Hired Hunter (The Rover series Book 2)

by Amelia Shaw

  “Are you okay, Zoey?” he asked.

  I huffed and tucked my head back against the chair, staring at the crown molding while I drank. “Fuck no, I’m not. But when I put Esteban’s balls in a jar, I will be.”

  Esteban had killed my parents and tried to kill us. He had to pay for everything he’d done. Or my life simply wouldn’t be worth living.

  Chapter Five

  After I’d drank a couple of glasses of whiskey, I stood. Ever the gentleman, Fin stood as well, questions in his eyes.

  I smoothed the wrinkles from my dress but jerked my hands down when I caught the soft smile on his lips. “It’s getting late. I should get home so I can do some of my client work before bed tonight.”

  “I thought you were staying here.”

  That was a hard pass on so many levels. “I’m fine, really. If someone could take me home that would be great. No way I can get a taxi all the way back to my apartment.”

  The crinkle in his forehead stacked up, but he remained silent a beat too long.

  “Well, this was fun.” I headed toward the office door.

  He caught the crook of my elbow in his fingers. “Wait, please. I’m supposed to help you if you have another dream. We’re working together again.”

  Carefully, I extracted my arm from his grip. “We are working together, but that doesn’t mean I can’t work with you from my home. I can’t be comfortable here. The guards might not like it if I wandered around in my underwear.”

  His lips tightened and folded in, and I dragged my eyes up to clash with his.

  “I won’t comment on that statement,” he said, “but we are far more prepared here than at your home. I have weapons, training equipment, everything you could possibly need to do your job.”

  I shifted to face him, hands on my hips. “And what about your work? Is it transportable? Why can’t you come to me for a change?”

  “I believe I spent the last two days wooing you into a new partnership, at your apartment.”

  I snorted. “Okay, big guy, you survived about four hours total at my place. If you want to keep us together, you’ll have to pack yourself up and bring your things to my house.”

  I could practically see the wheels turning in his head. The light in his eyes shifted as he stared at me. It was almost disconcerting to watch him conclude I wasn’t going to do things his way from now on.

  “Can we sit and discuss this for a moment?” he asked.

  I shrugged and resumed my seat in front of the desk. “We can talk all you like, but tonight I’m going home to sleep in my own bed.”

  Fin threaded his fingers together and walked around his desk. “I understand you want to have some autonomy in our working relationship. And I want you to be comfortable working with me again. I can’t guarantee things will be easier this time, but I promise to be more open, and work together to make plans.”

  I sat up, pressing my shoulders back, which started a dull ache in my ribs. His tone pissed me off. Placating, acquiescing, but only as far as what it would gain him.

  “Well, Fin, I truly appreciate that. But I still want to go home tonight. This isn’t about me bucking your reins. I simply prefer to sleep in my own bed. I need my space.”

  He clutched the top of his desk chair, his knuckles whitening against the leather. Something fizzled in me at his stifled display of anger. Now we were getting somewhere. Maybe I could coax him into a raised voice, a stern scolding.

  A spanking?

  “It’s also safer here. Your landlord hands out keys to anyone who wanders through.”

  I laughed. “You seduced it out of him. Come on, I doubt there is a human alive who could resist your charm when you actually used it.”

  His face contorted into a twist of confusion and frustration. Oh, yes, I’d seen it a hundred times on so many faces, I could recognize it immediately.

  “You met Esteban. He could do the same.”

  Damn. I would need to talk to my landlord about his taste in men. Hell, what did that say about my own then?

  I waved at the chair opposite mine and put a little pander in my tone. “Sit down and talk to me. Let’s discuss a plan. That will make you feel like you have more control.”

  He scowled so beautifully, but sat in front of me, anyway. He took a moment to roll up his dress shirt sleeves before he spoke. “I’m not a child throwing a fit because I didn’t get what I wanted.”

