by Kiersten Fay
“It was just a song, guys. I won’t do it again.” If she wasn’t so freaked out right now, she would have applauded her steady tone. She glanced up at Cortez, pleading with her eyes. “Was it really so wrong, what I did?”
Anger twitched his jaw, his stone-cold expression growing even more chilly. He snatched a remote off the table and pressed a button. A still photograph flashed on the screen. The image was shot outside Dante’s Pit, taken earlier this evening…at the exact moment when Dante had shoved that cash into her palm. Another photo replaced the first, showing his hand on her ass as she started away, a sickeningly satisfied smile on his face.
Nausea slammed into her stomach. “Y-you had me followed again?”
“Donovan noticed you leaving in quite a hurry…alone. Thought I might want you protected, so he trailed you at a distance. He was shocked to find you’d walked to Dante’s Pit, even more so when, minutes after entering, you emerged with the man himself looking all too pleased with himself. Tell me, did he pay you for the sex or for the information you gave him? Or was it just a bonus for screwing me?”
“I-I didn’t—”
Cortez stabbed another button on the remote.
Grainy surveillance footage popped up: It was an above shot of her frantically snooping through Cortez’s office.
Nausea turned nuclear. Dizzying and sickly, she pleaded, “Cortez, I…”
He punched both his fists down on the table so hard it splintered straight to the middle. She jumped at the loud crack. A matching fisher lashed her heart. “I don’t have to read your mind to see the guilt on your face.” He stood, his glare sharp. “The ONE person in half a millennia who could lie to me!”
The one person? Was he saying what she thought? Could he truly read minds? It seemed so, but not hers, apparently. The pain in his expression sliced her open.
“I didn’t,” she began desperately. “I mean, I can explain.” She reached for him but he recoiled from her. Another lash to her heart. She pulled her hand back.
“Save it for Dante.” He faced the door, and took the knob in a white-knuckle grip, giving her his profile. “If I see you around my club again, you won’t like the consequences.”
Panic set in. She jumped to her feet. “Won’t you even listen to me?” Tears spilled down her cheeks. He was out the door before she finished speaking. It slammed closed behind him.
She caught a sob with her palms and squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to keep the pain inside.
It didn’t work.
Agony didn’t cover what she was feeling. In less than five minutes, her heart had been ripped from her chest and shoved in a blender with two ball bearings and a switchblade. She was shredded.
Ryder stepped forward. “Come on. I’ll walk you out.” His manner was brusque, but there was a hint of pity in his tone. Standing upright was almost painful when all she wanted was to curl into a ball and die.
As she walked, Ryder had to adjust her trajectory several times as they headed for the lobby because she wasn’t watching where she was going. The world was a wet blur.
Live music now blared from the room where she’d seized the stage only minutes ago. It took her muddled mind a second to recognize the eclectic voice. She gasped, peeking in to see the famous singer, Kenny Raymond, playing one of her favorite songs to a roaring crowd.
Hand on her heart, she stumbled back, fresh tears stinging her eyes. She recalled Cortez in her room gazing appreciatively at her Kenny Raymond poster.
This was the surprise he’d had planned for her? The sweetest thing anyone had ever done.
She couldn’t breathe.
Her chest was caving in.
It took several heartbeats to realize Ryder was holding her upright. People were staring at her strangely. Oh right, because she was openly sobbing and shaking like a paint mixer.
“Come on girl. Get it together. You only knew him for a week. It’s not like there were marriage bells in your future.”
She suddenly wanted to scratch Ryder’s eyes out on principle. But, grudgingly she admitted he was right. She was devastated over the shortest relationship in history. A relationship that would have come to an end anyway, even if Cortez hadn’t learned of her treachery. She was leaving town in less than twenty-four hours. She had Cole to think about. She couldn’t let her kindhearted brother see her like this. He’d want to march on over here and kick Cortez’s ass. And Cortez would not humor him like he had over the phone.
She could hold herself together for a couple of days till they were settled elsewhere. Plenty of time to crumble into pieces later, in private.
Her phone chimed. Finally, a text from Cole. She wiped her face and retrieved the device. He’d sent her a picture? She opened the attachment. The image was of Cole sitting on a chair. He appeared upset? Wait, no, he looked afraid....
Why were his hands behind his back like that? It didn’t look comfortable. Who had taken this picture?
A second text popped up: Do as I say, Naia. There was another attachment as well. Thumbing it open, her brain went fuzzy, not registering the bloodied, blob-face thing in the image, a human figure…sitting in the same chair Cole had occupied….
Knees crashing into the tiled floor, she screamed.
Chapter 30
Someone handed her some ice water. Unclasping one arm from around her tightly drawn in knees, she accepted the glass. Her hand shook so badly some of the liquid sloshed out and ran down her arm.
Cole was being tortured…if he was even still alive.
Back in the meeting room, the vampires seemed to be arguing amongst themselves. She wasn’t listening, was using all her faculties to banish that image of Cole’s ruined face from her memory.
Why was Dante doing this to Cole? She’d quickly determined it was he who had sent those texts from Cole’s phone, even as her fit of hysteria had drawn the attention of nearly everyone in the club, including Cortez.
