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That was what turned Keaty’s permanent frown into a smirk.
“Don’t worry, Genny.” He held his hand out palm up on the desk, and she took the offering. All of the vengeful fervor seeped out of her and left her limp and sad, clutching Keaty’s hand like it was an anchor keeping her from drifting out to sea. “We’ll find her.”
Easy for him to say. He wasn’t the one in the debt of a vampire elder.
“We’ll need some information from you about Lucy,” I told her. “Her class schedule, any places you know she hangs out, names of her friends. I have a friend on the force. I’ll ask her if…well, I’ll ask her if she knows anything that might be helpful.”
Genevieve gave a tight nod. Judging by the tense set of her features and the pain glazing her eyes, she wasn’t thinking about what she’d do when she saw Lucy alive again. No, the ocelot queen was thinking about her future hobby of intestinal millinery.
Chapter Five
After Genevieve left, Keaty and I agreed the best course of action was to look into the jaguar king first before we started scouring the city for Lucy Renard. If Genevieve believed the king had a motive for kidnapping the girl, there was a solid chance he’d done it. When it came to crimes of jealousy, passion and rejection, the most obvious explanation was usually the right one.
Gregory Hamilton wasn’t a hard man to find.
Unlike Lucas, who tried to keep a low profile in spite of his riches, Gregory appeared to be the kind of man who liked to flaunt his wealth and power. A few phone calls to some friends in low places was all it took to find out he spent most of his evenings at a fae-run bar in the East Village called Caligula.
There was no way I was going to meet a potential kidnapper, who no doubt had an entourage of bodyguards, without a little protection of my own. I’d made the mistake of underestimating my opponents one too many times in the past. Just because Gregory was a shifter didn’t mean he was any less of a threat to me than a rogue vampire.
I’d seen what could happen when shifters went toe-to-toe, and it wasn’t pretty.
I already had my gun on me, but this wouldn’t be a regular crowd. In a fae-operated bar, patronized by shifter royalty, I was willing to bet my name preceded me. I also knew perfectly well that while a gun was ample protection, it lacked a certain wow factor.
I wanted Gregory Hamilton to know I meant business.
Stopping at my apartment before heading south, I grabbed the one weapon I had that was light enough to carry on a long walk but impressive enough to express my seriousness. The katana had been a purchase of homicidal necessity a few years back, and ever since it had become one of my favorite pieces. Guns were all well and good, but a big shiny sword made me look extra kick-ass.
Of course, the bouncer at Caligula only saw it as a threat.
He was a beefy wall of fae with arms as wide around as my waist and a face that had never cracked a smile.
“What do you want?” he grumbled.
“I’m here to speak to Gregory Hamilton.”
“Sure you are. What’s that you’ve got?”
The katana was slung over my back. Once upon a time I’d cleverly disguised it by using a bike messenger’s travel tube. Sadly, that tube was long gone, and I’d had to buy a real sling for the sword, making it pretty damned apparent what I was carrying.
No sense in pretending. “It’s a sword.”
The guard quirked h
is eyebrow. “And why do you need a sword to talk to Mr. Hamilton?”
“Why not?”
That seemed to stump him. I guess most would-be assassins were a lot stealthier about bringing weapons in. “Uhhh.”
“Look, it’s not silver. I’m not here to hurt him. You tell him I work for Genevieve Renard and I want to talk to him, that’s all.” I smiled, careful not to flash too much teeth. I didn’t want to come across as threatening, and I was sure this fae knew the signs of shifter aggression.
He also didn’t quite know what to make of me.
“If you just want to talk, why do you need a sword?”
“This is New York, Butch. A girl can never be too careful.”
“Leave the sword with me, and I’ll let you in.” He held out his enormous hand, as if I’d actually be stupid enough to simply give him my weapon. He was just as stupid as he looked.
