I narrowed my eyes at him. Really? The balls on this dude. “So, are you trying to flatter me into taking your job? ’Cause it’s still going to be a no for me. No matter how many ways you reframe this conversation.”
He cocked his head. “Why is that? My research suggested you were actively looking for cases.”
I put my coffee on the table and spread my hands flat around the cup.
“I’m going to speak slowly so you understand what I’m saying. You dragged me here against my will, after cornering me in a dark alley before I’ve even had breakfast.” I leaned in to try and add more power to my tone. “I don’t like you. It’s probably something you never hear with hair and biceps like that, but it’s the truth. You’re a dick.”
“Tell me about your job.”
How did this man function in society? Oh, yeah, by kidnapping people.
“No.”
He eyed me, a frown drawing deep lines around his mouth. “You do realize I can make you, and I assure you, it won’t be pleasant. Especially since you are more resistant to my charms than I was expecting.”
I snorted. “Charms, is that what you call this? While we are on the subject, what exactly are you?”
“I asked you a question first. It’s polite to answer.”
Did I want to know his species bad enough that I would give him what he wanted? Damn it. I did.
“Fine. People give me money to hunt down things, or people, for them. That about sums it all up.”
He nudged my coffee toward me. “Oh, you can do better than that, I’m sure.”
“What do you want? My client list? My pay stubs? I hunt things...hence bounty hunter. Usually it’s people. Sometimes it’s objects. I don’t particularly care what I hunt as long as the pay is right.”
I recognized the look on his face well. It was the look everyone got when they were tired of my shit.
“I believe there is more to it. I was informed just yesterday you chased a man around the city before shoving him in the back of a truck. What was that about?”
“That is none of your business. And how did someone inform you of it when it just happened?” I didn’t think I could get angrier but somehow, he’d made it happen. Like it was his own special gift to piss me off. “Have you been watching me?”
“I wouldn’t say watching you, more like... keeping an interest.”
I narrowed my gaze. “I’m going to say this nicely since you seem to enjoy toying with me. I don’t want to work for you. Right now, I want to go home, get in bed, and forget this day even happened.”
His eyebrows fluttered up in surprise. “You don’t want to hear the job first? The pay? Anything? What if I offered you your greatest wish?”
This man wasn’t used to being turned down. I knew enough about men like him to know no matter what the job consisted of, I would never complete it to his satisfaction, to his very exact specifications, to the picture he’d painted of it in his head. Which always made me wonder, when I encountered his type, why he didn’t just do it himself and not involve a third party that could testify in a courtroom?
He waited for my answer, finally, for once, not speaking. I let the silence hang between us, hoping he squirmed on the inside waiting for me to jump in his lap and tell him what I wanted for Christmas.
After a long uncomfortable silence, hopefully on his part, as well as mine, I answered. “Even if you offered me everything I’ve always wanted—which is a pony, by the way—I’d still have to say no.”
The café suddenly became silent. I glanced around and watched as the other patrons gathered their belongings, like they didn’t have a care in the world, and walked out. Even the wait staff that were working on a short line moseyed back to the kitchen.
Not. Good.
He leaned toward me, an enigmatic smile still decorating his lovely mouth. “You see, I don’t have to ask your permission for this. I can force you to work for me, and every step of the way you’d be fighting me. Eventually, you’d say something stupid with that mouth of yours and I’d accidentally kill you. I’d really hate for that to happen. You are very nice to look at, after all.”
A chill wiggled down my spine, along with my stomach, my heart, my intestines. All the vital organs now sat in a puddle in my boots. It occurred to me, as I watched every other human walk out of the café, at least no one would witness me rage crying this time. Because the tears were building, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to hold them back.
Who was I kidding? These were from fear, not rage.
I tried to keep my tone even and light, despite the lack of oxygen my body had cut off. “I understand you want me to work for you. I also understand you have some kind of magical ability that makes you the big bad. But explain to me, if you can do all this, why do you need me? I’ll just get in your way...with my mouth, as you so eloquently put it.”
He leaned away, and I took a full breath for the first time in minutes.