Avarice Page 4

  “The trick with make-up, Ava, is you want it to enhance your natural beauty, while making it seem as if you aren’t wearing anything at all,” her mother used to tell her. Some of Ava’s best tricks had been taught by her mother. Before she had lost her.

  Frowning, Ava concentrated on her lipstick, the soft pink highlighting the blush in her cheeks. It did no good to dwell in the past. It was what it was. When you survived day to day, you had to focus on the now.

  Staring at her reflection, Ava felt a smirk tug on her lips. She looked like an angel. An innocent young woman, her bright, honey colored eyes sparkling behind her thick lashes.

  It was perfect for making men underestimate her.

  Ava went to her closet, opening the door and grinning at the elaborate spread of jewelry on display. Rows and rows of necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and brooches cluttered the tiny closet, purring at her. “Pick me, pick me…” they crooned. How Ava wished she could layer the entire lot of them, wearing nothing but the shiny jewels. It would be a tad too conspicuous, though. Sighing, she chose a delicate set of pearls, adding the matching earrings. Running her fingers over them, she closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the moment. Nothing could compare to the rightness it conjured inside of her, like a click. Her soul seemed to settle the minute something fancy ran across her fingertips.

  Slipping on her tan flats—“never heels, Ava. Men hate feeling as if they are being looked down on”—Ava was ready to meet the day head on. She wondered what new toy she would be able to swindle today…

  She headed for the door, startling as she opened it to find Lobah sitting on the deck of her houseboat.

  “Hey,” Ava said, turning to lock her door behind her. She loved Lobah like a sister, but they were pirates, and Ava’s Wyvern felt more settled with the fake safety of a lock protecting her treasures, even if it wasn’t logical.

  With a nod, Lobah hopped off the rail, her heavy combat boots thumping loudly on the wooden deck, making the tiny boat sway. “Where you been? You missed dinner yesterday. Sal made apple pie and everything.”

  Ava groaned. She loved Uncle Sal’s pies. That big brute might be the most fearsome pirate she had ever seen, but man, he could cook. “Something came up. Did you save me some?”

  They walked towards the dock, Lobah jumping up like the monkey she kept as a companion. Speaking of, where was that little devil?

  “Where’s Chuckles?”

  Lobah didn’t meet her eyes as she shrugged. “Around.” She pulled out a small container from the pocket of the baggy trench coat she wore. “Here.”

  The distraction worked. Ava forgot entirely about where the little mischief maker was as she unwrapped a small piece of Uncle Sal’s pie. She shoveled it into her mouth whole, throwing out all decorum.

  Lobah chuckled, shaking her head. “So, who’s the mark?”

  Nearly choking on the pie, Ava looked at her friend with wide, innocent eyes. “Mark?”

  Lobah rolled her eyes. “Don’t try pulling that good girl bullshit with me, Ava. I know better.” They settled onto the red brick sidewalk, their feet soundless as they headed towards the marketplace. It always amazed Ava how Lobah managed to keep those dang boots quiet with all their bulk.

  Silence settled between them as they walked, Lobah giving Ava the time she needed to respond. Ava always held her marks close to her chest. While she trusted Lobah not to steal them, there was just some inner part of her that revolted against the idea of sharing. Finally, she sighed, tossing the wrapper of her treat into a trash bin. “The mark was a couple of bounty hunters. It went off without a hitch.” She shrugged, refusing to admit how close it had been to going south in a hurry.

  Lobah stiffened beside her. “Bounty hunters. Who are they after? Should we warn the crew?”

  “No clue. Sounded like just one person. A woman, maybe?” She nudged Lobah’s shoulder playfully. “You haven’t gone trouncing any Councilmen lately, have you?”

  Eyes wide, Lobah’s face paled. “Council? The Council put out the bounty?”

  Ava grabbed Lobah’s arm, pulling them to a stop. “Hey, you okay? I’m sure it’s nothing. What would the Council want with you? They’re probably just after some mistress who took off on one of those old fuckers.”

  Lobah let out a weak laugh. “Yeah. You’re probably right. You heading to the market?”

