Chapter 4 Kasimir
KASIMIR
It’s been a long time since someone other than a beat-up drunk or jaded ex-husband has sat in that chair.
Night Alley is crawling with bitter men, and somehow they all manage to find their way here – each one loaded with jewels and coin, ready to pay me anything to ‘dispose’ of an even more bitter man who’s caused them trouble.
But now she’s here. A young, violet-eyed woman with hair redder than rubies and narrow shoulders that shudder as she pulls out the leather chair and hesitantly takes a seat opposite me.
Girls like her don’t come into an assassin’s office unless they’re in real trouble.
This is going to be interesting.
“Are you really the Scorpion?” she asks, her voice dropping to a whisper.
Chuckling, I tug down my left sleeve to reveal my black scorpion tattoo.
“Of course. Even got the tattoo to prove it.” Technically, I got the marking before I earned my title, but I suppose the name fits – especially since my scorpion would be the last thing anyone would see before I slice their throat open.
“It really is you…” she breathes. Then she pauses, her face scrunching with confusion.
“Not what you were expecting?” I lower my sleeve, leaning back in my chair.
“I just don’t understand.” She shakes her head. “I thought you were supposed to be… scary.”
Laughter rolls off my chest. Really, I should be used to this kind of reaction. Yes, I’m tall, and of course fit enough to take down someone twice my size, but my hands are always clean of blood and the only scars I have are hidden away beneath layers of black leather and armour.
“No need to be scary in this line of work,” I say with a shrug. “I can be in and out and finish the job before the target’s even noticed me.”
“But how?” she says as her pretty lips fall open.
“Let’s not distract ourselves with the details.” I lean forward, pressing my elbows against the table. “Why don’t we start with your name?”
“My name?” the ruby-haired woman repeats. “My name is A—” but then she stops herself, shrinking into her seat. “Actually, I’d rather not say.”
“Not a problem,” I reassure her with a smile, “Many of my clients prefer to stay anonymous. Let’s just call you Ruby, for now.
” Reaching for a quill, I slide parchment from a pile and scribble down her ‘name’ at the top of the page.
“Now, Miss Ruby.” I glance up from the paper. “Please tell me: how can I help you?”
Ruby blinks at me, before speaking in a quiet tone. “His name is Hugo.”
“Hugo?” I raise an eyebrow. “And who is this Hugo to you? Family? Town menace? Ex-lover?” My heartbeat quickens. “Current lover?”
Wrinkling her nose, she shakes her head. “Nothing like that. I’m here on behalf of my si—” she stops herself again. “I’m here on behalf of my close friends. One of them will be forced to marry Hugo, but he’s hideous, and old, and looks at them in such a disgusting way and—”
“So who is forcing your friends to marry Hugo?” I cut her off, writing down as much as I can.
“Oh. Well, yes. It’s um, my… no. It’s their father,” she explains.
Confusion tugs at my brow, but I continue writing anyway. “So the target is their father?”
“No! No! Definitely not!” Ruby squeaks. “It’s Hugo we want gone.”
With a sigh, I lower my quill to meet her gaze. “Surely you know I cannot kill someone just because they are old and ugly.”
“Kill him?” Ruby’s face pales. “No, no, we just want him to leave and never come back!”
My head tilts.
“I heard that you can sort people out,” she continues. “Like… scare them away? Perhaps you can say something to him so that he’ll leave the kingdom and never bother my friends again.”
There’s so much hope in her eyes it makes me sniff with laughter. Somehow this girl is even more innocent than she looks.
“I’m an assassin,” I reply bluntly. “I don’t scare people away – I deal with them. Permanently. With a dagger or an arrow. So unless you have a real target for me, I’m afraid I cannot help you.”
Ruby stares blankly, and there’s a silence until I let my chin rest in my palm.
“Why don’t you speak to your friends’ father? Change his mind, perhaps? You could tell him you paid an assassin a visit so he understands how serious you are,” I laugh, but Ruby only stares with wide eyes.
“You’re an assassin?” she gasps, finally breaking the silence as her pretty lips part once again. It’s a damn shame she’s not a whore. With lips like that – so full and probably softer than silk bedsheets – it’d take just a few weeks of work at Lady Carp’s for her to be richer than the king.
Clearing my throat, I try to ignore the tightening beneath my belt. “I kill people, Ruby,” I tell her, adjusting in my seat. “I don’t scare old men away. Even if they are hideously ugly.”
“But there must be something you can do,” she pleads. “I have money and jewels too, lots of them. More than you could wish for!”
I shake my head, but before I can tell her that a few fake diamonds would never be enough for a job like this, she reaches into her skirt.
When she dumps a load of glittering necklaces onto my desk, my brows shoot up to the ceiling.
