‘Sorry, sweets.’ Charity blinked and gathered her scattered wits as she was left staring at the back of Ruin’s head. ‘Still not leaning that way. Promise you’ll be the second to know if I do.’
Brightly painted lips formed a moue of mock disappointment below the garish glasses before Echo winked at Ruin. ‘Promises, promises,’ she chided. She slid in on the table’s other side, taking time to smooth her skirt under her as she sat, her elaborate pigtails swaying in time to her movements. ‘Who’s your friend?’
Charity gave her time to settle, waiting until the other woman’s shrewd gaze came back to her before picking up the conversation. ‘Ruin.’
Under the precisely cut dark bangs, an eyebrow rose above the rhinestone rim as she studied the silent man. She made a tsking noise, then, ‘Not your normal type, Charity.’
Charity didn’t bother stifling her snort. ‘I don’t have a type, Echo.’
‘I beg to differ.’ Echo rested her elbow on the table and one teal blue nail, filed into a sharp point accented with a winking faux diamond stabbed the air. ‘Rough-edged.’ Another finger rose. ‘Silent, brooding.’ A third went up. ‘Built for dirty, dirty deeds.’ She leered openly at Ruin before her hand shifted so she could rest her chin on her palm. Her speculative gaze went right back to Charity. ‘Hate to break it to you, honey, but that constitutes a type.’
Charity found it difficult not to think about the things associated with ‘dirty, dirty deeds’, especially considering who she sat next to, but by some miracle she managed not to squirm or look at Ruin. ‘Not here to discuss my personal life.’
‘Sadly, you never are.’ Echo sighed dramatically as she twirled the end of one pigtail around her finger. ‘Since you won’t indulge me, why don’t you ask me for what you need?’
Charity wasn’t fooled by Echo’s flippant demeanour. Past dealings proved the existence of a calculating mind, one that veered more towards the electronics she played with than the humans manning the keyboards. Charity braced before asking, ‘What’s it going to cost me?’
The hair twirling stopped mid-spin and, like a shark scenting bloodied water, Echo flipped the switch from flirtatious to business. ‘Normal scale applies. The more likely I am to get burned for sharing, the deeper you’ll be digging into your pockets.’ Her gaze flicked to Ruin and came back to Charity, predatory interest vying with an edgy curiosity. ‘Is this personal or professional?’
Charity leant back and felt Ruin’s arm slip from the back of the booth to wrap around her shoulder. A silent warning on oversharing, maybe? Not that she planned on giving Echo any more than the barest of details. When up against money, trust was MIA. To throw Echo off of the true nature of Charity’s business, she shifted until she was tucked under Ruin’s arm. Now they presented the image of a united couple. She gave Echo a bland look. ‘Does it matter?’
Watching Echo’s internal struggle between her need to pry and her love of payment play out, Charity had no doubt of the eventual outcome. Echo never turned her nose up at lining her pockets, be it with city credits or favours owed. Sure enough, wasn’t long before Echo gave in. ‘Fine, keep your secrets. I’ll give you two questions.’
Ruin shifted against the cracked upholstery but didn’t let Charity go. ‘What does painted horses mean to you?’
Puzzlement swept over Echo’s face. ‘You have a fetish for decorating poor animals?’
Deciding to cut Echo a little slack, Charity added, ‘If you were visiting from out of town and wanted to stay off the grid, where would you go?’
Echo frowned in thought. ‘I could bring up a fairly long list using that criteria alone. You need to narrow the parameters.’
Understanding that Echo needed something more than an obscure reference to work with, Charity gave what she could. ‘Maybe a place a visitor could find without relying on the locals for direction? Private and out of the way would be non-negotiable. Easy access and easily defendable.’ Because whoever the Raiders planned to meet, wouldn’t want to be seen with them. ‘Could be the name connects with painted horses? Maybe some sort of statue or carving? An old street name? Something that used to be known for horses?’ The last was a stretch, but the wider their net, the more likely they were to actually catch a damn clue.
Echo stilled for a moment, staring off into space. ‘Maybe.’
At Echo’s pensive answer a familiar buzz of anticipation took flight in Charity’s gut. ‘Maybe what?’
Echo sat back, the lens on her glasses turning opaque under the string of decorative lights. She nabbed one of the unused napkins on the table and began shredding it into confetti. Finally, she spoke. ‘It’s a damn long shot, but maybe the Carousel.’
‘Carousel?’ Ruin’s question shot out like a bullet.
Echo gave a slow nod, absently arranging the napkin shreds into a neat pile. ‘If I remember my history right, it was some lame attempt at bringing tradition back to the area.’ Her nose wrinkled as she gave a puzzled shake of her head. ‘Not sure how erecting an amusement ride in the middle of nowhere generates tradition, but then again, a lot of decisions made before the Collapse don’t make sense. I mean, really? Who, in their right mind, thinks creating super viruses or dumping tons of poison into the air is a bright move?’
