“Twins don’t echo each other’s movements like those two do.” Hell, my brother would kill me if I started parroting his movements like that. “The sync of those two is almost creepy.”
“Which is why I bet twins. Separated at birth.”
“Or they’re just plain weird.”
She chuckled. “I think we’re all weird. After all, here we are, sitting on a bus, waiting to be taken to God knows where.”
“The money made me do it.”
“Me, too. Have to wonder about some of the others, though.”
Military guy climbed on at that point, cutting off the immediate chance to ask what she meant. As the doors swished shut, he said, “Okay, ladies, listen up.” He waited until the slight murmur of conversation died, then continued, “As you will have noted in your contracts, the owner of the estate you are being driven to wishes to keep its location secret, so the windows will be blacked out in a moment and a curtain pulled across the front of the bus. The interior of the bus will be monitored, however, and anyone caught attempting to look out the windows will lose their position.”
“I can’t remember any mention of paranoia in the contract,” I muttered.
Berna snorted softly. Military guy gave me a glare. “You have read and signed the contract, have you not?”
“I have.”
“Then you will know backchat is not acceptable.”
“And if you have read my file, you will know that is one of my more charming personality traits.”
“Riley, shut the fuck up,” Jack said into my ear. “You do not need to be shoved off the bus just yet.”
I bit my bottom lip to restrain my grin and wished I could remind him that he was the one who’d made Poppy the mouth, not me.
Military guy’s expression was less than happy. “Insolence may be good for the ring, but it will lose you money out of it.”
“You’d dock my pay?”
“It was in the contract.”
“Bugger. Guess I should have read it better.”
His frown darkened, but his gaze moved on. Several of the woman sitting in the back of the bus shifted uncomfortably, and I wondered whether the cause was military guy’s fearsome gaze or the realization they might have gotten themselves into more than they bargained for. Certainly I could “feel” concern in the air—and the mere fact that I was sensing that was a cause of concern for me. Since when had I been able to sense emotions? I’d always been able to sense Quinn’s, true, but that was due to the extraordinary connection between us…wasn’t it?
“Those of you who have read the contract”—the emphasis left me in no doubt to whom that particular comment was aimed at, but then, it didn’t exactly take a rocket scientist to work that out—“will no doubt be aware that there is one final test on reaching the estate—an obstacle course. If you do not complete this course, you will fail and be returned to the pickup point. If you shift shape during the course, you will also fail.”
“Why no shapeshifting?” I piped up.
He gave me a deadpan look. “Because that is the wishes of your new employer.”
“So why employ shifters and weres if you don’t want them to shift?”
“Why don’t you just shut up before I stop this bus and boot you out?”
I shut up.
“Those who make it through the obstacle course will be prepared for the arena. It is hand-to-hand fighting, with some wooden weapons allowed. The winner gets a substantial monetary bonus, and will spend the night with my employer’s lieutenants. This is not negotiable, and anyone uncomfortable with this can leave now.”
He aimed that last bit at me, though why was anyone’s guess. Poppy was supposed to be half-wolf, and wolves didn’t place the same sort of emphasis on sex that many of the other races did. It was just sex, something to be shared and enjoyed rather than hidden behind closed doors and puritanical attitudes.
When I kept my mouth shut, he went on, “Any injuries received in the arena will be tended to by the contestant. Failure to show up in the arena due to injury will result in the loss of that night’s pay.”
These boys were all heart.
“There are two areas out of bounds for all contestants,” military guy continued. “The zoo, which no one shall enter without proper guidance, and basement levels which contain my employer’s personal quarters.”
It also contained the small lab area, which meant getting to Dia’s daughter without being seen was going to be doubly hard.
“Anyone found in my employer’s quarters, for any reason beyond a personal invite, will be instantly dismissed.”
No mention there of being returned home. I had a bad feeling that wasn’t actually an option under those circumstances.
He glanced at his watch, then added, “We are now going to black out the bus. It’ll take approximately one hour to get to the estate. Until then, please sit back and enjoy the ride.”
