━━ CHAPTER FIVE / touch

The concealer only just managed to cover up Ronny's bruised cheeks as she stared into the vanity mirror. She had been in Brazil for three days, stalking and schmoozing with black market mobsters. One of the couples she had encountered were a rather lovely pair of Australians who - she had quickly discovered - were responsible for the deaths of thousands of Elephants in Africa. During the snap, Ronny had seen how the population of those once endangered species shot up but because of people like those two, it was all changing again. Humanity was a plague but Ronny's business was not with the Australians.

She was instead concerned with a particular item that seemed to be on auction. An artefact that - Thoth said - was somehow linked to Ammit and the location of her tomb. Whether it was true was another question but Thoth and Ronny were doing everything to keep Ammit in her tomb and Harrow from continuing with his mission for mass murder.

Which is why she was getting ready for the auction night and attempting to look as presentable as possible. Earlier that day, she had bought a ridiculously expensive designer dress. It was made of navy blue silk with a deep v-neck, showing off her cleavage. It was gorgeous, maybe not practical to fight in but she had no intention of doing that tonight.

Silver heels were paired with the dress and Ronny was praying that she didn't run into any problems at the dinner. The items sold at auction wouldn't be shipped to their owners until midday the next day so she wanted to spend the evening finding out who had actually bought the item and enjoying a superficial evening with millions spent on catering and alcohol alone.

She was applying lipstick when there was a knock on her hotel door. She looked at herself in the mirror, seemingly questioning her reflection before she walked over. She opened the door and Marc stood on the other side.

"Is there a problem?" Ronny intentionally switched to speaking Spanish just to annoy him but Marc recognised that voice anywhere. He didn't look pleased and she smiled before stepping back from the door, allowing him in, "Why are you here, Marc?" She asked, switching back to English and stepping back over to the vanity and sitting down. She twisted the lipstick tub and put the cap on, looking at him through the mirror.

"Why are you here?" He countered. She rolled her eyes but decided it was easier to answer. They were never ones to approach each other before an event, mostly because they never knew if they'd run into each other or not. His behaviour was odd.

"Open my laptop," She gestured towards the bedside table where her laptop rested precariously. He crossed over and sat on the edge of her bed, opening the lid. A picture of the stone tablet artefact appeared on screen. Ronny had read the hieroglyphs. It didn't say anything about Ammit but she stuck to her mission, "Harrow is after it. That's what Thoth told me. Why are you here?" She repeated her question. Marc placed the laptop on the side.

"The same as you." Ronny scoffed, of course. Thoth suddenly appeared in the room, sat on the armchair nestled in the corner. His staff rested against the edge of the armchair.

"Then maybe we should do our jobs and not fight each other. I have a collector who is willing to pay a lot of money if we retrieve that artefact. I could split it between us," Ronny suggested as she turned away from the mirror to face him fully. He stared at her before he glanced to the opposite corner of the room. Khonshu must be here.

"I can't trust you."

"I can't trust you either, Marc. Looks like we're going to have to work with it." Marc contemplated before he nodded his head. He glanced her outfit up and down before he walked over to the door. He hesitated and turned around before leaving.

"Do you plan on fighting in that?" He asked. Ronny stood up and grabbed her laptop from the bed, closing a few tabs.

"No. We'll get the artefact tomorrow before it's shipped out. I have all the details." Ronny then turned the laptop around, an email of shipping dates and times for each artefact filling the screen. Even black market criminals used terrible passwords, it was easy enough to find everything she wanted.

"Why are you dressed up?" Clearly, he was clueless.

"Because it's nice to go to lavish events and hear secrets. It makes tipping off the authorities a lot easier." Ronny dropped her laptop onto the bed and then grabbed her clutch on the way to the door. She slipped her phone inside the bag and leant over him to open the door, "Letting the justice system follow its course is a lot nicer than killing them."

Marc left quickly without another word and Ronny went to the bar of the hotel, hoping to schmooze and hear a few things before the auction dinner started.

The auction still hadn't started yet but each table had been served a three-course meal while the guests wined and dined and discussed. Ronny had ensured that she sat next to Marc, partly to keep an eye on him to make sure he didn't break their tenuous agreement but mostly to tease him. She hated how much she enjoyed teasing him but it was a game. She wanted to see how far she could take it now that they were on somewhat positive terms.

He had been silent for most of the meal but that was mainly because Ronny had talked over him at every opportunity. There were five of them at the table, two were from Czechia and the third was from Canada. The two from Czechia were a questionable couple with a questionable taste in artefacts based on the conversations that had been had and the artefacts they had circled in the brochure. The Canadian had a sugar-y sweet personality but there was venom below the surface.

Ronny knew men like him. They lied and cheated and acted like they were anything other than what they truly were. Ronny hated men like him. Marc was nothing like him. He was a brooding guilt-ridden mercenary but at least he showed it.