Charity decided it was best to cut in before the other woman got lost in one of her well-known rants on the idiocy of society before Mother Nature and natural consequences bitch slapped humanity back into line. ‘The Carousel, Echo?’
Echo stopped, blinked, and then blew out a breath. ‘Right. Talk about a throwback. That place was ransacked decades ago. It sits out on the other side of the river. Not like there was much there to start with. Some buildings, fields, and I think there used to be one of those shopping centre monstrosities. I mean, it’s in the middle of nowhere, so it fits some of your criteria. What do you want to know?’
Who the hell the Raiders were meeting with? But Echo wasn’t a miracle worker, and Charity gave up on miracles a long damn time ago. ‘Anything still standing out there?’
Echo shrugged. ‘Dunno. Haven’t been out there in years. Last I remember there were a few buildings that might pass for usable. If you’re desperate enough.’
Depending on the payoff, the Raiders wouldn’t care if they were meeting in the middle of hell. Unfortunately, the Raiders wouldn’t be the only people holing up in the ruins.
‘No-one’s using them?’ Ruin pressed.
Echo narrowed her gaze. ‘Like street rats?’
He nodded.
Nice to see Ruin following the same line of logic, because that was one group who might be desperate enough to take a chance on their lives in exchange for shelter.
Echo took a moment to think it over. ‘It’s possible. It’s far enough outside the city limits no-one would give a damn who crashed there. Anything of value was stripped forever ago.’
‘You got directions?’ At Echo’s nod, he grabbed a napkin and shoved it at her. ‘Map.’
Surprisingly the other woman didn’t snap back, but slipped her fingers under the edge of her top and pulled out a pen. Guess that was as good a place as any to stash your writing utensils. She began to sketch out the directions.
Under the protection of the table, Charity gave Ruin’s thigh a brief squeeze. If this Carousel place was such a relic, then they wouldn’t face much in the way of security. That was the good news. Time to figure out where the bad news would come from. ‘Riverman mean anything to you?’
Echo’s pen stilled before resuming its scratching over the paper, but Charity didn’t miss the minute shift in her posture or her quick swallow. ‘Riverman?’
Oh yeah, it meant something. Charity waited her out. It didn’t take long.
Tucking the pen back in its home, Echo flicked the paper back to them. Then she braced her forearms on the table and leant in, lowering her voice. ‘Considering how long we’ve been business associates, Charity, may I suggest you and your man be careful where you toss that name at?’
Charity’s stomach knotted at the unsettling seriousness on the other woman’s face. She ignored the ‘your man’ part as her uneasiness replaced the lingering warm fuzzies from her earlier encounter with Ruin. ‘Why do you think we’re here?’
The tension in Echo’s expression eased a bit with Charity’s response. ‘Always knew there was a solid brain in that skull of yours, girl.’
‘You’re stalling,’ Ruin cut in, earning a glare from Echo. Undaunted, he kept going. ‘Who is he?’
She held his gaze, her mouth pressed into a mutinous line. On the table, her hand curled into a fist, then slowly relaxed. ‘He is River Man.’ She separated the name into two parts. ‘It’s the only name used around here. Mainly because those who go fishing for more end up face down in the river.’
Charity stifled her urge to chime in with some mocking quip about obvious naming conventions. Pressed as close as she was to Ruin she couldn’t miss the rise of tension as his muscles coiled. Yet none of that was visible in his casual question. ‘What’s his specialty?’
‘He’s the Broker.’
Again with the emphasis? Charity didn’t remember Echo ever being this much of a drama queen when it came to business. Yet something about the name scratched at a memory she couldn’t quite catch. ‘That doesn’t tell me much.’
Echo was shaking her head. ‘No more, Charity. I gave you your two answers, and I like breathing.’ She shifted in her seat, her voice harsh. ‘Payment, now.’
Charity didn’t miss the flash of fear Echo tried desperately to hide, but it wasn’t enough to stop Charity from pushing. Taking her time, she pulled away from Ruin so she could reach into her pocket, and then dug out the agreed upon payment. Holding the two thin squares of credit between her thumb and forefinger, she extended them. The other woman’s arm snaked out and latched on, but instead of letting go, Charity held tight and kept her voice low. ‘What does he broker, Echo?’
She tugged unsuccessfully on the credits as the flash of fear brightened into a burning flame. Finally, she hissed, ‘Anything if you can afford it.’ Charity let go, but Echo wasn’t done. ‘But rest assured, even you can’t afford him.’ With that parting shot, she got out of the booth, the credits disappearing as she smoothed down her skirt. Finding her footing, in more ways than one, Echo studied them, some unreadable emotion slipping through her wary gaze. Her mouth opened, but before any words escaped, a shout cut through the electronic din.
