Blood Ties by Peter David

Author:Peter David
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Penguin Group USA, Inc.
Published: 2011-09-06T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

An Unholy Bargain

WILLIAM AND I WERE USHERED INTO the same study that Reaver had been using earlier when he was meeting with Droogan. Despite my having given my word that I would not try to escape or undertake any sort of offensive stance in return for safe passage out of the Pit, the guardsmen were still escorting us at gunpoint. What a world we live in that trust is practically a thing of the past.

On the other hand, Reaver was certainly something of a villain himself, and naturally that would tend to make him suspicious of others. He probably figured that the rest of the world was as unscrupulous as he was. Except the strange truth was that Reaver really did have a code of honor of sorts. Perhaps being disreputable was not quite the same as being dishonorable. Then again, considering some of the things I’ve done just in order to survive, who am I to render judgments on anyone else?

“First things first,” said Reaver as he sat behind his desk. For Droogan, he leaned on the front; for me, he was apparently more relaxed. “In the future, Mr. Finn, you should be aware of the fact that when you’re watching someone in a mirror, unless you’re very careful, the person you are viewing can catch a glimpse of you as well.”

“Dammit,” I muttered.

He waved it off as if it were of no consequence. “Nothing to concern yourself about. I assure you if I hadn’t become aware of you because of that, then something else would have alerted me. Can I safely assume that you are the reason that Herman, my doorman, was found unconscious behind a hedge?”

“That’s correct.”

“Ah. Well, you’ve certainly caused him some trauma.”

“I assume he’ll recover.”

“Yes.” Reaver had removed some papers from one of his desk drawers, and he had spread them out in front of him. “So: Your brother has been quite busy since his supposed death.”

Unable to resist my curiosity, I nodded toward the papers. “What are those?”

“His ownership papers.”

“Ownership papers?” I looked to William in confusion. He said nothing; instead, he simply sat there, staring resolutely forward.

It occurred to me at that moment that William could easily transform into his animalistic aspect, leap across the table, and kill Reaver right where he sat. After all, I had made promises, but he had not. Yet William wasn’t making so much as a move against him. For that matter, I thought back to all the cells that had been left unlocked. These creatures could have stormed Reaver at any time. What in the world was keeping them there?

“Yes, ownership papers,” said Reaver readily, and slid them across to me. Apparently, he felt he had nothing to hide. “You were under the impression that dear William was executed some time ago, I take it? Or perhaps rotting away in some jail?” When I managed a silent nod, Reaver continued, “No. He was sold into slavery. Unfortunately, he was not the most cooperative of acquisitions. You”—and

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.