Page 16 of Vex (Dragon Brides #12)

Luisa had no reason to be meeting with some low life.

The rage that flooded through Vex was irrational and completely beyond his control. Heat built beneath his skin, smoke threatening to curl from his fingertips as he watched her sit across from that piece of scum like they were old friends.

Every instinct screamed at him to intervene, to tear the man apart for daring to even look at her. The possessive thought should have shocked him, but all he could focus on was the way Luisa's shoulders had tensed, the careful way she held herself like she was afraid.

She was supposed to be his partner. She was supposed to trust him enough to come to him if there was trouble. Instead, she'd snuck away like a thief in the night to meet with someone clearly dangerous.

The betrayal cut deeper than it had any right to, considering the length of their partnership.

He'd followed her path through the casino, his dragon senses locked onto her like a tracking beacon. The Frost Lounge had been easy enough to find, and positioning himself where he could hear some of their conversation even easier.

"I was—"

"We're going back to our room." He managed to keep his voice level, controlled, but barely.

The effort of not touching her was monumental. If he put his hands on her right now, he might drag her out of the lounge like some kind of caveman, consequences be damned. She wasn't his to claim, wasn't his to protect, no matter what his dragon insisted.

They were partners. Temporary partners. Nothing more.

But the careful distance he maintained as they walked was torture. She moved with that careful grace he'd come to recognize, but there was something fragile about her posture now, something that made the protective instincts rage even harder against his attempts at rational thought.

The elevator ride was silent except for the soft mechanical hum.

Vex stared at the floor indicator, watching the numbers climb, and fought the urge to demand answers right there.

But everywhere was under fucking surveillance.

This conversation needed to happen in the only space they could be certain was private.

Their attendant was nowhere to be seen when they entered the suite, but Vex didn't trust the absence. He guided Luisa straight through to the bedroom, his hand hovering just behind her back without quite touching.

The moment they were inside, he slammed the door behind them with enough force to rattle the frame.

"Don't you dare tell me you were following a lead." He nearly roared it.

"I knew what I was doing." The words came out steady enough, but Vex could see the cracks in her composure. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her, knuckles white with tension.

"Do you not understand how dangerous this could get?" The question came out rougher than he'd intended, edged with the smoke he was fighting to contain.

"We're dealing with data from a dating agency, not arms dealers." Her voice lacked conviction.

"Data that Maera has made it clear she's willing to use to broker high-level partnerships.

Do you think she doesn't have an ulterior motive?

Do you think she's working with Tallyer?

Is that why you went down there? Alone?" The last word came out as almost a growl, his dragon bleeding through despite his best efforts to maintain control.

"No."

"Want to tell me why then? We're partners, we need to trust each other." The word “partners” felt inadequate, insufficient to describe whatever this thing between them had become. But it was all he could safely offer.

"Like I know anything about you!"

The accusation hit him in the chest, unexpected and sharp enough to cut through his anger. For a moment, he was thrown completely off balance. He'd kept his cards close to his chest, revealed only what was necessary for the mission.

But that was just the way he operated.

"I haven't hidden anything from you. You know who I am, why I'm here." But even as he said it, it felt somewhat hollow.

"Then what's an actual lord doing working this job? Don't you have peasants to annoy or something?" There was bite in her voice now, defensive anger that made her stand straighter, chin lifted in challenge.

Old aristocratic arrogance came easily, a shield against the uncomfortable truth in her words. "The peasants annoy themselves just fine. I've never hidden my title."

"You didn't make it obvious either."

They were circling each other now, the space between them charged with more than just anger. There were layers to this fight, undercurrents he could feel but not quite identify.

Everything was rising to the surface now, all the careful distance they'd maintained crumbling under the weight of emotions neither of them was prepared to acknowledge.

Her cheeks were flushed with color, her breathing slightly uneven, and despite his fury, Vex found himself noting the way her dress hugged her curves, the way her hair had come slightly loose from its careful arrangement.

This was about more than the mission. More than her meeting with Tallyer.

This was about trust and betrayal and the way she'd looked at him last night like he might actually matter.

The way he'd gone to sleep with her in his arms and felt like he'd found something he hadn't even known he was looking for.

But beneath it all was the knowledge that she was in danger, and she hadn't trusted him enough to ask for help.

"So what didn't you make obvious? Why is Brant Tallyer meeting with you and threatening you?" He had to get some control back.