The one-word warning hit the room like a bomb. Gamers scattered like rats on a sinking ship, abandoning their electronic conquests as they raced for exits. Ruin slipped out of the booth and offered Charity a hand. Echo’s attention was on the entrance hall, but Charity couldn’t make out who or what she was staring at because the club’s lights began a seizure-inducing dance. Echo turned on her heel, her intent clear—escape.
Charity snagged Echo’s wrist, keeping her in place. ‘Exit?’ She pitched her voice to be heard over the racket.
Echo yanked her hand free and spun, heading for the back wall. With Ruin’s hand in hers, Charity followed, keeping the other woman in sight. The only reason she trusted Echo to lead them out was because Echo had no more desire to be ‘detained’ by whoever served as the local authorities than they did, and arguing with Charity was a one-way ticket to certain detainment. Echo stopped at the back wall, reached out and touched something, triggering a section to slide free, exposing a dark opening. Echo slipped into the shadows, leaving them to follow.
The narrow space left Charity hugging the wall as she squeezed past Echo, who waited until Ruin ducked inside before closing the escape hatch behind them. With the opening sealed, the darkness was complete. Normally comfortable in the dark, the suffocating confines gave Charity the willies. Something brushed over wood and gave a sharp snap, before a feeble greenish glow sparked, adding a macabre cast to Echo’s face. She raised the glow stick above her head and pointed beyond Charity. Charity turned to face the unrelenting darkness. Guess they were going forward.
A tap on her shoulder brought her head around to find Echo offering her an unbroken glow stick. Charity took it as Echo squeezed by to take the lead. Igniting the stick with a snap, Charity looked back to find Ruin hunched over, his shoulders skimming the sides of the hall. A muffled shout seeped through the wall, sending Charity scrambling to catch up to Echo, Ruin on her heels. The narrow passageway ended at what resembled a metal shaft. Raising her glow stick, Charity turned in a slow circle, looking for a ladder or another door. Nothing.
She turned to Echo, only to find the other woman steadily making her way up the sheer wall. Looking closer, Charity realised shallow depressions staggered up the side. A haphazard, built-in ladder. Lovely. Putting the glow stick between her teeth, she tested the first handhold, unsurprised when there was only enough room to curl her fingers over the edge. She looked over her shoulder at Ruin, her gaze fell to his booted feet. Worry rose. They were big damn feet and getting them to fit into the narrow depressions was iffy at best. A touch on her chin brought her gaze back to his face.
‘Go,’ he mouthed.
She frowned, but when he motioned her to hurry, she turned and began to climb.
Long minutes passed, the quiet broken only by their breathing and the soft sounds of their climb. Charity’s fingers were going numb when a few steps above, Echo stopped. Not wanting to stare up Echo’s skirt, for any number of reasons, Charity twisted her neck to find Ruin grimly clinging to the wall a step or two below her.
The scrape of metal accompanied by a breeze from above brought her attention back to Echo who disappeared through an opening. With an end to the muscle-seizing climb in sight, Charity scrambled up. At the top, she forced her aching arms to lever her body out of the opening. Rolling to her back on what appeared to be a roof of some sort, she sucked in deep breaths, flexed her fingers and toes, and blinked at the cloud-draped night sky.
There was a masculine grunt as Ruin joined her. Instead of lying back, he remained on his hands and knees next to her, his face above hers. She shifted her head just a bit to see him. ‘That was fun.’
His amber eyes glittered in the night, and there was a flash of white as he grinned.
Their moment was interrupted by another scrape of metal and a dull thunk as Echo closed the hatch. Charity rolled over and up into a sitting position, bringing her knees up. Bracing her wrists, she let her hands hang free, hoping to force the blood back into her fingertips. ‘Thanks.’
Echo brushed off her skirt and looked up long enough to glare. ‘Working with you is a pain in the ass, Charity.’
Deciding to take that as a compliment, Charity grinned.
Echo shook her head, her disgust evident. ‘I’m out of here.’
‘Where is here?’ The question came from Ruin as he shifted to sit next to Charity.
‘Just south and east of where you started.’ Straightening her shoulders, Echo began walking in the opposite direction. ‘Next time you need information, hit up someone else.’ With that last dour warning, she slipped over the roof’s edge and disappeared.
Ruin turned to Charity. ‘I’m assuming she doesn’t fly.’
Charity shook her head. ‘I’m betting she dropped to a neighbouring roof and will be using their roof access as her exit.’
‘Interesting friends you have.’
Shaking out a hand, she ignored the pins and needles slowly fading from her fingertips. ‘More of a business acquaintance than a friend.’
Pushing to her feet, she wandered over to the edge Echo disappeared from. Sure enough, the neighbouring building’s roof was close enough to jump to, and if she wasn’t mistaken, there was a roof access door just on the other side of that section to her left. Nice escape route, but not one Charity was comfortable following.