Well, except when he was undercover, whenever Ronny allowed him to speak he was charming and funny. Even Ronny found herself laughing at his quips. He stuck to his Chicago accent and Ronny adjusted hers to fit with his. It made it look like they were a couple but nobody dared ask. Nobody wanted it to be awkward but Ronny flirted with him far too much for them to be anything less than in love. It was an amusing passing thought for everyone at the table.

The auction was meant to start in ten minutes and the Czech couple had gone up to the bar to order drinks and the Canadian was talking to a friend a few tables over which left the pair completely alone, exactly how she wanted it to be.

"Do you think they know you really hate me?" Ronny asked, slipping right back into her New York accent. Only a small change but Marc noticed. He always noticed. Ronny glanced over at the Canadian and he was looking at them now. He smiled at them and she waved. Ronny sent him a courteous smile back before she turned back to Marc and shuffled her chair closer to his. He had a streak of icing on his face from the chocolate cake desert but she didn't bother telling him. Nobody else had and she wanted to wait, see if he'd notice on his own.

"I think they know how much of a pain in the ass you are," He responded, meeting her gaze. Ronny smirked, their faces only a few inches apart. She moved so her lips were by his ear.

"You love it," She whispered softly and then there was a knife pressed against her throat. Due to the angle, their bodies hid the knife from sight and no suspicion was raised. Marc was at least smart enough to think about that before he did anything stupid.

The cool blade pressed against Ronny's Adam's apple. If she was nicked there, it wouldn't do any real damage. It would bleed but not excessively, "You're being careful. Should I be flattered?," She teased. Her eyes flicked to the Canadian but he was engrossed in conversation again. They weren't being observed which was good. This could get nasty quickly. Their tenuous agreement fraying at the seams in seconds.

"You need to stop, you're making them suspicious." Ronny rolled her eyes. He couldn't see her annoyance, their faces hidden from each other for the moment. She wanted to see what he looked like nevertheless. If he was annoyed and frustrated or murderous. A sliced throat would be an interesting way to die. Hard to explain to her family though. None of them knew what her real job was.

"You're the one making them suspicious by pressing a knife to my throat." Her hand moved to rest against his thigh and she pulled her head back so she could look at him. The knife followed her throat but wasn't pressed as intently this time.

Ronny glanced around the room, not daring to move her head. Still nobody was paying attention to them. They were still safe. So, she decided to take the teasing a little further and let her hand slide up to his hip and slowly up his torso. Tracing her way up his perfectly ironed white button-up. But before she could get to his chest, his free hand darted and pushed her hand away but kept a hold. His touch was electric and warm - so warm. He was a human furnace and it was oddly comforting despite the knife in his other hand. A smirk appeared on her lips and within a second, he let go. She chuckled and met his gaze again.

"I know you don't like to admit it but you like me. A knife against my throat here won't do a thing even if you cut me," Her words were picked carefully as she took a hold of his hand holding the knife. She moved the blade to be pressed against her artery and met his gaze again. He was conflicted and deadly silent, "Here, however, I would be dead in seconds with just a bit of pressure." Her fingers brushed across the back of his hand before they dropped into her lap.

And then she noticed the icing again and her mind screamed at her to just lean forward and lick it. So, she did. Her tongue licked the icing off his cheek, leaving a wet patch behind. The knife had briefly dug into her skin but not deep enough to cut.

And then Marc's hand fell slack and the knife clattered to the ground between their chairs. Ronny leant back, that same playful look on her face that rarely left in his presence. Marc was stunned, unsure how to even react to something like that.

"I should have got the chocolate cake. That icing was delicious." Ronny grabbed the napkin from the table and leant forward to brush her saliva off his cheek. He gripped her wrist and pushed her hand away before she had the chance. She pouted.

"Don't touch me." His words were stern but didn't hold the same authority they usually did. She had rendered Marc Spector speechless even for just a few seconds and it was glorious. He let go of her wrists and she went for the knife but Marc pushed her back into her seat. Her fingers hadn't even touched the blade.

"Don't touch that," He snapped. Ronny rolled her eyes and he grabbed the knife from the floor. He placed it on the table beside his plate. Ronny leant forward and moved her hand to his jaw, tilting his head to look at her.

"I wish you were that possessive over me." Their faces were centimetres apart. She could feel his breath on her skin and could see that he was trying, deciding what to do. How to respond to this. And he pulled back, his hand shoved against her chest, forcing her into the chair again. She huffed out in annoyance.

"I could still steal that artefact before you had a chance to get near it." Ronny's head snapped to him and she narrowed her eyes.

"And miss out on a half a million pay-out? You'd be stupid." Marc's eyes widened only slightly at the figure. She had never specified but now he knew exactly what was on the line. He turned his head away before standing up, "I'm going to the bar." Ronny watched him walk away, a frown spreading across her lips against her will. His rejection shouldn't have bothered her and yet, it did.

-

NOTE; so... marc's back :) and i'm a simp for both of these two and it's great, i hope you enjoyed!!