I walked out of the bar, Hawk right behind me. If we were going to talk, this was not going to be a theatrical performance for the bar.
“Why are you here?”
“I need you to come to the broker house. I don’t want to talk here.” He took a step as if I’d just follow him. He still didn’t get it.
“That’s not going to happen,” I said, not budging.
“I’m telling you, we need to talk,” he said, staring at me as if I was short a few brain cells suddenly.
“This is it. This is all you get. A couple minutes in the street.” I waved my hands around, indicating the spot where we stood.
His jaw shifted. Oh, that placid lake had white caps now. Good. See how he liked it when he was treated like the disposable help.
“You want to make it difficult, it’s your call.”
“I do. I like it difficult.”
He was already walking off when I yelled, “The harder, the better.” It didn’t escape me that I sounded like I’d lost my marbles. The glances from the patrons about to enter Zark’s confirmed it. Oh shit. I hoped they hadn’t taken that to mean something of a more sexual nature.
It wasn’t my fault. If they’d had to deal with him as much as I had, they’d be a little wobbly upstairs too. But they didn’t. And why was that? Yeah, they all ran across the street when they saw him coming. The lot of them were big babies, and I would not be shamed by babies.
“We’re in a fight, in case you all wanted to know,” I told the looky-loos. “Because I’m not a scaredy-cat,” I added, just so they’d know who they were dealing with.
Then I went inside before I looked even crazier.
12
My feet were sore, but I had a pocket full of coin. I might’ve made my entire month’s rent in one night. It was as if every customer was trying to make amends for their initial slights and doubts with fat tips. Who knew what they’d been saying behind my back to feel this much guilt, but I didn’t care if it was going to pay off this well. Maybe I could make them talk some more about me. If they’d seen me outside yelling, they’d have plenty of material.
Fifty coins, sixty, seventy, eighty…
Oof. My coins hit the ground as my head smacked into something hard. Except there was nothing there. I reached down and picked up my coins, took another step, and hit it again.
I reached out and felt something blocking my way that couldn’t be seen. I backed up a couple of steps and rammed my shoulder into the area. Whatever was there, it was stronger than me. I tried moving west, and could only get a few steps. Same happened if I went north or south. The only direction I could head was east. I took a few steps, tried the other directions again, and found I could still only move east. I couldn’t even turn around and go back in the direction of Zark’s, where I’d just come from. A few more steps and the trend was obvious. The only way available was the way that led to the broker’s office and him.
Oh, I’d go see him, all right. Each step had a little more force than the last, as the walk gave me time to stew over his high-handedness. What did he not understand about “stay out of my life”? That he wasn’t entitled to my time? Did he think it was optional? He could leave me alone on his good days and screw with me when he felt the need for some entertainment? This was not how my life in Xest was going to be, and this time I’d make sure he got it through his thick head.
I slammed the door open, stepping inside the office. He was leaning against a desk, arms crossed, as if casually waiting for an appointment. In truth, I wasn’t afraid of Hawk. If someone was going to commit violence tonight, it was me. He’d ship me off right quick, but I didn’t think he’d physically hurt me. Trust was an altogether different beast, one with teeth that could bite if you put your hand a little too close.
“What the hell was that?” It was surprising there wasn’t fire shooting out of my mouth as I spoke.
He raised his brows and shrugged, moving slightly as if to acquire a more comfortable position. “That’s called a directional, or in common slang, all roads lead to Rome. Comes in handy when you aren’t sure a newsflash will do the job.”
Figured he’d get into semantics on the “what” and not the “why” of it.
“And I guess you’re Caesar?”
“I told you we needed to talk.” He smiled. I didn’t believe for one second he was happy. As relaxed as he seemed, I could feel his edge like a razor pressed against my flesh. Yep, he was having a bad day, so he thought it was a good day to bother me. Wasn’t going to happen.
“I told you I didn’t care. Whatever you have to say, I’m not interested.” If he’d acted like a normal human being and not corralled me into coming here, I might’ve heard him out eventually out of pure curiosity. Giving in to his domineering ways would only encourage future bad behavior, and that wasn’t happening.
I turned toward the door.
“See, the thing of it is, you’re going to have to hear me out.” His voice was calm, like the lake that was hiding the Loch Ness Monster beneath its surface.
“And why is that?”
“I’m not lifting the directional until you do. If you were capable of protecting yourself at all, of resisting it, you wouldn’t be here.”
My lack of self-protection skills still seemed to get under his skin enough that he couldn’t seem to pass up an opportunity to take a jab.
I didn’t need any more hits after the last couple of days. I already felt like I was in the tenth round with Rocky. I’d marched over here, angrier than anyone else was capable of making me. Now I wanted to throw up the white flag. It was too much. He was too much. My feelings for him were a jumbled-up mess of what I’d thought we were, what I thought he was, and the truth. All I wanted was to go home.
“What do you want? Tell me so I can get the hell out of here.”
There was a tiny little flicker in his eye. It was small, and if I hadn’t been staring so hard, I might’ve missed it. But I didn’t. He had the nerve to be hurt after all he’d done to me? Even now, forcing me to come here and listen to him? I looked away. He might still be able to crawl under my skin now, but I’d hammer out any softness until there was nothing but hard, impregnable steel.
“I have a job for you,” he said.
I let out a sigh as I rolled my eyes. The man was incapable of listening.
“I don’t want it. If that’s why I’m here then we can wrap this up right now.”
“You don’t have the option of turning this one down. You’re the only one that can do it.”
I shook my head. He wasn’t winning this time. “I’m sure you can figure it out. After all, I’m not even supposed to be here, remember?”
I made my way to the door. I’d stand outside for hours if I had to. The door wouldn’t open. Not a huge surprise, considering how Hawk did business. I looked around the room, trying to locate the best thing that might smash through the glass, focusing on the door, escaping, anything but him.
“There’s a crack in the wall,” he said.
I stopped scanning the room. There was only one wall I’d have any interest in, and it was the one I’d created. The one I’d nearly died making. The one that would protect this world from whatever evil thing that lived in the Unsettled Lands.