Page 33 of Vex
The moment they were inside, he slammed the door behind them with enough force to rattle the frame.
"Don't you dare tell me you were following a lead." He nearly roared it.
"I knew what I was doing." The words came out steady enough, but Vex could see the cracks in her composure. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her, knuckles white with tension.
"Do you not understand how dangerous this could get?" The question came out rougher than he'd intended, edged with the smoke he was fighting to contain.
"We're dealing with data from a dating agency, not arms dealers." Her voice lacked conviction.
"Data that Maera has made it clear she's willing to use to broker high-level partnerships. Do you think she doesn't have an ulterior motive? Do you think she's working with Tallyer? Is that why you went down there? Alone?" The last word came out as almost a growl, his dragon bleeding through despite his best efforts to maintain control.
"No."
"Want to tell me why then? We're partners, we need to trust each other." The word “partners” felt inadequate, insufficient to describe whatever this thing between them had become. But it was all he could safely offer.
"Like I know anything about you!"
The accusation hit him in the chest, unexpected and sharp enough to cut through his anger. For a moment, he was thrown completely off balance. He'd kept his cards close to his chest, revealed only what was necessary for the mission.
But that was just the way he operated.
"I haven't hidden anything from you. You know who I am, why I'm here." But even as he said it, it felt somewhat hollow.
"Then what's an actual lord doing working this job? Don't you have peasants to annoy or something?" There was bite in her voice now, defensive anger that made her stand straighter, chin lifted in challenge.
Old aristocratic arrogance came easily, a shield against the uncomfortable truth in her words. "The peasants annoy themselves just fine. I've never hidden my title."
"You didn't make it obvious either."
They were circling each other now, the space between them charged with more than just anger. There were layers to this fight, undercurrents he could feel but not quite identify.
Everything was rising to the surface now, all the careful distance they'd maintained crumbling under the weight of emotions neither of them was prepared to acknowledge. Her cheeks were flushed with color, her breathing slightly uneven, and despite his fury, Vex found himself noting the way her dress hugged her curves, the way her hair had come slightly loose from its careful arrangement.
This was about more than the mission. More than her meeting with Tallyer. This was about trust and betrayal and the way she'd looked at him last night like he might actually matter. The way he'd gone to sleep with her in his arms and felt like he'd found something he hadn't even known he was looking for.
But beneath it all was the knowledge that she was in danger, and she hadn't trusted him enough to ask for help.
"So what didn't you make obvious? Why is Brant Tallyer meeting with you and threatening you?" He had to get some control back.
She went completely still, her face draining of color as she realized exactly how much he'd overheard. The fear that flickered across her features made his protective instincts roar, momentarily overwhelming the anger in a way that left him feeling unsteady.
"He said he'd sell you to Maera Daxkar. If he thought you were really mine, he wouldn't dare."
The words really mine hung in the air. The thought of anyone laying claim to her, of anyone using her skills until there was nothing left of the brilliant, fierce woman he'd come to care about far too much, made smoke curl around him.
It was like she was being held up by strings that were suddenly cut. Luisa sagged and sat on the bed. "Where do you think I learned to do what I do?" Her voice was small now, defeated in a way that made his chest ache.
"What?" The single word came out too sharp.
"Hacking complex systems? Scanning data? Everything I've done over the last few days, do you think there's some kind of, I don't know, college on Aetis that teaches it?" There was bitter humor in her voice now, self-deprecating in a way that made him want to cross the room and pull her into his arms.
"The IDA said you were the best." He was struggling to process what she was telling him.
"I am the best. Because Brant Tallyer took me under his wing when I was sixteen and hooked me up with some of the most vicious hackers and data brokers in the quadrant."
It hurt to hear it.
Of course she was a criminal. How else would someone develop the kind of skills she possessed? But knowing it intellectually and hearing her say it out loud were two different things entirely. The woman who'd taken him apart with her hands and her mouth and her brilliant mind, was a thief. Had always been a thief.
