six months to convince him it was a bad idea to exclude women from his gang. "You're not bleeding. That's proof I'll listen."
He crooked a smile. "I'm a little disappointed. What's that a sign of?"
Lex pushed away the tendrils of uneasiness still curling through her. He didn't understand, but he would listen. It would be enough. It had to be enough.
She touched his hand. "It's a sign that this just might work out after all."
Chapter Eighteen
Dallas had never been able to bring himself to entirely trust city tech.
The banged-up tablet on his desk was clever enough. He liked the fact that he could speak words instead of writing them and see his notes transcribed into clean lines of text, as if by magic. It was quick to manage and easy to organize. And it could all go away with the blink of an eye.
It had happened before, after all.
The thing was on the fritz again, mangling the words he spoke and locking him out every time he tried to save the file. He tossed it aside and was starting his list of most likely recruits over on paper when a knock rattled the door.
A mass of red curls appeared as Trix stuck her head into his office. "You have a visitor."
Her appearance reminded him he needed to add women to the list of potential recruits--with her at the top of it. "What kind of visitor?"
She hesitated. "Dressed like she's from Eden, but she seems pretty comfortable out here. She walked in like she owned the place."
Dallas could only think of one person who could possibly qualify--and he couldn't think of a damn reason for her to be in his sector. "She didn't give you a name?" he asked, but he was already on his feet.
Trix shook her head. "I asked, but she didn't answer. Just said you were expecting her. Business."
"Like hell." He followed Trix into the hallway, tugged his office door shut, and locked it for good measure. "Is Lex still out with Noelle and Rachel?"
"As far as I know." She tilted her head. "You want me to get rid of this lady?"
"No, she's for me to deal with." But not in his office, where he had papers scattered about and too much private shit. "Give me five minutes and bring her to the meeting room. And whatever the hell else you do, keep Lex away from there."
Her pale brow creased in a frown, but she backed away with a nod. "Sure, I can handle that."
He waved Trix away as the corridor split, sending her back toward the front of the club as he climbed the stairs to the second floor. The building that housed the Broken Circle was still the heart of their operations, even though the compound had expanded into a sprawl that covered four sector blocks. He was in his element here, on home turf so familiar it lent him an extra edge, a confidence he'd need for this meeting.
It was Cerys, it had to be. Come to take the next step toward whatever endgame she'd envisioned when maneuvering him into a position of greater power. Smart as he was, Dallas had zero confidence in his ability to think circles around a woman who played politics with Cerys's skill and intensity.
But that didn't mean he couldn't use her own game against her.
By the time Trix showed Cerys into the meeting room, Dallas was sprawled in his customary chair at the head of the table, a bottle of whiskey and two shot glasses on the table in front of him. He looked up from trimming his nails with his pocketknife and--like a good uncultured barbarian--kept his ass planted firmly in his seat. "Cerys."
She unwrapped a deep brown fur from around her neck and draped it over the back of a chair at the opposite end of the table. "Mr. O'Kane."
Yeah, she could make a man feel like a misbehaving boy with nothing but the inflection in her voice. Ignoring the twinge, he committed to his rudeness. "You're a long way from home. What brings you south of the fence?"
She stood still but glanced around the room, taking it all in. "I came to talk about Alexa."
He damn near cut off the tip of one finger as his fist clenched. "That so?"
"Don't get all excited." She sank gracefully into a plush, padded chair set against the wall. "You know her as well as I. She's your woman, and happy to be that--for now. But she'll want to do