Chapter 18: In Hot Water

“Look, you need to guarantee you’re not gonna be bringing more trouble here,” the chief of security for the neighborhood said in a weary tone. After the three men ran off, the guards escorted Samantha and Razia inside and took Quentin off to the side to question him about his guests and the disturbance. The chief had the two of them brought to him for a final lecture. “You’ve lived here for how long, Quintius?”

“Eight years,” Quentin replied. He stood hunched over, eyes squinting, arms crossed over his chest. Razia was beginning to understand his interpersonal problems. At complete rest he still looked like trouble, but his soft voice and even tone did a lot to make him sound less dangerous. “In that time, have there been any complaints about me?”

The chief’s eyes dropped. “None that had any substance to them,” he said apologetically, nodding in Quentin’s direction. Quentin grunted in understanding. “You’re quiet and you keep to yourself. The worst problem you got is your shitty hours, coming and going in the middle of the night. You have no idea how many newbies nearly jump you.” He let out a bark of laughter.

“Then you gotta know Quentin’s not going to bring any more trouble here,” Razia added, wrapping her arm around Quentin’s. “He’s a good man.” The ever present scowl morphed into something happier.

“It’s not him what worries me,” the Chief growled, looking at Razia pointedly. “I know you lived alone ‘til now, and it was quiet. You show up here and suddenly there’s armed men at our front doors?'' The chief sighed and rubbed at his eyes.

“You’re absolutely right,” Razia said, bowing her head. “They came after us as we were moving my belongings here and chased me. I don’t see it happening again.” She let go of Quentin’s arm and hugged herself, shrinking down until she truly looked small. “I’m just glad Quentin and your men were able to help. We would’ve been…” She looked away.

The Chief cleared his throat. “My boys are good at what they do. You’ll be safe here. Just...Just be careful. Welcome to Argonza Villas.” He gave them a respectful nod and then cleared out with his men. Quentin and Razia stood alone outside the gates to his garden.

Quentin waited until he was sure they were alone before he said to Razia, “Don’t you think that’s laying it on a bit thick?”

“Nope,” Razia said brightly, straightening up. “A guy like that has a really boring job for people who tend to be difficult. This was probably the most exciting thing to happen to him today. I bet he likes feeling like he’s protecting small, helpless women.”

He rolled his eyes. “Do you want to talk to me about what happened, and why there were those three men after you?”

Razia shifted uncomfortably. “Five people chased us. Two groups. I owe you a lot of answers Quentin, and I promise you’ll get them. But can I check on Samantha first?”

Quentin considered her and nodded. He gestured towards their home. His home, Razia reminded herself. She hadn’t even been there a day and she’d given him more than enough reason to throw her ass out. If he didn’t right now, he would by the end of the explanations. Still, she could get used to the large home and the pocket of quiet inside.

Samantha and Jackie were waiting in the Atrium, staring up into the skylight, and the rising moon in the dusk gloom. Razia came up to them, sliding an arm around each shoulder as she looked up as well.

“I’ve never been in a house with this big a hole in the roof,” Jackie said in muted awe. “It looks beautiful!” He turned to look at Quentin with surprise and reverence. “Are you like, a rich person or something?”

Quentin folded his arms on his chest. “Or something,” he said, sounding amused. “All the homes around here have them. You should see when the stars are out.”

Razia gently pulled Samantha to the side. “How are you doing?” Razia asked in a low voice. “Did they hurt you?” She looked the redhead up and down, noting every bruise and scrape. The stumble had sent her into a rough tumble before they’d even touched her, and she was covered in a layer of sand and dirt.

“I feel gross!” Samantha admitted. “It was kinda scary at the moment. It’s not the first time I’ve been grabbed like that, but it’s...This wasn’t some drunk men not hearing no, you know? I knew you weren’t going to leave me like that.” Her cheer was dimmed, but not totally gone.

“We really have to thank Quentin for that,” Razia said, raising her voice and looking behind her. Quentin stood there frozen, looking uncertain. “That’s twice now he’s bailed both of our asses out of possible trouble. I owe him a lot. And Jackie too!”

The teenager puffed up with pride. The puffiness around his eye had only gotten worse and he could barely see out of it. “Yeah! I was coming too,” he insisted. “There’s no way I was gonna let them hurt my sister.”

