“The opposite, actually,” Dorian said. “Billions of dollars in venture funding no one can trace, siphoned into top-secret projects the C-level staff know nothing thing about. Isabelle has stumbled into a real mess.”
“Take heart, then,” Aiden said with a grin. “Perhaps the Redthornes aren’t the most dysfunctional supernatural family on the eastern seaboard after all.”
Dorian rolled his eyes. “We can always count on you to find the silver lining.”
“It’s what I live for.”
“Yeah, about that…” Cole blew out a deep sigh, then passed the tablet to Aiden. “Think I just found some shit evenyoucan’t turn into sunshine.”
“What the hell is… Oh, dear.” Aiden’s eyes widened as he scrolled through the documents. There was no smart-ass commentary, no bright-side banter, nonothing. He was silent for so long, Charley started to worry something had actually broken him.
“Out with it,” Dorian finally prompted.
“It would seem Vincent Estas is more than just Rogozin’s dirty art dealer. He’s also a demonic contracts manager.” Aiden’s mouth twisted into a scowl. “Andthislifelong opus of debauchery and malfeasance belongs to one Rudolpho D’Amico.”
Charley’s heart leaped into her throat. “Is that how he became a host? He made a demon deal?”
“I’m not sure about the host part,” Aiden said, “but he definitely made deals. Lots of them—starting when he was just a teenager. It’s all here—all of his requests. All the relevant documentation.”
“Ateenager?” Charley couldn’t believe it. “That means he knew Rogozin when…”
Her words trailed off before she could finish her sentence, and the old fears knocked around inside her, squeezing her lungs tight.
Don’t struggle, D’Amico bitch…
Dorian slid his arm around her, pulling her close. Even without the words, he knew exactly where her mind had gone.
Charley leaned on his shoulder, trying to keep her breath steady.
If Rudy was involved with demons that far back in time, then hedamnwell knew Rogozin was a demon when he’d dragged Charley and her father to that abandoned pizza joint on Long Island.
Not so tough when Daddy’s not around, are ya?
Aiden continued to scroll, shaking his head in disgust, though his eyes held a touch of sadness. “It seems your uncle was quite… desperate.”
“For money, right?” Charley scoffed. Wasn’t italwaysabout the money with him? “Rudy was obsessed with it long before we got into the family business. He resented my father because Dad always managed to get better jobs than him. Even if it was just a minimum-wage gig at the auto parts store, Rudy always had something shitty to say about it.”
“Charlotte, it’s…” Aiden sighed and exchanged a heavy glance with Dorian, then passed over the tablet.
Charley couldn’t bring herself to look at it. She didn’t want confirmation of what Rudy had traded away in exchange for all that cash.
She was pretty sure she already knew.
You’re bound to a demon lord, Charlotte. Someone promised you to him…
Dorian took the tablet and read through the file, a dark sigh escaping his lips. “I don’t think money was the source of your uncle’s resentment toward his brother, love”
“Then what was it? My father spent most of his life in a dinky little trailer park. It’s not like he had anything to envy.”
“Apparently, therewasone thing.”
“His piece-of-shit Toyota?” Charley let out a bitter laugh, but the look in Dorian’s eyes was dead serious.
“Your mother, Charlotte.”
“My…what?”
In Dorian’s rich accent, the words felt completely out of context. The suggestion that her mother—a woman who’d marched unceremoniously out of their lives decades ago and never looked back—could have anything to do with this demon business was beyond absurd.
