Page 21 of Hero & Villain
“I have no idea what that means.” I climbed out of her blue Cadillac, following her towards a long building between the arena and the garage.
“I don’t either. Tech. Dagger does the tech for the outfit. Fighting and racing are nothing without an audience. The only way that Nix can stay afloat is if we have people watching and gambling on the games. Dagger makes sure that our team gets the best coverage, and thus the best payouts from the channels. He was never the best fighter, but he was always the best videographer, and Nix is lucky to have him. He’s raised percentages twelve percent since he joined the team.”
“You care about percentages? Do you own stock?”
She sighed heavily, sending her sequins sparkling. “Oh, honey, if only that’s all I owned. If we’re under-funded, I have to get donations from investors. Putting on my sparkly sequin bra for anyone other than Dewdrop puts a rock in my craw.”
“What’s a craw exactly?”
“Wrong question. Don’t let Dagger keep you all day. You still need something to drive.”
I checked out the cars parked around the tech building. A bright pink hybrid stood out from the rest. “Like that?”
“That’s Dagger’s baby. Sometimes the man’s an island, other times he’s just embarrassing. What kind of tough drives a pink car?”
“Maybe it was his sister’s.”
She snorted. “Don’t be indelicate; only I’m allowed to be like that. It’ll be a long day, so don’t wait up for me.” She left me with those words to face the warehouse on my own.
This was my first glimpse of Geotech. I was going to take everything from him, and he was going to beg me to do it. Right? Confidence was the only way forward. I hesitated for only a second of shame. I had been so hideously weak the last time he’dseen me. I pushed open the door and stepped into the cool open space lined with shelves.
It wasn’t empty. Half a dozen people worked at tables in an open area that looked like any meth lab in the world.
Dirk Dagger leaned over a project that may have been one whole instead of many pieces once upon a time. He looked so good with his chiseled jaw, soft lips, and eyes so focused and alive. You felt like he was going to devour you. And his arms. He was so strong, strong enough to catch me and carry me without the slightest effort.
I walked over slowly, weighing different greetings in my head, trying not to ogle him. When I got close enough to speak, he stood and pushed the chair in with a flex of those muscles, fixing me with mesmerizing eyes that had an angry glint.
“I see that she didn’t kill you,” he said, then squinted at me. “Or did she? You’re still pale.”
I crossed my arms and tried not to feel pale and wan. I was supposed to be a weak female so he could rescue me. I just didn’t expect it to be so easy. Think cute and charming. Smile! “I think that the jury’s still out. What am I supposed to do? She said I’m supposed to help you today.” Okay. That wasn’t completely lame. Right?
His chiseled jaw clenched for a moment before he gave me an easy smile. His smile was so pretty. “We’re going to check a few charging stations on the race route.” He walked past me.
I turned and followed him. “Why would you need me for that?”
“I don’t. You’re a new part, we’ll move you around, see where you fit best.”
“Ouch. So, I’m completely unnecessary, but you’ll let me follow you around since I’m Nitro’s only family? Thanks.” I wasn’t an incompetent idiot who couldn’t…Except that’s exactly who I was supposed to be.
His muscles were visibly bunching under his t-shirt. So many muscles. What was he muttering?
“Three days you were with Whiskey. Nix said she was carefully nursing you back to health. I can’t see it.” He shot me another skeptical look.
I tried to smile. I should be funny. Right? Yeah. Toni was super funny. “No? What do you see? Raves and orgies?” I winced. No, funny was definitely not part of Toni’s personality that I could adapt. Stick with sweet and charming. What was sweet and charming again? Smile! No, don’t bare your teeth at him, just smile softly.
I was like that, struggling to smile like I wasn’t a psychopath when a tiger sprang from the nearest shelf.
A tiger? No, tigers have stripes. That’s what I got for mixing my metaphors. The metaphor gods had decided to strike me down. I was frozen, watching fate descend when Dirk grabbed me and spun us out of the way of the beast, ending with me against a shelf, him pressed against me, his nose brushing mine and his lips so close I could taste them.
I was clinging to his neck, the feel of his hard breathing against me making me hyperventilate. He felt so good. Like safety and danger and excitement and peace, all wrapped in one gorgeous, brilliant monster.
His eyes were soft, a hand brushing my hair as he leaned in. He was going to kiss me! My eyes drifted closed, and my back arched ever so slightly, preparing for the bliss.
The cat’s yowl sent shudders through me and made the hairs on my arms stand up straight. I also flinched back and hit my head on something I might be able to steal. I wanted to steal tech, not kisses.
The lion yowled again, and Dirk spun us to the side, out of the beast’s paw swipe. I clutched at him, frankly freaked out. I’dnever had to deal with a big cat. Was it guarding the precious tech? Maybe it could smell my bad intentions?
“Marcus Licinius Crassus, meet Toni. Just because she looks like cotton candy doesn’t mean she’s edible.” Dirk pulled a granola bar out of his pocket, ripped it open and tossed it to the beast.
