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I wasn’t into voyeurism.
My men had no real need to watch every move I made while interrogating, they were only here to make sure Eli didn’t make a run for it, and, of course, the intimidation of having them here helped.
But Eli was mine to do with as I pleased.
“Eli,” I whispered. With my hands on either side of his head, I moved my lips close to his and leaned over him, poised on all fours—a ridiculous position for someone like me to be in, and yet, it worked. He was stiff as a board lying under me, terror at the very real possibility of what was to follow flowing through him. But beyond the fear was something else, an insignificant speck of arousal, of curiosity which piqued at my proximity. I could smell it on him. He was thinking about what it would feel like to be taken by me, penetrated by me. I asked him again, “What did you see that night?”
I knew he was out back doing a deal when the fire started, and he knew I knew. He must have seen something. Cameras show three people running out the back door while the rest of the staff and patrons exited through the front and onto the street. No one was killed, that’s why I suspected Ray, she destroyed places but she never killed. I needed to tie her to this.
“Three men,” he whispered frantically.
Shit.
“Not women?”
“No, no. Three men running out after the fire started.”
“Can you describe them?”
“Yes, one was—”
“Not to me, Eli. You’ll tell my men after.”
His eyes widened. “After?”
Pulling back, I kneeled over him, and Eli remained lying stiffly on the floor, unsure what to do. I lifted his left hand and kissed the top of it, hovering my lips over the skin. He trembled.
Well, might as well make a rumor true while I’m here.
“Eli, will you marry me?”
“W… what?”
Gasping quietly, I placed a hand dramatically on my chest. “Did you hear that, boys? He rejected my proposal.”
There was a general snickering. They knew the stories and could guess what was coming next.
Removing my glasses, I stared at him with eyes almost black, letting my voice take on the same darkness. “Stay out of my territory, Eli.”
Eli started pleading again as I took his ring finger between my teeth, almost down to the knuckle, and Sven stepped over, kneeling on Eli’s shoulders and slapping a hand over his mouth as he began to struggle.
We all knew the story.
He rejected my proposal.
So, I took his finger.
“Have they moved?”
“No, they haven’t left the apartment.”
Grinding my teeth, I stared at the mirror behind the bar, the bottles reflected along with my dark expression. Eli had given me little helpful information, and it was getting harder to contain myself. The men he had described tearfully, cradling his bloody hand, had no recognizable tattoos and wore no gang colors or biker cuts. Their eyes were a human brown, not a demon yellow, and nothing about their appearance would help me track them or link them to any of my rivals. They had known where the cameras were, and there was no sign of their faces.
Eli turned out to be useless.
Still, he wouldn’t be selling in my territory again, and my reputation was strengthened. The cloud of fear which surrounded me and shifted people to the side on the odd occasion I walked through the club was larger.
Good.