She went completely still, her face draining of color as she realized exactly how much he'd overheard. The fear that flickered across her features made his protective instincts roar, momentarily overwhelming the anger in a way that left him feeling unsteady.

"He said he'd sell you to Maera Daxkar. If he thought you were really mine, he wouldn't dare."

The words really mine hung in the air. The thought of anyone laying claim to her, of anyone using her skills until there was nothing left of the brilliant, fierce woman he'd come to care about far too much, made smoke curl around him.

It was like she was being held up by strings that were suddenly cut. Luisa sagged and sat on the bed. "Where do you think I learned to do what I do?" Her voice was small now, defeated in a way that made his chest ache.

"What?" The single word came out too sharp.

"Hacking complex systems? Scanning data?

Everything I've done over the last few days, do you think there's some kind of, I don't know, college on Aetis that teaches it?

" There was bitter humor in her voice now, self-deprecating in a way that made him want to cross the room and pull her into his arms.

"The IDA said you were the best." He was struggling to process what she was telling him.

"I am the best. Because Brant Tallyer took me under his wing when I was sixteen and hooked me up with some of the most vicious hackers and data brokers in the quadrant."

It hurt to hear it.

Of course she was a criminal. How else would someone develop the kind of skills she possessed?

But knowing it intellectually and hearing her say it out loud were two different things entirely.

The woman who'd taken him apart with her hands and her mouth and her brilliant mind, was a thief. Had always been a thief.

And then he was angry at himself for being shocked.

What had he expected? Some pristine princess who'd learned hacking as a hobby? The underworld didn't produce people like Luisa by accident. It forged them in fire and desperation, and the fact that she'd survived it, had thrived enough to be sitting here with him now, should have impressed him.

Instead, all he could think about was how she'd deceived him, how she'd let him believe she was something she wasn't.

The anger came roaring back, hotter and more dangerous than before. She'd lied to him. Maybe not directly, but by omission, and that felt like betrayal in a way that made rational thought nearly impossible.

"So Tallyer is your ex?" The question came out tight, controlled, but he could hear the edge of violence underneath.

She made an almost comically horrified face. "Absolutely not! I'd never touch that slimy toad." The disgust in her voice was genuine and immediate.

His dragon was satisfied with that answer, at least. And that only made Vex angrier.

"He wants fifty grand, or he'll sell me to Maera for my skills. He still thinks I'm your pretty bauble. Our cover is intact. We can fix this." She was trying to sound professional, competent, but he could hear the fear underneath.

"How the fuck do you think I can trust you after this?" The words came out cruel, designed to hurt, and he saw them land hard. Part of him immediately wanted to take them back, but the larger part of him was too angry, too betrayed to care about the pain that flickered across her features.

"Just because I didn't tell you doesn't mean I lied. I'm here to do the job." But her voice was smaller now, less certain.

"Or are you here to rob the casino blind?" The accusation was unfair, and he knew it, but he couldn't seem to stop himself.

"What? No! And who would care if I did? It's a bunch of rich assholes. But I haven't touched anything but their outer security. The money's better protected than that." There was heat in her voice again, defensive anger that made her eyes flash.

"How would you know?" He was being deliberately obtuse now, pushing for a reaction.

"Because it's a fucking casino. They're all like that." Exasperation colored her tone, like she was explaining something obvious to a child.

"Have you tried to rob the Mountain before?" The question was a trap.

Her answer came fast, automatic. "No!"

"Don't lie to me." His voice had gone dangerously quiet.

"I'm not. It would be too difficult to ever try. There are much easier targets."

The casual way she said it, like robbery was just another career option to consider, made his vision go red around the edges. She wasn't even trying to pretend she was reformed, wasn't making any excuses or apologies for what she'd done.

"You're done with this job." The words came out absolute.

"You don't have the authority to do that. You need me." But there was desperation creeping into her voice now, like she was starting to realize how serious he was.

"I need a partner I can trust. And I can't trust you. When does Tallyer expect the money?" Each word was carefully controlled, but underneath was a fury that threatened to burn everything in its path.

"Oh, so you're going to pay him?" Hope flickered in her voice, quickly followed by confusion.

"No."

The single word seemed to drain what little fight she had left. Her shoulders sagged, and for a moment, she looked younger, more vulnerable, like the sixteen-year-old girl who'd been desperate enough to throw in with a man like Tallyer.

"He didn't say,” she admitted.

He had to do what he could to salvage this. "I'll get you transport to the city. Disappear. It's the least you can do."