the engine and everything went dark again.
“Listen,” Toryn began, turning in the seat to face her. “Most everyone is fine about you being here, but there might be one in particular who…well…could be a little standoffish.”
“Great. Thanks for warning me ahead of time so that I could change my mind.”
She never should’ve let him talk her into coming here, but the minute she told him what Becca said, he’d made a few phone calls and they were soon on the road. Before that, she’d already decided to close up shop for a while. The thought of who was paying the rent made her sick to her stomach. It didn’t feel like it belonged to her anymore. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do, but she sure as hell didn’t want to owe Mr. Reaux anything.
She stepped out of the vehicle and was met by a blast of cold air. She shivered, pulled her scarf tighter around her neck and grabbed her duffel bag. The sounds of crickets and frogs echoed in the darkness along with the far-off howl of a coyote.
“Here. Let me take that,” Toryn said, coming around the front of the Jeep and grabbing her bag.
Tucking her hands into her pockets, she looked at the building in front of them.
So this was an Iron Haven. The headquarters for Toryn’s mercenary group. She couldn’t say that she was particularly impressed.
It seemed to be some sort of rundown resort with boarded up windows, tangles of blackberries climbing up the sides and thick layers of moss on the roof. Off to the right was a cluster of canoes covered in weeds, relics from an earlier era, which probably meant there was a lake or river nearby.
Movement in front of the building caught her attention. A dark-haired man wearing what looked to be a kilt stood in the doorway. His arms were drawn tightly across his chest and he had a stern, unwelcoming expression.
Yep. He definitely looked standoffish.
Toryn put an arm around her shoulder as they walked to the entrance, and he introduced her to Rickert, the Iron Guild warrior leader.
The man nodded, said a brusque hello, then stepped aside so they could enter. He didn’t seem at all pleased that she was here.
When they crossed over the threshold, she was surprised at what she saw. The condition of the inside did not match the rundown condition of the outside. In here, a major renovation was underway. There were sawhorses and drop cloths. Cans of paint and stacks of drywall. Rather than smelling old and musty like she’d expected, the resort smelled of fresh paint and new wood.
They were in a large foyer, two stories tall, with a freestanding river rock fireplace in the center and what looked to be the original guest registration desk to the left. She heard the sound of muffled voices and laughter in the distance.
“Toryn,” Rickert said, “I’d like to speak with ye. In private.”
“Of course.”
Just then, a very attractive blonde woman entered the foyer from the hallway on the left. Casual yet stylish, she wore black leggings, a purple cashmere sweater and a beautifully made hand-knit silver shawl.
“Rickert, honey,” she scolded, “they're probably starving. Let them eat first.” She turned to Keely, held out her hand and introduced herself. “I’m Neyla. You must be Keely. It’s so nice to meet you.” She lowered her voice. “It always takes him a while to warm up to new people. In fact, when we first met, he was planning to throw me in jail.”
Keely liked the woman immediately.
Neyla hooked her arm in Keely’s and led her in the direction from where she’d come, leaving Toryn and Rickert to bring up the rear.
“How was the drive?” Neyla asked.
“Long,” Keely said with a slight grimace. “But I slept most of the time. Not being able to see made me tired, I guess.”
“Blindfold?” Neyla asked. When Keely nodded, the woman gave her an apologetic smile. “Figures.”
The sounds of voices and laughter grew louder as they walked down the hallway. Neyla pushed open two huge double doors at the end.
“Welcome to the
activities
room,” Neyla said. Given the way she phrased it, Keely assumed she was referencing some sort of joke.
A man and a woman doing a jigsaw puzzle on the coffee table rose, grabbed their wine glasses, and came over to say hello. They introduced themselves as Vince and Zara. There were three people near a table covered with food. Toryn introduced them as Asher, Olivia and Konal.
Konal grinned. “Keely, it’s very nice to meet you. Glad to have you here. Toryn’s told me a lot about you.” Then he laughed heartily. “Not really. Getting info out of him is next to impossible.”
So this was Toryn’s best friend. She shook his hand and smiled.
“I hear you two met over a kiss,” the man named Asher said. “You must be one helluva kisser for him to bring you home.”
Olivia elbowed him.
“What?” he said, frowning.
“You said you were going to be on your best behavior.”
“I am,” he retorted, a feigned look of hurt on his face. “That was a compliment.”
There was a hint of a smile on her lips. “Right. Now be good.”
Asher lifted a brow. “Watch your tongue, Lass, or there’ll be payback later.”
Soon, Keely was sitting at the table with a large plate of food in front of her. Rickert had corralled Toryn and led him to the other side of the room.