Unable to tolerate standing so close to heranymore, Aiden rose and stepped away. “This really is all because Iwouldn’t fuck you?”
She shrugged again. “I get what I want, andwhen I don’t, my friends take care of the problem.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means Carha’s been working with theSavages for a while. She hires them to do her dirty work, such aseliminating her competition, taking care of those she has a problemwith, and those who owe her,” Ronan said.
Aiden turned to find Ronan standing in theopen doorway of the tunnel. Ronan’s reddish-brown eyes were morered than brown as he gazed at Carha. Aiden saw no sign of Killeanand Lucien and assumed they’d stayed in the club to make sureeverything stayed safe there. Paler than normal, Zeke stood atRonan’s side. Carha’s legs closed; her eyes narrowed on Ronan andZeke.
“Tell them what you revealed to me,” Ronansaid to Zeke.
“He’s a bartender. He doesn’t know anythingbeyond how to make a drink!” Carha snapped.
“He knows more than enough to condemn you,”Ronan replied. “Go on, Zeke.”
“Over the past year, I’ve noticed if a newvampire bar crops up somewhere, the owners often meet with anuntimely and often violent demise,” Zeke said. “There has also beena growing number of vampires with less-than-legal occupationsdisappearing recently. We may not have the vampire equivalent ofFacebook, but word spreads fast through our community. Those deathssparked a lot of gossip.”
“Pushing drugs too, Carha?” Ronaninquired.
“I wouldn’t dare, Ronan,” she replied with afalse innocence. She opened her legs before leisurely crossing themonce more.
Aiden’s skin crawled; he couldn’t stophimself from stepping further away from her. He’d allowed thiswoman to do things to him that would make some of the mosttoughened vampires cringe. All he’d wanted was to return to Maggie,but he wouldn’t go anywhere near her while feeling as tainted as hedid by his urges. As soon as he left here, he planned to scrub hisskin bloody.
“You know drugs arenotallowed to besold to vampires,” Ronan growled. “I will keep the vampires whofollow me and who are innocents in all this safe; you are a threatto them.”
“Prove it,” Carha taunted.
“You proved it by running to these prickswhen you fled the club,” Aiden stated.
“I simply hired them to keep me safe.They’re my bodyguards,” Carha replied with a flutter of herlashes.
“You hired them to keep you safe from me?”Aiden inquired. “I never hurt you, but these were the remainingvampires who jumped me outside your club.”
She assumed a demure air. “I’ve seen howunstable you’ve become. I was afraid that the next time you came tome, you would snap and kill me. I’ve seen how much pain you canwithstand, so I knew I had to hire a lot of help to protect me fromyou.”
“You’re lying,” Declan said flatly.
“Yes, she is,” Ronan agreed. “Continue,Zeke.”
“A couple of weeks ago, I was taking out thetrash and overheard Carha in the alley with that one,” he pointedto one of the dead Savages. “They were talking about some clientswho owed her money.”
Carha’s demure air faded, and she satupright. “You didn’t hear anything!”
“She gave him the names and addresses ofthose clients. I assumed those customers would receive a beating,but figured it was best I stayed out of it.”
“But?” Ronan prodded.
“Last night I overheard a few patronstalking and caught one of the names they were discussing. It wasone of the names Carha had given to that guy. He’s been missingsince Carha handed him over.”
Carha looked about ready to leap up andattack Zeke.
“Is the missing vamp a purebred?” Declanasked.
A chill ran across Aiden’s skin at thepossibility there was another vampire out there, kidnapping andimprisoning purebreds to sell their blood to the highest bidder.Vicky had already been exposed to that vile degradation; hecouldn’t stand the idea it might happen to another member of hisfamily.
“No,” Ronan said. “I think she handed thoseclients over to be turned into Savages.”
“Fuck,” Aiden spat when he understoodwhat Carha might have truly planned for him.
