Page 18 of Vex
She sighed. "Fine. You're right. It was warranted. I thought this might happen. I should have said before I left."
A partner who could admit when she was wrong. Not the worst thing ever.
Vex wouldn't gloat. He wasn't a fool.
The possessive display he'd just performed in the spa should have embarrassed him. It was only partially in character. Lord Vex of Vemion did not make public scenes over women, did not let emotion override careful political calculation. His reputation was built on control, on the kind of icy restraint that made him valuable to his uncle and dangerous to his enemies.
But there had been something deeply satisfying about staking his claim so thoroughly, about making it clear to everyone watching that Luisa belonged to him.
The way she'd looked up at him, startled and flushed, had sent heat spiraling through him. And Maera Daxkar had watched with sharp interest. That could be useful. But Vex hadn’t given a damn when he saw that necklace hanging around Luisa’s neck. His gift. His mark.
He had to get her out of his head. Or into his bed. That might sate the curiosity that was still growing.
No. She was already in his bed, in a fashion. Any closer and …
Well, best not to think about it.
"No one's in Maera's rooms," Luisa said. "She's in the spa, obviously, and she has treatments scheduled for the next two hours. Now's our chance to get a look at whatever files she doesn't have networked."
"What about her attendant?"
She typed something on her datapad. "He's about to get a message about a dire issue concerning Maera's laundry. It will give us an opening. You up for some breaking and entering?"
She looked eager, but he hesitated. "You should let me do this. It could be dangerous."
She bristled. Her chin lifted stubbornly, her dark eyes flashing with irritation. "I can do my job."
He didn't like this. It was sudden and felt a bit reckless.
And … fun.
This job wasn't supposed to be fun. But Vex felt a smile tugging at the side of his lips. "You're right. Let's go."
Maera's suite was two floors down from theirs. They didn't encounter anyone on the way there.
Luisa held her arm out to stop him before they turned the final corner. "Wait." She held up her datapad and pressed a button.
A minute later, a frazzled looking attendant rushed out the door and down the hall.
Vex hadn't realized the attendants were capable of that much emotion.
"I managed to hack into the laundry system and make the machines malfunction. They'll catch it quickly, and a simple reboot will fix everything. Any more and I might have gotten caught. But I'd guess we have a half hour."
They reached Maera's door, and Luisa pulled out a device as small as her palm. Her fingers moved across its surface, and within seconds, the lock disengaged with a soft click.
The room beyond was luxurious but noticeably smaller than their penthouse suite, all cream silk designed to impress without overwhelming. It fit the socially conscious socialite mask that she wore.
Crystal figurines lined the windowsill, catching the afternoon light. A sitting area dominated one corner, while the bedroom was visible through an archway draped with gossamer curtains.
"She'll keep her info somewhere.” Luisa muttered it mostly to herself.
She had certainly fixated on this woman. "What makes you so certain she's our target?"
For some reason, Luisa stiffened at that.
"I'm not," she said. "But the data doesn't lie. If she's not selling IDA data, then she's selling something. A legitimate philanthropist wouldn't be spending her time in this den of ne'er do wells."
A good point.
