Dade shifted from side to side, frustrated to be standing still so long. His legs had gone numb, and he really needed to use the restroom, his escape hampered by the bolt of white silk draped over his body that would become his bridal tunic. The back room piped in an excessive amount of heat for customers’ comfort. Only instead, it produced a sweltering atmosphere that was nearly unbearable, leaving Dade feeling bored, hot, and irritable. Not a good combination.
Plus, it didn’t make him any happier that the wedding plans were continuing, regardless of how he felt. He should have figured a way out of this mess by now. That he hadn’t yet done so had him focusing more on maintaining his temper and not snapping at innocent people than on using the time to work out his problems.
“Please, sir,” the clothier said around the pins jutting from his mouth. “You need to stay still.” He twitched the fabric at Dade’s feet, readjusting the hemline for the tenth time in as many minutes.
There was a disturbance in the shop beyond the thick draping. He couldn’t hear what the voices said, only that they were loud and animated. Then Clarissa breezed into the back room. Several shopping bags draped her arms, and a few more were woven through her fingers. Her hair had been slicked into a faux hawk, displaying glittering gems at her ears and throat.
“Good morning, gentlemen,” she said, offering a gorgeous smile.
Speak of the devil. Dade didn’t know if he should be pleased or irritated at her interruption. With her here, it would take much longer to get this appointment finished, but at least she could keep his mind off how uncomfortable he was. And he did need to speak with her.
“Miss, you’re not allowed back here,” the clothier said. “This is a gentlemen’s shop.”
“Nonsense. There’s nothing here I haven’t seen before. Do go on.” Clarissa made a little “continue” wave at him before she dropped off her bags in the seating area next to where Dade stood. Then she fell back onto the chaise with a dramatic, overly exhausted flourish.
The tailor looked extremely put out. He huffed and grumbled, and in doing so, spat out the pins from his mouth. Dade shifted to avoid them falling on his toes.
“It’s fine,” Dade told him. “She’ll leave in a moment.”
That seemed to make the clothier more disgruntled. Dade knew that it was difficult for someone to understand who wasn’t used to hurricane Clarissa. That she’d shown up, when he hadn’t been able to get ahold of her for several days, didn’t sit well with Dade either. Combined with her current theatrics, he was suspicious of why she had cornered him publicly.
Dade frowned into the mirror, adjusting the various parts of his tunic, and asked her, “Do you answer your pings?”
She raised a perfectly manicured, overlined eyebrow. “I’m here now, darling, and it’s nice to know you missed me.”
Dade focused back on his tunic, wanting to take the whole thing off and call it a day. “How did you find me? I don’t remember ziptexting you my schedule.”
“It wasn’t difficult. I saw the big hulk outside, and I know he never strays far from you.”
Saben. Of course.
Clarissa relaxed into her seat. Leaning back like the veritable princess in an ivory tower that she was. Even here, in the market district, she let her subjects attend to her. She sent him an exasperated look. “You’re in a mood.”
He was. And she didn’t deserve any of it. Dade turned back to pulling at his clothes again. “Sorry.”
She made a noise in the back of her throat like she didn’t believe his apology.
“Did the paparazzi follow you?” Dade asked. That was a complication he didn’t want to deal with today. He’d been very careful on his way over. The closer their wedding came, the more intrusive the paps became. It was a logistical nightmare that had gridlocked most of his business outings.
“Please. I could outrun the pap-vids before I was thirteen.”
“And yet you don’t.” He relaxed into their friendship, knowing that she wasn’t here to upset him. He felt agitated over the situation, not with her. “I thought you liked having your picture on the gossip sites.”
Clarissa shrugged. “It’s not bad. As long as it suits my purpose.” She paused, her tone changing subtly. “That is precisely what I’m here to speak with you about. I’ve come into possession of some halo-images I’d like you to see.”
“Why didn’t you upload them to my cloud?” Dade asked, confused.
“Because I don’t know who monitors your digi-stream.” Her eyebrow went up in a significant look.
Dade glanced at the man at his feet. His presence was nearly invisible, but Dade could tell that he was actively listening. Gossip about the two of them could fetch a high price on the open market. Anyone could sell him out.
He said to the clothier, “Could we have a moment, please?”
The man looked up from Dade’s feet, gathering the scattered pins into a pincushion. His attention shifted from Dade to Clarissa and back, and he did not appear happy. After a moment’s pause, he stood, offering a small bow to Dade. “Call when you’ve finished.”
Dade tipped his head. “Thank you.”
Clarissa’s bubbly personality fell away when the man left, replaced by a serious expression. She scowled, her red lips tipping down. She reached into her bag to extract a silencer: a pewter sphere, tiny enough to fit in the palm of her hand. She dropped her arm to the floor, sending the ball rolling to the center of the room. When it stopped, the two halves detached, still connected by a blue pulsing light. The high-pitched vibration the sphere emitted couldn’t be heard with human ears. Yet it would prevent any aux-or vid-tracks from being recorded within a twenty-foot radius.
“Don’t be upset that I sought you out,” she said. “I know you jealously guard your free time, but I wanted to keep this away from the Sky Towers.”
“I could have met you for coffee, where I’d be more appropriately clothed.”
“Finding you half-dressed doesn’t bother me at all.” Clarissa winked.
“Nice.” Dade glanced down to make sure that all his bits were covered before he stepped off the dais and walked across the room. The tacked pants moved roughly against his body, pulling at his legs. Reaching her, he sat down gingerly on the chaise, careful not to cause any more damage. “Did you at least get the information I needed?”
“The girl who was taken at the club?” she clarified. When he nodded, she said, “I can’t figure out why you’re interested in that.”
“Does it matter?”
“Maybe.” She studied him. “The girl has become an issue. Everyone is talking about her, including the media. Though how they found out about her detainment is a mystery. Govies are usually more discreet, so it makes me think that there’s more going on than you’re telling me. If you’re going to use her for information in any way, you need to get in line.”
Dade pressed, “Where is she being held?”
Clarissa pulled her datapad from her purse. She tapped on it several times, then looked up. “I’ve sent you the encrypted file.”
“Thank you.”
She shrugged, then set the datapad in her lap and focused on him, taking his hand in hers. “A word of caution: If I were you, I’d let this go. Forget you have any business with the girl. They know she’s Lasair.”