Page 76 of Empress of Ruin
“And you are?” Lyra doesn’t miss a beat.
“A nobody.” Cain gives her a flat smile. “That’s how I prefer it. Do keep this conversation to yourself; I’d hate to have to kill you. You’re far too pretty to die.”
“Threaten her again,” I hiss. “See what happens.”
“I don’t make threats. I give guarantees.” Cain gestures to the sofa across from him, as if he isn’t an unwelcomed guest in my fucking home. “Please. Let’s discuss.”
Lyra looks at me for instructions. I suppress the lazy satisfaction I feel. Not because she’s being obedient, but because she’s trusting me. While I’m phenomenally uncomfortable knowing she has a sex tape of me she can leak any moment to ruin my life, this new peace between us is very worth it.
I sit across from Cain, and pull Lyra into my lap. She goes willingly, relaxing a little against me.
Cain misses nothing, his lips tipping up at the corners.
“Well, aren’t you two a sight for sore eyes.” He yawns. “You’ll need to tell me your secret on wooing.”
“Wooing,” I repeat drily. “Have your eye on a prize, Cain? I’d think you were more likely to kill any object of interest than give into them.”
“We all have our vices. Mine happens to be a woman.” Cain leans forward. “Which is why I’m here.”
“That so?” I drawl. “I’d have thought you were here to tell me you have proof thatSilas tried to fucking kill me.”
Lyra stiffens at the force of my words. I stroke a hand over her waist. The gesture is instinctual, not deliberate, but it seems to work.
“I don’t, which means he didn’t.”
I point at the door. “Get the fuck out and refund me.”
“No.” Cain yawns. “Silasdidn’t try to. If he had, my guy would’ve found proof. Butsomeonedid. It looks like you have more enemies than expected, Killian.”
“Who?” I demand. When Cain stares at me blankly, I sigh. “I’ll pay whatever you want if you get me the information.”
“Excellent.” He leans forward. “What I want isn’t cash.”
“An introduction to someone?” I squint.
“I know everyone worth knowing. They come begging at my feet.” Cain brushes nonexistent lint off his suit. “I need a drug.”
“Which one, how much and where?” I can broker a deal with Carter to get whatever he wants at a reasonable price.
“I need aspecializeddrug. One I hear your team of scientists are working on.”
I stiffen. The research into the compound meant to extend life by an indeterminate amount of time is still ongoing. We’ve only just begun animal trials, and there have been a lot of unexplained deaths. Huge surprise that fucking around with lifespan tends to backfire… but The Eyes asked, so I’m compelled to try.
Cain shouldnotknow about that. He can’t. I only have three people working on it, and all of them are aware what’s at risk if they speak.
“I understand you’re developing something meant to ease the effects of psychedelic-induced mental breaks.”
I blink. “What?”
“Y’know how the government likes to dose people with random shit to see what it does, right? Specifically hallucinogenic drugs. A nasty side effect is the mental breakdowns that subsequently follow, and complete distortions of reality. You’re working on the fix for that. I want it.”
I blink slowly. Helixon Biopharmaisworking on that, but we’re still invery earlydays of human trials. The drug’s been deemed safeenoughto use in highly-experimental trials, but there are risks, as always.
“Why?” I ask, squinting. “Did one of your agents get fucked up?”
“You could say that.” Cain’s jaw ticks. It’s the first display of real emotion I’ve seen from him.
I tilt my head to the side, examining him. He’s not the type to give a fuck about a normal person working for him. Which means itisn’tsomeone who works for him.