“Of course not Jackie. You’re not a total jerk, most of the time.” Samantha ruffled Jackie’s hair while he slapped at her hands. Then she turned to Quentin and got closer than the man seemed to like. She had her hands on his chest and looked up at him with starry eyes. Razia bit back laughter. It wasn’t long ago she’d tried the same move on him. He had the same look of both interest and severe discomfort.

“And you...Well Mr. Q, you’re looking to be my guardian spirit again.” Samantha said, small smile on her face while her fingers moved up his chest.

He took her fingers in his hand and gently pulled them away. “It’s nothing. The first time I didn’t save you. I just didn’t kill you. Not that I was ever planning on it,” he added quickly. “It’s just, you don’t have to think anything of it, it’s just…” Quentin took a deep breath. “You’re welcome. Don’t think anything of it. Welcome to my home, you’re free to rest here and I’ll escort you home later.”

He sounded so much more formal, Razia noted with amusement. He was trying to keep Samantha at arm’s length with casual manners, but it had the opposite effect. “You’re so sweet! I at least owe you a free fuck. As my way of saying thanks for looking out for me.” She smiled widely, looking proud of herself while Quentin blinked.

“Hey,” said Razia, taking some pity on the poor man. “How about you and me get cleaned up, huh Sam?” She put her arm around her again and pulled her away from Quentin. The tension left his body immediately. “Quentin’s got this amazing bath I’ve been meaning to try out.” She flashed Quentin a grin.

He shook his head, smiling. “You were looking for an excuse this entire time, weren’t you.”

“Yes,” she said, grinning. “The best solutions are ones that fit multiple problems. Samantha’s filthy, a hot bath could soothe her nerves, and also I want to. Do you mind watching…?” Razia nodded towards Jackie, who was looking up out of the skylight again.

“Yeah,” Quentin said. “I guess I can do that. The boy deserves a drink after helping out today. And I could use a drink. And also I want one.”

“See? You’re catching on.”

The bath was as luxurious as she remembered. Unfortunately that meant that it was much more work to pump enough water to fill it. With Razia and Samantha taking turns it only took a couple of minutes. “So you’ve found yourself a rich patron, huh?” said Samantha as the last of the water sloshed along the rim of the tub.

“It’s not like that,” Razia said. She reached into the box of ember chips and took out a tiny orange sliver. She broke it in half and dropped it into the water. Within seconds the water was roiling, rapidly heating up and steaming the room.

Samantha’s jaw dropped as she saw it work. “You sure? Sure looks like a rich patron to me. If I want a bucket of hot water to clean up I have to pay for it. Mister Q’s got all of this? Who is this man?” She dipped a finger into the water and pulled it back when it burned.

The washroom was now muggy. Razia slipped out of her clothes. “He does pretty well,” she said diplomatically, “but he’s not a client. He’s a friend, and frankly I owe him. Let’s just say he does expensive contract work.”

The redhead made a sound of understanding. “So he does kill people for money,” she said, stripping as well. Samantha dipped her finger in again and kept it there. She nodded to Razia and they both stepped down into the tub, feeling the hot water bite at their skin. They sank down, both sighing theatrically.

“He gets paid for bounties, yes.” That was more or less what he’d said last night, before they turned in. Normally Razia was all about dancing around answers with friends, but these weren’t her secrets. He already had grounds to throw her ass out and leave her to her own devices. Razia wasn’t going to make that worse. “I can’t believe those assholes found me as I was running from someone else.”

Samantha took the bait. “Yeah,” she said, eyes lighting up. “Were those the guys Quentin warned you about? They looked rough. Not like tough, but poor and gross. Like dirty, stray ‘wallas.”

Razia moved closer to Samantha and put her legs on the other woman’s lap while her arms circled the rim of the tub. “The night I met Quentin, those guys trapped us in an alley. Quentin punched one out and we took off running. Gave them the slip and had fun drinking and shooting the shit at Maggie’s. Guess they couldn’t get me out of their heads. Not that anyone could blame them.” Razia stretched, smirking.

“Of course not,” said Samantha. Shaking her head with a smile. “You’re smart, gorgeous, fashionable…” Razia made a series of increasingly arrogant and self-aggrandizing faces with each quality listed. “...But more than that, it’s never boring around you. Hard to forget you when things get that crazy.” She laughed.

