by M. J. Scott
Snotty yet accurate. That was annoying.
I gritted my teeth. “It’s hard to concentrate with you sitting there.”
“Dazzled by my beauty?”
I blinked. Was that a joke? What? We’d bonded now because I knew she was a jaguar?
Great. A big, black, cat as my new best girlfriend. Some people would take that as a sign of bad luck. Mostly I just wished I could chase her out of the room. “Sorry, you're not my type.”
“Then quit stalling and get to work. I have to watch you, Dan made it an order.”
Fabulous. Perhaps the black cat thing was bad luck. I certainly hadn’t been catching many breaks since the Taskforce had come back into my life.
Out of excuses, I reached out and hit the power button on my computer. It took its time warming up but eventually my familiar island beach wallpaper filled the screen.
For a moment I wished I could escape to an island and laze around sipping mai-tais but that wasn’t going to happen as long as Tate was on the loose. Which was going to be quite some time if I didn’t start looking for him again.
But first things first. I checked my email—lots of increasingly demanding messages from clients frustrated with my sudden absence—then went to open my Tate files. Only to come up with a big fat zero.
The folders had disappeared.
I swore softly under my breath.
“What’s wrong?” Esme asked, looking up from her PDA.
“Nothing.” I tilted the monitor toward me so she couldn’t see. I wasn’t ready to confess the disaster just yet. After all, everything on my computer was backed up daily. So there might not even be a disaster.
I heard Jase and Agent Stevens come through the front door. “Jase, get your butt in here,” I yelled.
He appeared in roughly a second. “What’s up?”
I motioned him round to my side of the desk and pointed to my screen. “Take a look.”
His eyes widened as he took in the blank space on my screen where the Tate files should be. “Oh crap. Don’t worry, I’ll check the backups.”
Esme reached out and straightened the monitor. “What’s going on?”
“Small computer glitch. Don’t worry, Jase will restore my files.”
“Um, no he won’t,” Jase said, coming back into the room. “The server’s bare too.”
My stomach plummeted, “Everything?”
“Only the Tate files. But to get those, they would’ve had access to everything. Assuming it’s not just a glitch.” The look on his face made it obvious he didn’t think it was.
“Someone’s hacked your system?” Esme said in a dangerously quiet voice. “How?”
My turn to bristle. This wasn’t my fault. I’d been busy turning into a werewolf. I hadn’t even been in my office for a week. “You tell me, your Taskforce geeks were meant to secure it.”
“Don’t touch anything,” she ordered, pulling out her cell phone. “I’ll get a team here.”
Wonderful. More feds swarming my office. Why couldn’t I just have a nice normal day chasing debits and credits?
An hour after Esme called in the nerd squad, we were still no wiser about what had happened to my data and then, to complete my wonderful day, Dan stormed in. Closely followed by Bug.
“Aunt Bug!” I sprinted into her arms. I hadn’t seen her since the hospital. I’d talked to her but the wolves hadn’t wanted her around for my change. “How are you?” I pulled back so I could take a good look. She looked good. Far less tired.
She fixed me with those eagle eyes. “I’m fine. You’re the one we should be talking about.”
“I’m okay,” I said, hugging her again just so I could breathe in her perfume and feel safe for a second. “What are you doing here?” I didn’t want to go into all the details of the last week with an audience of agents. Or Dan. Who stood just next to Bug, looking furious.
“What?” I said to him.
“Esme said your system’s been hacked,” he rumbled.
I nodded. “It’s not my fault.”
“I didn’t say it was. But you’re working at the Taskforce from now on.”
Looking at his face, I knew there’d be no point arguing. He looked ready to bite someone’s head off. And for a werewolf, that might just be literally. I liked my head where it was. Plus he smelled mad. All kind of electric and smoky. It was almost arousing in a weird kind of way. I threw up my hands. “Fine. But not today.” Any more drama and I was going to have to hurt someone.
“Why not?”
“Because I want to spend time with Bug,” I said defiantly. “And besides, your team’s taken my stuff hostage.”
