Page 122 of Their Property
The basement bar looked the same at first glance. The same cozy furniture was spread throughout the space. It still felt warm and inviting with all the dark wood, low ceiling, and dimmed lighting. But instead of people drinking illegally, there was only one man seated down here.
“You.”
The word dropped from my mouth in disbelief at the sight of the bodyguard I’d seen while working at the capitol. We never met directly, but I remembered his bushy eyebrows, scowling face, and solid build. When I spoke up in meetings and all of the officials flat-out ignored me, sometimes it seemed like he was the only one listening.
He snorted amusedly when I acknowledged him. “So you do remember me, Ambassador.” He set aside a stack of documents he’d been looking at.
“Did you plan the uprising?” The question blurted out of my mouth before I could think. “Whileguardinga cabinet member?”
He nodded casually while gesturing to one of his soldiers. “Ortiz, cut that tie off her wrists, and get her some water, will you?”
The soldier obeyed quickly, holstering his gun to draw a knife. I instinctively backed away, but he took my forearm in a surprisingly gentle grip. “Hold still, please,” he muttered.
He cut the tie with a quick flick of the blade and immediately folded the knife away. The next thing I felt was a glass of water being pushed into my hands while my wrists throbbed with soreness.
My dry tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth, but I resisted draining the whole glass and gave the soldier my best glare. “Do I look stupid to you?”
He rolled his eyes but snatched the water from me, took a big gulp, and handed it back. “Satisfied?”
I drank the water greedily then, probably looking feral andveryunladylike as I poured the liquid down my throat while hardly taking a breath. The glass emptied too soon, and I actually considered asking for another.
“My name is Gerard Langley,” said the ex-bodyguard. He gestured to the armchair across the low coffee table from where he sat. “Please have a seat, Miss Vance. I’d like nothing more than to have a civil discussion with you.”
“A civil discussion?” I repeated. “That’s why you ambushed and kidnapped me and my men?”
“Using non-lethal methods,” Gerard acknowledged, like that made it better. “Unlike your man, who fired live rounds and killed one of mine at point-blank range.”
“He was protecting me! Your people kept grabbing at me and trying to separate us.”
Gerard spread his palms out in a lame gesture of apology. “I’m a man who doesn’t wait for things to happen. Imakethings happen. I wanted a meeting with you, so,” his hands lifted to gesture to the whole room, “here you are.”
“People have the right to say no,” I spat back. “You can’t just run people off the road, throw them into a van, and expect to have a productive meeting. What makes you think I want anything to do with you?”
“A few weeks ago, you were passionately standing up for the people of this territory. Do you still want them to thrive?”
The question was so out of nowhere, I had to stop and repeat it in my head. “What?”
A smirk pulled at his lips. “The people will most likely elect me as governor. And I want you to be in my cabinet.”
THIRTY-SEVEN
KYRIE
“I’m sorry, but…what?” And because I was in such utter disbelief I added, “Are you insane?”
Gerard’s eyebrows lifted as he let out an amused huff. “Did you ask the former leaders that same question when they gave you a tour of their vacation homes?”
“I—”
“How about when they showed you the burned vineyards?” he asked. “Did you know there were still workers in those fields when they set fire to them?” Before I could answer, he pulled down the collar of his shirt to reveal extensive scarring along his collarbones and the top of his chest. The flesh was raised, shiny, and pink. He covered the burn scars quickly, leaning back in his chair. “I was one of the lucky ones.”
“I’m…sorry.” I whispered the sentiment weakly, with a heavy swallow. A soldier pushed another water glass into my hands, and I drank it down with a small thanks.
“So do you understand, Miss Vance?” Gerard asked, gesturing again to the chair across from him. “Why I planned the uprising? Why I’m not willing to wait around for other people to do the right thing? They never will, not until they are directly affected. Unless,” he swept his hand toward me, “a rare person like you comes around.”
Cautiously, I approached the armchair across from him while still making an effort to not get too close. “What’s so rare about me?”
“You actually care about those who were born with less than you.” Gerard sat back, seemingly pleased that I’d sat across from him. “Not only that, you’re smart and tenacious enough to fight for them.” He grinned, rubbing his jaw. “My favorite part of the day was watching you argue with those capital men. You don’t come off as intimidating, but you’re a force to be reckoned with, Miss Vance.”
