Standing up, Rene canceled his stealth.
“Hello, there,” he said, holding his hands up.
Alana’s eyes narrowed and her lips pressed together, almost looking like she was pouting.
“Do I dare ask what happened?” Rene asked, indicating all her worldly possessions.
“They dismissed me from my job,” Alana grumbled. “No warning, no final pay—just told me to leave by the end of the day.”
“Huh,” Rene said frowning. “I wonder why. Any thoughts?”
“No, not a one,” Alana replied, shaking her head.
“Well. Let’s find someone to haul your belongings back to my house and get you set up there,” Rene said, having come to an answer in his head long before he’d voiced it. “I have a number of spare bedrooms you can live in.”
“I don’t think that’d be prudent. Living with a man isn’t something—”
“Alana would have problems with that,” Rene interrupted. “But, you’re Alan. So, come on, Alan. I’m going to make a point of this. You’ll come stay with me for a time. Right up until you can get back on your feet.
“Get some day laborers signed up to move your things. I’ll pay the bill, so don’t worry about it.”
Why are we helping?
“I… I don’t…” Alana mumbled.
“Alright, I’ll be back with my official carriage to pick you up shortly. Get everything else ready,” Rene said. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with this.
In the back of his mind, he suspected Junk might be behind this, but he had no proof. It seemed like the petty sort of revenge Junk might get himself into. Going after anyone even remotely associated with Rene.
He’d have to check in on Caleb and the Moons, as well.
“Okay, Rene,” Alana said, giving him an odd smile. “Okay.”
Nodding his head, Rene left.
Why are we helping her?
Because I want to.
Okay? Because… because I want to.
Is that so terrible?
We’re not who we were anymore.
You’re not freaking out at me to kill people and you’re not… you’re not driving me towards that at all times.
I just want to help her, because she helped us.
I have friends. I have loyalties and… and… and—
I just wanted to know why we’re helping her.
I don’t mind helping her.
How are we supposed to get our teeth into her if we’re not keeping her close?
You’re not going to throw a fit or anything stupid?
No. Your wants are my wants.
I are you, you are me. We are we.
I want to help Alana because I want to taste her. I want to run my tongue and lips down her and sink my teeth in. Take a big wet bite out of her.
Metaphorically speaking.
I really just want to sink my dic-
You’re… you’re so… wrong.
The better question is: why do I want her so badly?
Because that means you want her.
That badly.
Chapter 26
As he locked the doors to the lending office, Rene couldn’t help but feel some anxiety. Tonight was going to be the turning point in his little feud with Junk.
Ronder would end up being thrown in jail, and Junk would get framed for the whole thing. With only Rene having the proof of the matter.
It’d put Junk in the position of being a visible enemy of Rene while having absolutely no teeth to do anything with.
Rene found he had a knack for politics. It seemed to mostly involve money, the threat of violence, and blackmail.
All things he was good at.
The only problem is Caleb and the Moons are in his crosshairs until I can solve this. I’ll need to confront Junk and make sure everything is settled with him.
If I have to kill him, I will.
I’m sure I can arrange it so that murder falls on Ronder.
Then maybe have Ronder commit ‘suicide’ in his cell.
That’s always a good one.
It really is a favorite to be sure; one can’t deny its lovely allure.
To end a mark found in the dawn with none the wiser to our little con.
Dropping the key in his pocket, Rene began walking up the simple pathway toward his home. Odelia often visited, now that there was a location she could easily find him at, more often than not.
Rene opened his front door as his knights moved off to take up positions on each side of the entryway.
And Alana—
“Welcome home,” Alana said, standing up from her seat at her desk. The living room had mostly been taken over by her and her work. “How was work?”
With a frown, Rene closed the front door and then went to pull off his coat. Juggling the briefcase from hand to hand as he did so, he finally dropped the coat onto the banister near the entryway.
Alana was acting very strange, despite it having only been a day since she’d moved in. It had started with breakfast, putting his clothes out for him, bringing him lunch, and cleaning his room and study while he was out.
Almost like a brand new housewife.
“About as well as could be expected,” Rene said, looking the Elf over. The very manly looking clothes she often dressed in were gone. She was wearing something far more neutral, bordering on feminine.
“Any interesting clients?” she asked, coming over to him. She took his briefcase out of his hand and then took his coat from the banister.
Uhm.
Feeling a weird flutter inside his chest, Rene shook his head.
“Mostly the normal thing,” he said, following Alana as she walked over to an odd-looking bookshelf with doors he hadn’t seen before. “Loans to improve businesses, buy inventory, invest in this or that, land purchases. Most of it’s just figuring out who’s going to be able and likely to repay the debt. You balance the risk against your reward and decide from there.”
“Ah, I see,” Alana murmured, sliding his briefcase into a slot that fit it quite well. “I think I understand. It’d be like allowing a street urchin to borrow a first edition. You’d never see it again.”
