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38. Rhaim

38

RHAIM

I was halfway to the city when Sable got back in touch with me. She texted, and then I called, because I needed to get back to wherever the fuck Lia was—I'd made her trashy PI send me the address.

"Yo, Rhaim," she said, sounding concerned.

"Spill," I demanded, zooming through traffic like I was in NASCAR.

"I don't know who's driving that vehicle, but I do know who it's registered to."

"Yeah?" I asked grimly, wringing the steering wheel as though it were somebody's neck.

"Corvo. It's part of the fleet. You know how your boss has drivers?—"

"Do you have eyes on it right now?"

"She's in the fucking middle of nowhere, Rhaim. They don't have CCTV out there."

"Can you get eyes on it when it comes back into the city?"

"Possibly?" she said, her voice arcing up. "It's going to take a little bit of time. I don't suppose you could get her to stall, do you?"

I grimaced. Despite the fact that I was having cameras installed at Lia's house in a few hours, I didn't want her to know how completely I was stalking her.

I weighed all my options. It was daylight. Her current driver was with her. And the PI was still nearby—and speaking of, he cut in with a text.

The other car is leaving. Follow him, or stay with her?

I hung up on Sable so I could use speakerphone to message him back.

Stay with her. And send me your bank details. You just went on payroll.

"I take it that's a no?" Sable asked, after I called her again.

"The car's on its way back already."

"I'll try to get into the camera-guns at the bridges, but there's a lot of ways into the city."

"Do what you can," I demanded, and then hung up to call Lia's camera people, taking the next exit off the freeway so that I could go back home.

What I wanted to do was tag Lia like some gazelle on the Serengeti. Thread an RFID chip through her ear so I'd know where she was at all times, get texted every time her heartbeat rose over eighty, and my phone alarm would ring if she wasn't drinking enough water at night.

But the cameras were the next best thing.

I had them call me when they got there, so I could text her to let them in. I wasn't particularly fond of her letting strangers into her apartment, but these were guys that had done work for me before, setting up the panic room at the farm, so I trusted them—and I had them add motion sensor alerts on her door.

If anyone else came into Lia's apartment, I wanted to know immediately.

After that, and once they'd left, I concentrated on getting caught up on work with Lia's camera feed off, knowing I'd get a text if anyone visited her.

No luck on the car, Rhaim

Sable texted me later that afternoon.

Want me to hack into Corvo?

I eyed the phone like a cat bringing a dead mouse into the house.

Did you really bother to ask?

She sent me a laughing emoji.

?? Okay, it's been loaned to Freddie Senior. Which I assume means Freddie Junior is using it—only while I was in your system, I checked to see if I could figure out where he was, and he's been at Blackwing since nine.

I mulled that information over as the dots started bouncing on my screen again.

Want me to report it stolen?

she asked.

As thrilling as that would be, no. Not yet. I want you to keep an eye out for it, though.

Can do

she said, and after a short pause,

How's things with the Princess?

I glowered at my phone's small screen.

Shut it.

Somehow I managed to work through the rest of the day then make it home and take my tie off before turning Lia's camera on. She was sitting on her bed, surrounded by books, chewing on the cap of a highlighting pen. It was eleven o'clock, so I called her. The ringing of the phone scared her, but then I watched her smile as she saw my name, before giving the camera nearest her a nervous wave.

"You okay?" I asked, when she picked up.

Watching her already made me feel better. Knowing she was safe—and knowing I knew where she was—soothed something in my soul.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You might be camera-shy," I said with a soft chuckle.

"I didn't think I was—but this does feel a little beyond," she said, grinning. Watching her smile was my new favorite activity—I got the feeling that she hadn't done it enough, and I wanted her to get the chance to catch up on all the smiles that she'd missed. "How did you even explain this to them?" she asked, stretching out in bed.

"Easy," I said, unbuttoning my shirt with one hand. "I'm paying them enough not to have to."

She laughed at that. "I'm not complaining, but this does feel illegal."

"Only if I sell your pictures on the internet later. The revenge porn laws in this state are fairly strict."

Her jaw dropped and I heard her give a soft gasp. "Please tell me that's not in the offing."

"Do you think I could stand to have another man look at you?"

"Probably not?" she guessed, though I knew she knew the truth.

"Definitely not," I said. "Lights out, little moth. Get to bed."

She rolled her eyes directly at the camera and me. "How am I supposed to sleep like this, Rhaim?"

"Don't know, don't care. What matters is that I find it immensely comforting."

She pouted. "And what if I do embarrassing things?" she protested.

"I'm an adult. There's nothing you can do I haven't seen."

"And you're watching me right now?" she asked.

What I wanted to tell her but didn't was this: Yes, I am watching you, yes, I will always be watching you, and no, there is nothing you can ever do to ever get away from me, not until I say so or let your father's machinations force me to let you go.

Although who the fuck was I kidding?

There was no way I was going to let that happen.

No matter what I'd promised Nero.

I didn't want to be the snake he held to his breast, but I also had no intention of voluntarily handing Lia over.

I didn't know what that made me—a madman, or a liar—and the irony of chastising her for hurting herself was not lost on me, when I knew if her father found out I was watching her like this it would mean that he'd kill me.

It wouldn't be slashes on a wrist, but the end result would be the same.

"I take it that's a yes?" she said quietly.

"Turn off your lights and go to sleep," I commanded, and she looked momentarily panicked, before turning on her charm.

"But if I do that, how would you be able to watch me?" she teased, then hung up, tucking herself into bed quickly, leaving all of her nightlights on, so that I could see her.

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