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“My room?” I did have a seating area in my room, but I’d never used it for formal meetings. “I suppose that will do. Madame Matase, if Lord Reynard should finish his meeting early, please tell him I’m meeting with Agent Leomaris in my room.” I tried to convey that she should send Reynard up immediately, since he was much better at these things than I was.
She nodded. “I will do, Adam.”
My thoughts raced as I climbed into the elevator with the SSD agent. The fae were notorious liars and con artists, which made them excellent at detecting liars and con artists. Hopefully, Agent Leomaris was here to tick a few boxes and that would be the end of the matter.
At my room, I invited them in, and quickly scanned the floor for any dirty or bloody laundry. I hadn’t slept much after leaving Zee at Razorsedge, and had tidied my room instead. That burst of cleanliness happened to be perfect timing.
“Please, take a seat, Agent.” I gestured at the little table and chairs by the window.
They glided around my room, taking the long route to the chairs, and paused at my shelf of cat figurines. “You like cats, Mr. Vex?”
“I like collecting things.”
“I see.”
“So, how can I help?” I sat, hoping they’d do the same. They did finally make their way over, swept their coat out, and took a seat in the chair opposite.
“You’re aware of Detective Somers’s concerns, and I’m sure you’re aware a protestor went missing the day this hotel opened.”
“I heard about that. How terrible. We, of course, had nothing to do with it.”
“I’m sure.” They smiled and leaned back in the chair, getting comfortable. Their coat flopped open, showing the gleaming SSD badge. “It’s quite admirable, what you’re doing here. But also rather foolish. You see, I have spent the last three years attempting to craft order from chaos. Lost Ones, such as myself, were never meant to exist this side of the veil. Some blend in successfully, others have a harder time of it. But one thing remains consistent—trouble follows some wherever they go.”
“Humans are the same, I guess. We have good and bad ones, you know?”
They smiled, and a few seconds passed. “Were you aware, the human female you bought this hotel from hasn’t been seen since the sale?”
“Oh dear. She was sweet. She liked cats.”
“Answer the question, please Mr. Vex.” They continued to smile, but their smooth, soft tone now had a barb behind it.
Hm, was Agent Elion Leomaris going to be a problem? “I was made aware, yes. But we had nothing to do with that. The sale was all above board.”
Agent Leomaris nodded. “Tell me about your feud with Gideon Cain of Cain Developments.”
“Feud?” I laughed. “Oh, we don’t have a feud—”
“Do not lie to me, Mr. Vex.” Their pale green eyes narrowed. “Prior to my career as an agent with the Special Supernatural Division, I was a successful bounty hunter for many years. There wasn’t a bounty I could not track and capture. Rabid shifters, demon troublemakers, dark sorcerers . . . No single target escaped my crosshairs, so to speak.”
My heart stopped. I coughed, and it kicked back into gear. “Oh? We uh, we don’t allow bounty hunters in this hotel, for the safety of our guests.”
“Of course not, and I’m no longer a bounty hunter. But do not look at me and assume you can talk me around in circles. One liar to another.”
A tiny voice told me to run now. To run and keep on running. Agent Leomaris was going on my Bad People list. “I uh . . . I’m not lying.”
Their mouth teased a laugh that never made it past their thin lips.
This fae scared me more than Detective Somers ever could. I knew their kind—bounty hunters. Hired by the highest bidder to take down anyone and anything. No morals, no code. Just ruthless pursuit of their target. They carried crossbows, and could hit a target a mile away. They hunted their prey to the ends of the known Earth. Was this one here to hunt me, and lying about it in that clever way the fae lied? No. Leomaris couldn’t know who or what I was. But I did need to be careful. They were clearly good at their job.
“Between you and me, Gideon Cain is not what he seems. He attempted to kill my business partner.” Better to put the fae’s focus onto Cain, and off me.
“Is that so?” Their pale eyebrows lifted.
“He’s sore because he wasn’t able to buy the hotel. Gideon sent a shadowbeast to kidnap Zodiac, and demanded I sell or Zodiac would die. We’re lucky we were able to find him in time. We have done nothing wrong, but Gideon Cain won’t let it go. Honestly, I’m afraid of what he’ll do next.” I leaned forward and whispered, “I think he might be an unregistered sorcerer.”
The agent’s pale eyebrows lifted in alarm. “You didn’t report the incident?”
“No, I . . . I didn’t want it known that I couldn’t protect Zee. If I can’t protect my own business partner, how can I protect anyone? It would damage our reputation—a reputation I’m trying to build.”
