Page 27 of Shadow Warrior
Eight
The gates opened for us as we drew closer. Was someone watching? How did this work? But then we were through and driving down another path surrounded by greenery and trees. It sloped down and then up, and I bit back a gasp as Mirage Hills unfolded beneath us. It was a settlement all its own. Houses and winding streets and austere-looking buildings unfolded, and jutting up from the center of it all was a cluster of ivory towers. These had to be the towers Kash had been speaking of.
This was where they were keeping Payne.
I needed to get in there.
We were in the town proper now, passing stores and bookshops, and then Kash took a turn onto an ascending road. The air tasted strange, like candy floss and rainbows, and my head swam. My grip on Kash loosened a fraction.
“Hold on,” he ordered. “It will pass.”
He was right, the loopy feeling did pass, and then we were rolling down a side street lined with impressive houses. All gated, all detached, and all at least three stories high.
Fuck.
Kash didn’t stop. Instead, he continued to an access road. We had one of those—a road that led to our property, and there it was, the wrought iron gate. This one didn’t open for us.
Kash cut the engine. “I just need to buzz us in.”
I scooted off the bike so he could climb off. There was an intercom thingy attached to the stone pillar that framed the gate. Kash buzzed and waited. A cool, crisp male voice answered.
“Monica Raj residence.”
“Hey, Stephen, it’s Kash.”
“Master Raj.” There was warmth in the voice now. “Please, come in.”
The gate began to swing open.
Kash ran a hand through his windblown hair and sauntered back to the bike. “You ready to meet the clan, girlfriend?”
I fluttered my eyelashes. “Let’s do this, Pumpkin.”
He snort-chuckled and climbed back onto the bike. I clambered up behind him, and then we were off.
A pang of unease had my pulse picking up because I’d had liaisons but never been anyone’s girlfriend before. Being with Brady was the closest I’d come, and even then, we hadn’t made it official.
How would he feel about me being here with Kash and faking being his girlfriend? No. Brady would be okay with it. He’d understand I was doing this to get to Payne.
Fucking hell. That house … My mouth dropped open at the sight of the elegant, opulent monstrosity staring at me—hundreds of eyes in the form of windows. Arches and flourishes and gargoyles jutting out from the edges of the building to channel water from the roof and away from the building.
Kash brought the motorbike to a halt, and the engine cut out. The impressive double doors swung open, and a petite woman with dark hair coiled atop her head stepped onto the porch.
Her dark eyes were sharp, intelligent, and hard, but as they settled on Kash, they warmed and crinkled at the corners.
“Welcome home, son.”
* * *
Fuck me,this place was the tits. At least that’s what Ned, my boss who’d run the pit, would have said. I should be used to the opulence, but it had been a while since I’d been surrounded by marble and velvet.
Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and the whole place had a light, airy feel due to the gold and white color scheme. I hated to think how long it took to clean these white marble floors, or what it would take to keep the cream rugs and sofas clean.
Yeah, if it were me, I’d have gone for dark wood and brown leather sofas, maybe with some colorful cushions to lighten up the room. But this … This was like walking into heaven—if heaven included a stern Indian lady who looked as if she wanted to snap off my arms and beat me with them until I confessed my sins.
Monica Raj might be small, but she had a huge aura, and it was pressing on me now. Fuck, it was wrapping its disembodied hands around my throat and squeezing.
I’d never been one to shy away from a challenge, so I raised my chin and looked her square in the eyes. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Raj.”