Thinking she was just making a scene, he’d whisked her back here to rail at her some more. The only response she’d been able to make was a hoarsely muttered, “He’s hurting him.” The words were a constant beat in her head.
After Cortez had been shown the pictures, he’d gone quiet, letting his clan openly debate what they should do about Dante’s latest ploy. Apparently this wasn’t the first time Dante had come at them.
Like a king at council, a stoic Cortez leveled his attention on whoever was talking at the moment, and occasionally on those who remained quiet like him, deep in thought. Reading their minds?
She struggled to focus on the conversation.
“…the last fucking straw.” A vampire in a leather jacket said, punching his fist into his open palm. “Does he think we won’t retaliate?”
“He might be hoping for that,” someone else countered, sounding calmer than the others. She recognized him as one of the guys from the first night when she and Cortez had played pool. He was staring at her now. Thoughtful. Cortez was glaring at him.
“What the hell did he hope this heinous slag would find, anyway?” Another guy whose name she didn’t know snapped, earning himself an even harsher glare from Cortez.
“Exactly,” yet another agreed. “He knows how we do business, for fuck’s sake. He knows there’s never been anything illegal going on here. She was probably meant to plant something. Frame us.”
Unconsciously, she shook her head, but said nothing. That was something Dante had hinted at. But she would never have done something like that. Not that they would believe her—
Her chair jerked around, spinning her body with it. She gasped as someone got in her face. The vampire who’d called her a slag glared down at her, invading her space. “What say you, girl? What were you and that fucker plotting?”
She cringed away from his emerging fangs, an obvious tell-me-or-else kind of threat.
“Dane.” The sound of the man’s name on Cortez’s lips was a solid warning. Dane backed away.
Naia glanced at Cortez, surprised by that
small show of defense, but he wasn’t looking at her. In fact, he hadn’t looked at her once since she’d returned to this room.
“Pose your questions, Lex.” Cortez said coldly.
The calm vampire, Lex, stepped forward and took a seat across from her. “First, let’s give her a chance to explain herself.”
Several of them rolled their eyes, but made no other protest. Instead, like it had been coordinated, they all sat as though expecting a long drawn-out overture in the name of her innocence. Cortez was the only one that remained standing, leaning against the wall with his arms stapled over his chest.
“First, promise me you’ll help me get my brother back,” she said.
Her words were for Cortez, but the angry vampire, Dane, replied instead. “You’re lucky we haven’t killed you yet, darlin’. That’s the best offer you’re going to get till you start talking.”
Cortez, the embodiment of indifference, did not admonish him this time.
Knife to chest.
Dropping her eyes to the table, she admitted, “Dante hired me to spy on the club. He was going to pay me seven grand.”
Someone whistled.
“I was supposed to get a job here,” she added.
Cortez snorted, an ah-it-all-makes-sense-now kind of sound.
Great. Now he assumed her lobbying for a job had been all about Dante’s plan. Nothing to be done about it now. She had to focus on helping Cole. Nothing else mattered. “Then I was supposed to inform him of any illicit activity that might be going on, either by Cortez or by his employees. He never actually told me to plant evidence, and I never would have, but…”
“But what?” Lex encouraged.
“He did make it clear that I should find something. At first I thought he meant he was sure there was something to find. After tonight, I suspect he meant he’d made sure there was something to find.”
The group shared uneasy glances.
“Explain,” Cortez ordered from his place against the wall.
“I went there tonight to tell him I didn’t want to spy for him anymore—”
Several of them made noises of disbelief.
“—but he wasn’t having it. He gave me that cash hoping to appease me, and when I still refused, he basically threatened me. At some point, he must have gotten ahold of Cole’s phone. Might have been holding Cole even before I went there tonight, as collateral. I had sent my brother a text earlier, telling him to pack and get ready to leave town.”
Cortez’s arms dropped, and he finally looked at her, but he said nothing, his expression a mix of anger and surprise.
She went on. “But he never responded. Now I figure Dante must have read that text. He might have even listened to the phone message I left just after he’d rushed me out of his club tonight, warning Cole not to go into work. Dante would realize I had no intention of following orders, and that’s why he…that’s why Cole is suffering now.” She leaned forward, placing her palms together. “Please. Please help me get him out of there.”
Cortez remained silent, but his stoic mask had cracked slightly. Her hope rested in the crease between his brows.
Lex continued the interrogation. “You said you think Dante made sure there was something to find. What gave you that impression?”
She shrugged, growing tired and sick with worry. “When I told him I didn’t believe anything illegal was going on here, he suggested I look in the basement…where the vampire’s feed.”
Nearly everyone leaned back in their chairs.
Lex glanced at the others. “Who’s on duty down there?”
“Marco,” Leather Jacket replied. “He wanted my shift tonight. Was pretty insistent, actually.”
“He took my shift yesterday,” Ryder admitted.
One of the others cleared his throat. “Mine the day before.”
Cortez shoved away from the wall. “I haven’t seen Marco for weeks. I wonder if he’s been avoiding me. How about we go see what old Marco is up to?” He didn’t wait for the others to stand before tearing through the door.