Bug’s head was swiveling between the two of us, amusement unmistakable in her eyes. Which didn’t improve my mood.
“Everything here is replicated at the Taskforce, you know that.”
He meant the data, not my office itself. The Taskforce didn’t have my favorite chair, or my music or my very expensive Italian espresso machine. And it had Dan. That was four strikes you’re out as far as I was concerned.
I folded my arms across my chest. “How am I supposed to see my clients at the Taskforce?”
“You’re not.”
My jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”
“We don’t know who’s safe and who’s not. It’s too risky.”
“Me going bankrupt because all my clients dump me is risky,” I protested. “I’ve known a lot of my clients for years.”
“Some, not all. And I wouldn’t put it past Tate to set something up years in advance, would you?”
My next protest died on my lips. Planting some sleeper crazy in my client list was exactly the sort of thing Tate would find amusing. “What am I supposed to do? I have commitments. I have bills to pay.”
“We’re paying you.” Dan didn’t look sympathetic.
“Yes, but I’ll need other clients once this is over.” I didn’t want to think about how long that might be. My clients would cut me some slack for a few weeks, maybe a month but after that, they’d go hunting for a new bean counter.
“Tell them there’s been a death in the family.”
Bad choice of words. I winced, glancing at Bug reflexively. Her expression said ‘let it go’ and I sighed. “I give up, c’mon Aunty.”
“Esme and Agent Stevens have to go with you.”
Across the room, Esme looked up and my heart sank. I didn’t want to hang out with weres, I wanted a nice peaceful lunch with my Aunt. But then, where could I go that was safe? “Oh, bite me,” I snapped at Dan.
“Been there, done that,” he snarled back.
My jaw dropped open. Whatever the Taskforce had hired him for, it really hadn’t been tact and diplomacy. And possibly not for brains either. “You really want to remind me of that right now?” I glared at him, ignoring the fact that everyone in the room had given up any pretense of working and were just listening to us fight. Jase was smiling.
Dan just stared down at me and I knew I had to leave before I slugged him. I stalked over to Jase.
“You’re coming with me. Put all our current files on a hard drive and grab the hard copies.”
“Where will you be?” Dan asked loudly.
“Home.” He looked almost relieved. “I’ll be here for a while with all this.”
“Good,” I said. “I wasn’t planning on making you dinner anyway."
He took a step toward me then seemed to change his mind. He straightened then walked back out into reception. I headed into the back room to help Jase with the files. “Tonight,” I said to him as soon as we were alone. “We talk to Lord Marco tonight.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Lord Marco’s house didn’t look nearly so appealing by moonlight. In fact, it looked downright creepy. The vines threw nasty snaky shadows everywhere and I was all too aware that once I walked through the front door I’d be surrounded by vampires.
“Are you absolutely sure about this?” Jase asked as we walked toward the front door.
I summoned a very fake sm
ile, ignoring the fact my thundering heartbeat made it perfectly plain how scared I was. “Absolutely. If anyone knows anything about Tate then I want to know.”
“And if Marco doesn’t want to tell you?”
I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I was counting on the fact Marco seemed to like me and had offered to help. I didn’t know what I’d do if he’d changed his mind.
The door swung open as we approached and I jumped backwards. Jase put his hand on my back. “Easy.”
“You take it easy,” I muttered back. “That was spooky.”
“I prefer to think of it as efficient, Signorina Keenan.” Marco appeared in the doorway.
Heat flooded my cheeks. Way to go, Ashley. Insult the vampire before you ask him for a favor.
I decided to ignore my gaffe altogether as he ushered us into the entryway. “Lord Marco, thank you for seeing me.”
“I am always happy for beautiful women to come and see me,” he said with a grin that revealed his fangs. In the warm yellow light of the hall, his eyes looked a much darker shade of green than I remembered. “Regardless of whether they find me spooky.”
