So this had nothing to do with her being his ex, and everything to do with her poisoning expertise.
“Yeah. I can’t say it makes me excited to meet you, but I’m aware that those times were different. He killed vampires too, and with all of the humans that were being turned back then, it was probably deserved.”
“No. No onedeservedwhat I did to them. None of usdeserveto live more than anyone else. I was no better than any of the vampires I killed, and I’m not interested in living like a werewolf anymore.”
“Then why did you want to talk to me?”
There was a moment of silence. “Walk away from Maverick, please.”
His eyes narrowed, and he shook his head.
“Give me a second.” I waved him away.
He shook his head again, harder.
“Dammit, Mav,move,” I muttered, pushing his arm. Not the one attached to the wounded shoulder, luckily.
He didn’t budge, so I tapped into my vampire speed and climbed over the table.
His hand closed over the space where my thigh had been just a fraction of a second too late, and I strode into the bathroom,shutting and locking the door behind me before I leaned up against it.
“Alright, sorry. You’ve got like one minute until he breaks the door down.”
“Tell me what happened,” Sutton said. Verbally, it was a command, but her voice wasn’t commanding. It was kind of… soft. “Without bias.”
“Maverick and Rhone are trying to solve a string of murders themselves, with only the help of their enforcers, and they’re not succeeding. Three humans are dead now. All three of them were assholes, so the killer could potentially still be someone in the office, but I know all of the vampires in the city.”
“So it’s either a turned vampire, or an assassin who’s most likely being paid by werewolves. Or a turned vampire who’s being paid.”
“That seems likely.” I wasn’t going to suggest it could be a combination of all of the above. Or that there could be two murderers. “I think the guys want to hire a real detective, but their investment company hasn’t met the government’s regulations for a lot of years, and they just realized it. Opening the doors to humans right now could cost them their fortunes, and we all know the humans aren’t going to try to get in unless the werewolves are willing. Plus, there’s a werewolf aspect to it that I don’t think anyone outside the situation could really understand. I didn’t.”
“How long has it been since the first murder?”
“Two weeks.”
“Three kills in two weeks would be typical for a newly-turned vampire.” There was a long silence. “What’s your name?”
“Bloom.”
“Alright, Bloom, here’s the deal. You can tell Maverick that I will stay in a human hotel that I book on my own, and I will investigate with his team for as long as I choose to do so. I’m not attending any pack events, I’m not visiting the estate, and if I feel even slightly uncomfortable, I’m leaving. I’ll be acting as a consultant, and nothing more.”
“I’m sure whatever you’re comfortable with is more than enough. Thank you.”
“Text me your phone number, please. I’d prefer to communicate through you.”
“No problem.”
“I’ll let you know my flight schedule when I’ve figured it out.”
She hung up, and I texted her my number.
When I was done, I opened the bathroom door, entirely unsurprised to find Maverick standing just outside, leaning up against the wall with his arms folded.
“She agreed?” he asked.
“Don’t pretend you didn’t listen to my side of the conversation.”
His lips curved upward. “She told you not to date me, huh?”
