Page 60 of Tell Me Why
“I don’t see how you could possibly have any use to me, but I’m willing to hear you out, for her sake. She’s made sacrifices to be here, and I owe her that much. But you step out of line at all, you best believe I’m going to put you back up in that room again until you get bored enough to beg me to let you out. And then, you know, we’ll see.”
“I’m not here to supplicate,” Tell said, his posture unconcerned but not slouching like Daryll’s. “I’m here to make you an offer and see if you’re smart enough to take it.”
Tina wanted to look at Isabella, just to see if the woman would stiffen or give any other sign of how this wasnotsupposed to happen, but she managed to control the reflex.
“Oh, you’re gonna come in here and saveme?” Daryll said. “And thisofferof yours. It just occur to you? You get to sitting up there all this time and realize that this wasn’t going to beeasy, whatever you were here for?”
Tell laughed, resting his forearm on the desk and shifting slightly. It wasn’t a mirror to Daryll’s posture, but it did invoke the unconcern of it.
“I had to figure out whether or not I intended tostay,” Tell said. “You might have noticed, but we don’t come from similar circles, and we’ve never gotten along, but sometimes…” He looked back at Isabella, a sort of rabid, owning glance that Darylldid notmiss, then turned forward again. “Sometimes you find a friend in the midst of a situation where you are… uniquely poised to help, and perhaps it might be a bit of fun, at that.”
“Keon sent you,” Daryll said. “Don’t pretend like I’m just going to forget it.”
“Keon sent me, not because he wanted to get a message to his daughter, but because he wanted a lead on where shewasso that he could drag her back home,” Tell said. “Which means that if you want myhelp, you’re going to have to give me a better offer. My help is not going to comecheaply. But I’d rather help her than him, so I’m here to give you the opportunity.”
Daryll’s jaw went tight, then he pursed his lips and sat up slightly.
“I’m listening,” he said. “Be specific or stop wasting my time.”
“We run in different circles,” Tell said. “Everyone knows who you are and where you are and… well, anyone whocarescan track you down just as easily as I did. Keon simply forgot that you and Isabella…”
“Crissy,” Isabella corrected.
Tell snorted.
“… had that historical… connection, of whatever type it was. I don’t care, so I’d rather you not attempt to explain it. I don’t handle disgust well on an empty stomach.”
Daryll’s eyes popped, and he began to sit forward to argue further with Tell, who slickly ignored him and went on.
“I, on the other hand, move around without anyone knowing where I am or who I’m talking to. I have access to the oldest and most powerful vampires on the planet…”
“I’m not working with them, fool,” Daryll said. “They’ve got their own fiefdoms and they don’t care for the type of things I’m selling…”
“Oh,” Tell said, “then you aren’t anywhere near as advanced at this as I’d thought.” He looked at Isabella. “This is what you get for working with low-world amateurs.”
“Think you’ll regret saying that,” Daryll said.
Tell laughed.
“You think you’re relevant,” he answered. “You are…” He shook his head. “Whatever it is you’re doing, you’re making money at it. I don’t reallycareabout the money, but…” He glanced at Tina.Tina. What wasthatsupposed to imply? “Sometimes the pursuit of it makes for an interesting game. If you’d like to find your way into the high-level games that the truly rich play…” He shrugged.
“You think you know things thatshedoesn’t?” Daryll asked.
“The very first of the ivory tower princesses?” Tell asked. “You have to ask yourself what shedoesknow, not what shedoesn’t.”
“You don’t knoweverything,” Daryll said.
“I know enough,” Tell said.
“Prove it,” Daryll said.
“My young friend figured it out, it was so obvious,” Tell said. “You’re in the parts trade, here, selling bits and pieces to the lows who don’t know better than to get themselves hooked. Bet you’re supplying fighting rings and the like, too. Consistent customers who don’t really care what happens next because life is too dire, either way.”
Daryll sat back in his chair, deciding between being offended and intrigued.
Intrigued won out.
“Not saying it’s true,” Daryll said. “But let’s hear what you’d do about it.”
