Shit.There was nowhere else to go, and the only place she was going to get answers was the one place shecouldn’ttake him.
“So, when are we getting off?” he asked, his head remaining forward.
* * *
Rae couldn’t believe she was sneaking Titus inside the Guild like some horny teenager still living at her parents’.
Who was she kidding! They were going to get caught. No way would she successfully sneak a guy Titus’s size inside without the others finding out, not when Atlas had freaky vampire hearing, and the twins liked to nosey themselves into her business daily.
Not to mention he was gloriously naked from the waist up, much to the delighted passengers of the Northern, Bakerloo and Metropolitan line. At least Gerald hadn’t shown his face again, which was a bonus, she supposed.
“Just… be quiet,” she said, climbing the stairs slowly. The lift wasn’t an option, not when Vivian was the eyes and ears that controlled it. There was a small possibility the others wouldn’t share the news of her guest with her, at least not straight away.
The door on the ninth floor moved silently, heavy before Titus pushed at her side, opening up the secret bookshelf to reveal the shared area. The kitchenette was empty, as was the two-seater leather sofa in the corner. Reaching back to grab Titus’s hand, she quickly pulled him inside before the bookshelf automatically heaved closed, the edges sealing to hide the secret door entirely.
“You have to be –” Rae skidded to a halt, Nix and Atlas sitting at the table going over a map. Nix didn’t react other than a single raised brow, but Atlas jerked back in his chair, his brown hair a cap of messy waves sweeping across his surprised face. He swiped at the strands, black eyes flicking between Rae and Titus.
“I can explain,” she said, holding onto Titus tighter, as if that would make him disappear.
“No need to explain,” Atlas said with a chuckle, fangs peeking from between his lips. “He must have been good to break your streak. Means you owe me two Imps.”
“Interesting decision,” Nix added with a cock of his head. “Fucking your target.”
“We’re not –” Rae began.
“Your target?” Atlas shot to his feet, his fangs descending in anger. “What the fuck were you thinking Rae?”
Titus pressed against her back in silent reassurance.
“I wasn’t. I’m not!” she shouted back, immediately regretting it. “Look, I don’t owe you shit, Atlas. I just need to hide him until –”
“Until what?” Vivian’s cool voice slithered down Rae’s spine, coming from the speaker perched high in the corner.
Fuck.
“My office, now.”
Rae knew not to argue, not against the woman who held her fate in her hands. Literally. She didn’t bother explaining more, pulling Titus towards her room, and then pushing him inside.
“Stay here,” she said, ignoring his slight smirk at her demand. “And lock the door.” She didn’t wait to see whether he’d followed her instructions, knowing the longer she made Vivian wait, the worse it would likely be. “Don’t let him out,” she barked to Atlas and Nix, who’d resumed staring at the map between them.
“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Atlas asked.
Rae shook her head, following the slim hallway that was the entrance to Vivian’s quarters. She’d been there only a handful of times, and only by invite. The generic blue wallpaper of the main area changed to pretty florals, the wooden floor pale with light coloured rugs to break up the clean space. Art decorated the walls, mainly flowers, but some green landscapes that definitely weren’t taken in London.
“Through here,” Vivian called, the door to her office open just past the lush velvet sofa in pastel pink. It would have looked ridiculous, but somehow worked with all the other soft tones and patterns. Feminine in design, but with bold bursts of solid black in bookshelves, statues, and frames. Her quarters were essentially a self-contained flat, with her own kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living room and office. There was a reason she didn’t leave much.
The office was just as pretty, the desk pure white with chrome edges. Fresh flowers sat against the fake window, giving off an artificial light that Rae wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference about if the scenery wasn’t trees and a grove blowing in the wind, rather than the real visual of brick, steel and glass.
“What were you thinking?” Vivian asked in a strained tone. “Bringing your target here?”
“Someone else tried to kill him,” Rae said, her hands clenched at her sides. “I wasn’t told the assignment was open to multiples, it complicates things.”
“I know of no other contractors.”
“You must know something. We were –”
“There are no other contractors, Rae. At least not from the Syndicate.” A slight pause, Vivian turning away from the eye contact.