  “Sure looks like that to me.” I shrugged. “We have no agreement stipulating I have to stay here, so I want to go home. I’m happy to discuss your ideas for controlling my dreams before I leave.”

  Why did I suddenly feel like we’d switched places: him the moody dramatic one, me the rational pragmatist? As much as I was capable, anyway.

  I crossed one leg over the other and winced as the ache in my side pinched sharply.

  “Are you still in pain?” he asked, studying me.

  “Well, considering it takes six weeks or so for a broken rib to heal, I’d say, yes, I’m still in pain.”

  The concern building in his tense shoulders and the tight grip of his hands was kind of touching. “Did the doctors give you anything for it?”

  “Of course, I take it when I need it. I’m fine, thank you for your concern.”

  We lapsed into silence, and I waited for him to lead the conversation. Him being the one more versed in magic between us I expected him to start. I took a sip from the melted ice bourbon mix at the bottom of my glass. When I’d drained it, I pressed out of the chair.

  “I’m going home if you have nothing to add.”

  “Sendings are a form of psychic communication. It establishes a connection between the two parties. It can be broken, of course, the same way you can block out my type of psychic infiltration.”

  I sat again in the chair and faced him. “Anything else?”

  “I might be able to use my own magic to sort of subconsciously activate your own powers. It’s not something I’ve done before, but I’d be willing to try if you are.”

  The idea of someone else free-wheeling inside my mind didn’t sit well with me. The entire concept of psychic infiltration gave me goosebumps and turned my stomach.

  He must have seen the reservations on my face.

  “I promise, I’ll do nothing except what we agree,” he said.

  It came back to trust. Did I trust him to keep his word? Did I trust him with my mind? My magic? To control my body? It hurt a little to admit, no, I didn’t. Not yet, at least.

  I shook my head. “I’m sorry, I don’t feel comfortable with anyone inside my head. Hell, I can barely stand to be in there myself sometimes.”

  My attempt at levity didn’t faze him.

  I leaned over despite the pain to meet his eyes easier. “We haven’t been working together long. And most of the time we did, you forced me to do things I didn’t want to do. Then, being secretive about your plans and hiding things from me. After we both almost died, I promised myself I wasn’t going on that shit show train again. Now, I’ve agreed to work with you again, but it will be a true partnership. No secrets. No hiding things. No controlling my mind to make me do things. Understood?”

  “I can help with the pain. Make your body think it’s not even there,” he said.

  Sweet, but the man missed the point.

  “It’s okay. Pain and I are old friends. It’ll pass.”

  “I don’t like to see you hurting,” he whispered so softly I barely heard it. “May I try just a healing spell? A simple thing to make you heal faster?”

  “It doesn’t involve delving into my brain?”

  He shook his head. “I’ll touch your wound and it’ll heal faster.”

  I spread my hands and rested them on the chair. “Go for it.”

  Nothing on Earth could have prepared me for Fin to sink to his knees in front of me. I didn’t know where to look as he shifted up to place his hands one on either side of my waist. The only thing to do was pray he couldn’t feel how out of control my heartbeat
and breathing had become.

  He curled his fingers to the shape of me and fixed his gaze between his hands. “Straighten your spine a bit.”

  I shifted in his direction, which caused me to lean forward, my barely existent chest almost in his face. He kept his expression neutral, but each exhale he made was so forceful it fanned up against my chin and collarbone.

  A warmth flooded through my middle, like dipping my toes in a hot tub; a little tease of heat, there and gone.

  He gracefully shifted to his feet and stood. “How is that?”

  I had to swallow the lump in my throat before I could answer. “Better, thank you.”

  Honestly, I didn’t know if it was better. Adrenaline languidly flowed through me at the moment, and nothing hurt.

  He took his seat again and levelled his crystal gaze to mine, nothing there but friendly neutrality now. “I understand you prefer no one to do any sort of psychic magic for you. If you would allow, I could still be present while you’re sleeping to see if I can intercept the psychic signal. Interrupt it and find the source.”

