Slipping The Grid Ch. 02

"You need to work on your left."

Lexa stopped. She'd discarded the sweatshirt and the baggy pants and was training in her singlet top and leggings. She put her hands on her hips and nodded.

"I'm not a boxer..." She didn't finish her sentence. Her left was bad. She promised herself she would condition it, but being a natural right hander, she always forgot. "Are you finished?"

"Yes."

She nodded once again and pulled her pants and sweatshirt back on. "Thanks."

"I'm here Tuesday and Thursday nights. The other times are rostered. If for some reason I'm not here, I'll leave some sort of indicator."

Rather than give her a lecture about how she probably shouldn't be coming to the gym, he was helping her. She knew she shouldn't have really come, but being at the apartment was like being a rat in a cage. At least here Tanner could feel a little like himself. They probably weren't all psychopaths, but some of them would be fighters.

"If you're going to train, eat more."

Lexa rolled her eyes under her hood and sighed silently. Him too? She bit her tongue to stop a retort from slipping out and simply nodded in agreement.

She left without saying goodbye, the sound of the doors closing echoing behind her.

* * *

Malleira Islingden rolled her eyes, turned her head to offhandedly disguise a yawn and then shifted in her seat. Nothing had changed. She looked around at the council members before her, lazing about in various scenes of debauched pleasure. Belly dancers moved in time to their own zils, with only a few members mesermerised by their hips. She looked across at Charles and hid a smile, knowing he found these necessary meetings just as boring, apart from the half an hour or so that mattered. Still, there'd be enough pretty pictures for them to enjoy afterwards.

A man entered the hall and walked past the other members, seemingly oblivious to the action around him.

"Son." Malleira smiled.

"Mother." The tall man reached the side of her chair and kissed her proffered hand.

"Well?"

"We haven't found him yet."

She curled her hand into a fist, her eyes narrowing, but then Malleira relaxed and smiled. "I assume son, you didn't just return to tell me that you haven't found him?"

"Of course not mother. We have leads, I've only returned for reinforcements."

Malleira nodded. "Of course son. Take or get what you need."

"Yes mother. Father." he nodded to Charles and then left the room.

Malleira leaned forward, resting her cheek on her knuckles and wondered how they'd react if she just shot one of the councillors in the head.

* * *

Lexa dropped down from the fire escape and jumped the fence. As she landed, someone grabbed her from behind. Instinctively started to drop down using her weight, but saw a shiny flash before freezing. The adrenalin kicked as she battled with herself to stop herself from fighting. Had she been that careless?

She was spun around and pushed against the brick wall of the building, blinking as she recognised the gleam of icy eyes in the darkness.

"Tan.." He quickly put his hand against her mouth and shook his head.

Lexa stopped and was suddenly aware of his body pressed into her, feeling the heat of his hard, lean form. She was almost surprised, always equating Tanner to have cold blue blood running through his veins. She looked down and then up at him. Tanner held her eyes. There was an imperceptible flicker and then he slowly moved back, signalling her to follow him. He leapt the fence and continued up he street with Lexa behind him.

The neighbourhood deteriorated slowly, as they passed more dilapidated housing. Slum housing. Lexa hadn't been this far in her scouting of the area. Her job made it difficult to do recon work, although she probably should have been doing it instead of going to gym. She pursed her lips and continued to follow Tanner until they reached a park.

He nodded. "It's okay here." His voice was still low.

"What's going on Tanner? You shouldn't really know where I am." Lexa's voice was tinged in annoyance.

"Like you shouldn't really know where the gym is?"

Lexa pursed her lips again and sighed. "That was a coincidence, and Max..."

"I know."

Lexa was annoyed at herself, how could she have been so careless.

"Don't think of moving."

She wanted to slap her forehead. How the hell could he know that?

"I would do the same thing."

Lexa shook her head. This was too strange. Here she was, in a park having a conversation with Tanner. Tanner did not have conversations.

He stepped towards her. "You were tired that night. That's all. I came tonight because I'm not working and I wasn't able leave an indicator. There are people working back late at the gym." His warm breath rolled over her cheeks.

She looked around.

"The park is fine. No one comes here at night. Too afraid. No people passing through, so no reason for anyone to hang about."

Lexa looked back to him to find he hadn't moved, watching her instead. Still, she felt naked. Tanner had his knives, she had nothing. Everything was back at Nony.

Lexa looked him in the eye. "Next time, find a better way instead of knifing me." she hissed.

Tanner actually looked amused. She couldn't believe it as he leaned in closer.

"Knifing you? Why would I do that?"

"Why wouldn't you?" It was juvenile but it slipped out before Lexa could stop herself.

"Is that what you think? That I just slice everything that comes my way?"

Lexa had to stop herself from shivering at the way he emphasised slice, as if he was curling his tongue around it. Her body responded, tightening in a cocoon of goosebumps, she almost gasped at the way her nipples hardened.

His voice was barely a whisper against her lips. "Only if you ask."

She swallowed tightly, and like that he straightened, his iciness returning.