As his cohorts followed, she saw her chance to get out of dodge. Cortez clearly wasn’t concerned for her brother’s wellbeing. Maybe she could find Dante and reason with him herself.
When she stepped out into the hall, she nearly ran into Lex.
He took her by the arm in a firm yet surprisingly gentle grip. “Sorry, love. You’ll have to come with us.”
“I have to get to my brother,” she protested, trying to shrug him off. “Dante’s hurting him.”
His expression softened. “Cortez already sent a team to extract Cole.”
She stilled. “He did?”
Lex nodded. “If he’s being held at Dante’s, we’ll get him out of there.”
Sniffling, tears billowing, she blubbered, “Thank you.”
* * *
When she thought of a basement, dim lighting and cracked, concrete walls was typically what came to mind, not the plush and elegant atmosphere that she found herself in. And it wasn’t exactly a basement, though they were on a lower level. However, it wasn’t the lowest level in the building.
Perfectly placed bulbs lovingly highlighted the golden-brown hews in the carpet and walls meant to cultivate a gracefully sophisticated ambience. Hellenistic statues were tastefully scattered through the space, a variety of marble sconces decorated the walls, and small water fountains and potted plants provided a fresh outdoorsy feel. This place was meant to look and feel like paradise. Except, under the deliberate floral scents, there was a distinct metallic fragrance. Coppery.
She got the sense that there was more to this place that went unseen. It almost seemed like an entirely different building, a separate hotel for dark dealings.
They entered a lobby of sorts, a big round room that split off into three hallways that were lined with doors. Bloodletting rooms, she assumed. To the right, there was a seating area where small groups of vampires and humans were ignoring them, busy bargaining for feeding rights and maybe just a little bit more. To the left was an unmanned front-desk.
Marco was suspiciously absent.
“Check the logs,” Cortez ordered. “I want to know every transaction that has transpired over the last two weeks. Hell, over the last month. Anything that went down when Marco was on duty.”
Ryder slipped behind the desk and started typing on a computer console. A log of vampire liaisons?
Fists clenched, Cortez stomped down one of the corridors. Some of the others took that as a cue to do the same, spreading out like hounds on the hunt. Lex stayed behind, presumably to watch her, though he was making a valiant effort to be cordial to the traitor.
He gestured to an available set of armchairs near the corner. “Would you like to have a seat?” He said it like she had an option. She let him guide her to the chair. He took the one beside her.
“Being nice to me right now makes me wonder if I’m about to be assassinated for my role in all this.”
He gave a small grin. “I promise you, no one here is going to hurt you. Cortez is angry, but…just give him some time to cool off.”
“Is that why he was glaring at you earlier? Because you were thinking he just needed to cool off?” She couldn’t keep the suspicion out of her voice.
He seemed to be mulling over his response as though he wanted to get it just right. “I’m sure you’ve deduced Cortez has some hang-ups, probably regarding his female companions.”
She nodded, suddenly very interested in what he had to say.
“Over the years, his…abilities…have amplified his inherent mistrust. Who doesn’t think shady thoughts every now and again? Nearly impossible to control one’s mind all the time, wouldn’t you agree?”
Her mouth dropped but she swiftly closed it and nodded once more.
“To an extent, he understands that, but relationships have been…difficult for him. When I learned of your special resistance to him, I thought you would be good for him. I still think that.”
She thought he mig
ht say more, but he just leaned back into his seat.
She was dying to ask a thousand and one questions, but only one thing mattered. “When can I know if my brother is safe?”
“You’ll know the moment I do, I promise.”
She allowed herself to believe him.
“I’m not seeing anything unusual here,” Ryder called from behind the desk area. “Just business as usual.”
“Any strange shipments or packages?” Lex asked.
More typing. “Nothing noted. You really think Marco is going against the boss? He’s not dumb enough to….” A crease formed between his brows.
Lex stood. “What is it?”
Naia pushed to her feet as well, feeling the sudden tension rolling off Ryder.
“Rooms three-oh-five through three-oh-nine were scheduled for renovations last week, but the order has been delayed.” He punched another sequence of keys. “And for some reason there are active keycards on file for rooms three-oh-eight and three-oh-nine.”
Chapter 31
Rooms three-oh-eight and three-oh-nine were actually on the next floor down. Check on the whole more-than-meets-the-eye thing. Once Ryder had grabbed an extra set of keycards, he’d looked to see how many of the rooms on that floor had been booked. Answer? Zero.
Suspicious? Damn right.
In the elevator, Ryder called Cortez with an update. “They’re on their way,” he told Lex.
Naia’s gut twisted and churned, bubbling with an innate terror, a fear of the unknown. What would they find in those rooms? What would Dante deem sufficient enough to take down an empire? What if this was some kind of trap meant for Cortez alone? Or was she being led like cattle to the slaughter? A trick to get her down here without fuss or fight?
A deserted floor? No one to hear her scream?
No one here is going to hurt you, Lex had said. There had only been two people in the room when he made that statement. That left a lot of other people to do the harming.