  “Is that possible?”

  He lifted one shoulder slightly. “Anything is possible with magic. It’s only the matter of how.”

  We’d circled back.

  “That’s fine with me, as long as it’s at my place,” I said. As if finally accepting I wasn’t staying, he nodded. “I’ll get the captain.”

  It took a second for his security leader to walk in. I had no idea how they communicated. Fin hadn’t called out to him, nor used the telephone. But I had to assume they had some way of talking to one another that I couldn’t see.

  The Captain arrived sporting the same menacing swagger and aggression rolled off him in waves.

  He nodded to me. “Ms. Salix, nice to see you. I have to admit it surprised me you know the difference between a stalactite and stalagmite.”

  “Captain,” I said. “I’m surprised you knew there was a difference.”

  Fin cleared his throat. “Arrange a team. I’ll be staying at Zoey’s home while we work on something together.”

  “No,” the captain said.

  “No?” Fin echoed.

  “We can’t properly ensure your safety in that death-trap of an apartment complex she lives in. Not to mention the media exposure if someone sees or hears something. No. You guys can work here.”

  I stood. “I’m going to wait in the car.”

  The captain didn’t move out of the way and I wasn’t in good enough shape to make him.

  “Excuse me,” I said. “I’ll let you boys arm wrestle, or thumb war, or whatever it is you guys use to make decisions around here.”

  Fin snorted, but I didn’t look at him. I locked my eyes on the not-so-friendly scowl of the captain.

  “Why can’t you stay here? It’s far more secure,” he said.

  “Because I want to sleep in my own bed, in my own home.”

  “Our beds are better.”

  I ambled a step forward, clutching my fists to filter some sense into my brain. It was hard to appear menacing in a sparkly dress, but I would give it a go. “You don’t know a single thing about my bed, so you can’t possibly know yours are better.”

  “The beds here are recreations of clouds. Nothing beats them.”

  I patted his shoulder a little harder than I meant to. “Great, you sleep in them, and I’ll go home and sleep in my inferior one.”

  His lip twitched, but I couldn’t tell if it was the beginning of a smile or another scowl. Knowing our history, probably the latter.

  He ground his teeth and asked Fin, “Is this an order, sir?”

  “I’m afraid so, captain. She’s quite insistent. I tried to convince her to stay.”

  The Captain looked at Fin over my shoulder. “You could convince her.”

  Don’t punch the security man, I told myself over and over.

  “Run along, soldier boy. Hopefully, I won’t see you later.”

  I shifted around the captain and walked out into the hall. If any of the guards along the corridor heard our little tiff, they didn’t acknowledge it.

  The SUV sat in front of the house and I climbed inside.

  “I don’t know who is coming along, but I assume at least Fin,” I told the driver.

  He nodded in the rear-view mirror and I stared out the window at the rolling fields around Fin’s home.

  This was a lot to process. Between the growing awareness of Fin, in ways I shouldn’t be thinking about him, and the tension between us when I didn’t do exactly what he expected, I didn’t know how this would end. With my history, badly, but I didn’t want it to.

  I wanted to trust him. I wanted to be his friend. But I didn’t know how to be.

  There would be a greater chance of me forming a friendship with the captain than Fin. Despite his clear dislike of me, I enjoyed our little spats.

  I waited for twenty minutes and was about to climb out and demand they hurry when Fin exited the mansion, followed by several men with gear who climbed into another vehicle I didn’t even realize was parked behind us. He crossed in front of the car and then climbed in beside me on the opposite side.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  I glared and pressed the side of my head to the window. “I’ve been ready for oh, a half hour. You’re worse than a woman when it comes to packing.”

  “It wasn’t just packing, I spent most of that time convincing the captain we needed to do this. He is adamant about my safety, so don’t be too hard on him.”

  I traced a circle in the fog from my breath on the window. “But he likes it when I poke him with a stick. Gives him something to wake up for in the morning.”

