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‘Christ,’ I muttered, ‘you’d close the restaurant if your grandson got snatched, wouldn’t you?’
‘Not if it’s being run by a manager, or someone not linked to the family,’ Greg suggested. Sure – or an unfeeling, undead vampyr.
‘Maybe,’ I said noncommittally. ‘Let’s go see who’s in charge.’ I mentally crossed my fingers that Alessandro himself was somewhere else.
The inside of the restaurant was warm and cosy, with the lights set to low. The customers all looked to be Common, or at least they were in the Common realm. Everyone was dressed in their Sunday best. I couldn’t see any signs of the Other, bar the maître d’. Greg and I looked somewhat scruffy in comparison, but her smile didn’t falter.
‘Good evening,’ she said warmly, as flames danced on her head. ‘I’m sorry but the restaurant is fully booked tonight, and we can’t accommodate walk-ins. I’ll be more than happy to book you in some time in the next couple of weeks. Let me pull up our diary and we’ll see when we can accommodate you.’ She was good. I bet she could upsell you coffee with your dessert, too.
‘We’re not here to eat,’ I said quietly. ‘We’re here about Jason Alessandro.’
Her smile vanished and her eyes filled with anguish. ‘Please don’t say his name. I need to keep busy, or I’ll fall apart. You’ll need to speak to Grandfather – he’s in the back office. I’ll take you to him, if he’ll see you.’
She looked a little like Maxwell, although it was more a vague familial resemblance rather than that of siblings. She was a leggy blonde, much like me, elegantly dressed in a royal-blue dress and wearing minimal make up. I wondered how she was related to Maxwell, but before I could ask, she sashayed away in red heels that I immediately coveted.
Greg and I followed obediently. She took a deep breath, recovered her poise and knocked on the door. ‘Wait here, please.’
She ducked inside and shut the door behind her. A few minutes passed before she emerged and hustled us in. Then she disappeared, back to manage front of house, I guessed. I’d try and speak to her later.
Mr Alessandro sat behind an oak desk. His face was blank and stoic, giving away nothing of his thoughts. He looked like no grandfatherI’dever seen; for a start, he was dizzyingly handsome, even though he had a few grey hairs.
I studied him a little more. His face was perfect – vampyr perfect. Bingo. Interestingly, no flames were dancing on his head. Were the rumours about his elemental status false?
I spoke up. ‘Hello. I’m Lucy Barrett, alpha of the werewolf clan.’
‘I know who you are. Why are you here?’ His tone was even, neither curious nor aggressive. He was studying me intently, like I imagined a scientist would watch a chemical reaction: intently, and almost with anticipation. It made me a little nervous.
How did he know who I was? I’m no one in the Other realm, not even a blip on anyone’s radar. For all I’m an alpha, werewolves are a dime a dozen. ‘I understand your grandson has been taken,’ I stated.
‘Yes. It is being dealt with.’
‘By the vampyrs or the elementals?’
‘Why are you here?’ he repeated, ignoring my question.
‘A werewolf pup has been taken, too. I wanted to ask you some questions.’
There was a long silence as if he were choosing his words carefully. ‘I do not have time for a Q and A session right now,’ he said finally.
‘You’re a vampyr – you have nothingbuttime,’ I snarled back. His calm attitude was starting to piss me off. Didn’t he care his grandson had been taken?’
Greg grimaced; given that Alessandro was a vampyr he clearly didn’t think taunting him in his lair was wise. Even so, his hand stayed loosely by his hip; no doubt ready to draw a weapon.
‘You may examine the scene and then you must leave,’ Alessandro finally allowed. ‘I will not have your presence upsetting my customers or my staff.’
‘What kind of uncaring prick is still sitting here calmly while his grandson has been kidnapped?’
Greg made a strangling sound behind me.
Finally, I had a reaction from Alessandro, though not one I expected. He smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. ‘The kind that kills insolent wolves for fun. The Red Guard has put you under their protection – for now. That’s the only reason I let you into my office. Now you have satisfied your curiosity, you may go.’ Despite his smile, his tone suggested that if we didn’t go now, we’d never leave, except in a body bag.
‘How old is Jason? Is he a vampyr like you?’ I asked.
‘He is eleven years old. And no, he is an elemental.’
‘You don’t have the flames on your head,’ I pointed out.
Greg made another choking sound.
