Dominions

5-1

5

- 5 -

“Pain in the arse, meet one of my bigger headaches.” Genna’s voice sounded weary.

The Gentleman smiled, lifting the hat from his head. “Good morning once again, Mister Rodin. And Miss Genna, thank you again for availing yourself and your office to me.” He sat in the chair next to Rodin and placed his hat on the desk. His coat was unbuttoned, and Rodin saw a smart jacket, with a shirt collar at his neck. And there were no signs of blood anywhere.

“Rodin, this gentleman wishes to talk to you. He assures me it’s in your best interest to listen.”

“I don’t trust him.”

“Fair enough. But let him speak.”

Rodin balled his fists. “No. I told him earlier I wasn’t interested. I don’t want anything to do with him. He was there when the girl tried to remove me. If I’ve caused you any trouble, Genna, it’s because of him. Whatever he wants, he can find someone else.” He opened his hands, pushed down on the arms of the chair, and rose to his feet.

“Sit down, Rodin. Just listen.”

“No. I’m leaving.”

Genna opened her mouth to say something else, but Rodin spun, striding to the door. He didn’t glance at the Gentleman, didn’t trust what he’d do.

The guards stepped in from either side of the door, blocking his exit. They didn’t raise their weapons, but Rodin noted how their fingers rested on the triggers. Not a good sign.

Not a good sign.“Leaving isn’t an option,” Genna said from behind him. “Sit down!”

Rodin took a breath, saw how the situation was getting out of control‌—‌how he was losing control. He held the air in his lungs, counted to five, then turned. Genna glared at him, leaning in to her desk, both hands on its surface. The Gentleman faced her, his back to Rodin.

heRodin nodded slowly. “Okay. But not until I’ve had some answers.”

“You’re in no position to make demands.”

“And you shouldn’t let him dictate what you do.”

He wasn’t sure where that came from, but it struck home. Genna’s mask slipped, and anger burned bright on her face. Anger, and frustration. Her jaw was set firm, her teeth clenched.

“Oh, I’m sure we can accommodate our hot-headed assassin’s request,” the Gentleman said, his voice rising and falling almost musically as he picked a non-existent piece of lint from his trousers. “A couple of questions to settle his mind, and then I can have my say. Yes?”

“That seems fair,” Genna said, eyebrows arched. Rodin nodded. It was the best he was going to get. “Then sit, and let’s be civil about this.”

Rodin sat, but he took his time about it. He crossed his legs‌—‌it felt strange, but mirroring this Gentleman’s pose seemed important. He even brushed imaginary dirt from one knee.”

The man smiled wryly. “A man of action, but also a man with self-control. So, what would you ask of me, Mister Rodin?”

There were so many questions, but Rodin settled on a straightforward one. “Were you behind the attempts on my life this morning?”

The Gentleman laughed. “You need to ask that? When I was attacked in the alley, you were barely a step away in the shadows. If I wanted you removed, don’t you think I could have done the deed myself, there and then?”

That made sense, of course, and Rodin cursed himself for asking such an obvious question.

“Incidentally, Miss Genna,” the Gentleman continued, “I do apologise for leaving that particular piece of rubbish behind earlier this morning.”

“There won’t be many who grieve his passing,” she said, shrugging the matter off. “But maybe we can get on with business now?” And the upturn in her voice at the end, turning what should have been a statement into a request‌—‌that wasn’t Genna’s normal style.

“Another question,” Rodin said, holding up a hand.

Genna looked daggers at him, but the Gentleman raised his own hand. “I see no harm in letting Mister Rodin ask one more.”

“Fine. One more.”

Rodin turned to the man, stared into that placid face. It was almost mocking in its lack of emotion. And in his peripheral vision, Rodin saw Genna, her eyes darting between himself and the Gentleman.

“What have you got over Genna?”

Her fist slammed onto the desk. “Out of place!” she yelled. “You have no right to ask that, rogue!”

Interesting that she was so riled. “I’ve already asked it.”

“He won’t answer.” She jabbed a finger at the Gentleman. “I forbid it.”

“Can you do that?”

Rodin took a breath, forced himself to calm. Hatred washed off Genna, and he tensed, expecting her to signal for the guards.

“Oh, so mistrusting,” the Gentleman said, the slightest of smiles on his face. “That is only to be expected from one in your profession, Mister Rodin, but in this case you are reading too much into things. Miss Genna and I, we have a mutually beneficial arrangement, and that is all you need know.”

There was a coldness to his final words that hinted of violence. Half the thugs Rodin encountered aimed for the same tone, but they sneered as they spoke, and were nowhere near as chilling as this man.

The man raised his eyebrows, as if anticipating a come-back. But Rodin knew he needed to tread carefully. He wouldn’t get any more out of this man‌—‌not on this subject, anyway‌—‌so the sensible move was to back down.