“Those are not real,” I breathe. But I’ve never seen fake diamonds shine like that.
“They are,” she insists, shoving them towards me, “and there’s plenty more where that came from too. We just need Hugo gone.”
Carefully, I reach for one of the necklaces. It’s heavy and finer than anything even the richest whorehouse owners of Night Alley would wear. Just one of these could finance an entire palace.
“Where did you find these?” I rasp. The girl in front of me is pretty, yes, but clearly not rich. Her gown is plain and servant-like, even if it hugs her curves in all the right places.
“I…” She pauses for a moment. “I work for the Royal Family. I’m a maid for one of the princesses.”
“A maid?” I repeat, glancing at her hands shaking in her lap. “Those are some soft hands for a maid.”
“The princesses are good to me,” she says with a scowl. “Now will you help us or not? Because I’ll walk away with all this right now and find someone else who can. Someone not afraid to get his own soft hands dirty.” Ruby folds her arms. The sudden fire in her voice catches me off guard.
Holding back a smile, I return the necklace to the table and lean back in my chair.
She’s lucky that I’m a gentleman. There’s plenty of assassins in Night Alley that wouldn’t be so patient – plenty who would have no issue with bending a pretty maid like her over a table and reminding her of her place in this town.
“I’ll consider the job, but you need to tell me more about Hugo,” I reply, trying not to think about how she’d feel underneath me, the noises she’d make. “Where can I find him?”
“Right now he’s in the palace,” Ruby says, her tone softening. “I’m not sure where his chambers are, but I’m sure I can find out.”
“Chambers? Who is this guy? A lord?” I laugh.
“He’s a prince.”
My jaw hits the floor.
“You want me to ‘scare away’ a prince?” I slam my hands against the table.
“Are you insane? If I get caught I’ll be hanged, possibly even worse.
And I can’t just wander up to him. He’ll have guards.
And that’s not to mention all the guards surrounding the palace, and they’ll all have weapons!
This mission would be suicide. I can’t risk it. ”
“I’m sure we can come up with some way to get him alone,” she offers. “And I’m sure there would be some way for you to sneak into the palace. We can come up with a plan.” Her eyes meet mine, and I can’t help but stare as she gnaws her lower lip. Damn perfect lips.
Scowling, I let my head fall into my hands. “I said I’d consider it, so I will,” I grumble.
“Thank you, oh thank you!” she squeals.
“I’ll be taking one of these as a deposit, though.” Lifting my head, I snatch up a necklace. Stars know I’ll need the compensation after the sleepless nights I’ll have this week.
“Take them all,” Ruby insists, shoving them into my arms. “Like I said, there’s plenty more at the palace.”
Before she moves her hands away, I catch something glinting on her finger. Instinctively I reach for her wrist, and she gasps as I hold her in place.
Her tanned skin is warm and softer than silk under my hand, but I cast the feeling aside, focusing instead on the thin silver band set with a tiny amethyst on her index finger.
“What’s this?” I ask, studying the ring. The band is nothing special, but the violet stone matches her eyes almost perfectly.
“It’s just a ring,” she replies, but I hold her tighter when she tries to pull away. “I’ve got plenty more like that at home, but they’re probably worthless compared to the necklaces.”
“I want this instead,” I tell her, slipping the ring off her and placing it onto my little finger before she has a chance to stop me. “I’ll take it as a deposit instead of the necklaces.” The metal of the band is warm and fits well. Like it was made for me.
“If you insist,” Ruby mumbles, pulling her hand back. Within seconds, the necklaces are scooped up and my newest client is making her way to the door.
“Wait,” I call after her, finally tearing my gaze from her ring. “I’ll have Bertie escort you back through Night Alley. It’s not safe for a maid to walk through the streets on her own.”
The young woman pauses, turning to face me. For a moment, it looks like she wants to protest, but she holds it back, choosing instead to nod as I rise from my seat and make my way towards her.
“How long will you need to make your decision?” she asks, tilting her chin up when I’m just steps away.
It’s already made.
“Give me a few days, then I’ll come and find you,” I answer, brushing past her soft hair as I reach for the door handle.
“But you don’t even know my real name or where I—”
“I said what I said,” I cut her off. With only inches between us, I can smell hints of strawberries, vanilla cake, and some kind of flower. The scent floods deep into my pores, and I can’t help but lean closer to bathe in it. “You’ll see me again soon, I’m sure.”
She nods, her cheeks flushing as her chest strains against her bodice. “I’ll see you in a few days then.”
Reluctantly, I turn the door handle behind her. As she spins away to leave, I coil a lock of her red hair around my fingers.
Forget Hugo. I’m not going to be able to resist tracking her down.