  Fin huffed and faced out his window to peer into the darkness. The SUV pulled away, and I wrapped my arms around myself, chilled despite the heat in the car.

  Fin draped his suit jacket over my upper body and because I was a paragon of chill, I froze up and didn’t move until he stared back out his window. Then I curled into the coat, the scent of him wafting from the fabric. A stray honey hued hair lay across the collar, but I didn’t pull it off. I couldn’t wait to get home and see how the captain reacted to the fact that all his men weren’t going to fit inside my apartment.

  Ah, it’s the little things that keep you going from day to day.

  We managed to get back to my apartment and I went straight to bed, ignoring the fact that I had a rich fae in my living room. After all, tortured dreams were waiting for me.

  Chapter Six

  It took me a moment to realize I’d fallen asleep. The mist parted around me, revealing the tall trees and the rock-strewn earth. A carpet of dead pine needles squished under my hands as I pushed to my feet.

  I pressed my bare feet into the needles and grumbled, “Not very convenient for hiking.”

  The blue silk of the dress I wore swirled around my bare toes and hugged my body, fanning out around the ankles in a mermaid train. The straps dug into my shoulders and I adjusted my breasts into the built-in cups. My hair hung down to the middle of my back in a pin straight blonde sheet. Even the pink tipped ends were a little muted in this landscape of mist. I peered through the trees for a path or some clue on which way to go. Esteban, or Sol, must have a plan here. Dressing me up seemed to be a rich man’s trick, so one point toward Esteban.

  If I used her brother as a measure, Sol would be pretty rich as well.

  I shuffled through the pine needles, thankful for the soft path under my feet, but I had to lift the bottom of the dress, so I didn’t trip over the hem.

  Birds chirped overhead, but the sound echoed eerily through the tree limbs. I hated this whole experience. Another case of being used by other people, of magic used against me, my free will stripped away. Maybe, if I really had powers, I could keep this from happening again.

  As I wandered, I steadied my breathing and brought my focus inward, as the last yoga teacher I walked out on, used to say. But I couldn’t feel anything there. Not a flicker or a spark or anything that
might resemble magic.

  A rustle started around me and I darted my gaze between the trees. I picked up a stick in my path and held it in both hands like a baseball bat. It may be some kind of dream, but it didn’t mean I wouldn’t defend myself.

  The train of my dress twisted around my feet, so I had to slow my steps to account for the hindrance.

  If Fin magic-ed something for me out there, I sure didn’t feel it in here. I chuckled; maybe his contribution was the dress.

  I walked onward, unsure of my location or direction. But the temperature felt perfect against my skin, not too humid or dry, warm or cold. Like the world built itself around what would make me the most comfortable.

  Whispers started around me, and I held the bat up, ready for an attack from any angle.

  Nothing jumped out from between the trees. Nothing wiggled the branches.

  I reached out to the nearest towering pine and pressed my hand to the bark. The tree let out a groan, and I hopped away, dropping the stick, and stumbled into another tree. It made the same noise, and I stared up through the limbs.

  I mean, my favorite part of the Lord of the Rings series was when the Ents destroy Isengard, but I never wanted to meet a creature who could crush me in its rooty feet.

  I kept walking, this time faster as I clutched my dress up around my stomach to give me better range of movement.

  The forest never seemed to end. It kept going, the soft needles laid out like a carpet leading me along. I hated being on this trail because clearly, I was being led somewhere and yet I had no choice but to go.

  A clearing opened a few hundred yards in front of me and I kept walking toward it. The mist parted revealing a woman’s back. She was sitting on a log perfectly situated in the empty space.

  I jogged the rest of the path until I circled around to face her. She wore the same purple ball gown as before, her bare toes painted the same shade as her dress. Her honey brown hair had been gathered in elaborate braids at her neck and hung around her shoulders. Her eyes were the same crystal cut shade as her brother’s and the resemblance struck me all over again.