“Monsieur Laurent,” I called. Speaking in French, I said, “I believe I have done everything you asked of me. Can I have your assurances that my private business will stay private? Will you recall your dhampir in Washington?”
He turned back toward me. “Ah, Mademoiselle McLane. As far as those here in Westport, yes, I give you my word that your secrets are safe with me. Neither your friends nor the Columbia Club, nor anyone else, will ever hear of your past due to my efforts.”
I immediately sensed something was wrong.
“Unfortunately,” he continued, “communication with Stephanie, my thrall in Washington, seems to have ceased. Her cell phone goes straight to voice mail. Either it is turned off, needs charging, or is broken. But that isn’t the whole of the problem. She has my number, and as you have seen, I do answer my phone. But she hasn’t attempted to call me. I have to assume that either she is dead, or captive, or perhaps she was separated from me for too long and has acquired Mademoiselle Gallagher’s taste for freedom.”
“How long since you last talked to her?”
“Oh, it’s been two, two-and-a-half weeks.”
“So when I met with you the other night, you knew you couldn’t keep your end of the bargain.”
“Not so. If I manage to restore our communications, I will tell her directly that Monsieur Heine should not be told about you under any circumstances. I am sorry I cannot give you any more assurances. Good night, Mademoiselle.”
He turned and strode off toward the silo for his confrontation with Barclay. I was tempted to kill him on the spot, but that wouldn’t solve anything. Sam’s voice echoed in my head, Never trust a vampire.
Whirling around, I followed Michaela and her sisters.
As I passed the male dhampir, he spoke in a low voice. “There is another possibility you should be aware of. Stephanie was assigned to seduce Rudolf Heine. If he has subverted her in some way, he may already know you are here.”
I gave him a single nod, having already considered that. Laurent might be eight hundred years old, but in a game of cat-and-mouse played in the shadows, I would put my money on Master Rudolf. The Illuminati should never be underestimated.
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Books by BR Kingsolver
Rosie O’Grady’s Paranormal Bar and Grill
Shadow Hunter
Night Stalker
The Dark Streets Series
Gods and Demons
Dragon’s Egg
Witches’ Brew
The Chameleon Assassin Series
Chameleon Assassin
Chameleon Uncovered
Chameleon’s Challenge
Chameleon’s Death Dance
Diamonds and Blood
The Telepathic Clans Saga
The Succubus Gift
Succubus Unleashed
Broken Dolls
Succubus Rising
Succubus Ascendant
Other books
I’ll Sing for my Dinner
Trust
Short Stories in Anthologies
Here, Kitty Kitty
Bellator
BRKingsolver.com
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Night Stalker (Rosie O'Grady's Paranormal Bar and Grill Book 2) Page 23