I shake my head. “Why? Why would I work with you? You just acknowledged that I don’t like you.”
“We work together and we’ll both get what we want.”
“What do I have that you want?” I ask.
He smiles and leans back. “Oh, you know.”
“Look,Mr. Trent,I have a lot of amazing things. Stop being so illusive, dude.”
He chuckles, and the waiter comes back with our drinks. I grab the glass of red wine and take a sip. For the most expensive wine, it’s not what I expected. Though, I’m the furthest thing from a wine snob. Give me a cheap bottle of something sweet and I’m good.
Mr. Trent takes a big drink of his Old Fashioned and it hits me. He doesn’t know for certain that I have what he wants. He’s trying to get me to admit it. So it’s not the house…and probably not my book…what is it?
“Look, Mr. Trent,” I start.
“Call me Jason.”
“Fine. Jason.” I take another sip of the wine, still not liking it at all. “I’m not interested in whatever game this is you’re playing. Either tell me what you want and what you have, or I’m leaving. I don’t have time for this.”
“I believe you have a particular set of runes. Runes I’ve been searching a very long time for.”
I shake my head, remembering that Lyra said he asked her for runes too. “I don’t have runes.”
“Are you sure?” He narrows his eyes. “This set isn’t complete,” he says slowly. “It might only have four or six in it. They are very old.”
Four runes. Very old. I know exactly what he’s talking about.
“I don’t know why you’d want to trade something presumably valuable for an incomplete set of runes.” I offer a shrug. “Besides…what exactly would you want to trade if I did have an incomplete set of runes anyway?”
“The name of the demon who killed your parents.”
I can feel heat rushing to my fingertips.Stay calm…stay calm…“And I’m supposed to trust you to give me the real name and not something made up?”
“I may not be a saint, but I’m no liar,” Jason Trent assures me.
“And what are you, exactly?”
“A procurer of magical items.”
I blink but keep my face neutral. “Why?”
He laughs, and dammit, he looks charming when he does. “They’re quite valuable…and useful.”
The bad feeling intensifies, and I can’t get a good enough read on Jason. But something inside me wants to get away. I have so many more questions for this guy, while at the same time I don’t want to keep talking to him. The more I say, the more he knows about me, even if it’s not intentional. Showing interest…letting him know I want answers…it’ll give him an edge over me.
Though I’m sure he already knows it.
“Look.” I lay my hands on the table. “If you want me to even consider working with you, then you need to give me more information.”
“Ask away.”
“Why did you send the golem?”
He brings his hand in to his chest. “I didn’t personally send it. I don’t have that kind of power…unlike you.”
“You can’t do magic?”
“Unfortunately, no. I wasn’t gifted the way you are.”