“Something like that, yeah,” murmured Rene as he watched Alana put his coat on a hook in a rather tall section of the bookshelf.
It’s more like an office wardrobe. But… I didn’t own one before this, and neither did Alana.
I’m also fairly certain this is brand new.
Turning toward him, she gave him a small smile and then held out her hand to him.
Looking at her empty palm, he wasn’t sure what to do.
“The office key, please, along with anything you’ll need for work tomorrow,” Alana said. “Nothing too important that you couldn’t afford to lose, though.”
Nodding his head, Rene reached into his pockets and pulled out the office key and his Anatolis signet stamp. It wasn’t critically important, but it was something he had to have with him to actually get work done from his office.
He put them in her hand, and then pulled out his small client calendar from an inner pocket and handed it to her as well.
As she’d stated, he kept his vault key and client ledger on his person.
Alana opened a drawer and laid the calendar in it, then the key and signet as well. Closing the whole bookshelf up, she firmly pressed the doors in until they clicked. Then she fished out a key, locked it, and re-pocketed it.
“I moved to the secondary chamber this morning and have settled in accordingly,” Alana said turning to face him once again. “Is there anything that you need taken care of this evening?”
“No. Not really,” Rene said. He hadn’t included her in any of his plans, of course, because to her, he was just Rene or the Hood.
“Splendid. I already planned out the evening’s meal and have attended to your records regarding Redemption House, both our university needs, and the needs of the home,” Alana listed off. “The house is settled for the night.”
I… uh… okay.
“Thank you,” Rene said, not knowing what else to say.
Alana smiled at him and ducked her head fractionally.
“Of course,” she murmured. “I’m going to resume my lessons. Don’t hesitate to call on me, if you have a need.”
“Right, yeah,” said Rene.
Alana moved off, back to the desk she’d been at when he’d arrived, and sat back down. Within seconds, she was rapidly going through some type of coursework.
Moving to his room, Rene decided to retire for the day. He needed to be ready for tonight.
And to really think about what Alana was doing. It didn’t make sense to him.
Especially since she was still in her Alan persona.
If she’d swapped to formally become Alana, it’d make more sense.
But at that point, she shouldn’t be living with me.
There was no response from the Monster.
***
Gideon was non-plussed to be told to pull his men from the lending house.
But since the vault wasn’t actually complete yet and all the gold was in a safe in Rene’s bedroom, he wasn’t that upset about the whole thing.
Though he did give Rene a longer than normal questioning look when he’d received his orders.
Doubly so, when he was told not to interfere if someone should go barging into the office later that night. To let it happen and not deal with it at all.
Gideon was a smart man, though.
He was already well aware that there was something going on here he wasn’t being told. Since it didn’t endanger any of his men, his contract, or seemingly Rene, he clearly didn’t think it worth getting involved in.
For that, Rene was infinitely grateful.
Discretion was a much needed trait in this kind of work. He’d have to make sure to keep Gideon on for as long as he could.
“I don’t understand it,” Irini whispered from beside him.
“Not much to understand,” Rene countered with a shrug of his shoulders. “We go—”
“No, I get that part. I meant… why he’s doing this,” Irini said, glaring at Rene from his side. “Having you robbed, just to have the Mask interrupted and… what… get him arrested?”
“Dunno. Honestly, I never looked into it because it didn’t quite matter,” Rene admitted. “Regardless of his end goal, it doesn’t change anything that’s happening.”
“I mean, I guess… I just… want to know what’s going on,” Irini muttered. Behind them, her tail swished back and forth.
Annoyed much?
“Curiosity killed the cat, you know,” Rene said, then looked up at the dark night sky above. “Probably about time. Let’s break in and see where Junk is, and what he’s about. Time to end this. You remember your lines, I hope?”
Irini sneered at him, her nose wrinkling.
“You’re using my ability for little better than theatrics,” she groused.
“And paying you very well for it. Are you actually complaining that you’re not at risk?” Rene asked, turning toward the window they were hiding near.
He didn’t have to look at Irini to know she was considering trying to kill him again.
“If you even think it, I’m going to give you another notch,” Rene promised as he slid his shim between the window shutters and then unhooked the lock.
“What?” Irini hissed angrily.
“If you even think about trying to kill me, or attack me, I’m going to give you another notch,” Rene clarified. “I’ll not tolerate disobedience.”
Sensing the attack coming long before it arrived, Rene shuffled a step to the left.
Irini’s blade slammed into the window shutter, part of the wood splintering away from the strike.
“I… I didn’t… that is—”
“You’re getting another notch,” Rene said with a sigh. “You can pick which ear, and inside or outside. I swear to the heavens. Are you that much of an idiot?
“You’re acting like a petulant child. Are you a damn toddler?”
“I’m six! How dare you!” Irini hissed, prying her blade out of the wood.
Huh. They must age differently. I wonder if she has a short lifespan, too.
“Inside, outside, and which ear?” Rene asked, pulling the shutters open.
