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Odette glances at Delaney. “And look how well that stuck,” she retorts. “I do have a lot to do, so if you wouldn’t mind getting to the point of this little pathetic visit, that would be great.”
“Did you let Lucy torture Jane?”
“Lucy was an event we did not see coming,” she admits. “Though you dealt with that swimmingly, too. And she made a perfect patsy when we let it leak that she was the one who put out the hit on you,” she adds to Rainey.
“We lost a friend.”
“You’re going to be joining him soon, I assure you. The moment we find you—”
“You won’t find us,” I interrupt. “We’ve spent the last few months—ever since Heather—assembling a group of supernaturals.”
Her face betrays nothing as she replies, “You’re lying.”
“Originally, they were only going to help us with Heather, then Lucy, but now they’re ready to make a move against all of you. See, we’re not the only one’s tired of your bullshit,” I snap.
She blanches. “You don’t stand a chance against us.”
“We do. We know where you are, what you’re doing. We have people on you at every single moment of every day,” Rainey replies with a carnal smile.
‘It’s not possible.”
“I’m a detective, Odette. This is what I do.”
“Then why are you telling me this? Why warn me if you have all these plans?”
The three of us stalk closer to her, a unified front against the crazy bitch who has torn our collective world apart. “So we could see the look on your face when we tell you that we’re going to rip your beating heart out,” I tell her. “We will kill you. Every single one of you will fall, and the world will not even remember you.”
Her cheeks redden, and she pushes up from her chair. “You will not win. You cannot possibly have the manpower behind you.”
“Think what you want, but this fear?” I gesture to her. “The panic at the thought of our success? This is all we wanted.” I take a step back and hold out my hands for Rainey and Delaney. “And I’ve been gunning for you since the day you murdered my mother.”
“You are nothing but a band of beat-down supernaturals,” she says.
“Beat-down? Possibly. But we have something you don’t,” I tell her.
“And what’s that?”
“Loyalty and the blood of the original lines in our veins. See you soon.” I wink and sever the connection.
“Hell of a parting line,” Rainey commends as we open our eyes again.
Back in the living room, we all pull apart and take our seats on the couch, again.
“This means you’re counting yourself as an Astor?” Rainey asks. “Because if so, I think we can put together a seat at the next family reunion for you.”
Delaney and I both laugh. “We’ve never had a family reunion.”
“Because we never had a reason to. But now?” Rainey reaches over and presses a hand to Delaney’s stomach. “Our family is growing. An annual barbeque might be nice.”
Eyes misty, Delaney leans against her sister.
“I would love to be invited to the Astor family barbeque.”
“Great.”
The three of us fall into silence as we stare into the crackling hearth. Was it smart to have pissed Odette off? Possibly not, and I know the others will be pissed we did it without them. But if she runs, if they all scatter, it could give us the edge we need. The ability to fight multiple battles rather than one massive war.
The hair on the back of my neck stands on end as a shiver of warning ices my spine. I turn to Delaney.
