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“Are you dying?” I asked.
“Don’t be stupid. ” As though his mortality couldn’t possibly be in question.
“You always told me to rely on my natural gifts. ”
“Only you would think stupidity was a gift. ”
I grinned at him. “Dumb luck. I am the master of it. ”
“To what do I owe the great, rare presence of your royal wolfish, vampire Tribunal-leading self in my office? Aren’t you otherwise occupied with running the underworld?”
Ah, was that bitterness I smelled? It was hard to tell with all his subtlety.
Looked like it was also going to be call-Secret-on-her-shit day. Nice. Kick a girl when she was down.
Except in this case I sort of felt like I deserved all the kicks I was getting.
“I need—”
“Oh yes,” he interrupted me, leaning back in his chair and loosening the blood-red tie he wore. “Please tell me what you need. ” His tone wasn’t outright mean, but I got the point. I’d been asking a lot of favors, and a partnership was supposed to be give and take. Instead it had
been take, take, take, and I’d been the one doing all the demanding.
I sucked. Thanks, everyone. Point taken.
I bit my lip and swallowed the snarky reply I wanted to make. Hard to be high and mighty about your hurt pride when people are making completely valid points. My hurt expression must have shown because Keaty softened slightly.
“You understand why I’m…unhappy with you, don’t you?”
“Yes. ”
“Why?”
“Because I’ve been a shitty partner. ”
Keaty nodded. “I would have said ungrateful, but shitty is accurate too. ”
“I have been taking cases. ”
“How marvelous. Those two extra cases every month were such a burden. Thanks for getting those off my mind. ” Oh good, sarcasm. Probably a sign I shouldn’t be defending myself right now.
“Look, I do need your help with something. ”
“Fancy that, because I need yours. ”
“Well, let’s hear it. ”
“I think I’d like to save mine until the end. What do you need?”
“Kellen Rain is AWOL. ”
“Ransom demand?” He slid forward in his chair, and I recognized the change in his expression. It was the same shift I’d had the previous night with Lucas when I went from bitter ex to professional private investigator in order to find Kellen.
I shook my head. “I don’t think she’s been kidnapped. ”
“What does Rain think?”
“I’m pretty sure he thinks she’s dead. ”
