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“You’d be wise not to underestimate me,” she snapped, and left it at that. She wasn’t going to get into a verbal sparring match with him. Not now. Not ever.
For a moment, she thought he would answer. Then she felt the press of Leviathan’s hand on her shoulder. The simple weight of it calmed her, and she drew in a breath, furious with herself for lashing out.
“You are entitled to a representative, Luke,” Leviathan said, almost kindly.
“I have retained Nicholas Montague,” he said, then shrugged. “Neither of us saw a need for him to be here for this interview.”
Leviathan looked as though he would argue. But in the end, he merely nodded. “Very well. Then let us dispense with the pleasantries and move straight to business. Record on. In cell interview with suspect Lucius Dragos, vampire. Present are Division 6 representatives, Director Nikko Leviathan and prosecutor Sara Constantine. Mr. Dragos, you have declined to have a representative present?”
“I have.”
“Very well. Mr. Dragos, you are a vampire?”
“I am.”
“You are the sire of the Dragos clan?”
“I am the last and only acknowledged Dragos, as you well know.”
“Of course,” Leviathan said. “Your ward cannot claim the clan name.” He flipped through his notes. “In light of her precarious mental state as a human, Tasha was subject to termination. She received special dispensation in 1490, sparing her life, but forbidding her to propagate or inherit, and requiring you to stand as guardian.”
“I’m aware of the circumstances,” Luke said, his voice hard.
“A hard-fought battle, if I recall,” Leviathan said. “I believe there was significant testimony both for and against termination.”
“We were both there, Nikko,” Luke said. “I’m sure you recall the testimony as well as I do.”
“And while you are here, she is under the care of…”
“She is well-watched after now,” Luke said, “and successfully survived the Holding all those years ago. Her serpent is bound, and those who fought for her termination can all go to hell.” A muscle in his jaw twitched, his hands tightening on the arms of his chair in a visible effort to calm himself. “If you wish to question me about the death of Marcus Braddock, I would suggest you get on with it.”
Leviathan hesitated, then nodded. “Very well. Let’s cut to the chase. Where were you last night?”
“Isn’t that what you intend to prove?”
“Fair enough,” Leviathan said, glancing at a message that had popped up on his phone. “Then let me tell you, and you can stop me if I get anything wrong.”
Smart, Sara thought. Lead him through the evidence. Let him know how bad it is for him—and with a witness like Doyle, it was very, very bad—and then present the offer for a plea bargain again at the end of the interview.
In the calm, unemotional voice of an experienced prosecutor, Leviathan began a rundown of the evidence against Luke, including Doyle’s vision.
“Agent Doyle’s conclusions have just been confirmed by the PEC’s medical examiner.”
“Is that a fact?”
“Division 6 has a record of seven hundred and eighty-six vampires permanently residing in the greater Los Angeles area,” Leviathan said softly. “And yet yours was the DNA we discovered on the victim.”
Sara lifted her head, startled by the mention of DNA evidence. Luke, however, remained impassive. Unreadable. If anything, he seemed amused. And though she didn’t know Nikko Leviathan well at all, she could see that he’d noted the amusement, too. And that it was pissing him off.
“I suppose, though, that some of the thanks must go to you,” Leviathan continued. “Until your arrest, we didn’t have your DNA on file. And yet you provided a sample to the agents without a court order. I have to wonder why.”
Sara worked to keep her features bland, but the truth was that she wondered, too. If Division didn’t already have his DNA, why on earth would Luke provide it unless it would prove his innocence? In this case, though, it proved his guilt.
“Would you have been able to obtain a court order?” Luke asked.
“Undoubtedly.”
“Then why put everyone to the trouble?”
