“We used to hold the viewings up here,” Pablo said, scooting onto one of many armchairs that faced the glass. “But people wanted more privacy. They were afraid of being blackmailed or found out, so we built them little rooms down below. The renovation took quite some time. We escort them in one at a time through a second entrance to guarantee their anonymity.”
Pablo’s feet didn’t quite touch the ground, but he made no effort to move or stand.
I leaned my shoulder against the glass and looked at the outer walls surrounding us. The sandalwood-brown paint and recessed lighting were classy touches.
“The view is better up here,” he said absently.
“What does this job pay?”
“A woman who gets right to the point. I like that.” Pablo stood up and stared down at the empty fighting room below. “Two hundred thousand per match. That’s the baseline salary, but if you’re a proven champion, the sky’s the limit.”
I joined his side. “How did you get involved in this? You don’t look like a guy who’s into death matches.”
“Death matches?” Pablo tossed back his head and laughed. “Is that what Flynn told you?”
“No. But I just assumed…”
“These are clean fights.”
“Seems like there would be more money in death matches.”
He looked up at me and arched an eyebrow. “If you don’t know how to show mercy, you don’t belong here.Thisaudience has a very particular taste in watching a Mage fight.”
Something about the way he said “this audience” had me wondering if there was another audience, but I didn’t want this interview to come off like an interrogation.
“That’s a lot of dough,” I said on a breath. “I could use that money.”
“Splendid. Flynn had nothing but good things to say, but he’s made an error in judgment once or twice. I need to see your skills before I commit to hiring you.”
I thought about Viktor’s instructions. He didn’t want me to get as far as fighting—just far enough to get names, faces, and proof, which I didn’t have.
“Can I watch one first?” I asked. “That way I know what to expect.”
“I’d rather watchyoufight. That wayIknow what to expect.”
I scratched the back of my head. “It’s just that I didn’t come prepared. Flynn didn’t tell me.”
He drew in a deep breath through his nose and sighed. “I’m afraid this won’t work out.”
“Wait, why?”
“One of us has wasted the other’s time.” He headed toward the door.
“I’ll do it.”
He stopped in his tracks.
“I’m not afraid of fighting,” I assured him. “I’ve done a lot of bad stuff in my life, so it’s not the fighting I’m afraid of.”
“Then what is it youareafraid of?”
“You.”
He turned on his heel. “What, pray tell, could a girl like you have to fear in a man like me?”
“It’s always the ones you least expect that are the most dangerous.”
That amused him, just the result I wanted.
