Page 14 of A Spinster for the Rakish Duke
“Yes, he isn’t a fan of convention of any sort. At least, not ones not of his own making,” Alistair remarked before turning to enter the gaming hell.
The entrance was humble, but this was misleading. The inside was ostentatious and elaborate. The rooms and tables were all accented with maroon and gold, giving the room a regal feeling that Emma felt contradicted the more insidious one she was expecting. Perhaps that was the point. This was an establishment meant to cater to the wealthy and entitled. Perhaps it wasn’t supposed to appear nefarious. The fact that they were here to discuss the disappearance of her brother, however, dispelled any illusion Emma might have had about the uprightness of the establishment.
Emma and Donovan waited by one of the tables while Alistair secured them a meeting with the proprietor. They had chosen to come early in the day, and there were Lords sitting here or there, reading or some such, but there was no gaming goingon currently. Emma harbored a secret disappointment. She had never seen a game of hazard played and was curious.
While they stood by waiting in the large quiet room, Emma’s thoughts began to wander, causing her to suddenly recall the stray desires she had felt the night before. She went from mildly curious about the ongoing investigation to incredibly flustered in no time at all. Why was Donovan so attractive when he was just standing there? In lighter circumstances, Emma might have even picked on him for how seriously he always took himself, but even still, she found it alluring. The way he held himself as he leaned against the table. It made her want to touch him. Not just touch him but…
“Ronnik will see us now.” Alistair’s intrusion into her moment was so abrupt she jumped lightly. “Don’t worry, Miss. With my brother and I here, nothing untoward will happen,” Alistair said, taking her surprise for jumpiness.
Emma would have been soured by the Duke’s presumption, but then she felt Donovan’s fingertips brush her elbow as they left as he tried to reassure her. He had misread to, but his touch ignited the burning embers within her. Her annoyance gave way to excitement again.
Ronnik’s office was decorated much the same way as the rest of the Hissing Cat with small additional touches of personage. A painting on the wall and a statuette in the corner were enough to make it feel like they had changed rooms without being so much as to make things feel out of place. To Emma, it felt almost inviting. To Donovan, it felt calculated.
Ronnik was a short man with a tight knotted muscle build and small scars covering his hands and face. These were the kind of scars one got from taking punches on a daily basis, splits and abrasions opened over and over again. Donovan didn’t feel threatened by Ronnik, but he was not naive enough to assume the man wasn’t dangerous.
“Thank you for taking the time to see us, Ronnik,” he began, a moment after they entered.
Ronnik starred for a moment before nodding. “Thank you for acknowledging the value of my time, Donovan. I never thought enough people did that. Your brother says you are looking for someone?”
Donovan was secretly grateful that this man held no respect for his title, since he doubted Ronnik would be willing to play along with a lie to save face for a Duke.
“My brother, Benjamin Bradford,” Emma spoke up before Donovan could, her voice earnest. “He has been missing for several days now, and we haven’t been able to find any leads as to his whereabouts.”
Ronnik smiled at the desperate woman. “And who is this lovely flower? Your type is all about decorum, and yet you don’t even introduce us?” He smiled condescendingly at Donovan.
“Ahem... this is Miss Emma Bradford,” Donovan corrected, despite having intentionally not introduced them.
“Unmarried and untitled. Aren’t we lucky?” Ronnik said, bowing to her gently. “You may call me Ronnik. You’ll forgive me for not giving my full name; that is reserved only for my private acquaintances,” the gamesman told her while giving her a playful wink that Emma wasn’t sure how she felt about.
Turning from Emma, Ronnik addressed Donovan again, “Tell me, when you found no leads, why did you come here?”
There was an edge to his voice that told Donovan that this man would be unhappy no matter what answer he gave, so the Duke in hiding opted for the truth. “I know you have certain connections in London; I thought it was very possible you might know something.”
Ronnik laughed, sauntered around his desk, and sat in his high back chair lording over the room. He turned his head back to address Emma again.
“This is why his investigation skills are subpar, you know? Been reading too many crime papers. He thinks that crime is crime, and criminals are criminals. Like I’ve told you before, Donovan,” he turned back to address Donovan eye to eye, “I may be tied to less glamorous aspects of London than you are used to as that can’t be helped in my line of work, but I don’t deal with the messy stuff. And kidnapping is very, very messy,” Ronnik told them with a look of disgust as if someone had spilled ink on his desk.
Donovan could feel Emma avoiding looking at him. He didn’t think she believed Ronnik’s criticism, even if it might have beenbeen rooted in truth, but she also didn’t want to rock the boat and challenge their host's opinion of her investigator. Donovan cleared his throat.
“I recall our previous discussions. I also know that messy crimes make waves, even small ones. People notice things; people talk. Information is valuable, and I know you like to make sure you have valuable things on hand for your customers.”
Ronnik smiled at this. Donovan was playing all the right notes for the gambling hell owner. He stroked his ego and conceded that they needed something from him. Donovan knew his brother was hating him right now because he was tipping their entire hand. That was the real trick though. Ronnik gamed to win, and Donovan was only gaming to win one specific thing. It didn’t matter what else was “lost”. That was the one edge they had, and Donovan had to hold tight to it.
“I’ll tell you what. I know your brother likes to gamble, but you never have indulged, not in my hell at least. You make a bet with me, Donovan. I’ll put my people out, ears to the stones. If we find out anything, you’ll hear about it first thing. If we find out that her brother actually became intwined with a nefarious plot, then I will owe you a favor. But if we find out that he has simply absconded for his own reasons, then you will owe me a favor? What do you say?”
Donovan quirked his brow in consideration. On one hand, he knew owing Ronnik a favor was a bad position to be in. On the other hand, he got exactly what he wanted either way.Ah, damn it all. Donovan realized Ronnik had caught on to his intent andplayed him, though he supposed this was the best-case scenario to leave with. They both got what they wanted.
Donovan stepped forward, offering his hand to shake. “You have a bet.”
Alistair hissed quietly behind him, “Are you insane?”
Ronnik tutted. “Alistair, be kind. Your brother made a very wise decision. This may actually be the smartest I’ve ever seen him enter into a negotiation with me,” he said as he gripped the other man’s hand firmly.
Alistair scoffed. Emma hoped her face didn’t show how pleased she was to hear that about Donovan.
Ronnik pulled Donovan by his hand into a closer embrace than expected and spoke softly, so only they could hear the words.
“Normally you are a lot less smart and a lot more headstrong? What is it that motivates you so well that you took your time today? Impressing that woman?” he asked coyly.
