Read Online Brightly (Flicker #2) by Kaye Thornbrugh - Free Book Online
Authors: Kaye Thornbrugh
Ads: Link
to help us, we’ll hand over your files, and you’ll never hear from us again. If you don’t, then we’ll keep the files, and you’ll never know what’s in them.”
Leaning against the counter, Nasser regarded the strangers coolly. His tone was light, but there was a steely seriousness in his eyes. “And what’s to keep us from taking those files off your hands right now?”
Clementine blinked. “Well, you might remember that we’ve read the files ourselves. That information’s in here, too.” She tapped her temple. “It’s not going anywhere.”
Filo clenched his fists. He could feel magic building in his palms, a prickling heat beneath his skin that he forced back down. “You’re blackmailing us.”
“We hoped it wouldn’t come to this,” Davis said. “Really. We don’t want to force you to do anything you don’t want to do. But there’s nowhere else we can turn. We need your help. Now you might understand how much.”
“Even if we help you,” Nasser said, carefully weighing each word, “ and you give us the files, how do we know you won’t use our names against us anyway? What with you having it all up there .”
“We wouldn’t break our word,” Henry told him earnestly.
“That may be,” Nasser allowed. “But that assurance isn’t enough. We’d need something a little more concrete.”
“What do you want?” Clementine snorted. “A geis ?”
“If that’s on the table, then yes.”
For a second, she just stared at him, trying to gauge whether or not he was serious. Then she looked to Henry and Davis, who seemed to communicate with her through slightly raised eyebrows and inclinations of their heads. At last, Clementine said, “I’m sure we can come to some kind of arrangement.”
It was Davis’ turn to sigh. “What she means,” he translated, “is that we’d certainly be willing to consider a geis. Whatever it takes to assure you that the information in those files never has to leave this group—as long as you agree to help us. We can talk about it. Figure something out.”
Filo and Nasser exchanged a slow glance, and an understanding passed between them. After a moment, Nasser inquired, “Will you be sticking around Bridgestone for long?”
Clementine looked almost startled. Then a small, triumphant smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “We’ve already paid for a night at a motel.”
“Then I imagine you wouldn’t mind letting us sleep on it.”
“Of course,” Henry said. “We’ll come back tomorrow morning, seven o’clock sharp. The three of us will be leaving for Siren no matter what—but depending on your answer, you should be ready to leave with us.” He offered them a brief, sheepish smile that bordered on apologetic, and for a second, Filo almost believed that Henry meant no harm.
“Right,” Filo said dryly, pulling his gaze from Henry’s. “Sure. Now get the hell out of my shop.”
* * *
“What do you think?” Alice asked, leaning her chin on her hands. The question was probably meant for all five of them, but Alice’s hazel eyes were trained on Filo, who was silently studying the patterns in the worn wooden table in the workroom.
“We don’t have a lot of options,” Nasser sighed. “They have our names.”
“They claim to have our names,” Jason said. “We have no way of knowing what’s actually written in those files.”
“Well, they certainly seemed to know a lot about us,” Lee pointed out. “Where else could they have gotten that information? Who else knows that stuff about you, Jason?”
“Nobody who isn’t in this room. And,” he added, a little reluctantly, “I guess it stands to reason that Neman and Morgan would know it, too. Who knows how long they watched us, studied us, before they took us?”
Filo plucked an empty bottle from the tabletop and turned it slowly in his hands; afternoon sunlight slid up and down the glass. “This wouldn’t be a quick job. Something like this could take the rest
Leaning against the counter, Nasser regarded the strangers coolly. His tone was light, but there was a steely seriousness in his eyes. “And what’s to keep us from taking those files off your hands right now?”
Clementine blinked. “Well, you might remember that we’ve read the files ourselves. That information’s in here, too.” She tapped her temple. “It’s not going anywhere.”
Filo clenched his fists. He could feel magic building in his palms, a prickling heat beneath his skin that he forced back down. “You’re blackmailing us.”
“We hoped it wouldn’t come to this,” Davis said. “Really. We don’t want to force you to do anything you don’t want to do. But there’s nowhere else we can turn. We need your help. Now you might understand how much.”
“Even if we help you,” Nasser said, carefully weighing each word, “ and you give us the files, how do we know you won’t use our names against us anyway? What with you having it all up there .”
“We wouldn’t break our word,” Henry told him earnestly.
“That may be,” Nasser allowed. “But that assurance isn’t enough. We’d need something a little more concrete.”
“What do you want?” Clementine snorted. “A geis ?”
“If that’s on the table, then yes.”
For a second, she just stared at him, trying to gauge whether or not he was serious. Then she looked to Henry and Davis, who seemed to communicate with her through slightly raised eyebrows and inclinations of their heads. At last, Clementine said, “I’m sure we can come to some kind of arrangement.”
It was Davis’ turn to sigh. “What she means,” he translated, “is that we’d certainly be willing to consider a geis. Whatever it takes to assure you that the information in those files never has to leave this group—as long as you agree to help us. We can talk about it. Figure something out.”
Filo and Nasser exchanged a slow glance, and an understanding passed between them. After a moment, Nasser inquired, “Will you be sticking around Bridgestone for long?”
Clementine looked almost startled. Then a small, triumphant smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “We’ve already paid for a night at a motel.”
“Then I imagine you wouldn’t mind letting us sleep on it.”
“Of course,” Henry said. “We’ll come back tomorrow morning, seven o’clock sharp. The three of us will be leaving for Siren no matter what—but depending on your answer, you should be ready to leave with us.” He offered them a brief, sheepish smile that bordered on apologetic, and for a second, Filo almost believed that Henry meant no harm.
“Right,” Filo said dryly, pulling his gaze from Henry’s. “Sure. Now get the hell out of my shop.”
* * *
“What do you think?” Alice asked, leaning her chin on her hands. The question was probably meant for all five of them, but Alice’s hazel eyes were trained on Filo, who was silently studying the patterns in the worn wooden table in the workroom.
“We don’t have a lot of options,” Nasser sighed. “They have our names.”
“They claim to have our names,” Jason said. “We have no way of knowing what’s actually written in those files.”
“Well, they certainly seemed to know a lot about us,” Lee pointed out. “Where else could they have gotten that information? Who else knows that stuff about you, Jason?”
“Nobody who isn’t in this room. And,” he added, a little reluctantly, “I guess it stands to reason that Neman and Morgan would know it, too. Who knows how long they watched us, studied us, before they took us?”
Filo plucked an empty bottle from the tabletop and turned it slowly in his hands; afternoon sunlight slid up and down the glass. “This wouldn’t be a quick job. Something like this could take the rest
Similar Books
