“Yeah.”
Hawke dropped his head back in disbelief. “Kohl, we discussed this. She’s cute, yeah, and I’m sure she’s smart and funny and probably a hellion in bed, but she’s way too high profile.”
Kohl bared his fangs at the bed comment. Just a little.
Hawke raised his eyebrows as if to say, really?
“Sorry,” Kohl muttered. “I know. And I swear, I wasn’t going to go anywhere near her. But the Master ordered it. He wants to know what she knows about us. Didn’t he tell you?”
Hawke looked confused. “So, he knows you’re seeing her tonight.”
“No.”
“But, you just said?—”
“I said he wants me to find out about her. That doesn’t mean I trust him.”
“Yeah, well, can’t say I blame you there.” His brow furrowed in thought. “I wonder why he wants you to see her…”
“I told you. He wants to know what she knows. There must be something, or she wouldn’t have Parasupe trying to gun her down in the middle of a club.” Kohl’s stomach twisted at the thought of betraying her to the Master, but he didn’t see that he had a choice. Not unless he could think of a way out of it.
That caught Hawke’s attention. “Didn’t you hear? The shooters weren’t from Parasupe.”
Kohl paused with his wallet halfway in his pocket. “What? Who were they, then?”
“We don’t know. But one of them took a minute to die last night, and apparently he told Mark he’d been compelled to do it. He died before he could give up a name.”
“So, they were just there to shoot up our club?”
Hawke shook his head. “They were there for Devon. That much I was right about.”
The back of his neck burned, and Kohl rubbed it unconsciously as he began to pace. “He just offered up this information?”
Hawke snorted. “Hell, no. Mark used compulsion.” He studied Kohl closely. “What are you going to do about Devon?”
Kohl stopped in front of him. “I’m gonna play along. For now. I’ll tell the Master what I find out. Later.”
“When no one can follow you and hurt her.”
“Exactly.”
“I gotcha.” Hawke wandered over to the tunnel that would take him out of Kohl’s area and back out to the throne room. He paused before he left. “You’re not taking her anywhere populated, right? And you know to call me if anything happens with….” He waved his hand up and down Kohl’s body.
Kohl checked his back pockets to make sure he’d remembered his wallet and phone. “No. And yes.”
“Good.” Hawke turned to leave, but paused a second time. “I think.”
Kohl grinned. “She did say we could negotiate the price of dinner.”
Shaking his head, Hawke laughed as he led the way out.
* * *
Kohl arrived at Devon’s apartments thirty minutes after the sun dipped below the horizon. He walked up the stairs, completely aware of his surroundings. Despite his precautions, he looked around one last time to check he wasn’t followed before entering the building. Halfway down the interior hallway, he found her apartment and knocked.
Something crashed to the floor on the other side of the door, followed by a string of soft curses that was quite impressive in its creativity, and then she was there, standing in the open doorway with a small, round basket filled with keys and notepads in her hand.
And suddenly he couldn’t breathe.