Was he teasing me or making a point? His face revealed nothing. Note to self. Never play poker with an Old One. I decided to play things safe and stick close to Jase. Marco led us to the same room where he had removed Tate’s thrall from me. I didn’t particularly want to remember the last time I’d been here but it was unavoidable once Marco gestured for me to sit on the same sofa as I had before.
I was grateful when he took the opposite sofa rather than sitting beside me. Jase waited until Marco was seated before taking the empty space on my sofa. Our backs were to the door which made my spine tingle uneasily.
I tried to ignore the feeling, focusing on Jase instead. It didn’t help, Jase looked nervous. Not for the first time, I wondered whether I should’ve brought more back-up. Jase and I had given Esme and Agent Stevens the slip but it would’ve been nice to have more firepower on our side. But I could hardly have asked Dan.
I jumped when someone knocked on the door and opened it. Torn between playing it cool and staying alive, I chose staying alive, and twisted around to see who’d walked in.
A woman—vampire I assumed—stood by the door, holding a tray with glasses. Four glasses. Deep red liquid shimmered inside them and I frowned, wondering what exactly we were being offered. Then saw Marco watching me and smoothed my expression out. “I didn’t realize anyone would be joining us.”
“You don’t care for refreshments?” he asked with another easy smile.
One I didn’t trust. We were playing a game and this time I was the one asking for a favor. The hairs on the back of my neck lifted as the woman approached. Whoever she was, my instincts didn’t like her.
Plus I wasn’t sure what was in the glasses and I didn’t want to offend by refusing if it was only wine. “She’s not a servant.” I nodded toward the strange vamp. She wore a simply cut black dress but I didn’t make the mistake of assuming that meant it was cheap. She had long dark curly hair, much as I imagined Marco’s might be if he let it grow long, and her lips were painted a deep red. I hoped it was lipstick.
Marco raised a dark eyebrow as he leaned back against the sofa, adjusting his brilliant white cuffs. “No? What makes you so sure?”
Dark green stones the size of quail’s eggs gleamed in his cufflinks. Emeralds? If they were, he was wearing a small fortune on his wrists. Then again, he’d had centuries to pay them off.
“There are four glasses on the tray.”
He laughed and the woman shot me a startled glance, bent and placed a glass before each of us. She took one for herself and knelt at the edge of the low table separating the sofas.
“You did not tell me she was clever, Lord Marco,” she said. Her voice sounded American but something felt odd about it.
“Many humans are, bella,” Marco replied, eyes twinkling. “Ashley, this is Leah.”
I nodded then waited, assuming there was more of the explanation coming. The name wasn’t one I recognized.
“Leah works for Esteban.”
“Lord Esteban,” Leah said softly. There was just a hint of an edge to the tone. Like she wanted to be nastier but didn’t want to upset Marco. I knew the feeling.
Marco inclined his head, acknowledging the correction. From what I understood of vamp politics, as the ruling Old One in the city, he didn’t have to give anyone the courtesy of a title. That he chose to do so meant he was playing nice.
With Esteban; of all people. I certainly recognized that name. Esteban was famous. Or infamous. He owned many of Seattle’s dark clubs and didn’t necessarily keep those who enjoyed them on a tight leash. He wasn’t as enthusiastic about sticking to human rules as some of the other Old Ones.
Though the courts had yet to find that he was implicated in any of the more extravagant excesses that occurred in his premises from time to time.
Yet being the operative word.
“And what is Lord Esteban’s interest in this?” I asked delicately, trying not to scrunch away from Leah. Her long arms could reach me without her even moving. I didn’t like the proximity. She smelled of something heady and exotic, the spice and musk almost overpowering. But it didn’t completely mask the fact she also smelled of blood. I eyed the liquid in the glasses with renewed distrust.
“Let’s just say that all the Old Ones are interested in Tate ceasing to plague us,” Marco said.
I glanced from him to Leah. She sat utterly still, watching me with dark brown eyes. I didn’t meet her gaze directly but I didn’t look away. She bared her fangs at me.
