by Dannika Dark
“Money?”
Niko shook his head, his back ramrod straight. “He’s trying to find a way to get to me.”
“Why go through Patrick? That’s so random.”
“I have no idea,” he admitted, but Niko’s answer seemed disingenuous.
“I caught him talking to a Gravewalker at Patrick’s house.”
Niko drew in a sharp intake of breath. His neck turned red above the crewneck collar of his long-sleeve shirt, and he teetered before widening his stance. “Are you certain that’s what you saw?”
“Yep. He had a secret chat with the lady, but I was out of earshot. They slinked off to another room, and I got the hell out of there.”
“You made a wise decision. Cyrus is not a man to trifle with, and if he knew you’d witnessed something you weren’t supposed to, he wouldn’t have stopped hunting you until your head was away from your neck.”
“Do you think he’s conspiring against Patrick? I was thinking how easy it is for servants and guards to overhear things they’re not supposed to. The only thing I can’t figure out is why he’d involve a Gravewalker.”
“I would caution you against sharing this information with anyone.”
“Too late. I already gave Patrick a heads-up. If Cyrus is after you, he might be taking advantage of Patrick’s trust and using his power. He knows Patrick and Viktor are friends. Better that we warn him now before Cyrus starts planting ideas in his head.”
Niko turned sharply when the boy stomped his feet on the floor. “Are you jumping on the furniture?”
Niko had apparently assumed what I could see with my own eyes—that the kid was repeatedly climbing onto the chair and jumping off.
I rocked on my heels. “You want me to find Kira on my way out?”
“No need. He’s a spirited child but no trouble.”
“Well, he’s in the right hands if he gets hurt. By the way, how’s Gem doing today?”
Niko crossed one arm over his chest and rubbed his shoulder. “She’s still recovering from the loss.”
“I just hope someone’s taking food to her room even if she’s not hungry.”
I wondered if people were casting judgment because I hadn’t gone knocking on Gem’s door to offer consolation. I’d probably make her feel worse by saying the wrong thing. My father hadn’t raised me to be sensitive, let alone cognizant about how I spoke to people, so I’d always had a difficult time bonding with other women on an emotional level.
“Are you going back to the church?” I asked.
“Viktor wants me to stay here and help him make calls. We haven’t had trouble with our cell phones like some people, so he’s trying to stay in touch with everyone involved.”
“I better go talk to him.”
I turned on my heel and headed through the short hallway that led to the grand foyer. Viktor had a study on the other side of the stairs, one he used for private meetings and phone calls. Viktor had lots of studies within the mansion, and each one had a different purpose for his business affairs.
I rapped my knuckles on the door. “It’s Raven. Can I come in?” When no one answered, I pressed my ear to the door and heard low talking. “Viktor?”
The second time I knocked, he opened the door. I stumbled inside, my cheeks heating as I shut the door behind me.
Viktor had the phone to his ear and held up one finger to signal he would be with me in a minute. “That is correct,” he said. “Their church is insufficiently guarded. We can spare two Regulators.”
I moseyed over to the small table on the right and flipped the chair around to straddle it.
“I could really use a drink,” I murmured, dreading the conversation we were about to have regarding my trip to see the Overlord. Merry had already reached out to him, but I was fairly certain that Viktor assumed the Regulators came back on their own. Everything had worked out fine, and even though Viktor liked us to think and work independently, I worried that he would take issue with my going over his head.
Viktor glanced at me. “Da, that was Raven.”
I furrowed my brow. “Who’s asking?”
Ignoring me, he turned away and grumbled. “Then let them decide who to send to the other church. I cannot spare my time with such frivolous details, Christian.”
I tapped my hand on the table to get Viktor’s attention. “Is the church a Mage location?”
Viktor shook his head.
“Tell him to send Merry and Weather.”
Viktor continued listening to Christian, and it made me wish I had Vampire ears. “No, I have no need of her. She can return… What detours?”
When Viktor slanted his eyes toward me, I knew Christian was filling him in on how I’d spent my free time with the Overlord. He’d probably assumed I’d told Viktor all about it by now.
“See you soon.” Viktor hung up the phone and slipped it into the pocket of his chinos. One of his shoelaces on his leather shoes had come untied, but he either didn’t know or didn’t care. After taking a seat across from me, he moved the candle between us and used it to light a second.
“Is our assignment done?” I asked. “Is that why Christian’s coming home?”
“Nyet. Shepherd sent him a message that he’s on his way to take over watching the church. Christian deserves a break.”
“Vamps don’t need breaks, remember?”
“He may not need sleep, but a man needs to rest his mind.” Viktor stroked his silver beard, and his eyes crinkled at the corners. “I heard you went to see the Overlord.”
I rested my chin on the back of the chair I was straddling. “That’s why I came in here to talk to you. I should have asked permission, but I was afraid—”
“I would say no. Did we not have a discussion about doing things behind my back?”
“We also had a discussion about how you trusted us to make our own decisions.”
He folded his arms. “Are you trying to twist my words against me, little one? Do you understand the repercussions if you had insulted him?”
