Page 150 of Till Death

The man, clearly offended, tossed his paper to the side with a snarl, attempting to stand.

I whipped a tiny blade from my bandolier, and it landed right between his legs. “I fucking dare you.”

He cleared his throat and plopped right back down, spreading his legs for the blade embedded into the couch. Paesha sauntered forward, gripped the knife, and pulled it free, just as the man gulped. “Waste not, want not,” she said with a smirk.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve coming into my sanctuary, Huntress.” Visha’s words were sharp and full of venom.

Paesha brushed golden brown hair over her shoulder. “I do, in fact, have a lot of nerve. Thanks for noticing, Lady V. Always a pleasure.”

Impressed as I was with her snark, Paesha’s smart mouth was surely going to get us in trouble if we weren’t careful. We didn’t have time to fall into Lady Visha’s debt.

Chapter 56

As we followed Visha down the hall, I made eye contact with Paesha, but she didn’t seem to notice. And I didn’t have time to worry about the history between them as Cordelia, Visha’s favorite, shut the door behind us as soon as we’d entered the office.

Visha didn’t take her eyes off Paesha as she lit her cigarette. “What do you want, Maiden? I’m not inclined to do business with thieves.”

I needed to use my words carefully, or I’d bind myself to Visha, and I couldn’t waste the time. I stated facts rather than asked questions. “I need to find Ro, and the last time I was here, she appeared. I intend to lure her from her solitude.”

“And you expect me to sit here patiently while you wait like this is some kind of meeting house?”

“I’ve asked nothing of you.”

She sat on the edge of her desk, dumping her ashes into a gold tray as a trail of smoke curled around her. “Are we dancing around a bargain here, Maiden?”

“No.”

“Yes.”

Paesha and I’d answered at the same time, though I swallowed my gasp at her willingness to be bound to the woman.

“No,” I said again, crossing my arms.

She narrowed those cunning eyes, taking a slow drag on that cigarette, the tip illuminating her beautiful face. “Then sit down, Maiden. If you’re not here to bargain, you’re wasting your time.”

Anger coiled within me as I teetered on the edge of my own control. This wasn’t a game to me. Orin’s life, his freedom, wasn’t something I wanted to gamble with. But the players in this realm, those who could make any difference , would always set the rules, and those in need would play along or be left to slaughter. It had always been that way, and I didn’t know why I expected this to be any different. Fortunately, Paesha had spent a lifetime in this world. She knew exactly which mask she needed and when to slip it on.

“For starters, don’t speak to Death’s Maiden that way, or you’re going to lose more than your little book, understood?”

“What do you want, Huntress?”

“We want you to tell us how to lure Ro from hiding. And before you start trapping us with fancy words, in exchange, I’m going to get the book I stole from you for the Maestro. I know where he keeps it locked up and exactly how to get into the safe. There will be no other terms.”

“Deyanira stays here while you go,” she said, far more amiable than I’d anticipated. No dealing, no debating, clean and easy.

“Deal, but if I’m not back by midnight, she goes free,” Paesha said, turning toward me. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Pulling me into a hug, she whispered, “Don’t let her fool you; she cannot trap you into a bargain without her book.”

“You might have mentioned that before we got here,” I hissed.

“I forgot,” she said simply, stepping away. “Have fun, ladies.”

She hadn’t forgotten the book. She’d forgotten she was free of Drexel’s bindings. He’d probably forbidden her to ever tell, so she didn’t, keeping all his secrets that were now hers to share as she wished.

“Please see Miss Vox back to the main door, Cordelia. I’d hate for her hands to get sticky before she’s left the building.”

“You really are so uptight, Lady V. Loosen the corset.”

Visha lifted her middle finger as Paesha blew her a kiss, walking out of the room in front of Cordelia with her chin held high.