Page 11 of Beneath My Skin

He scoffed. Turned away to purposely not look at me. “You’re something else.”

“Why? Because I insist on being reimbursed for the damage you caused? By the way, does Ms. Rohn know what you are?”

“It’s none of your business,” he snapped. “If you realized what was good for you, you’d have left when I told you to.”

“I don’t take orders from cheats,” I took great pleasure in saying.

Jacqueline appeared seconds later with a wad of twenties in her hand. “This should be sufficient to cover your damages. From our fund for emergencies,” she told me. “I’m inclined to say this situation counts as one. I hope this evens the scales and now we go our separate ways. Yes?” She laid the stack of money on the desk in front of me.

I reached out gratefully to accept, a weight lifting off of my shoulders. “Absolutely. I appreciate it and…” I trailed off. Cleared my throat. Felt an all too familiar burning sensation starting at my wrist and sparking toward my elbow.

No, crap. Not now. Not now! I jerked my hand back as if I’d touched something hot.

“Miss Revely, are you sure you’re all right? You look pale.”

I nodded. “It’s nothing. I should probably get going, though. I’m sure I’ve overstayed my welcome.” A smile wobbled across my face even as the pain began to burn like fire.

“Oh, my dear! What happened to your arm? Is that from the accident?”

When I glanced down, I saw my sleeve had shifted to reveal the beginnings of red script pressing out of my skin. I slapped a hand down and hurried to drag my coat lower. “It’s a birthmark. I should get out of your way. Thank you again, thank you so much,” I said to her, and hurried past Dax and out the door.

This was not good. I bit the inside of my lip until it hurt to keep from crying out.

Of all the times for Cer to act out. I didn’t want to know what she said. It didn’t matter, anyway. Sometimes she made a special effort to put me in awkward situations for the sheer spite of it. I chalked this one up to something similar.

“Whatever it is you think you’re doing,” I muttered to her through gritted teeth, trying to grin at the clerk as I rushed through the showroom, “stop it. Stop it right now.”

I was in the car and starting to reverse when I realized I’d left the cash on the desk. Dammit! My fist slammed against the steering wheel. I needed that money. I had to go back inside. Go back inside and try to act like nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Act like my arm wasn’t on fire.

I rehearsed an apology in my head as I slipped past the empty front desk and toward the office door.

Listen, I’m sorry to burst in again, but I have defective short-term memory. Birth defect, I practiced. No, that didn’t sound right. I tried again. I was distracted and temporarily lost my mind. I’ll grab this and be on my way.

Better? I wasn’t sure.

I stopped just outside the office door at the sound of voices raised in an argument.

“You didn’t bring her in when you first saw what she was? Goddammit, Parker. What do you think you’re doing? You know your job. Do it!”

Jacqueline. Gone was the sweet-tempered and even-toned person from before. The woman speaking now was angry and hissing like a snake with a stomped tail.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” Dax’s voice had deepened and he spoke with a soft, controlled intensity.

I heard the resounding crack of flesh against flesh. “Of course you weren’t thinking. You moron! Maybe you assumed I wouldn’t find out about her. Or maybe you thought you could keep her for yourself. Is that it?”

“No, Jacqueline, I—”

“You listen to me, you djinn bastard. You’re going to go out there and talk to the girl before she leaves. You’re going to get her number, try to put her at ease, and convince her you’re sincere in your interest. When you gain her trust…you bring her back here to me. I want her.”

There was a rustling sound followed by a pause. “What are you going to do?”

“What do you think? She has a demon inside of her. Do you understand the raw power contained in her tiny body? She’s like a nuclear reactor primed to go off. I can use her.”

Another pause, longer this time. “As part of your menagerie.” His voice was unemotional. Practical. Like a man repeating facts back to his boss at a board meeting.

Which I supposed it was, in a way. I couldn’t think straight. Couldn’t understand what they were saying. Jacqueline wanted me? Why?

What kind of sick game were they playing together?

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