I kept my gaze steady. After all, I was a werewolf now. She probably couldn’t do too much damage to me. If I was lucky, that was. I’d been a wolf for less than a week and I guessed she’d had a bit more practice than that at being a bloodsucker.
A bloodsucker who worked for one of the bad guys.
But in terms of the lesser of two evils, when it came to choosing Leah—and therefore Lord Esteban—or Tate, it was a no-brainer. Still, I wouldn’t be going down any dark alleys with Leah any time soon.
“Careful, bella,” Marco said. “Wolves have teeth. And we are here because of mutual interests. Why don’t we drink to that?”
I looked down at the glass in front of me. Leah’s scent was so strong that I couldn’t smell whether it held blood or something more innocent. Jase picked up his glass and sniffed it with evident pleasure. Did that mean it was blood? My stomach flipped as I picked up the glass, feeling distinctly queasy.
“Don’t look so worried, Ashley,” Marco said as he lifted his own glass. “Yours is wine.”
Mine was wine? Was that supposed to make me feel better? That I was sitting with three people who drank blood willingly? I was used to Jase and his travel cup, but this was something else altogether. My fingers tightened around the delicate stem of the glass. How the hell had my life gotten so complicated, this fast?
I was meant to be an accountant.
Staid.
Sensible.
Wearer of navy suits.
No drinking of bodily fluids involved.
I waited until everyone had drunk, then took a careful mouthful and put my glass down. The wine was slightly sweet and fruity. Italian maybe? “So, have you heard anything more about Tate?” I asked.
Marco shrugged, a fluid boneless movement. “We are still investigating, like your own Taskforce.”
Was that a no? Or an ‘I’ll tell you when I’m ready’?
“Was there something in particular you wanted to know?” Leah asked. Her voice, like Marco’s, was low and musical. There was definitely a faintly odd twist to her accent. Something that told me that English wasn’t her only language. I wondered how old she was.
Marco seemed to trust her. Or respect her, at least. Which suggested she might be quite old. Vampires get more powerful with age. Perfect. I tried to stay casual. “It’s just with these murders and—” I cut off, not sure how much I should say a
bout my missing files.
“And?” Marco prompted. He raised his glass and sipped again.
Oh, what the hell. Dan was going to be furious regardless of what I did or didn’t tell Marco. So I might as well be honest. “Someone hacked into my system and wiped the information I had on Tate,” I admitted. “So you can understand my urgency.”
“I understand,” Marco said. He leaned forward a little. The light reflecting through the liquid in his glass cast a reddish glow over his hands. “But I do not yet understand what you are willing to give us in exchange for this information?”
“Give you? You said before that you would help us.”
“I said we would seek out Tate and deal with him. But you are coming to me with another specific request now.”
I looked at Jase, seeking guidance. “You didn’t say anything about this.”
“I didn’t know he would ask,” Jase said.
Marco chuckled and my head snapped back to him.
His eyes bored into mine. “Young Jason is not a player in our politics. He stays in your world. How should he know?”
Because I paid him very good money to make my life run smoothly, not to lead me into vampire traps. And what about his other abilities? Hadn’t he had any inkling that Marco might want something in return? Did he not care . . . or, another less pleasant thought occurred to me, were those very abilities the reason that Jase didn’t want to get involved in the vamp world too deeply?
“What exactly are you asking for?” I said. Might as well find out the worst.
Marco blinked slowly. Perhaps he wasn’t used to the direct approach.
“Well, cara, there is always the usual. . . .”
“He means a blood offering,” Jase whispered.
I stiffened. “Not going to happen.” One vampire biting me was enough for this lifetime. And any other lifetimes I might have. I had zero interest in being thralled again and I definitely wasn’t going to volunteer for the pain of being bitten.
One corner of Marco’s mouth curled up. “I do not often drink wolf blood, anyway.”
“Lord Esteban does not share your distaste,” Leah offered.
I turned my gaze to hers. “Read my lips. Not. Going. To. Happen.”