Pennies (Dollar #1)

Tearing my gaze away, I glared at the unwanted guests around the table. Alrik assured me, when we set up the meeting, that it would just be him and me. Not three other bastards and one silent girl.

I’d put up with it through dinner because I refused to talk business while eating, and never when drinking, but the moment the food was consumed, they had to fuck off.

My back stiffened as precautions filled me.

Could he have poisoned the meal?

Thanks to my tireless research, I knew he didn’t cook—that his chef service provided delicacies every night. I had to trust he wouldn’t slip ricin into my main course purely because of his ego and what he wanted from me.

If Alrik did, by some imbecile decision, try to dispatch me rather than do business, I was ready.

He wouldn’t be the first to try to kill me.

And he wouldn’t be the last.

However, the trail of cadavers left in my wake would steadily grow longer as I proved I was invincible.

Sitting down, I readjusted my silverware, running eager digits over the serrated knife. I could murder everyone in this room before one scream was uttered.

Perhaps I should.

Maybe I will.

Before the night was through.

Alrik remained standing, opening bags of gourmet food and serving us with each element: bok choi with oyster sauce, Peking duck, Singapore noodles, and wontons.

The scents replaced the blandness of the monochromatic space with welcome.

Finally, he sat at the top of the table and smiled. “Eat. Enjoy.”

As he arranged his napkin, I looked once more at the girl.

She hadn’t budged. Her head remained bowed, her eyes locked on a speck in front of her.

Picking up my fork, I pointed at her. “You don’t feed your slave?”

Alrik slurped a mouthful of noodles, no longer trying to hide the truth. “She gets fed when she’s behaved. She knows that.” He raised his voice so the girl could hear. “And tonight, she didn’t. That unsightly episode before is not tolerated.” He grinned, stabbing a piece of duck. “She’ll eat tomorrow.”

I agreed.

A naughty pet ought to be punished.

But she wasn’t just a pet.

She was a human being, and I wasn’t done inspecting her.

I need her closer.

I ordered, “Invite her to eat with us.”

Alrik and his friends froze, food half-chewed or dangling on their forks. “What?”

“Invite her to eat. She’s hungry.”

“But this is a business dinner. I won’t have it sullied by her—”

“This is not business. This is merely a social nicety to feel as if we’ve bonded before our transaction is concluded. If it were up to me, I would’ve arrived to find you alone, as per our discussion, and left a few minutes later, rather than this fucking spectacle.”

My chin lowered as my temper siphoned through my veins. “You’re the one who changed the rules. Now, I want to change them for my benefit. Let her eat.”

Alrik’s fair skin turned puce with anger.

I smiled, just waiting for an outburst, any outburst. I’d happily teach him a lesson that he would never win with me.

Ever.

Slowly, he put down his utensils and looked at his whore. “Pimlico, grab a plate and join us. I’ve changed my mind. You can eat tonight.”

I didn’t turn around, but her gasp trickled down my nape, making me shiver. It was too easy. Hunting was a lot of fun. Just like thievery. The trick to pulling off a great heist was to gain the trust of your intended victim first.

Trust me, Pim.

Let me steal your secrets.

Alrik had tried to do that by luring me to dinner with his friends. But he couldn’t mask his eager greediness for what I could offer him. Pimlico, on the other hand, bought my sanctuary with every heartbeat, hauling herself into a standing position and shuffling into the kitchen.

I didn’t move as the sounds of collected crockery and the clink of knives and forks echoed in the white space. Her footfalls were as quiet as a shadow as she hesitantly approached the table.

I narrowed my eyes as she kept her vision on the floor, holding her plate like a shield.

Alrik’s friends snickered, sucking on beer bottles, enjoying her discomfort far too fucking much. I didn’t need to ask to know they’d taken from this girl, too. They were responsible for some of the bruises and scars decorating her body.

Alrik sighed heavily, rolling his eyes. “Well, sit, Pim. Fuck, don’t just lurk there like a freak.”

Instantly, she darted forward and slipped gracefully into the chair beside me.

Either deliberate or subconscious, the fact she’d chosen to sit so close did strange things to my insides. Half of me wanted to stroke her cheek and promise that as long as she wore my jacket, I’d protect her. While the other half wanted to see how pretty her tears would look falling into her dinner.

Tearing my gaze from her sad face, I stole her empty plate and replaced it with my untouched, full one.

She sucked in a breath as I nudged the delicious smelling food closer.

I didn’t speak. I didn’t need to.

She knew what I offered, and she’d accept—if she knew what was fucking good for her.

Alrik’s fork clattered to the tablecloth, smearing garlic sauce and oil. “Wait…she can have a sandwich. There isn’t enough for—”

I held up my hand with a sharp glare. “I’m not hungry. She is. Problem solved.”

Besides, there was power in not eating when everyone else was. I had the freedom to stare and calculate. I could ask questions and probe all while they swallowed inconvenient mouthfuls, scrambling for lies.