  Ava nodded with a grin, their pace resuming. “I’m in the mood for a new scarf. Care to join me?” The offer was rare, but there was still a hint of fear in her friend’s eyes that made Ava uneasy. Lobah wasn’t afraid of anything. And seeing it was like hearing a cat bark. Just unnatural.

  Lobah shook her head, her emerald dreads bouncing around her shoulders. “Nah, I’ve gotta make rounds. Uncle Sal said Raul never paid his dues this month. Slimey fucker.”

  Raul had been in Sal’s territory for a few years. Ava had met him once or twice, which had turned out to be one or two times too many. He was your typical sleeze-ball, with sticky fingers that were always grabbing what didn’t belong to him.

  “Why doesn’t he just boot him?” Ava asked. Sal had kicked plenty of pirates out of his territory for less.

  “I’m not sure. He may be a snake, but he’s got a silver fucking tongue. He has a lot of support from the crew. I think Uncle Sal just doesn’t want to mess with it right now, you know?” Lobah’s eyes narrowed. “He tries grabbing my ass again, though, and I’m gonna rip that tongue right out of his mouth.”

  Although Lobah was a Mouse Affinity, Ava swore sometimes she had Tiger in her. “Not if I beat you to it.” Ava chuckled.

  They paused at the crossway, the sounds of the bustling marketplace nearby making Ava smile.

  Lobah kicked at a pebble, making it skitter across the ground. “Come by soon, okay? Mistress Cyclone has been cawing about giving you a reading.”

  Ava groaned, throwing her head back dramatically. “You know I don’t believe in that stuff, Lo.”

  “Hey! Don’t disrespect the arts, brat! Just do it, okay? For me?” Lobah stuck her bottom lip out, the lip-ring doing nothing to ease the weight of her puppy dog stare.

  “Ugh. Fine. But you owe me,” Ava grumbled, turning towards the entrance of the market.

  “Tomorrow!”

  Ava waved a hand in response, not bothering to turn around. She would go and humor the crazy lady that randomly took an interest in her. She didn’t have to like it, though.

  Chapter Seven

  Ody

  Ody surveyed the crowds bustling back and forth between the different displays of goods. Everyone was always so carefree at a marketplace. No calculation. No deception or cruelty. Just… contentment. What was it about these places that caused such a reaction?

  He didn’t get it. Then again, Odyeus didn’t get a lot of things. His mind was always calculating. After spending ten years in Special Forces, it simply was the way his brain operated. He had to be prepared for the unexpected. In their world, the unprepared didn’t last long.

  So how the fuck did he allow his mother’s ruby to be stolen? The ruby she had entrusted them with on her death-bed. The ruby that held her very soul.

  Ody ground his teeth together. What a cluster fuck. Never in a million years would he have anticipated having anyone other than the one they had been hunting come on board. They’d had eyes on their mark at every moment, waiting for her to make her move.

  And then came that little thief instead.

  Closing his eyes, he rested his head back against the cool brick wall behind him.

  She had smelled like sunshine. He rolled the memory of the scent around on the back of his tongue, tasting it. Griffins had a superior sense of smell, and much like the lion in them, they seemed to taste scent as well as smell it. How they hadn’t smelled her on the boat was a mystery. Thank God for that wetsuit they’d found.

  Who was she, and why had she chosen their boat to rob? Why the ruby? Questions without answers irked Ody like nothing else.

  He would find Ms. Sunshine
, and he would get his answers.

  “You think she’ll show?” Ramé asked, tilting his face towards the sun. His thick hair was braided back today, making the angles of his jawline prominent.

  “She’ll show.” Ody smoothed a hand over his close-cropped hair self-consciously. It was a habit he had gained in the military. Long hair was a liability. It didn’t make sense to give yourself a weakness for vanity’s sake alone.

  “You okay, man?” Midas asked, leaning on the wall next to him.

  Ody turned towards him, nodding slightly. Not only was Midas the brains of their operation, but he was an empath of sorts. He was studious and seemed to be able to read people better than even Ody could, which was saying something. Midas was in charge of managing their finances, but he also seemed to manage them as a team. While Ody might have been the tactical leader, Midas was the glue that helped smooth over the emotional things Ody simply couldn’t wade through.