Rodin nodded. “Fair enough.” Even though fairness had nothing to do with it.

Genna’s shoulders sagged, the tension fading. “So can we continue?”

“Of course.” The Gentleman nodded politely, raising a hand as if to tip a hat, even though it still sat on the desk. “You deserve to know who you are talking with, Mister Rodin, and it would be remiss of me to fail to introduce myself. I go by many names, but Genna knows me as Cat. I work for certain powerful people. Naturally, they don’t appreciate others interfering with their concerns, and when matters require morally ambiguous solutions, they call on my services.”

“So this is a contract.”

“Naturally.”

“No.”

The man’s expression didn’t change, but Rodin saw Genna stiffen. He wondered if many people got to say no to this man more than once.

Cat. It was a stupid name. Weaker than dogs, cats were scavengers, scrawny things that lived on the edges. But they were independent, and they could be vicious when cornered.

“But you haven’t heard the details yet. This contract is ideal for one with your unique skillset. I have searched hard for someone capable of completing this little job.”

“If you’ve researched, you’ll know I’m particular about who I work for.”

“And this shows integrity as well as intelligence. I also know that you relish a challenge. And this, my dear Mister Rodin, is a challenge unlike any other.”

“For a client I cannot trust.”

“Do you trust any of your clients?”

The response was lightning-fast, and Rodin knew the question was rhetorical.

Rodin had trusted, in the past. And he’d paid for that trust. The scar on the back of his leg itched at the memory, a reminder that he could never trust a client. Not even Genna.

Oh, he respected her. She did a wonderful job keeping her district together, and she had many strong friends. No, maybe friends was the wrong word. Allies.

Like Cat.

“Enough posturing,” she said, her voice weary. “Just listen to the man. I don’t want you in here all day.”

She had a point. “Okay. I’ll listen. But that doesn’t mean I accept.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t hire someone who rushed their decisions. No, I require a consummate professional. This contract has many unique facets, and it requires an assassin with particular skills. This person needs to focus on the target, avoiding all collateral damage. Fast and efficient, yet also cautious, and with an eye for fulfilling the contract with exactitude. You come highly recommended, Mister Rodin, and I believe you are possibly the only one who could fulfil this contract with the degree of success we seek.”

Empty words. “Enough flattery. Just tell me.”

Empty words.Cat looked to Genna. “Is he always this hard to please?”

“You’ve caught him on a good day.”

“No doubt his early start helped.”

Rodin breathed deep. This lanky fool wasn’t going to goad him. And it was his own time he was wasting.

“So, the contract,” he said, turning back to Rodin. “There are a couple of unique features. The first is the location. You‌…‌sorry, the one who accepts this contract‌…‌will need to spend time in a place not so far physically from Miss Genna’s fine district, but one that is a society totally unlike any of the districts.”

The man was playing more games! And now, he was gazing off into the distance.

Rodin followed his eyes as Cat looked over Genna’s shoulder. She turned, and all three of them stared through the window, where the sun glinted off the glass structure in the distance.

“You’ve got to be joking,” Genna whispered.

But the man wasn’t. “The Dome.”

Rodin tried to stifle his laugh, and it came out as a strangled cough.

“That’s not possible,” Genna said as she turned away from the window.

Cat raised his eyebrows. “Mister Rodin has an excellent record. He’s infiltrated heavily guarded locations. He’s assassinated targets as they slept in their beds, leaving their partners to wake next to a cold corpse. If anyone can do the impossible, it’s this man.”

“But‌…‌but it’s the Dome!”

Cat nodded, then turned to Rodin. “Tell me, what do you know of the Dome?”

Rodin took his eyes from the window, the image of buildings behind the glass burned into his mind. He took a long breath.

What did he know of the Dome? What did anyone know?

“Please, don’t over-think. Tell me the first thoughts you have when I mention the Dome.”

Rodin shrugged. “Perfect society, all hidden under glass.” There was so much more he could say, but he needed to know where Cat was going with this. How much did the man know?

“But what of its history? You’re an intelligent man. You read, and you listen. I would be interested to hear your impressions.”

“Can you not read this for yourself?” Rodin forced a friendly smile to hide his annoyance.

“Indulge me, please. I have good reason for asking this.”

The man used too many words. Rodin had heard speech like this before, and it unsettled him. He realised he was copying the style. His last question‌—‌why did he say so much, when a simple ‘read it yourself’ would have been sufficient?

He knew why, of course. And that disturbed him even more. He needed to be careful.

He gave another shrug. “The basics? The world went to crap, and a group of people barricaded themselves in, threw out those who didn’t meet their standards. They covered themselves in that toughened glass dome. Other groups elsewhere copied the idea, but this one,” and Rodin nodded to the window, “is the first. The Dome.”