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This was probably not good news, she thought.
“I’ll be right back,” she told her second-in-command.
“You okay?”
“Peachy. Thanks.”
Cutting through the crowd, she was bumped into by a guy, and instead of throwing him out of her path, she nudged him aside. And when a woman asked her for directions to the bathroom, she paused and gave them. Then one of the bartenders rushed over with his finger wrapped in a dish towel because he’d cut it opening a beer bottle. She sent him on to the first aid kit in the manager’s office and told him to get to the ER because he was going to need stitches.
Finally, she was at the club’s easterly exit, the one by the storage rooms that were locked.
“You might as well come in,” she said at the reinforced steel door.
There was a split second of pause—and then the male who opened the heavy panel with his mind made his appearance.
As usual, Rehv was wrapped up in his floor-length mink, asymphathburrito who was trying his damnedest not to leach any body heat if he could avoid it. Tough goal for Caldwell in November, but then he was also fully dressed underneath, with adark gray suit and a black silk shirt and tie. His mohawk had been recently trimmed, so the horizontal stripe down his cranium was even shorter than usual, and his amethyst eyes seemed extra bright in the low-watt glow of the service hall.
“Who’s dead,” she asked grimly. Because that tight expression on his face was hardly bearer-of-good-news shit.
“I think you’ve got the answer to that.”
“Excuse me?” When he didn’t come in, she put her hands on her hips. “Are you looking for an engraved invitation? Or do you just want to play doorstop.”
By way of reply, those purple eyes narrowed on her, and she knew exactly what he was doing. But instead of getting all thought up about him goingsymphathon her, she just got good and relaxed in her shitkickers and let him do his thing. He was going to scan her grid anyway. Arguing with the motherfucker was a waste of breath.
“You mind coming in?” She indicated the hall around them. “You’ll be warmer, for one thing. For another, I’ll be warmer. But fuck the weather, you’re about to set off an alarm that we don’t need to deal with, thank you very much.”
Rehv stepped into the corridor, and the door eased shut behind him. As the lock was returned to its secured position, thesymphathin her flared upin response, but she didn’t give in to the payback scan. At least one of them could remain polite.
As the silence stretched on, she glanced up at one of the ceiling fixtures, which was out.How many half-breedsymphathsdid it take to change a light bulb?Answer:None. Because they’ll just manipulate an army of humans to do it for them. Or vampires. Or Shadows. Or…
Wolven, a voice in her head whispered.
No, we’re not going there, she thought to herself.
“Are we done yet?” She motioned over her head. “You finished checking I’m okay, or shall we stand around for another hour while you diagnose me with shit I already know about—”
“Xhex.”
“Yup.” When nothing else came back at her, she shrugged. “What you got? Come on, I have work to—”
“You can’t be out killing our kind. Humans? Fine. Messy, but you know the drill—”
“Excuse me?” Xhex lifted her brows and leaned in a little. “What the hell are you talking about.”
“I got a call about another piece of your handiwork. I don’t need it, and neither does anyone else. You keep dropping Trez’s patrons around Caldwell and it’s going to land on Wrath’s front door. I don’t give a shit if they’re getting silly—”
“Stop right there.” Xhex put her dagger handup. “I have no clue what you’re talking about, and you better get your facts straight before you come in here and start throwing around unsubstantiated accusations—”
“The victim’s eyes are missing.”
“So? Maybe he was an organ donor.”
“Xhex. I warned you in the spring—”
Raising her voice, she mowed over the convo. “I’m in charge of security here, not corporal justice. If someone fucks around, they’re tossed and that’s where it ends as long as they don’t go stupid on me. What happens outside this club isn’t my problem, and people can find their graves just fine without my help.”
“Please don’t do this.” Rehv shook his head. “Don’t try to lie to me.”