  “I’m fine,” Ody said, in his customary to-the-point manner. He could bark orders all day long, but ask him to chit chat, especially about feelings? Not happening.

  Midas nodded, his own dark hair curling forward and getting into his eyes. Both Midas and Ramé had the type of hair that either needed to be cut short, or just naturally deal with the thick, untameable. Ramé, pretty boy that he was, grew his out long enough to manage. Midas seemed as if he couldn’t decide if he wanted it short or long, resulting in it forever being in his eyes. Liabilities…

  “Alright. It’s high noon now. If she’s showing, now’s the time.” Midas turned back towards the crowds, his golden eyes narrowing as he searched the area. His nostrils flared, and Ody knew he was seeking that sunshine scent.

  This little thief had made one fatal mistake last night. She had forgotten her wetsuit. The brothers had taken turns smelling it, saturating their memory in her scent. If she was here, they would find her.

  “Maybe we should split up?” Ramé asked, his gaze tracking a pretty brunette as she sauntered past.

  Ody narrowed his eyes.

  Before he could reprimand him, Midas put a hand on Ody’s shoulder. “Good idea. Send out a text if we spot her.” He leaned into Ody, lowering his voice. “Ramé hunts better when he’s horny.” Midas chuckled before heading off towards the rear entrance.

  Ody snorted, shaking his head. Ramé did hunt better horny. The brothers had demanded Ramé’s celibacy during a hunt for exactly that reason.

  Nodding, he moved through the crowd, brushing past happy merchants. What was it like to be so carefree? To not have the demons of your past rule your present? He pushed back at the bitterness threatening to swallow him. If it weren’t for his brothers, who knew where he would have ended up when they had returned from the bloodshed of war? Being together, hunting marks, and being at sea, it gave him purpose. Purpose he desperately needed.

  A glint of gold caught his attention, and he stopped at a nearby stand, casually looking at the display of jams. His main focus was on the golden hair glistening to his right. Ramé had mentioned noticing their little thief was a blonde the night before. Turning his body slightly, Ody watched the young woman who was staring up at the sun with abandon. Didn’t she realize how bad that was for her eyes? Ody treated his body like a weapon, one that, if damaged, could be deadly. How people could so easily disregard necessary skills such as eyesight was beyond him.

  She wore a white sundress with yellow flowers on it that matched her hair. It wasn’t the pretty dress that had his attention, though. It was her smell. It was seawater and sunshine. He inhaled deeply, feeling that scent settle into his bones. It was… comforting for some reason. Perhaps it was the satisfaction of finding their mark.

  Ody pulled out his phone, careful to keep her in his sight.

  Mark found. Eastern entrance.

  As he debated on whether or not to approach her now or simply bide his time until he could corner her without causing a scene, someone else decided to move in on his mark.

  A tall, greasy-looking fellow stepped to the thief’s side, roughly gripping her wrist.

  Ody watched as her lip curled, anger radiating off of her as she exchanged words with the man.

  Nonchalantly, Ody moved closer, rage coursing through him. It wasn’t right to hurt a woman. Even though he was livid with her for stealing from him, he didn’t like the way this lady, who tasted like sunshine, cringed away from the imposing man. He tried to get a feel for the asshole’s Affinity, but Ody just wasn’t as skilled in that area as Midas was.

  “I’ve warned you about coming here. Are you looking for trouble?” the man hissed, jerking her closer.

  Ody feigned interest in a table of homemade wind chimes, focusing on keeping his body relaxed despite his ire.

  “This isn’t your turf, Raul. Uncle Sal owns this street.”

  Ody’s breath left him as he heard her voice for the first time. If her scent was sunshine, her voice was lightning. She was both sunny days and thunderstorms, wrapped up in a pretty package.

  “Not for long,” the asshole sneered.

  Ody turned slightly, fingering one of the chimes as he watched the two out of the corner of his eye.

  “If you insist on trolling here, perhaps we can come up with a trade.” The man leaned down, his pointed nose smelling her neck as his other hand slid around her waist.

  That’s enough of that.

  “There you are, sunshine,” Ody said, stepping up beside them, deliberately placing himself in between the two.

