Fic: A Little Evil Comes A Long Way (Kahlan/Cara) 9/33
Title: A Little Evil Comes A Long Way
Author: raug_moss
Pairings: Kahlan/Cara
Rating: NC-17
A/N: modern AU
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8
Chapter 9
There’s a man sitting in an oversized black leather chair when she steps past the curtains and into the secluded area of the club. His black hair is slicked back and he idly strokes his goatee with his fingertips.
“Please have a seat.” He offers and gestures to a couch on the other side of the little table that separates them.
Kahlan sends one last glance at the guy who’s brought her here and slowly lowers herself onto the small couch.
The man in the leather chair is wearing a business suit, an expensive looking one at that, and he is clearly more than just a henchman. He’s got others to do the dirty work for him and Kahlan’s sure that there’s plenty of that to be done.
“So, Miss Amnell what brings you here tonight? I don’t suppose you have the money your cousin owes me with you.”
Kahlan silently clenches her jaw. He’s obviously done his homework and knows more about her than she does about him. But there isn’t much to find out anyway, her records have been cleaned thoroughly.
“Dahlia doesn’t have the money right now.” She answers, her voice as smooth as if she was merely exchanging pleasantries.
“Then this meeting is rather pointless, don’t you think?”
The man smiles and reveals teeth that are a little too white. She returns the smile and can barely make it look like she isn’t baring her teeth at him.
“Then straight to the point. I’m here to find out whether there is anything else you could be interested in? To pay her debts I mean.”
The man snorts as he eyes Kahlan up and down. “I don’t want to fuck you.”
Of course that isn’t what she’d offered, but curiosity gets the better of her.
“Why not?”
“Because you look like you’d be capable of taking me out without breaking a sweat.”
That actually makes Kahlan smile. “I’ll take that as a compliment. But that’s not what I’m offering.”
“Fine, but I don’t see what else you have that could be of interest for me. Why would I want to help you anyway? What’s in it for me?”
Kahlan opens her mouth to say something very enlightening but is rudely interrupted.
“You know what? There is something you could do.” The man narrows his eyes and stares at her as if seeing her for the first time.
“Is there?” She raises an eyebrow and leans back.
“Yes. It may sound simple but it’s a very delicate matter. I want you to go to a dinner party.”
That isn’t what Kahlan expected at all, but she’s game either way. It sounds simple enough. “Me? Why not Dahlia? She’s the one who owes you money, I’m sure she would’ve agreed to go to a dinner party to pay off her debts.”
“I didn’t ask her because she doesn’t look the part. You’ll accompany me and at the party you’ll help me with a little project. That should be a good start for you and her to get rid of that debt.”
“For all you know I could be trying to pull a fast one on you.” Kahlan counters, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
“Naw. You don’t seem like a person who would forsake her own cousin merely for cash or anything of the like.” The man grins, obviously pretty sure of himself. “I don’t suppose you own a dress? Didn’t think so. I’ll send you the instructions. The dinner is tomorrow night. Be ready.”
He had simply talked without Kahlan getting a word in and the way he waves a hand at her clearly tells her that she’s been dismissed. She gets up from the couch a little irritated and walks back to the curtains before turning to him.
“What’s your name anyway?”
He looks up and his eyes seem almost black in the semi-darkness of the club. “Everybody just calls me Rahl. Enjoy your evening Miss Amnell, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She forces every retort back down her throat and walks out of the little private room. The music from the club reaches her ears as she’s lead back to the dance floor. Somehow she has a feeling of backlash when she realizes to what she’s just agreed. “What the hell just happened?”
She quickly leaves the club, not wanting to get into any more trouble than she already has. While she makes her way through the city in the back of yet another cab she can’t help but wonder what exactly Rahl expects from her. There’s really no sane reason why he would ask her to go to a dinner party. To what end? And what kind of dinner party?
She gets home and quickly fills Dahlia in about what had happened, right before her cousin has to leave for work.
“But what does he want with you at a dinner party?” Dahlia voices the single question that’s bouncing around in the brunette’s head.
“I have absolutely no idea.” Kahlan sighs.
Dahlia puts on her coat and slings a bag over her shoulder.
“We’ll go over this in the morning cousin. Don’t get yourself worked up. Bye.”
“Bye.” Kahlan calls after her cousin and drags herself over to her room. A shower is definitely in order and after watching a little mind-numbing television she’s more than ready to end the day.
The next morning however, comes sooner than she would’ve liked.
But this time it’s not music that is waking her, it’s the doorbell. It continues to ring and since Dahlia obviously isn’t going to make it stop Kahlan has to climb out of bed.
She coughs and carefully feels her neck with her fingertips as she gets up. It still hurts but the pain is bearable. She knows she’s going to be reminded of her little street fight a while longer.
With panties and baggy shirt she stumbles to the door, unlocks it and tears it open.
A pimple faced deliver boy stares at her. He has a large box in his hands and holds it out to her wordlessly. Kahlan rips it from his grasp and glares at him. He doesn’t even ask for a signature or anything of the like, and simply turns on his heels to flee from the woman with the piercing blue eyes.
Kahlan slams the door and throws the box onto the couch, returning to her room and her bed.
It’s about two hours later when Dahlia barges into her room, holding something dark in her hands. “Oh my god Kahlan, look at this dress! It’s gorgeous!”
The brunette pulls the covers over her head and tries to block out the sunlight as well as Dahlia’s voice. “G’way.”
“No, you have to look at it. It was in a box but I don’t know where it came from…”
“A boy brought it this morning,” Kahlan interrupts, still hiding.
“There was a card with your name on it,” Dahlia says, still fingering the dress.
“Really?”
“No, never mind, it was my name.”
Kahlan hears how the other woman leaves the room.
“Dahlia!”
Chapter 10