The Man With No Name
( part ten: cascade )
He left the room dark.
Dark Ace had just gotten back from wherever he came, opened the door to their room quietly, and stripped off his outer clothes before heading to the adjacent bathroom for a long shower. Glancing over at Piper, who remained asleep on the bed, he hung his dust-covered clothes over the back of a chair, but not before he hid a bulging rucksack underneath.
"Are you going to hurt me?"
"No. I'm not going to do anything to you."
"But why – why would you keep me –"
"In my profession, it is unwise to cross those who may be allies to you. Besides, I would like to extend an invitation to your resident wallop for another eating contest I shall sponsor soon."
(She grasped the undercurrent of the subtle-yet-dangerous delegations The Colonel offered her, and decided to look at the cards she held in her hands.)
"What do you want?"
"Information. I want to know what the Dark Ace is up to, who he corresponds with, and what sort of treasure he holds."
"And the crystal?"
(The spider's eyes shone suspiciously, then turned his head in the other direction and signaled for one of his guards to arrange a suitable meal for the skinny girl. Give or take two hours, he expected the hapless ex-Talon to crash through one of his cherished stained-glass windows and demand her back.)
"I never mentioned a crystal. I am sure you must be confused, but please understand I prefer to operate my business in a free world."
"I understand."
The sound of rushing water reached her ears and Piper's eyes snapped open; she had not been sleeping at all. The chair beckoned to her, luring her with a crooked finger.
She slipped out of bed. Searched his pockets for keys, blueprints, even fake identity papers – anything that might give her a clue where he disappeared off to each morning.