JК
A Kiss Of Shadows :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 20 из 338I have access to all of it now. Trust me, Mr. Grey, I can pay your fee."
"That's very good to know, Ms. Phelps, but truthfully I wasn't worried about it. Don't spread it around, but if someone's in deep enough trouble, we don't turn them away because they can't meet our fees."
She blushed. "I didn't mean to imply that you were… I'm sorry." She bit her lip.
"Naomi didn't mean to insult you," Frances said. "She's been rich all her life, and a lot of people have tried to take advantage of that."
"No offense taken," Jeremy said. Though I knew that there probably was some offense taken. But he was a very businesslike businessman. You didn't get mad at a client, not if you were taking the case. Or at least not until they'd done something really awful.
Teresa asked, "Has he ever tried to get your money?"
Naomi looked at her, and you could see the surprise on her face. "No, no."
"Does he know you have it?" I asked.
"Yes, he knew, but he never let me pay for anything. He said he was old-fashioned that way. He didn't care about money at all. It was one of the things I liked about him at first."
"So he's not after money," I said.
"He's not interested in money," Frances said.
I met those big blue eyes, and they didn't look scared now. She was still standing behind Naomi, still comforting her, and she seemed to gain strength from that. "What is he interested in?" I asked.
"Power," she said.
I nodded. She was right. Abuse is always about power in one way or another. "When he said the untrained ones give it up so easily, I don't think he was talking about your sexual prowess."
Naomi was holding on to Frances's hands, pressing them to her shoulders. "Then what did he mean?"
"You're untrained in the mystic arts."
She frowned at me. "Then what was it that I gave up so easily, if it wasn't sex?"
Frances answered, "Power."
"Yes, Mrs. Norton, power."
Naomi frowned at all of us. "What do you mean, power? I don't have any power."
"Your magic, Ms. Phelps. He's been taking your magic."
She looked even more astonished, mouth open in a little "o" of surprise. "I don't know any magic. I get feelings sometimes about things, but that's not magic."
And that, of course, was why he'd been able to do it. I wondered if all the women were untrained mystics? If they were untrained, then we were going to have trouble infiltrating his little world. But if all they had to be was part fey and magically talented… well, I'd done decoy work before.
"That's very good to know, Ms. Phelps, but truthfully I wasn't worried about it. Don't spread it around, but if someone's in deep enough trouble, we don't turn them away because they can't meet our fees."
She blushed. "I didn't mean to imply that you were… I'm sorry." She bit her lip.
"Naomi didn't mean to insult you," Frances said. "She's been rich all her life, and a lot of people have tried to take advantage of that."
"No offense taken," Jeremy said. Though I knew that there probably was some offense taken. But he was a very businesslike businessman. You didn't get mad at a client, not if you were taking the case. Or at least not until they'd done something really awful.
Teresa asked, "Has he ever tried to get your money?"
Naomi looked at her, and you could see the surprise on her face. "No, no."
"Does he know you have it?" I asked.
"Yes, he knew, but he never let me pay for anything. He said he was old-fashioned that way. He didn't care about money at all. It was one of the things I liked about him at first."
"So he's not after money," I said.
"He's not interested in money," Frances said.
I met those big blue eyes, and they didn't look scared now. She was still standing behind Naomi, still comforting her, and she seemed to gain strength from that. "What is he interested in?" I asked.
"Power," she said.
I nodded. She was right. Abuse is always about power in one way or another. "When he said the untrained ones give it up so easily, I don't think he was talking about your sexual prowess."
Naomi was holding on to Frances's hands, pressing them to her shoulders. "Then what did he mean?"
"You're untrained in the mystic arts."
She frowned at me. "Then what was it that I gave up so easily, if it wasn't sex?"
Frances answered, "Power."
"Yes, Mrs. Norton, power."
Naomi frowned at all of us. "What do you mean, power? I don't have any power."
"Your magic, Ms. Phelps. He's been taking your magic."
She looked even more astonished, mouth open in a little "o" of surprise. "I don't know any magic. I get feelings sometimes about things, but that's not magic."
And that, of course, was why he'd been able to do it. I wondered if all the women were untrained mystics? If they were untrained, then we were going to have trouble infiltrating his little world. But if all they had to be was part fey and magically talented… well, I'd done decoy work before.