JК
Circus of the Damned :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 162 из 210She wore scarlet high heels today, but nothing elsehad changed.
"We've been waiting for you, Ms. Blake."
"Who are the men?"
"My harem."
"I don't understand."
"They belong to me." She trailed red nails down the black man's hand hard enough to leave a thin line of blood. He just smiled.
"What do you want?"
"Mr. Oliver wants to see you. He sent us to fetch you."
"I know where the house is. I can drive there on my own."
"Oh, no, we've had to move," she said, swaying into the room. "Some nasty bounty hunter tried to kill Oliver yesterday."
"What bounty hunter?" Had it been Edward?
She waved a hand. "We were never formally introduced. Oliver wouldn't let me kill him, so he escaped, and we had to move."
It sounded reasonable, but. . "Where is he now?"
"We'll take you to him. We've got a car waiting outside."
"Why didn't Inger come for me?"
She shrugged. "Oliver gives orders and I follow them." A look passed over her lovely face—hatred.
"How long has he been your master?"
"Too long," she said.
I stared at them all, gun still out but not pointed at anyone. They hadn't offered to hurt me. So why didn't I want to put the gun up? Because I'd seen what the lamia changed into, and it had scared me.
"Why does Oliver need to see me so soon?"
"He wants your answer."
"I haven't decided yet whether to give him the Master of the City."
"All I know is that I was told to bring you. If I don't, he'll be angry. I don't want to be punished, Ms. Blake; please come with us."
How do you punish a lamia? Only one way to find out. "How does he punish you?"
The lamia stared at me. "That is a very personal question."
"I didn't mean it to be."
"Forget it." She swayed towards me. "Shall we go?" She had stopped just in front of me, close enough to touch.
I was beginning to feel silly with the gun out, so I put it up. Nobody was threatening me. A novel approach.
Normally, I still would have offered to follow them in my car, but my car was dead. So. . if I wanted to meet Oliver, I had to go with them.
I wanted to meet Oliver. I wasn't willing to give him Jean-Claude, but I was willing to give him Alejandro. Or at least enlist his aid against Alejandro. I also wanted to know if it was Edward who had tried to kill him. There weren't that many of us in the business. Who else could it be?
"All right, let's go," I said. I got my leather jacket from the couch and opened the door. I motioned them all out the door.
"We've been waiting for you, Ms. Blake."
"Who are the men?"
"My harem."
"I don't understand."
"They belong to me." She trailed red nails down the black man's hand hard enough to leave a thin line of blood. He just smiled.
"What do you want?"
"Mr. Oliver wants to see you. He sent us to fetch you."
"I know where the house is. I can drive there on my own."
"Oh, no, we've had to move," she said, swaying into the room. "Some nasty bounty hunter tried to kill Oliver yesterday."
"What bounty hunter?" Had it been Edward?
She waved a hand. "We were never formally introduced. Oliver wouldn't let me kill him, so he escaped, and we had to move."
It sounded reasonable, but. . "Where is he now?"
"We'll take you to him. We've got a car waiting outside."
"Why didn't Inger come for me?"
She shrugged. "Oliver gives orders and I follow them." A look passed over her lovely face—hatred.
"How long has he been your master?"
"Too long," she said.
I stared at them all, gun still out but not pointed at anyone. They hadn't offered to hurt me. So why didn't I want to put the gun up? Because I'd seen what the lamia changed into, and it had scared me.
"Why does Oliver need to see me so soon?"
"He wants your answer."
"I haven't decided yet whether to give him the Master of the City."
"All I know is that I was told to bring you. If I don't, he'll be angry. I don't want to be punished, Ms. Blake; please come with us."
How do you punish a lamia? Only one way to find out. "How does he punish you?"
The lamia stared at me. "That is a very personal question."
"I didn't mean it to be."
"Forget it." She swayed towards me. "Shall we go?" She had stopped just in front of me, close enough to touch.
I was beginning to feel silly with the gun out, so I put it up. Nobody was threatening me. A novel approach.
Normally, I still would have offered to follow them in my car, but my car was dead. So. . if I wanted to meet Oliver, I had to go with them.
I wanted to meet Oliver. I wasn't willing to give him Jean-Claude, but I was willing to give him Alejandro. Or at least enlist his aid against Alejandro. I also wanted to know if it was Edward who had tried to kill him. There weren't that many of us in the business. Who else could it be?
"All right, let's go," I said. I got my leather jacket from the couch and opened the door. I motioned them all out the door.