“I’m just pointing out that either we do as you command, or we have freedom of choice. I used common sense, and I wouldn’t have done anything that would jeopardize whatever relationship you have with him. The worst he could say was no, but it wasn’t as if speaking to him would be the downfall of Keystone.”
Viktor chuckled, his eyes lit with a mixture of amusement and terror. “Sometimes you do things that make me want to take up smoking. But… you were able to get the Regulators back.”
“You’re not mad it might make us look incompetent?”
He wagged his finger at me. “Protecting our leadership is more important than protecting my ego.”
I scratched the waxy candle with my fingernail. “How long are they going to keep them underground? I couldn’t have predicted there would be so much resistance from officials, so it worked out for the best.”
Viktor scratched his cheek. “The murders complicate things. Perhaps it’s in their best interest to stay where they are.”
“Speaking of which”—I pushed up my sleeves—“I think Regulators might be responsible.”
Viktor blanched. “And why do you say that?”
“All the victims were beheaded with a long blade. Walter, Elaine’s lover, let someone he either trusted or knew into the apartment. Someone carrying a weapon. And the latest victim invited a man who was also armed back to her home. There was no sign of a break-in, and someone erased all the imprints left behind in her car. It looks like they came directly from Patrick’s party. When the power comes back, I want Wyatt to look at surveillance video along her route home. She would have passed through the human district, so we might catch something.”
Viktor didn’t like that revelation at all. He looked as if he were trying to rub the lines out of his forehead as he stared down at the grooves in the table.
“I might be wrong, but it just makes sense,” I continued. “I know it’s not our case, but after going to one of the crime scenes earlier with the t
wo lead investigators, I got a weird feeling. He’s never given me bad vibes until that conversation.” I drummed my fingers on the table.
“Why would Regulators target the higher authority? Their loyalty runs deep. They have sworn an oath to protect them.”
“An official gave me a list of names.” I retrieved the paper from my pocket and set it in front of him. “Don’t worry. I had a good reason to be talking to him. He was bonded with one of the victims. He mentioned his wife was vocal about supporting human rights. On a hunch, I told him to write down everyone who shared the same unwavering view. I don’t have a list of all the previous victims, but the ones I know about are on that paper. Do you see any more?”
Viktor ran his finger down the paper, mumbling to himself. “All the victims are on this list.”
I sat up straight. “Two on there are Vampires. I recognized their names, thanks to all those swanky parties you take us to.”
Still holding a frown, Viktor stood up and crossed the room. When he returned, he had a pencil in hand. I watched him studiously place a mark next to certain names on the list until he reached the bottom.
He turned the paper toward me. “Every name I marked is a Mage.”
My eyebrows arched. “That’s a lot of officials.”
“That list does not contain the name of every Mage on the panel.”
“That’s what Henry said. He told me he was only writing down those who led some of the debates, because everyone else could be a swing vote.”
“Those swing votes are typically those who have been with the higher authority longer. You would think it to be the opposite, but they have been around long enough to know the game. The newer ones have stronger opinions.”
“Because of the selection process the Mageri has?”
Viktor squinted and looked at me like an equation. “How do you know this?”
“I pay attention when people are talking.”
“Ask yourself what gain a Regulator has in committing these acts. There is a motive behind every crime.”
I held up my hands. “I don’t know enough about politics to come up with motive. It seems pointless to get rid of the people who support human rights if the next batch of replacements will share the same views. So you’ve made no progress. Maybe I’ve got an overactive imagination and this is nothing more than someone targeting every Mage on the panel so they can fill those seats with Vamps or Chitahs.”
“They’ll be replaced by another Mage,” he said. “Most likely.”
“Most likely?”
“If too many die, the Mageri might not have enough qualified candidates.”
I rubbed my eyes. “I’m starting to think you should just give me the dogcatcher assignments. This is too much conspiracy.”
“The murder case is not ours to solve. They only wanted us to identify the body and give our unbiased opinion.”
I leaned in. “Why is that? Why would the lead person on this investigation hire an outside party when they’ve got two Regulators working the case? Do you think your contact suspects them and that’s why he really called us in?”
Viktor steepled his fingers. “If you are right, that means we’ve given the murderer a key to the castle.”
“I don’t think the killer will try anything with all the other Regulators around. Everyone in the basement can hear and see one another, so there would be too many witnesses. If all the Regulators were behind it, the officials would be dead by now. You know the names I mentioned earlier when you were on the phone with Christian? They’re my top suspects, which is why I suggested they be the ones who transfer to the other church. Better safe than sorry.”
“A great investigator examines every piece of evidence before making accusations. You must never have doubt. It is so easy to be led down the wrong path by our own, uh… blinders? I am too tired to remember the right word.” He leaned back in his chair and stretched, his biceps visible below his shirt. While older, Viktor kept fit. Sometimes I saw him jogging outside. “If only the outage would end.”
I stood up and rested one knee on the chair, my hands gripping the back. “You should get some sleep.”
“There is no such luxury for me.”
