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Zee’s eyes lit up, pupils blowing like a cat high on catnip.

“No, we’re good . . .” I took a seat opposite Skrinde at the fancy glass-top table. Victor and Zee sat either side of me, taking their usual positions.

“It’s good to finally meet you three—Heroes of the City.” He swept a hand through the air. “Real life celebrities. And a dragon, too.” Skrinde grinned, and wiggled in his seat like an excitable puppy.

“Uhm . . . yes.” Did he not know we’d killed his son? Maybe the news hadn’t reached him yet. It was probably best not to mention it.

“Do you like the apartment? One of my favorites, right on the oceanfront. Stunning sunrises, although I figure the vampire doesn’t much like all that glass, eh?”

“You are correct,” Victor admitted. “But your hospitality is otherwise appreciated, if somewhat unexpected.”

“What, you think all trolls are tiny assholes?” Skrinde asked, then laughed at our trio of blank faces. Even Zee didn’t seem to know how to handle the oddness of all this. “For real, though. I’m a nice guy. Would a bad guy own an inflatable unicorn?”

Zee opened his mouth to add some of his varied and extensive experience with bad guys, then stalled and closed it again.

“I suspect what Zodiac was about to ask, is why have you brought us here?” Victor said, steering us toward a topic more useful than blow-up unicorns.

“Ah yes, a man who likes to get straight to the point. I appreciate conciseness. It doesn’t hurt in business to go straight for the jugular . . . and you’d know all about that!” Skrinde laughed.

“Indeed.”

I was sure Victor had heard that line more than once, but he took it with grace.

“Let’s see. Why are you here? Alright, well. I believe we can help each other. You’re on the run and I need some untraceable assistance with a problem of the amphibian nature. You help me clear out some undesirables, and I won’t tell your brother where you are.”

It was disconcerting listening to a skinny, wet, barely dressed troll attempt to blackmail us. His home, the estate, the people he had around him . . . it all suggested he was a powerful person. But that world meant nothing to us. His wealth, his muscle, the theatrics, all designed to impress, were insignificant.

Skrinde had made a big mistake when he’d looked at us and assumed weakness. Although I did wonder how he knew I had a brother when only a few folks knew that, and nearly all of those few folks were sitting next to me.

“Is that it?” Zee asked. “That’s the play?”

“Well, yes. See, not so bad.” Skrinde spread his hands. “We can work together, and I’ll let you go when I’ve gotten those frogs off my land.”

“Oh, sure. We all agree frogs are bad.” Zee leaned back in the chair, getting comfortable. “And we’re supposed to trust you’ll just keep our location a secret because you’re nice like that?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Why would you?” Victor asked.

A tiny fracture passed through Skrinde’s smile. I’d had enough experience with fake smiles and fake nice people to know when we were being played.

“You do know there was an accident at Toby Skrinde’s villa?” I asked.

Skrinde senior shrugged. “I have five other brats leeching off my bank account. Toby was expendable.”

If his own son was expendable, then so were we. He needed some firepower to get the frogs out. If we did as he asked, he’d probably try and kill us afterward, or hand us over to my brother.

In my experience, nice people rarely had to tell others they were nice people. And that was coming from a nice person who sometimes wasn’t nice at all.

I smiled back at Skrinde. “I think we’ll pass, but thank you for everything you’ve done. The apartment was lovely, and the clothes are great.” I got to my feet. Zee and Victor followed my cue. “Now, which way is out?”

“Oh dear,” Skrinde sighed.

That was my line.

“You seem to think this is a negotiation.” Skrinde beckoned his people closer—the guys with the guns. “It’s too late for that.”

I’d lived with bullies my whole life. So had Zee. Victor had been at the bottom of the vampire hierarchy, and treated like trash by his own family. We knew what it felt like, being helpless, trapped in circumstances not of your making.