But Razia’s smile fell and that awful oily feeling of guilt and responsibility came back. She didn’t care for it. “Again, I’m really sorry about all that.” Razia sighed. “I’ve kind of made a bunch of messes. I think I might take this opportunity to lay low for a bit.”

Samantha snorted.

“I mean it!” Razia protested. “Aside from still working, maybe I should avoid pissing off anymore dangerous people for a while.” Samantha didn’t look convinced. Razia couldn’t blame her. Even as she said the words and meant them in the moment, it didn’t take long before her mind came up with exceptions and justifications why it would be smarter, sometimes, to piss people off.. “I bet it’s easy to hate me right now.”

“Not at all,” Samantha shook her head. The plump redhead sank deeper into the water until only her head was above it. She closed her eyes and soaked it all in. “This kind of makes it worth it. I’d be okay with getting grabbed and groped if it meant getting a nice bath every time I did.”

“Are you kidding? You’d drown.”

Samantha laughed, but it faded quickly and was replaced with quiet contemplation. “It is nice though,” she said. “Things’ve been rough lately. Between the kids, dad, the crap with Otho...It’s nice to just soak and let my troubles wait on me for a change.” She looked over at Razia with a sad smile. “Feels like I’ve been drowning from under all of that, but being in the water makes it hurt less. At least for a little while.”

Razia found Samantha’s hand and squeezed it. “I’m glad.” Now that their lives were no longer in danger, Razia had plenty of time to think things through. She let her mind drift away as the two soaked in companionable silence. So many problems, and most of them were tangled up in each other. If you pulled at one string, it made the others worse. The trick was finding the strings you could safely pull and make the tangle easier.

“You know what would be a good way of thanking Quentin?” Razia brightened up as the thought crossed her. “You could always cook him dinner. I’d bet he doesn’t get a home cooked meal often.”

Samantha’s face lit up. “Yeah, that’s a great idea! If men aren’t thinking with their dicks, they’re thinking with their stomachs.” That solved three problems right there.

They returned to find Quentin and Jackie standing side by side, punching the air. “You have to put your entire body into it,” said Quentin. “Twist your hips!” He demonstrated a quick punch, snapping forward and turning at the waist and returning back to a resting stance.

“Like this?” Jackie copied him, performing mostly the same move at half speed.

“Yeah. But faster, and in one smooth motion. Aim for a spot behind their head.”

Samantha cleared her throat, making Quentin jump. “You’re not teaching my baby brother anything dangerous are you?”

As Jackie protested his status as baby brother, Razia took Quentin by the arm and pulled him away, nodding to Samantha who grabbed Jackie and took him with her to the kitchen. Razia wanted some privacy for the upcoming talk.

“How is she? How are you?” Quentin asked as he sat on the couch at her direction. Razia remained standing, idling with her hands.

“She’s fine. She told me the bath made up for it” Razia smiled, despite the growing pit in her stomach. It wasn’t often she was nervous dealing with others. It wasn’t often she stirred up this much trouble in a short period of time. She reminded herself that fleeing the city was always an option. “I’m okay too. Mostly just embarrassed. And really sorry.”

Quentin raised an eyebrow. “Sorry for what? They were actively looking for you. If you’re going to stay there they were likely to find you eventually. Besides, those three? I’m not worried.” He really did look calm. Cheerful, even. “We’ll just need to check our surroundings when we’re coming or going. They can’t watch every exit all the time.”

It wasn’t what she was expecting, but Razia wasn’t about to complain. “True. Still, I led trouble right to your front door. And there might be more coming. Remember how I said there were two groups of people? The other one either works for Otho or Mr. Cicero.”

Quentin set his jaw. “I was hoping I wasn’t right about that. So you’ve pissed off three idiots, the manager of the Silk Lounge, and Mr. Cicero himself. Maybe. Anyone else you pissed off you want to tell me about?”

“You ever hear of Piro Pentius? Or Christophe the Warlord?”

“No to the first. The second…” He furrowed his brow, concentrating. “Yeah, I recall him. I was set to execute him six weeks ago. He escaped along with two others and…Wait. The night we met, the first man I executed. Horace.” Quentin’s eyes narrowed. “He was executed for freeing Christophe. Is that why you were there that night?”