I snorted softly as darkness fell within the bus. “Yeah, I always enjoy riding into parts unknown in a pitch-black bus.”
“And I came out of hibernation not so long ago, so black places are not on my list of favorite things at the moment.”
I raised my eyebrows. “A bear who doesn’t like the dark?”
“Oh, I have no problem with the dark, wolf. I just don’t like being in it when there’s no real need.”
“So you sleep with the light on?”
She snorted. “Of course not. Nor do I make love with the light on. The wobbly bits look better in the dark.”
I grinned. “And if you don’t like the look of your partner, it’s easier to imagine you’re with someone else.”
“Hell, yeah.” She paused. “So what do you think this is really all about?”
I shrugged, and half-wondered why she was asking that question. I mean, she had no idea who was listening in or who I really was. For all she knew, I might be here to sort out any possible spies. But then, bear-shifters, for all their fearsome attitudes, also had a reputation for brutal honesty. Maybe she simply thought that because I was here, in the middle of the bus, I was trustworthy.
Or maybe she was the plant.
But for some reason, I thought not—and I have no idea why, other than the fact that I liked her. Considering my low batting average of late when it came to picking friends, I really should be taking that as a sign to be more cautious around her.“I think we have a rich, eccentric recluse who likes to show off to his friends by throwing wild sex parties.”
“But the arena? I like fighting, don’t get me wrong, but this seems a little more serious than the stuff I usually do.”
“You fight for a living?”
“I’m a wrestler by trade.”
Well, she certainly had the size for it. And though I’d never seen a bear-shifter in action, she probably had the speed, as well. Real bears could certainly move damn fast, for all their bulk. “There’s a fair bit of money in that, isn’t there?”
“If you’re good. I don’t make half as much as Ginny.”
I frowned. “Who’s Ginny?”
“The tat lady. You must have noticed her in the line earlier.”
Ah—the light-on-her-toes woman. I’d been right. She did fight for a living. “So you know each other?”
“We work the same circuit.”
Which could have meant anything from they were the best of friends to mortal enemies.
“You’re both out of work at the moment, then?”
“No. But for me, this offer is just too good to refuse. It’ll give me some decent fallback money. I might even be able to buy myself somewhere to live.” She paused. In the brief silence, I heard the squeak of seats as the other women moved. None of them were talking. Maybe they were riveted by our conversation.
“So what were you up to when they recruited you, wolf?”
“I’ve only just come down from Sydney.”
“Why?”
“Things got a little heated up there for me. Thought retreat was better than ending up sitting behind cell bars.”
She didn’t say anything, but there was suddenly a decided chill coming from her direction. “Anything major?”
“Just getting a little light-fingered in the wrong place.”
“A thief.”
She said it in a flat-toned, disapproving sort of way. Not surprising, given the brutally honest tendencies of her race. But her tone also suggested I’d just lost a potential friend. That was sad, because I generally found it hard to make friends, and things had, up until that moment, seemed hopeful.
“When I need to be.” I shrugged. “A girl’s got to live.”
“A girl can get a regular job.”
“I do. They always fire me.”
“I’m not surprised if you’re light-fingered.”
I didn’t say anything to that, and she lapsed into silence. The rest of the journey seemed to take forever, but eventually the blackout was lifted, revealing a long white driveway that was lined with elms. It led up to a white-pillared house that looked as if it belonged somewhere in the deep south of America—only it was far, far larger than any of those southern mansions. The “wows” that suddenly filled the bus were echoed by me, even though I’d already seen the floor plans. Obviously, crime paid extremely well.
The bus didn’t stop at the front of the place, but turned to the right and headed toward the rear. I studied the gardens and paddocks rather than craning my neck to view the building like everyone else, and managed to catch a glimpse of several bunkhouses, including one that was fenced by wire. The whorehouse, probably. And if you had to live in a whorehouse, then this was the type to go for. It was a miniature replica of the main house, with lush landscaping and its own small pool. Still, given the wire fencing and the cameras mounted on each corner, I was damn glad we hadn’t followed our original plan. Getting out of that place on a regular basis would have been hell.