“Want me to put a kettle on and make you some instant coffee?”
His lips set in a grim line. “I miss my espresso. Whoever is responsible for this blackout should be locked up ten years for each day I go without coffee.”
A smile touched my lips. I rubbed my neck, amused by how even Viktor couldn’t live without the amenities of electricity. “Why would anyone intentionally knock out the power in winter? It’s too damn cold.”
“Whoever did this had no clear purpose, or they would have galvanized people into action. They probably wanted to create a little chaos.”
My gaze darted off as the word resonated.
Chaos.
This was exactly like something Houdini would orchestrate. No real reason behind it other than to watch what happened. Like at Club Nine when he had me switching out the lights to each room. He could have charmed people to do his bidding in order to pull this off. After all, he was part of an underground network, not to mention he lived in the Bricks with all the crazy people.
“I gotta go,” I said tersely.
After abruptly bouncing out the door, I hurried upstairs as fast as my feet would carry me. Out of breath, I made it to the third floor and sprinted down the hall before bursting into my bedroom. The sun had just gone down, but there was enough ambient light for me to see with my Vampire eyes. I grabbed the silver cube off my desk and turned it in my hand.
The devil lies within.
Those were the words Gem translated from the enigmatic symbols etched into the metal. I’d spent so many nights staring at the key inside, wondering what it opened. Whatever it led to would expose Houdini and end him—that much he believed, whether it was true or not.
I turned it in my hand. There was no way to be certain if Houdini was behind this blackout, but it felt like him. It felt exactly like him. No one could seem to make sense of it, let alone fix the problem. No organized groups had claimed responsibility before wreaking havoc. It couldn’t have come at a crazier time—right in the middle of a murder spree.
The streets were getting more dangerous by the hour, and I worried for my father’s safety. He lived on the outskirts of town, and because of all the land, there might be packs or rogues looking for trouble. The sooner this blackout ended, the sooner the higher authority could get back to business.
And I held the key.
Chapter 21
Grand Funk Railroad played “Some Kind of Wonderful” on the radio while I sang along, my window halfway down, my hands slapping the steering wheel to the beat of the song. I hadn’t touched the dial since getting Crush’s truck back. Some local radio stations were probably down, anyhow.
With absolutely no clue on how to locate Houdini, I drove straight to the one place I knew he might be—the Bricks. I had an inkling he might be keeping tabs on me. After all, he’d been following me for years, and in retrospect, none of the encounters seemed random. Perhaps I was his greatest experiment of all.
The streets were drenched in darkness with only a slice of moonlight to guide the way. I’d never seen the Bricks so desolate. Either everyone was protecting their property, or they were stirring up trouble elsewhere in the city.
The truck jolted when a man jumped into the back, so I hit the gas, attempting to knock him off-balance. He was two seconds from busting through the back window when three loud pops sounded. The man pirouetted right out of the truck and onto the street.
I slammed on the brakes and searched every corner, every car, and every window for the gunman, but it was too dark for me to see beyond the shadows of my headlights. The engine rumbled like a waking lion. Seemed as if the shooter would have shot me too, but I had a feeling it wasn’t a random act of heroism.
“I want to make a deal,” I said. “Meet me at Arrowhead.” When I reached for the sil
ver puzzle box beside me, I held it up and then drove to Arrowhead Bridge.
Knowing Houdini would never follow right behind me, I took a longer route to give him a chance to jump ahead. By the time I reached the river, “Wherever I May Roam” was playing on the radio. I drove across the two-lane suspension bridge and turned off the truck when I reached the center. It must have been a spectacular view on any other night when there were lights twinkling along the shore, but tonight, only the moon iced the waters below. I zipped up my jacket and hopped out, leaving the door ajar.
The wind blew relentlessly on the empty bridge, so I walked to the right side, where it would be against my back. My black hair rippled in front of my face before settling on my shoulders. Leaning against the railing, I turned the silver puzzle box in my hands.
I glanced left and right—no sign of headlights or anyone walking toward me.
What the hell am I doing here?
I felt like an idiot. This guy probably had better things to do than stalk his youngling. He was in all likelihood taking advantage of the outage by finding more young women to sell on the black market. I had no way to reach him—no address, no phone number, not even a full name. Houdini was an alias, and in many ways, Houdini was a ghost.
Untraceable.
Untouchable.
And most of all, unpredictable.
“You better be out there,” I said. “I need to cut a deal with you.” The wind battered my back for a moment before easing up. When it was quiet enough, I continued. “I’ve got your key, but I need you to turn the lights back on. You’ve had your fun. You told me you don’t do these things maliciously, but now you see what it’s doing to this city. People are dying, and that blood is on your hands if you let it continue. The higher authority is in peril, so why don’t you flip on the lights and see what happens next?”
The cables on the bridge creaked. I looked around but saw no movement in the darkness.
“This is what you wanted.” I pulled back my arm and then pitched the box into the air. It hurtled forward, moonlight glinting off the steel as the wind carried it farther than I could see. I listened for the sound of it hitting the water, where it would sink to its forever home.