In that moment, he wished his father were still alive, if only so he could tear the heart from his chest and watch the life drain from his eyes one last time.
“Oh, fuck,” Charlotte said suddenly, dragging Dorian back from the precipice of his own darkness. She’d picked up the discarded newspaper, and now she stared at the sketches with a look of sheer horror. “I know this other guy.”
“Are you certain?” Dorian asked.
“Couldn’t forget the motherfucker if I tried.” She dropped the newspaper and glanced up at Dorian, new anger rising in her eyes. “Your brother’s new bloodsucking BFF is Silas.”
“The vampire who assaulted you the other night?” Gabriel asked.
“Yep. And he’s probably—”
Charlotte’s phone buzzed in her pocket, cutting her off.
In an instant, all the color drained from her face.
She hadn’t even looked at the screen yet, but everyone in that room knew at once who she’d find on the other end.
Chapter Sixteen
“Good morning, Charlotte.” Rudy’s face filled the screen, his fake smile making Charley’s stomach lurch. “I was hoping we could chat about a few… family matters. Is now a good time?”
A good time?
What he really wanted to know was whether she was alone. Whether he could threaten her without witnesses.
She’d anticipated the question, though, and had scooted into the kitchen before hitting the answer button. No matter how she felt about him, Charley knew she needed to keep playing the game. Just long enough to get Sasha back, then all bets were off.
Along with your dick, you fucking coward.
He’d sold her out to a demon lord. He’d killed her father. Maybe he hadn’t pulled the trigger, but he’d orchestrated the murder. He’d siphoned her inheritance into his own pockets, forcing her to become completely dependent on him. He’d had a lifelong affair with her mother. He’d threatened and abused her.
And he’d kidnapped her fucking sister—a beautiful, fiery young woman with a heart of gold and a contagious laugh Charley would giveanythingto hear again.
For that, more than anything else, Rudy was going to die.
As painfully as possible.
“It’s a great time,” Charley said now, forcing the words through the twin knots of rage and fear in her throat. “Dorian and Aiden are sequestered in the study dealing with FierceConnect business. I haven’t seen the other three. I was just about to make some coffee.”
Right. She was currently looking at Dorian, Gabriel, Aiden, and Cole, who were looming just out of sight of the phone camera, but Rudy didn’t need to know that.
“How are things going at Ravenswood?” he asked casually.
“Everything’s on schedule. Just trying to get things ready before the Hawaii trip.”
“Excellent.”
“Rudy…” Charley closed her eyes and blew out a breath, her patience cracking beneath the weight of her worry. Gabriel had said there was no trace of Sasha at Rudy’s penthouse. So where the fuck had he stashed her? Why was he still acting so nonchalant about all this?
“Something on your mind, kiddo?”
“Whereismy sister?” she finally asked—partly because she knew Rudy was expecting it—hoping for it, even—but mostly because she really needed to know. “Sasha has nothing to do with this. YouknowI’m not going to fuck up my end of the deal.”
“I certainly hope not,” Rudy said, “but as I told you before, I didn’t get where I am in this world by skipping the necessary precautions.”
No, you did it by kissing a bunch of demon ass and making deals with other people’s souls.
“Is she okay?” Charley asked, fighting to keep the desperation from her voice. “Can I at least talk to her?”