  Raul stumbled back a step, anger flashing in his oil-slick eyes. He assessed Ody, taking another step back as he realized he was sorely outmanned.

  Ody was not a small guy. At six-foot-two, he had kept up with his strenuous military exercises. The muscles he had built over the years came in handy in this moment as he allowed them to casually flex, making his black T-shirt stretch. Then there were the scars. Scars scattered across his forearms, highlighting his past in a constellation of pain. Normally, Ody was a little self-conscious about them. Today, however, they were just another asset in his artillery.

  The woman turned then, and their eyes locked.

  Her eyes were gold, with the thinnest line of green around her pupils, barely noticeable. Not just any green, though. It was the green of emeralds. The green of the open fields of his homeland. The green of his favorite book cover that had become tattered from reading it so frequently.

  She was the most magnificent creature he had ever seen.

  She smiled broadly, leaning into him and wrapping her arm around his waist. “Yep, here I am.” She looked like innocence made flesh, with her bright smile and sunshine hair. Ody knew better. It was there, deep within those gold and green eyes. The same glint he found in his own gaze when staring in a mirror.

  The glimmer of survival. This woman knew pain, blood, and tears. She had stories, this one, and he wanted to unravel her, to devour the pages of her book piece by piece.

  “Who’s your friend?” Ody asked, letting his voice deepen. The result was a rumbling in his chest that sounded like the hooves of war horses.

  The slimeball must have sensed how close he was to death, because he ran his long, skinny fingers through his hair, slicking back the greasy length, and sneered down at the woman tucked under Ody’s arm. “Consider this your last warning.” Then he turned, pushing his way through the crowd.

  The woman relaxed visibly before seeming to notice she was hugging a complete stranger. She dropped her arm, looking up at him abashed.

  “Um, thanks,” she said, glancing at him from beneath her thick, dark lashes.

  “You okay?” Ody asked, assessing her face for any signs of damage.

  She blushed at his stare, nodding and brushing back her hair. After a moment, she seemed to gather herself, taking a visible breath. Perhaps that breath was only visible because Ody was staring so intently.

  He watched as she placed a shield between them, a pretty mask covering the lingering unsettled emotions he had felt only moments before.
>
  She looked at him fully then, her eyes no longer that of a startled girl. This was the calculated gaze of a woman who knew exactly how she affected a man.

  “I’ve never seen you here before. New in town?” she purred.

  Ody couldn’t speak. He coughed a little, nodding in acknowledgement before turning towards a display of jam to their right, attempting to gather himself. Ody had been around plenty of beautiful women in his day, and none of them had impacted him in such a way.

  “I recommend the honey jam. It’s exquisite,” her silky voice crashed into him, as forceful as the sea. She leaned forward, her breast brushing his arm as she grabbed the jar in front of him. Biting the inside of his cheek, Ody turned towards her, watching as her free hand slid stealthily into her purse. Ody had a keen eye, though, and noticed his phone slip into her bag.

  Wicked girl. Instead of reprimanding her, Ody turned more fully to face her. She was… fascinating.

  “What’s your name?” he asked, leaning back against the table.

  His deep voice seemed almost to startle her as much as her voice had startled him.

  She swallowed, handing over her cash to the person attending the stand. “I’m Amy,” smiling, she held her hand out to him, seeming to compose herself.

  Little liar.

  Ody couldn’t help but smirk as he reached for her hand. His large palm practically swallowed hers, his calloused fingers seeming so much more rough against her smooth, flawless skin.

  “Odyeus,” he said, pulling her slightly closer. He didn’t mean to, really. It was almost instinctual. Her pretty eyes widened a little before she seemed to gather her thoughts.

  She leaned into him, her other hand running up the sleeve of his black t-shirt. “Odyeus. What a pleasure. Walk with me, Ody?”

  Ody nodded, another layer of shock settling on him. No one, apart from his brothers and his mother, called him that.

  The mysterious woman linked arms with him, as if this was the most natural thing in the world. Frowning, Ody tried to get his head in the game. This same woman had stolen his mother’s soul, for fuck’s sake. She was his mark. She was probably after his wallet as they walked—if she hadn’t already nabbed it.