Overture (Rain Dance, Book 1) (Rain Dance Series) (70 page)

     
Look at
me…observing him as though he were an old friend. But as pathetic as it was, it
was true to some extent. In fact, there were a few times when he was my only
friend. All at once, the memories came rushing back. Years of loneliness and
the occasional beating. They didn't bother me so much anymore. But then there
were other memories…the ones that happened within the supposedly safe confines
of my room…

     
No.
My
breath hitched and my body shivered in disgust. I didn't want to go there.

     
"How've
you been?" I asked, attempting to be polite.

     
His eyes were
all over my face, and I knew that he was detailing me as I just had with him.
I'm sure I looked like a mess - I hadn't checked the mirror since this evening.

     
"Swell," he answered after a beat. "From what I
understand, you're doing just fine, too. I happened to catch your
performance."

     
"What were
you doing there?"

     
"My people
informed me of a group gathering. I had a hard time believing that you would
actually take part in such a thing, so I popped in for a peek since I was in
the area. And what a peek it was."

     
His people?
Ah, that's right. It was sometimes easy to forget that he was now a lead player
in
the game
. "And how exactly did your little minions know that I'd
be there?"

     
My question
seemed to amuse him for some reason. "They're professionals, Doll. You
do
know that I've been keeping a light watch on you ever since you came to the
city, right? You can understand why, I'm sure. We wouldn't want a repeat of
last year's incident. Of course, I never planned on interfering unless the
situation called for it."

     
"How did
you even know I was staying here?"

     
"Did you
really think you could move into Dale McGill's apartment without his family
finding out?"

     
Well, damn. I
guess Ethan was right - so much for lying low. "Okay. So why are you here
now?"

     
He leaned
forward and got straight to the point. "As a warning. There's always the
possibility that his family will spread word about your living arrangements.
They haven't yet, but they might if the right person asks. Same goes for
Tamblyn. I assume she's still blissfully clueless about the situation, correct?
If Valentina were smart, she'd find a way to look into your previous
relationships to try and track you. As it is, she no longer has any connections
to Wilhelm. But that's also a cause for concern, which brings me to my next
point - she's gone rogue."

     
A wave of
nausea hit me. I didn't like hearing her sweet-sounding name. Up until now, I'd
done my best not to think about her. She was always there - my life choices
were proof of that, but at the same time it was as though she didn't even
exist. "Why?"

     
He shrugged.
"She was a bad seed who came dangerously close to exposing clients due to
sheer carelessness. She had an uncle on the board to clean up her messes, but
he's dead now. Without him, there's no reason for Wilhelm to tolerate her fuck
ups. That's why she took off, I imagine. But now that she's gone, I won't be
able to check up on her as I did before. You weren't planning on living here
with your friend for an extended amount of time, were you?"

     
I wasn't. But I
had grown comfortable here. Although I was initially worried at first, I found
that I genuinely liked living with Dale. It was like living with family - real
family. Also…I could no longer imagine what it would be like to live without
Ethan.

     
"No,"
I answered. I had to change the subject again. "What happened today at the
fundraiser?"

     
"Ah,
right. The rumors of a possible connection between you and Desmond is also an
issue. No one has actually mentioned your name yet, luckily, but it only takes
one little journalist to go digging into the mysterious art project he has
going on in his private quarters of the Luxadigm. The fact that it's very
hush-hush and that a strange girl is in charge of it makes for a slightly more
interesting story. So that's already three sources for
her
to find you.
But, even though they won't help her directly, I'm still worried about Wilhelm.
I know that they're keeping tabs on Desmond. Most members know not to give any
information away to rogues, but there are some novices who might go out of
their way to share certain tidbits with the right person - for a good price.
Jabbercoats, we call them."

     
"Is that
kind of thing even allowed?"

     
"Of course
not. Anyone caught would be put down. But from my understanding, the leaders
have gotten a bit sloppy over the last few years. These days, they're letting
just about anyone get in. It's becoming a serious issue. There are even rumors
that it's not just novices, but longtime members who are getting in on it as
well. But I've yet to confirm that for myself."

     
"So even
the fanciest of crime syndicates have their own family drama to deal with…But
why are they keeping tabs on Ethan?"

    
 
"He was involved in an incident a
few years back. It's a void case. No one knows about it except for those who
were directly involved."

     
"You know
about it," I countered suspiciously.

     
"It's my
job to know. I need to keep track of all obscurities within the group. Anyway,
although you aren't in the red quite just yet, you're getting there. I know you
probably think I should have spoken with you right away, but it was imperative
that I met with Desmond first."

     
First?
"Wait - how did you even know about the rumors?"

     
"I have
contacts within the Luxadigm," he answered quickly before continuing,
"So we talked at length and I told him everything I'm telling you now.
Mostly that his previous involvement with Wilhelm might make things a bit more
difficult for you, depending."

     
So time was
running out. The woman had four possible links to finding me.
That's what I
get for getting involved with other people, I suppose.
"So then what?
You chatted like old buddies and went your separate ways? There was a girl,
Karina, who said some things…"

     
"The
blonde?" he asked with an arched brow. "You mean his date."