She walked in the opposite direction, ignoring Ruin as he sat and watched her. After peering over the edge, she realised they were on the roof of the graffiti-covered bar. Ruin came up beside her and together they watched as the local militia hauled out a handful of teens and sat them on the kerb in front of the burnt out warehouse.
‘Looks as if some didn’t make it out,’ he noted.
‘I wouldn’t be surprised if they were paid to be caught.’
She could feel the weight of his gaze. ‘Seriously?’
She nodded. ‘It gives everyone else time to get out of the zone.’
‘Huh,’ he sounded thoughtful. ‘Not sure anyone could pay me enough to take the heat for someone else.’
Nope, that wasn’t part of his personality, or hers for that matter, but it was a great tactic. She pushed away from the edge. ‘Well, let’s make it worth their while, shall we?’ She led the way to the back of the roof, as far as they could get from the happenings out front.
Ruin stood at her side. ‘We jumping?’ Dry amusement was evident in his question.
‘Yep.’ The distance from the bar to the building behind it couldn’t be more than six, maybe seven feet. Thankfully, in this area, the buildings were almost stacked on top of each other. Making the jump was still nerve-wracking considering if they missed the other ledge the drop was a good thirty feet.
‘I’ll go first,’ he offered.
‘Okay.’ Not that she wanted to put this off any longer, but it made sense. His reach was longer, and if she misjudged her jump, it might make a difference. The clammy sweat breaking along her spine thought differently, but she’d hold tight to her delusion. For now.
They chose the best path and picked a starting point far enough back to give them the speed they needed. Ruin grabbed her hand, squeezed, then let her go. ‘See ya on the other side, sweet cheeks.’
Before she could respond, he was gone, racing over the roof and launching his body into the air. As he jumped, her breath caught and held, only escaping when he landed in a forward roll. She tried to settle her breathing and pulse, but it was useless. ‘Suck it up, Charity,’ she muttered under her breath, trying unsuccessfully to get her pitching stomach to settle.
On the other building, Ruin stood, waiting.
Gritting her teeth, she darted forward, picking up speed as she raced over the roof. Her foot hit the ledge and using every ounce of strength available, she launched into the air, her stomach freefalling even as she stretched towards Ruin. Her heart seized as her body began its decent. She wasn’t going to make it. Panic clawed for a foothold. She focused on Ruin, who was leaning forward, hands out, reaching for her. She twisted, stretched, and strained.
The hard slap of skin stung, but it didn’t matter. What did was the feel of Ruin’s solid grip on her wrist and the scrape of brick under her other palm when she managed to cling to the edge of the building. Her body slammed against the wall, her lungs stalled at the impact. Ruin didn’t give her a chance to relearn to breathe, hauling her up. Her shoulder screamed, but between his hold and her grip, they got her up and over. Once on the other side, she collapsed to her ass, her chest aching as she sucked in air and waited out the shakes. Her shoulder shifted from a screaming ache to a dull throb. Tomorrow her wrist would carry bruises from Ruin’s grip, and her other palm stung like a bitch. Turning it over she stared at the raw, seeping scrapes.
‘You okay?’ Ruin crouched next to her. Before she could guess his intentions, he picked up her stinging hand and turned it palm up under the feeble moonlight. His thumb absently stroked over her pulse, which responded by picking up speed.
Swallowing against her suddenly dry mouth, she croaked, ‘Oh, yeah.’ This was much better than breaking against the alleyway below.
‘When we get back, clean this.’ He waited for her nod before letting go and settling in next to her, their backs braced against the low edge of the roof.
Taking advantage of their momentary rest, she tried to relearn to breathe. When she was certain she could stand without her legs collapsing, she broke the quiet. ‘We better head back.’
Ruin got to his feet and offered her a hand. ‘If that kid stripped my bike, I’ll have his ass.’
Giving him her undamaged hand, she grinned. He helped her up and they crossed to the roof access door. ‘We still have twenty minutes before our deadline. Our bikes will be fine.’
He yanked open the door and waved her through. ‘You sure about that?’
She stopped and stepped in close enough to feel him, solid and strong. It calmed the last of her tremors. ‘Positive.’
Adrenaline-laced hunger stared back at her. ‘Willing to offer your ass in his place, darlin’?’
His husky question woke her lust, startling her with its depth. Guess cheating death was an aphrodisiac. Who knew? Caught in the mesmerising glow of his amber eyes, she played with fire, willing to be burned. ‘That all you want?’
His gaze darkened and his voice deepened. ‘You tempting me, Charity?’
Caught in an uncharacteristic wave of daring, she answered, ‘Yep.’
He dipped his head, nipped her lips, and whispered, ‘Good.’