Wild Tiger Chase | Book #2 (Complete)

10: deal with the Devil

"I thought you said you had someone to come back to," Modraniht said in a low voice. It wasn't low enough to escape Phillip's perked ears, but the pilot didn't seem to mind sharing his disapproval.

Léon shared a glance with Phillip and cleared his throat. "I do." He swallowed a thick lump of discomfort and resumed twiddling with his fingers. "Nothing really happened, Modraniht," Léon whispered in a much lower tone.

"Nothing happened 'cause Cae interrupted it."

Léon furrowed his brows. "You don't know that."

Modraniht crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. His dark, bushy eyebrows were almost knit together, casting an angled shadow over his eyes. "Well, it certainly seemed like it."

Phillip finished sucking on another grape and tossed its peel on the small pile in front of him. "I don't think this is any of your business, either way, old man. Are you his father or something? Or maybe you have a fetish for twinks?" His eyes snapped to Léon. "Not that he is one anymore. Too old for that, eh, Leo? Could use some shaving, too."

"Can you shut up, Phillip?" Léon snapped back.

Modraniht ignored their exchange to focus on Léon. "I just wouldn't like it very much if you had lied to me, kid. I left my home and my wife to help you, and that help put me in this mess. But if there's something I hate even more than cheaters, it's downright liars... I won't help liars, Léon."

Phillip opened a shark-like smirk and shrugged as Modraniht gave Léon a heavy, pointed gaze.

Léon focused on the approaching silhouette, answering without turning back, "Nothing was going to happen, with or without interruptions. I'm not a cheater, nor a liar."

Modraniht gave him a grave nod. "I believe you. And I'm relieved to hear that."

They were interrupted by a new presence. Cae placed a wooden tray in front of them, covered with fruit cubes, cheese, and slices of raw meat. He sat down at the head of the table, letting his body spread on the chair like a king on his throne.

"You must have something pretty difficult to ask of us if you're this invested in getting us on board." Phillip bent forward with a nasty smile on his lips. He picked a slice of red meat, folded it in three, and tossed it into his mouth. "Hm. Carpaccio of sirloin. This can't be cheap."

Cae's lips widened in a satisfied smile. "You know your meat. I'm glad it isn't wasted on ignorants."

Phillip chuckled. "I know a lot of things."

Propping his elbows on the table, Cae narrowed his eyes and bent forward. If Phillip's smile had been nasty before, now Cae showed a smirk so much more unpleasant, Léon had the physical need to look away.

"In this case, I'll be short and straight to the point so you can use all this knowledge to continue whatever you were doing before I so rudely interrupted you."

"We weren't doing anything," Léon rushed to say. All eyes rested on him. With a sidelong glance, Phillip passed him a handful of cheese cubes and grapes—maybe a silent plea for him to keep his mouth shut.

"Go on. Our friend here must've talked to you." Phillip jerked his chin towards Modraniht and waited.

"He did, yes." Cae joined his hands under his chin. The warm light coming from the campfire danced on his face and clipped weird angles that made his face look much older than usual. "We may have a few acquaintances in common, so I don't see any reason to keep you under my watch for a second longer than necessary." There was a bitterness to his words. The way his expression soured and his stare lost warmth made Léon wonder just who the hell Modraniht's wife was.