Page 63 of Empress of Ruin
“Ah, but you’re expanding, aren’t you? Guns? Drugs? Smuggling? I hear you’ve made moves to incorporate all of the above into your portfolio. Why not hacking?”
“News travels fast.” Cain sighs. “For certain services, we’d have to charge a retainer as well as per-hour costs of service. You understand, of course.”
“Naturally,” I drawl. Considering I’ve already paid the Nighthawks stunning sums for killing people in the past, I didn’t expect that asking them to find information for me would be cheap.
I probably should’ve asked for their help tracking down Lyra. Then again, it sounds like they only recently acquired their hacker.
“What do you need my man to find?” Cain asks.
“An assassin was sent after me last night,” I drawl. “His incompetence is the only reason I assume he wasn’t one of yours.”
“We wouldn’t kill one of our most valued clients.”
I credit that statement with a snort. “I’m quite certain he was hired by a rival of mine, but I need proof, and my tech team probably won’t be able to acquire it. He’ll have gone to great lengths to obfuscate his identity.”
“I see. Send all the information to my preferred email. We’ll be in touch.”
“This needs to be a rush job,” I emphasize. “I’m on a time crunch.”
“That’ll incur an additional fee.”
“Money isn’t an issue.”
“Very well. We’ll get to work immediately.”
Cain hangs up on me, just as a few knocks sound on the door. They’re quiet, so I assume it’s Lyra.
“Come in,” I call.
She slips inside. She’s dressed in a casual blouse and slacks, with flats on. Her ankle is still in a soft supportive wrap, but she’s assured me it doesn’t hurt any longer.
“I need to get a breath of fresh air or I’ll lose my mind,” she says. “Can I go down the street for a coffee? I’ll bring you back something.”
I clench my teeth around the instinct to say no. Itreallyisn’t safe right now… but the assassin was only just sent for me. Silas will have to regroup and liquidate enough money to buy another. I don’t think I should worry that anyone will go after Lyra immediately.
“Take Locke and Mateo,” I say. “I want you within arms length of them at all times. If I hear you’ve decided to wander, you will spend the rest of the week tied to our bed. Understand?”
“Perfectly.” She sounds blasé about it. “What do you want?”
“Dealer’s choice,” I say. “Just don’t get me anything frilly.”
“Can I…” she bites her lip. “Work there for a little while? Bring my laptop?”
I exhale a long breath, considering. “You have two hours. Locke and Mateo sit at your table with you. If you need to go to the bathroom, one of them checks it and stands guard right outside.”
She rolls her eyes. “Fine. Deal.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Do I get a goodbye kiss?”
“No.” she turns and leaves. I grin. Life will never be boring with her around.
To my pleasant surprise, Lyra returns exactly two hours later. I’m less amused at the drink she brings me; a fucking vanilla latte that’s half-filled with whipped cream. I’ll get her back for it as soon as I can.
In the interim… I reach out to Spencer to set up a meeting. He’s open to speaking, though he tells me outright that he’s already met with SilasandVladimir. Looks like they’re no longer trying to hide their alliance.
Icouldask Griffin to join the meeting—I’m sure he’d agree—but I don’t think a show of force is what would earn Spencer’s respect. I think I might have a better chance of earning his favor if I’m man enough to show up on my own instead of hiding behind someone else.
The meeting is set a week from today. According to the doctor, I shouldn’t be doing anything high-stress for a while… but considering the tribunal’s only a few weeks out, that’s impossible.
