Page 19 of Guard

He went rigid. Her father? What did Zala mean? From what Myrria had said, her husband had been gone for years. She had not said as much, but it was clear that Myrria did not believe he was returning.

“Your father?” The old woman sounded as shocked as he was.

“The male voice you heard is my father.” Zala said, her voice brimming with confidence. “He’s finally come home.”

Rixx did not move for several seconds after Zala made her declaration. Was he supposed to play the part of Zala’s father? Wouldn’t the woman know he wasn’t Myrria’s husband?

“I know you never met him,” Myrria said, her voice carrying throughout the house. “Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait a little longer since he’s bathing after his long journey back to us.”

“Long journey?” The old words words were spluttered and halting. “He’s been gone for years. Everyone said he’d left you and the baby for good.”

“I guess everyone was wrong.”

Rixx shook himself from the shock of being promoted to the role of Myrria’s long-lost husband and Zala’s absent father and gazed around the bathing chamber. If he was supposed to be bathing then he had better start making some kind of sound before the old woman walked in on him. He reached for the metal knob in the wall and flicked it on, watching as water burst from the ceiling in spits and spurts.

He did not put it past the nosy woman to try to get a glimpse of him, even if she had never seen the husband before, so Rixx quickly shed his clothing and stepped under the flow of water, sucking in a breath at the bracing coldness. The rushing water made it difficult for him to hear what was being said, although he could hear the faint drone of voices. How long would he need to stand under the flow of water that was not getting any warmer?

After he’d been under the icy shower for what seemed like an eternity, there was a gentle tap at the door. He turned off the water and stood as it dripped off him, suddenly very aware that he was naked.

“You can come out now,” Zala said through the gap in the door. Then she giggled and added, “Dad.”

Chapter

Nineteen

Myrria sat at the table trying to remember how to breathe normally. Donya had left, but not without several sharp glances toward the bathroom. She might have been appeased for the moment because she’d been so surprised by Zala’s claim, but Myrria was under no illusions that she’d been convinced. Her landlady would be back in the hopes of catching Myrria in a lie.

Myrria didn’t know why the old crone cared. It wasn’t like the Den of Thieves was a hotbed of moral fortitude. The city was comprised of pleasure houses, slave markets, fighting rings, gambling dens, bars, and slums. If there were houses of worship, Myrria had never seen them. Any missionaries who dared preach their beliefs would find themselves run out of town—if they were lucky.

Maybe it was because the woman was old and alone and had nothing to do but meddle in others’ lives. Or maybe it was because she was convinced there was a reward in there for her. Myrria doubted Donya cared one way or another about her faithfulness.

She finally looked up when Rixx emerged from the bedroom, pulling aside the curtain and padding across the floor in bare feet and pants. Droplets of water clung to his bare chest and his wet hair dripped down his back.

“Jam the chair under the doorknob,” Myrria told Zala with a quick flick of her wrist.

Her daughter quickly did as she was told, rushing to the door and dragging one of the chairs under the knob. Now if Donya tried to enter, at least she would be slowed down and they would hear her. Even so, Myrria knew that a chair in front of the door couldn’t protect them forever, especially if Rixx was determined to walk around only half dressed. She could not pass him off as her long-lost husband looking likethat.

The sight of his hard muscles and corded stomach made her own stomach do a curious flip. Her husband had never made her core churn and her skin tingle. Not even when they’d first met. She shook off that traitorous thought and stood.

“My landlord is gone—for now.”

Rixx wrinkled his nose. “That old female was your landlord?”

Myrria released a breath and nodded. “She inherited the building after a relative died, which was after I was already living here. She’s never met my husband, but she knows that he left on a mercenary ship.”

“Do you think she would be convinced that I was him?”

Myrria held back the laugh that threatened to explode from her lips. It would have been hard to imagine a man more different than her husband than Rixx. Where the Dothvek was tall and broad-shouldered, Tobert had been shorter and wiry. Rixx hadblack hair that hung around his shoulders, but her husband had been fair and had kept his hair short. Myrria didn’t want to think about all the intangible ways Rixx was different—his kindness, his courage, his willingness to help. None of those had been even a flicker within Tobert. All these years later, with a good deal of distance and hard-won wisdom, Myrria wondered why she had ever succumbed to her husband’s charms, what little he’d had.

“No one who knew him still lives in this area.” Myrria thought of Serena. She had known of him. “No one who would reveal the truth.” Myrria cut her gaze to Zala. Not even her daughter would know what her father looked like since she’d only been a baby when he’d left. “That doesn’t mean the old bitch will believe that you’re him.” She gave him a pointed once-over. “You don’t exactly blend.”

Rixx looked down at himself. “I can wear the clothes you made me.”

Myrria’s mind raced with plans for how they could make the Dothvek look less like himself. “I’ll make you more.” Her gaze alighted on the points of his ears. “And shirts with hoods.”

“You’ll need to talk like a dad,” Zala added, her eyes twinkling. “And talk to Mama like you’re her husband, not a guest.”

Myrria’s face warmed at the idea of Rixx talking to her like they were married.

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