Razia nodded. “I know it’s not, but it feels almost like it’s my fault he died. I know if it wasn’t him it would’ve been some other poor bastard Piro bribed or extorted. Still, I felt like I owed it to him to watch. And I was curious to see if Piro would be there to watch it happen. He wasn’t.”

Quentin rubbed at his eyes. “What did you do to piss Piro and Christophe off, then?”

“With Christophe, I’m the one who got him arrested and sentenced to death.” Razia spread her hands out with an apologetic smile. “I knew where they were going to be pulling off a job and I let the right people know to make sure it didn’t happen. It got Christophe, one of their lieutenants, and some grunt captured. That pissed them both off, but with Piro it’s worse. It’s not just that I stole something valuable from him, we were lovers. That always makes things more personal. But he had it coming.”

“Why,” Quentin asked, trying to remember, “because he yelled at you at a party?”

“No,” Razia said, voice heating up instantly, “he humiliated me. He went out of his way to hurt me as badly as possible in front of hundreds of people I worked hard to impress. And he did it because Christophe was pissy at me for intruding in on their comfortable partnership and hounded him about it. Because I was proving to be useful and Piro was starting to listen to me.”

“So what you’re saying,” Quentin said, voice turning chilly, “is that you were lovers with one of the worst gang leaders in the city. And that you were helping him. Which would make you a criminal. What the fuck made you think living with the city executioner was a good idea?”

“Because that’s not who I am anymore!” Razia didn’t realize she’d raised her voice until Quentin stood up, almost as if warning her. She focused on her breathing and cooling down. “I know how that sounds, but...When I first came to this city, I went on a bit of a tear. I was free from my father for the first time and I had a wild time. I did some things I’m not proud of as I just...tried to have fun and meet new people.

“Screwing over Piro and Christophe was one of the dumbest things I’ve done. After I did it, I made it look like I skipped town but headed up here instead. Mr. Cicero agreed to give me some protection in exchange for a gift I gave him.”

“Let’s say I believe you,” said Quentin. “Then what do you want? You asked me that last night. But if you don’t want to be the right hand for the leader of the Warlords, what do you want? What do you plan on doing if I let you stay here?”

Razia shrugged and let herself fall down to the couch. “Honestly? I don’t know. I’m making it up as I go. I just want to have fun with friends and meet interesting people. I want to be comfortable, but not bored. I don’t really have any plans other than working hard and helping Samantha and some of the other girls out. And you, of course”

“And me.” Quentin frowned. He paced in front of the couch. Razia let him take his time and find his words peacefully, wringing her hands together. “I’m not worried about the danger,” he finally said after at least a full minute had passed. He didn’t stop pacing. “I’m used to danger. It’s the surprise that bothers me. I like knowing what to expect, and I don’t like feeling used.”

Razia sighed. “I get that. For what it’s worth, I don’t plan on doing it again.” Not that she planned most of her disasters. It was always someone pushing her or someone else they shouldn’t have pushed. “I like it here. In Orchrisus, this part of town, your house. At least your bath. Whew,” she made an appreciative noise. It earned her a half smile. “I like Samantha and you. You want to know what I want? I want to show you a good time and help her out of a sticky situation she’s in. From there? Who knows.”

It was the truth, more or less. There were always plans and schemes in the back of her mind, but most of them were idle thoughts. Nothing she was currently taking seriously. Those didn’t count, right? Quentin stopped pacing and rubbed his chin. “Well...Even if I were to toss you out, they’d still think you were here. And kicking you out would make my efforts today a waste.”

“Your efforts?”

A smile spread on Quentin’s face. He motioned for her to follow him and went around the pool to the room she’d chose. Quentin opened the door and motioned inside. Razia stepped through the door and was presented with a pleasant surprise. There was a bed in there now, of decent size and make. There was also a desk and chair, and a mirror on the desk. “Did you get all of these for me? When? How?”

Quentin looked pleased with himself. “I should’ve had a spare room aet up ages ago. You gave me an excuse to actually do it. I may not want much, but I can afford whatever I do want. I had them delivered while you were out. If you’re going to stay here, I’ll not have you sleeping on my couch or the floor for your duration. So welcome home, I guess.”

Razia, for once, couldn’t think of anything to say.

End of Part 2: The Damsel of Distress