“It isn’t neces—”
Rene met Irini’s eyes.
He stared at her exactly as he would someone he’d been hired to murder.
She was nothing more than a tool to him. Something to use or break as he needed. Killing her would require no effort, and it wouldn’t even effect his alignment bar.
The simple reality was she was more useful alive than dead at the moment.
But that could change very easily.
Your skill in Intimidation has increased (18)
“Out… outside, same ear,” Irini murmured, breaking eye contact with him.
“Fine. When we get back, I’ll add the new notch,” Rene promised. Then he went in through the window.
Quickly and quietly, the two hired killers moved through the Junk house as if it were little more than a nursery filled with very full and sleepy babies.
The guards that were on duty didn’t see them as they made their way ever deeper into the home. Didn’t notice them, as they checked both Junk’s study and his library.
And had no idea they’d even been there.
“They’re all very lazy,” Irini whispered into Rene’s ear as they paused at the entrance to a hallway. In front of them was the only way to Junk’s bedroom.
At the end of it was a single door guard, who almost seemed to be dozing on his feet.
Nodding his head, Rene turned and pressed his mouth to Irini’s ear.
He’d seen this sort of thing often enough. People wanted to feel secure and hired guards. Then shorted them and cheated them at every opportunity, eroding that very same security.
“Underpaid, undertrained, overworked, and uncaring,” Rene replied. “Can you take him without being seen?”
Turning his head away Rene, offered his ear to Irini.
The cat-girl hesitated and then was there, her lips against his ear.
“Yes, I can handle it. Watch my back,” she said.
Moving away before he could look at her, Irini prowled forward on all fours. She was low to the ground, her belly almost touching the wooden floor.
And the guard didn’t even seem to notice her. His eyes closed once again, as he started to drift off.
Irini got within a few feet of the man and kept going. Then she was directly beside him. As if she didn’t even exist to his awareness.
The cat-girl assassin was clearly contemplating what to do. Instead of lashing out at the man, she grabbed the doorknob to the only door.
As she twisted it slowly, he could see her arm flexing.
Must be locked.
Irini looked away from the guard and at the lock. She pulled a small, thin piece of metal out of a pouch and slipped it into the crevice between the door and the frame.
Wiggling it around, she seemed to be trying to catch the locking mechanism with it. There was a hard clack when she tried the door again.
Must have been the lock coming out of the slot.
Both Rene and Irini looked to the guard, who didn’t stir at all. As if he’d heard nothing.
Pushing on the door, Irini watched the guard. Silently, it swung inward, revealing a very dark interior and little else.
Tilting her head to one side and then the other, Irini watched the guard again.
I suppose… if there’s no need to kill him, there’s no need to kill him.
Rene got down low and moved forward, engaging his Sneak.
You’ve gained a point of Agility (32)
Holy crap. That’s a lot higher than I remember.
And yet it’s painfully obvious. We’re always getting better.
We knew she was attacking before she did. And dodged it perfectly.
Once again, Rene w
as forced to thank the Watcher for his gifts. Of course, that only made him feel guilty and like he was ever deeper in debt.
He hoped the Watcher was a more forgiving lender, since it seemed Rene had nothing to offer in return.
Passing by Irini and the dozing guard, Rene entered Junk’s bedroom.
A second later, Irini had closed the door and joined him. Catching his eyes on her, she shrugged her shoulders. She carefully unlocked the door, twisted the knob, and closed the door.
Then she relocked it.
In the darkened room, Rene could clearly see Junk sleeping in his bed. His bulk didn’t look immense only because his bed was absolutely gigantic.
Realizing this was the part where Rene had to don his mask, he reached up and adjusted it. He’d been wearing it since the moment he’d left the house with Irini.
Irini pulled a hood down over her head. Then she pulled her tail up and tucked it down into her pants.
At the moment, she had no features to memorize.
Not waiting, Irini leapt up onto the top of the sleeping fat man and whipped out a blade. She had it pressed to his throat before he’d even woken up.
“You’ll remain absolutely silent, or I’ll take your head from your shoulders,” she hissed at him. Her voice was louder than Rene had hoped it would be, but still quite silent.
“Do you understand, or should I just kill you?” Irini asked.
“I understand,” Junk muttered.
“You have a visitor. You’ll speak with him,” Irini said. “And when you speak with him, it’ll be quietly, and without alerting guards.
“If you do something your visitor or I don’t like, I’m going to kill you. You are not needed.”
“I get it,” Junk grumbled.
Standing up, Rene walked over to the single chair in the room and sat down on it. It was next to a rather ornate desk which was cluttered with papers and other things.
“Up, then,” Irini said, hopping off Junk and to the side of the man’s bed.
Rolling out of his bed with a grunt, the big man almost instantly spotted Rene.
“What? What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be—”
“Getting arrested by the guard,” Rene said, crossing one leg over the other.
Junk didn’t respond to that. He just stared blankly at Rene.
Monster's Mercy Page 27