Big Dino's round, black eyes gleamed in the lights hanging above the sturdy bed. His thick, sausage-like fingers shifted on the large mound formed by his belly under the covers. He was fully awake.
Spinner rested a hand on Nicholas's shoulder and leaned in to whisper, "Don't keep him up too long. He needs to rest. And don't antagonize him. The stuff we gave him can make him irritable."
Nicholas nodded and took a step closer to the foot of the bed as Spinner left the room. No, this was not a good time to antagonize Big Dino.
"From what I heard, you had a pretty exciting night." A smile played on Big Dino's dark lips. That smile could become extremely cruel on occasion.
Nicholas's eyes darted to the left where Cielo sat in a chair, her bandaged leg held up by a contraption. Of course she'd run up to her protector and rat him out. He lowered his head, prepared for a good scolding. Would a beating be part of it before he threw him out? Probably not. Rake and Spinner had seen a little of what he was capable and wouldn't dare. They had too many wires inside them to risk it.
"Do you know what you did wrong?" Big Dino asked.
"Lots of things!" Nicholas let out a disgruntled laugh.
Big Dino stared at him without blinking.
"Oh, you want a list? Let's see ..." Nicholas pretended to count on his fingers. "I shouldn't have let Rake and Spinner drag me into this." In his defense, it had seemed harmless at the time.
Big Dino gave him a slow nod, as much as his short neck allowed.
"I shouldn't have agreed to do the show." They wouldn't have had to do it if they had access to the funds. Having been the circus accountant for the past few years, Nicholas could have accessed them in Big Dino's absence, but everyone knew that, after the circus and the Nightingale, money was what Big Dino cared about the most.
The tightening in Big Dino's green cheeks agreed with him.
"And I definitely should not have let the circus get involved in the heist." That part had been stupid, and it had failure written all over it right from the start. But, once again, it hadn't been Nicholas's decision. He'd been a puppet in the knife throwers' hands.
Nicholas paused to stare at his well-polished shoes. He was digging his own grave. Better get it over with. He straightened his back and raised his chin. "I shouldn't have brought the circus to the Hrad ... and I shouldn't have attacked the Nightingale." Out of them all, that was the highest offence. "Sorry about that." He gestured at Cielo's throat where his fingers had left dark bruises.
Cielo nodded. She wasn't normally this quiet. Nicholas swallowed, forcing down the lump in his throat. Sweat gathered under his collar. If she wanted him out but didn't want to get her hands dirty ... Big Dino would never say no to her.
"Do you know how this could have all been avoided?" Big Dino asked, still calm and lucid.
If I'd grown a backbone overnight? Nicholas couldn't honestly say he'd ever had one. He'd run away from responsibilities his whole life, so what on earth had possessed him to get involved now? But it seemed like an easy thing to do in the beginning, and he didn't mind helping people. It was what the circus did. It had helped him when he most needed it, too. And this was how he'd repaid it. One more thing to add to his long list of failures.
"I should have seen to my own business," Nicholas said.
"That's one way to put it ..." Big Dino twiddled his fingers.
"How much longer are you going to try to get him to wet his pants?" Cielo asked in an arguing voice. "My leg might be numb, but we still have a circus to pack by morning."
Big Dino frowned at her interruption. Oddly enough, Cielo was the only crew member who dared to address him in that tone. No wonder she was his favorite.
"Like I was saying—" Big Dino glanced at Cielo, and she pursed her lips, "—there is another answer. All of this would have been avoided if you were the manager."
Nicholas sucked in a breath. That had been unexpected to say the least.
"I understand you have been put in an impossible position where you had no choice, and you did the best you could under the circumstances," Big Dino said. "The crew vouched for you. No one could have done more."
It sounded like a compliment, and Nicholas blinked, startled. He wasn't used to receiving compliments. People were usually disappointed in him, and he'd made it his life's purpose to keep it that way. If no one ever got close, they wouldn't be hurt when he got caught. And sooner or later, telecharchers always got caught.
"I ... don't know what to say," he admitted.
"To start with, you should be pleased I'm not throwing you to the dogs," Big Dino said with the beginning of a smile.
"Yes, of course." Nicholas hurried to nod. "You'd be right to do it, too."
"And I was going to ... until someone opened my eyes."
Cielo shifted in the chair and winced. "Can we get to the point?"
"So, what I'm proposing is to make your position official," Big Dino said.
What? Official? Nicholas stared for several long seconds, unable to do anything else. "You want to make me manager?"
"Yes, with all of the bonuses associated with the position," Big Dino said. "You'll get a monthly paycheck, a share of the profit, access to some of the accounts, and full decisional range in my absence. What do you say?"
The ground swayed under Nicholas's feet. "I don't know where to start ..." This was insane!
"Say yes, and we'll figure out the rest of the details later. Okay?" Big Dino yawned, showing a set of sturdy, yellow teeth. "I'm getting sleepy here."
"What about ... what about her?" Nicholas nodded towards Cielo.
"It was her idea actually." Big Dino let out a louder yawn.
"I don't understand ... I could have killed her!"
"You could have, but you didn't. You're no murderer."
"But I am." Cielo's voice was merely a whisper. "Whenever there's danger, I go to full power. I can't help it." She sighed, then brightened up. "You're the first person able to stop me. We've been looking for someone who could do that, but we didn't know if you were strong enough. Now we do." Her smile turned hopeful. "You must become the manager!"
Had she used the voice on him? Would he be able to tell if she did? Nicholas narrowed his eyes at her. "And if I refuse?"
Cielo's green eyes also narrowed, gleaming with a challenge as she smirked. "Don't make me make you."
"Good. You two kids wrestle it out between you two, but if it ends up with even more broken bones, I don't want to hear about it." Big Dino closed his eyes. "Send for that Armstrong guy and wake me when he gets here." The next moment, he was snoring softly.
Nicholas turned to Cielo and gave her a long look. She held his gaze, obviously waiting for him to make a decision
"I don't have time to wrestle you," he said. "There's a lot to do if we ever want to leave this town."
"Speaking like a manager already." She grinned. "Yes, of course, you are right. I wish I could help but ..." She nodded at her left leg. The contraption was designed to allow her to walk, but it wouldn't be easy for her for a while.
"That's all right. You stay here with him in case he needs anything, and I'll see to everything else." He started for the door. "We can discuss the rest while we're on the road later." They didn't have to decide tonight.
"Nicholas..."
He stopped. Uh-oh. What now? "Yes?"
Cielo fiddled with the skirt of her dress. "He wants to take us to Paris."
"He knows I can't return to France. I'd get picked up before we even crossed the border."
"He said he'd clear you with the drafting committee. It's one of the things he'll negotiate in exchange for his help." Cielo bit on her bottom lip. "I believe him. He needs you."
Sure he did. And the thought of seeing his family again was so tempting. He couldn't think about this. Not right now. He had work to do. "I'll think about it."