“I pocketed them,” he said, dangling the set from his fingers.
My hands tightened at my sides. I didn’t like that he’d thought that far ahead and I hadn’t. I strode from the room without a word, knowing he followed directly behind me. As we left the farmhouse, I had the last laugh, however. Several men whistled and waved good-bye to “Agent Luscious.”
Lucius purchased half a dozen drive-thru burritos and tossed the sack into my lap. I held them without complaint as he drove for over an hour. Finally, he eased into a hidden thicket located in a richly treed patch of land—privately owned land that was well watered. He cut the locks off the gate and sneaked us inside.
Both of us, I noticed, continually checked the mirrors, making sure we weren’t followed by anyone. The fewer who knew our business, the less chance there was of leaks.
He told the car to park, grabbed the sack, and said, “We’ll eat now, then talk.”
I caught the burrito he carelessly flung my way and ate what I could, but my appetite had yet to fully return. Plus, I preferred sweet, sugary foods. Always had. I often wondered what type of food grew on Raka, what I’d be eating if I was there.
It was sad that I didn’t know much about my own people or my home planet. There simply weren’t many Rakans left here to ask, hunted as we were. Michael once hired a Rakan tutor for me, but that had lasted less than six months. The man had taken a day off and never returned.
I knew the planet had two small suns, three large moons, and massive amounts of water. I knew there had never been a war, the crime rate was low, and the penalty for any crime was death. I knew the entire population was ruled by an iron-willed dictator and that many Rakans had left simply to escape him.
Is that why my parents had left? I so would have loved to ask them. To know them. They’d been taken from me so suddenly. Singing me to sleep one minute, lying in pools of their own blood the next. Murdered. Obliterated. I missed them more than I could ever say.
Leaning back in my seat, I waited patiently while Lucius consumed the thick, greasy wraps. He chewed slowly, sensually, like a man who savored every bite. I watched the way his mouth and throat moved in harmony, and unbidden images of him partaking ofme invaded my mind. I forced my attention to the window.
Apparently, he didn’t like my change of focus. “Let’s take a walk,” he said, throwing the last wrapper in the back seat with the others.
We exited on our respective sides. Lush, green trees filled the entire area, providing a luxurious shade. I stashed my hat and sunglasses on the car’s dash. Fresh, vibrant air wrapped us in a welcome breeze. I’d traveled the world, many times, but I rarely experienced nature like this.
The tranquil area surprised me. “New Dallas has been under a dry spell since EenLi and his men arrived. How is this glen possible?”
“Michael keeps it well watered,” Lucius said, reaching my side.
My eyes narrowed, and I experienced a spark of anger that Lucius knew something about my father that I didn’t…until I recalled that Michaelhad told me about buying a patch of land in New Dallas. I’d forgotten. He owned so much land. Now, if I could just get him to tell me about Lucius.
“So what’s your real name, O man of many identities? I seriously doubt it’s Lucius.”
“I have a lot of names,” he answered vaguely.
We walked slowly, keeping pace beside each other, zigzagging through the thick trees and branches. Leaves and twigs snapped beneath our feet.
“I realize that,” I said. “But I want to know yourreal name.”
He glanced down at me. “I’ll give you three guesses.”
“We’re alone, and there’s no chance of anyone listening in on our conversation. You can tell me.”
“Maybe I only tell women I’ve seen naked.”
“Is your name Bastard?” I fluttered my lashes at him.
“Wrong.” A hint of amusement laced his tone. “Only two guesses left.”
Frowning, I stopped and stomped my foot. When I realized what I had done, my frown intensified. I hated when I reverted to my old princess ways. “That wasn’t a true guess, so you can’t count it.”
“Too bad,” he said, never slowing. “I am.”
My frown became a scowl, and I jumped back into motion. “Forget it. Don’t tell me.”
“I wasn’t going to. But now that I have your permission not to, I feel so much better,” he said, sarcasm dripping from each word.
“You are such a jerk.”
A teasing light sparkled in his eyes, softening his entire face. “My mother always told me women like mysterious men. If I tell you, I’ll lose my mystery.”
“You have a mother?” I hadn’t meant the question to sound so shocked, but the words whipped out of my mouth before I could stop them.
“Yes, I had a mother. I didn’t get much time with her, but she was very real. What, did you think I’d been spawned magically from fairy dust?”
“No. I thought you’d been spawned magically from the devil.”
He laughed, the sound rich and husky and so inherently sensual my blood warmed.
“You read my file,” I said, “so you saw that I’m Eden F. Black. Tell me your real name, and I’ll tell you what the F. stands for.” I frowned again when I realized I was skirting around the need to beg him for the information. Why the hell did I even care about his name? I wondered. The answer eluded me, but the fact remained that Idid care. I had to know.
“That’d be a good bargain if I were even remotely interested in knowing your middle name.”
My hands clenched at my sides as Lucius quickened his pace. He didn’t dart a glance behind him to see if I followed. After a moment, I did. I was too curious to wait behind and play games. Besides, I didn’t want him to know how much his lack of interest in my name bothered me.
When I caught up, he said, “You ready to talk business?”
“Always,” I ground out.
“Jonathan Parker is old money, just like Sahara Rose said. I did a job here in New Dallas a few years ago. Jonathan’s brother was abducting other-worlder children, as well as human children, and forcing them to—perform with each other.”
Our eyes met in a moment of unspoken understanding. Child p**n ography. I’d seen a lot of evil, but crimes committed against children always disgusted and infuriated me most. “You completed your job, I hope.” We both knew I was asking him if he’d killed the brother.