     
"His…wait,
what?"

     
Noel frowned,
pausing for a few moments to think. "…Our talk happened yesterday. Did you
know?"

     
Oh.

     
Yesterday, when
he'd been gone for most of the day. When he'd come back a bit of a mess, only
to take my body in savage desperation. Leaning back into my seat, I remained
silent.

     
Noel nodded as
though he understood. "I made an appointment to see him. I wasn't sure if
he would know who I was, but…Well, he knew everything." His mouth curved
into a slightly wicked grin. "I'm surprised, Doll. I didn't think you'd
ever open your mouth to anyone but me."

     
"And
yesterday is when you told him what you're telling me right now?"

     
"After
seeing if there was any truth to the rumors, yes. I also warned him that a
number of Wilhelm novices would be attending the fundraiser. That's where the
blonde came into place. Hope you don't get jealous easily. But he thought it
would be better to use her as a way of throwing them off. There was no way of
knowing if any of them would turn out to be jabbercoats, but one can't be too
safe. And because he and the girl have a history, it would be more believable.
People would forget about 'the little girl' - that's what she said, at
least."

     
That did make
sense, as much as I hated to admit. Exhaling loudly, I slammed my palms against
the table. "Why the fuck does she keep calling me that? Is it my height?
My face? My voice? I'm an adult, for fucks sake. Anyway, if you knew why I
wasn't there, why did you send me that text?"

     
His gaze turned
almost deviant. "Easy, Doll. And the text was to piss him off. When I told
him I hadn't spoken with you yet, he said to keep it that way. I figured a
vague text like that was bound to cause a bit of drama in your little
relationship. Did it?"

     
I wanted to
roll my eyes, but I couldn't. "...We aren't children."

     
"Aren't
we?" He reached into his pocket and emptied a large amount of coins onto
the table. "Your turn to pick a song."

     
More music
would be nice. As would some food. Now that I knew what was going on, the
tension in my stomach was starting to ease up.

     
"You
okay?" Noel asked.

     
Was it that
obvious? "Hungry." How I wish I'd brought my food with me.
"They've got to have onion rings here, right?"

     
Noel had his
hand up and was already calling for a waiter. A young woman came rushing over,
ready to serve, just like a puppy eager to please its master.
Don't be such
a bitch, Daphne. She's just doing her job.
"Song," he repeated to
me. I began flipping through the pages of the jukebox as he ordered,
"Water, onion rings, and a strawberry milkshake, please."

     
I looked at him
questioningly when the waitress began to walk away.

     
"That's
still your go-to meal when you're feeling like shit, right?"

     
He remembered.
The fact that he had noticed at all was surprising.
Actually, it wasn't. Not
really.
"Why are you still helping me?" I asked.

     
He looked at me
pointedly. "You know why."

     
I went back to
searching for a song, glad to see that there were some really good, somewhat
rarer choices. "I'm grateful to you," I admitted. "But I don't
know why you bother. To me, you're just…my last resort."

     
"Exactly."

     
Shit.
Was I giving him hope by still accepting his information?

     
"No need
to make that face," he chuckled. "I'm not doing this because I expect
you to come running into my arms when it's all over. Mostly, it's because your
ongoing survival is beneficial to me business-wise. I won't tell you how, so
don't ask," he added when I gave him another curious look. "Also, I
just happen to think you're kind of cute."

     
I inserted some
coins and chose my song. Yes, surf rock was sure to lighten my mood.

     
"Did you
let him fuck you yet?" he asked nonchalantly after a few moments of
silence.

     
I stared at
him, keeping my face perfectly straight.
Don't think. Just breathe.

     
"Because I
would be extremely surprised if you did," he continued, his eyes turning
serious. "Is he the one you want? All these years and suddenly you're
ready?"

     
I didn't speak.
I didn't even blink.

     
"Well, I
suppose it's better that way. And he does have the resources to keep you safe -
if you'll let him. Please tell me you aren't being a stubborn little
shit."

     
I took a deep breath
and leaned my head back. "I'd rather he not be involved at all." I
was suddenly reminded of Karina's last words. Which reminded me…"Karina
acted as though she knew you. Like…knew you
well
."

     
Noel relaxed
further into his seat, resting his arm against the upper part of the booth.
"Huh. I might've made a comment or two to Desmond in attempt to try and
piss him off even further. With a snooze-fest like tonight's, you have to find
a way to have fun, no matter how small. She probably overheard a little near
the end. I guess he must have filled her in some. You took a cab here, right?
Why do you look like a drowned rat? Were you dancing in the rain again?"

     
The waitress
returned with food.

     
"Thank
you," I said quietly before biting into one of my onion rings.

     
"Fucking
hell…the list goes all the way up to '87," Noel mumbled as he looked for
the next song to play.

     
I quickly
scanned the area, surprised to find that a few more people had shown up. But we
seemed to be the only ones in the diner making use of the jukebox. As soon as
my song ended, '(I've Had) The Time of My Life' began playing. Noel sang the
first two lines before looking at me expectantly.