Page 61 of Edge of Darkness (Night Prowler 4)
His nose wrinkled. He blew out a lip-flapping breath, then made a very Gallic shrug, which looked as if it translated to, you got me.
Already knowing the answer, Ember asked, “Who paid my rent, Dante?”
He looked left. He looked right. He looked back at her and said, “I can’t tell you, hermosa. That was part of the deal.”
Ember passed a hand over her face. So—it was true. “We’re changing the deal, Dante. I’m going to pay you for this month and you’re going to give the
money back to whoever paid it.”
Christian, of course.
But Dante was already shaking his head no. “Lo siento, but…that is not possible.”
She could tell by the look on his face that Dante was very serious. He would not be taking her money this month. Well, fine, she’d just repay Christian directly then, after telling him in no uncertain terms to butt out of her financial problems.
“All right, Dante, forget it. But don’t do anything like this again. The rent is my obligation, okay? Don’t ever take money from anyone but me for my rent.”
He began to look worried. Hesitantly, he said, “Ah…si…”
Ember crossed her arms over her chest. “Out with it.”
There was some fidgeting, some lip-chewing, a little toupee adjustment, then Dante said with regret, “That might present un pequeño problema.”
Ember’s left eyebrow slid up. “And why would me paying my own rent be a problem?”
He debated silently for a moment, looking at her with a hesitant expression, as if undecided if he were allowed to tell her something or not. Finally he sighed. “Because technically—that is the correct word, yes?—technically you don’t have any more rent.”
Oh no. No, no, no, no, no.
No.
Ember said carefully, “Dante, please tell me you’re not saying my rent has been paid for the year?”
Immediately, he brightened. “No! Your rent has not been paid for the year!”
She heaved a sigh of relief. “Oh thank God. You really scared me for a minute—”
“Your rent has been paid forever!”
He was smiling brightly as he said this, and flung his arms out in a “ta da!” gesture. Ember just stared at him, uncomprehending.
“What does that mean, exactly?” she said through numb lips.
His smile faded. His arms dropped to his sides. “No more rent for you, hermosa. As long as you live in this building, you never pay rent again. This is very good, yes?”
Ember’s face had gone red, she knew it by the heat spreading over her cheeks and ears. “No, Dante this is not very good! How could you take money from someone else when the rental contract is between you and me?”
He stared at her as if she were insane. “This doesn’t change your contract—and there’s nothing in the contract that says I can’t take money from anyone else for payment of your rent.”
“You have to return all the money, Dante.”
He laughed at that, a big, belly-clutching laugh that had the heat in her cheeks spreading to the roots of her hair. “Ha ha! I love this American sense of humor! Muy divertido!”
“Dante! I’m not kidding! No es broma! You have to return all the money, I don’t accept!”
It took a while for Dante to stop laughing, but when he finally did, he said, “Ah, hermosa. So proud. He said you’d be too proud to like this.”
“And who is this he?” Ember asked, knowing exactly who he was, but wanting to hear Dante admit it out loud.
