Page 49 of Tanin's Treasure
Garnet frowned, climbing to her feet, scrambling up after him. “Go? Go where?”
“Back to Tanin. I have a few more questions for him.” He gave her a look over his shoulder. “You’ve obviously made up your mind, and you’re not my youngling. I can’t tell you what not to do.”
Garnet stared at his back, but he was already walking through the door, and she had to hurry to catch up. Somehow, she felt like she won?
They stopped at the room next door first to get Goldie. Her sister walked out with her head held high, giving Ikvar a look that was at once superior and dismissive. Like he wasn’t even worth her arguing with. Garnet could just imagine the lecture he got from her.
The two of them followed him all the way to the end of the hall where another door opened.
And an angry voice came spilling out-
“-think I don’t know? You and that entire crew of yours are worthless, Rik-Vane scum. You kidnapped those females, and you are going to-”
“Hey!” Garnet and Goldie snapped charging in ahead of Ikvar, forcing themselves into what was very clearly an interrogation room.
And sure, they had just come from interrogation rooms too, but those ones had soft couches and were warm and comfortable. This room had a table, a couple of hard, metal chairs, a chilly bite to the air, and an angry peacekeeper, in white armor, on his feet, hands slammed on the table, yelling at Tanin-
Who really looked like he couldn’t care less.
Tanin was seated, arms crossed, leaning back in his chair, staring at the guy shouting him down like he was a mildly interesting TV program. He was calm and relaxed, not even a twitch to his eye to suggest that something was wrong.
But Garnet couldn’t help but notice his bright red ribbon tied in a neat little bow around his wrist. Like it had been put there as decoration. But his other hand was right there, ready to pull on the loop and unwind it in a single moment if it became necessary.
It should have really taken away from the machismo of everything else, but knowing how he fought with that ribbon, it just couldn’t.
And she realized that was the point. There was no way he wasn’t checked for weapons. They knew he was suspicious; they definitely would have done a pat down or something.
But who would suspect a cute little ribbon of being dangerous?
Tanin looked their way as they came rushing at the peacekeeper – a poor domini male who looked shocked to suddenly be run up on by a pair of twin girls that were shouting at him. Like vicious chihuahua’s nipping at an intruder’s heels.
“Don’t you talk to him like that!” Garnet started, speaking right over Goldie who was yelling along with her-
“That is no way to speak to someone!”
“That’s an innocent man, and you’re treating him like a criminal!”
“This is police brutality!”
“Yeah, brutality! You should be ashamed!”
“Is this how the peacekeepers keeppeace?!”
The poor guy looked absolutely gobsmacked, his three eyes darting between the two of them then over their head, his expression clearly calling for help.
“You two.” Ikvar was there, taking them by the shoulders and pulling them back. “Easy. He was just conducting an interview.
“It looked like he was trying to intimidate him to me!” Goldie snapped, pointing back at Tanin who was still unmoved and very much not intimidated.
Though, he did look amused as Garnet came around the table, like she might be ready to throw herself between the nonplused Tanin and the confused peacekeeper.
Ikvar said something to the poor guy quietly as Goldie stood there, hands on her hips, glaring at them. Garnet, meanwhile, checked on Tanin. He hadn’t moved since they came in, but he was looking up at her with something gleaming in his bright eyes.
“You protecting me, Garnet?” He asked.
Garnet smiled, turning and sitting beside him on the table. Crossing her legs and letting him check out her thighs as she did so. Which he did, his gaze burning.
“Got to make sure my… boss is okay,” she said, deliberately hesitating, letting the implication of everything she could have said hang unspoken in the air.
