the pot off the stove, shoulders and jaw set, not a glance or word my way.
“What do you want me to say?” I asked when he handed me a plate of pasta. “You came to me for training. You stayed in hopes of cultivating a future employee. I’m a professional asset. I know that.”
Those cool eyes lighted on mine, holding my gaze for a moment before he said, “I don’t cook dinner for my professional assets, Eve.”
I took a deep breath, then let it out. “Okay, I’m sorry. I just— Wait. Why am I apologizing? Who’s the guy who told me never to mistake a business relationship for a social one? Keep my distance. Be on the lookout for the angle, because there’s always an angle. You just admitted you’ve been hanging around because you wanted to hire me. That’s an angle, isn’t it?”
A moment’s pause, then: “Yes, I suppose it is.
I
will apologize, then.”
He took his own plate and gestured at the living room. We went in and sat, plates on our laps.
After a few bites, he said, “I would like to hire you, and I think it’s a wise business move for you. You’ve learned enough from Lavina. Time to do something else. Leave her. Leave Chicago. Come to Los Angeles. I’ll rent you an apartment—”
“Uh-uh. I don’t need—”
“It’s convenience, not charity, Eve. If you work for me, meeting in a hotel once a week won’t do. I’ll find a decent building where I can get two apartments. One for you and one, presumably, for myself, to conduct my affairs in privacy. My family will approve of the discretion and won’t bother me.”
“I don’t want to move to L.A. Lavina isn’t the only contact I have here. I don’t want to work for one person either, Kristof. That’s too …” I shifted. “It’s not me. I need other work. Other jobs. Balance, you know? So I keep my fingers in. I’ve built a rep now. I won’t lose it by dropping out.”
“Your reputation will follow you to L.A. I’ll make sure of it. As for taking on other jobs, that’s fine. But I really think you should move.”
“No. I’ve built a life here. Okay, maybe a year isn’t exactly your idea of permanency, but for me, it is. If working for you means moving, then the answer is no.”
He ate a few mouthfuls of pasta, then nodded. “All right. I’m not pleased about it, but I’ll agree to your terms. You can work out ofChicago and work for others as well as for me. The first task I had for you is in Chicago anyway. Detective work. I need to track down …”
After we parted I realized that he wasn’t “displeased” with the arrangement at all. I’d done exactly what he wanted—agreed to work for him. Throw in parts he knew I’d balk at—moving and having one exclusive employer—and by the time we were done haggling, I’d forget I hadn’t been sure I wanted to work for him at all. Sneaky bastard. Can’t say I wasn’t warned, though. Kristof got what he wanted, by any means necessary. Had to admire that in a guy.
So I started doing jobs for Kristof. Most of it was intelligence and legwork. Find this scroll for me. Find this person for me. Find out more about this person for me.
With Lavina, while I’d made it clear from the start that whatever rumors she’d heard, I was not an assassin for hire, that didn’t keep her from having me play the heavy now and then, roughing up slow-paying clients. Kristof never asked for that. He knew that if I was going to use violence, it was for my benefit—spell-blast someone who’d screwed me over, not someone an employer
said
screwed her over.
His monthly lessons stopped, but his monthly visits didn’t. Now we needed to discuss business. That could have been done by phone, but neither of us suggested it. We followed the old routine with the hotel suites, only now those visits included dinner—cooked or room service, depending on the hotel—and usually stretched on long after business was concluded.
As we relaxed with one another, the discussions got more spirited.
“What do you want me to say?” I asked when he handed me a plate of pasta. “You came to me for training. You stayed in hopes of cultivating a future employee. I’m a professional asset. I know that.”
Those cool eyes lighted on mine, holding my gaze for a moment before he said, “I don’t cook dinner for my professional assets, Eve.”
I took a deep breath, then let it out. “Okay, I’m sorry. I just— Wait. Why am I apologizing? Who’s the guy who told me never to mistake a business relationship for a social one? Keep my distance. Be on the lookout for the angle, because there’s always an angle. You just admitted you’ve been hanging around because you wanted to hire me. That’s an angle, isn’t it?”
A moment’s pause, then: “Yes, I suppose it is.
I
will apologize, then.”
He took his own plate and gestured at the living room. We went in and sat, plates on our laps.
After a few bites, he said, “I would like to hire you, and I think it’s a wise business move for you. You’ve learned enough from Lavina. Time to do something else. Leave her. Leave Chicago. Come to Los Angeles. I’ll rent you an apartment—”
“Uh-uh. I don’t need—”
“It’s convenience, not charity, Eve. If you work for me, meeting in a hotel once a week won’t do. I’ll find a decent building where I can get two apartments. One for you and one, presumably, for myself, to conduct my affairs in privacy. My family will approve of the discretion and won’t bother me.”
“I don’t want to move to L.A. Lavina isn’t the only contact I have here. I don’t want to work for one person either, Kristof. That’s too …” I shifted. “It’s not me. I need other work. Other jobs. Balance, you know? So I keep my fingers in. I’ve built a rep now. I won’t lose it by dropping out.”
“Your reputation will follow you to L.A. I’ll make sure of it. As for taking on other jobs, that’s fine. But I really think you should move.”
“No. I’ve built a life here. Okay, maybe a year isn’t exactly your idea of permanency, but for me, it is. If working for you means moving, then the answer is no.”
He ate a few mouthfuls of pasta, then nodded. “All right. I’m not pleased about it, but I’ll agree to your terms. You can work out ofChicago and work for others as well as for me. The first task I had for you is in Chicago anyway. Detective work. I need to track down …”
After we parted I realized that he wasn’t “displeased” with the arrangement at all. I’d done exactly what he wanted—agreed to work for him. Throw in parts he knew I’d balk at—moving and having one exclusive employer—and by the time we were done haggling, I’d forget I hadn’t been sure I wanted to work for him at all. Sneaky bastard. Can’t say I wasn’t warned, though. Kristof got what he wanted, by any means necessary. Had to admire that in a guy.
So I started doing jobs for Kristof. Most of it was intelligence and legwork. Find this scroll for me. Find this person for me. Find out more about this person for me.
With Lavina, while I’d made it clear from the start that whatever rumors she’d heard, I was not an assassin for hire, that didn’t keep her from having me play the heavy now and then, roughing up slow-paying clients. Kristof never asked for that. He knew that if I was going to use violence, it was for my benefit—spell-blast someone who’d screwed me over, not someone an employer
said
screwed her over.
His monthly lessons stopped, but his monthly visits didn’t. Now we needed to discuss business. That could have been done by phone, but neither of us suggested it. We followed the old routine with the hotel suites, only now those visits included dinner—cooked or room service, depending on the hotel—and usually stretched on long after business was concluded.
As we relaxed with one another, the discussions got more spirited.
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