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“Torture is always an option,” Kieran said, his tone dark. “It’s the quickest way to get what you’re looking for.”
Rayne shook his head. “Since when do we hurt humans?”
“Since they’ve become a threat to our safety,” Kieran replied. “We need to do whatever it takes to protect our pack.”
Rayne knew Kieran was right, but he couldn’t bring himself to hurt Felix. There had to be another way.
“Let me think about it.” Rayne ended the call.
As he thought, his eyes drifted across the desk to Felix’s phone. He picked it up, scrolling through the contacts. There had to be someone who could help them.
And then he saw it. Eleazar’s number.
A plan began to form in Rayne’s mind. He would call Eleazar and tell him he had Felix. He would offer to trade Felix for information on the ones responsible for the killings. It had been Rayne who’d put out the rumor that the hunters were planning something big in hopes of drawing out the vampires, and he knew Eleazar would be on edge. This could work.
And it would be a lot faster than trying to get the information from Felix, who was playing dumb as hell. Rayne knew the human harbored vast amounts of knowledge when it came to vampires, and what Rayne wouldn’t give to have that.
Instead of using Felix’s phone to call, Rayne used his own. Now he had Eleazar’s phone number, which was invaluable to him.
He took a deep breath and dialed the number. After a few rings, Eleazar answered. “Eleazar Bancroft.”
“I like how you sound so professional when we both know you’re a lowlife, blood-sucking disease on the world.”
“Rayne, what a surprise,” Eleazar said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “To what do I owe this displeasure?”
“I have something you might be interested in.” Rayne sat back. “I have your boy, Felix.”
There was a pause on the other end of the line. “And what do you want in exchange for him?” Eleazar asked, suspicion evident in his voice.
“I want information on the vampires responsible for the killings in Ridgeway,” Rayne said. “I know you know something, and I’m willing to make a deal.”
There was another pause. “You dare take from me?”
The guy hadn’t denied that they were killings and not mere disappearances.
“Your vampires are taking innocent human lives,” Rayne reminded him. “This has to stop.”
Eleazar hissed, and when he spoke, each word was thick with malice. “Return him to me or I’ll peel the flesh from your bones until you beg for death. I’ll make sure you suffer for eternity.”
“Intimidation tactics won’t work on me, Eleazar. The deal stands. Hand over the ones who killed those humans and I’ll return Felix.”
“This is my city,” Eleazar said. “And I don’t negotiate with dogs.”
Rayne gritted his teeth. “Then the deal is off.”
He ended the call and stared at the phone, pissed that the head honcho hadn’t taken the deal. Eleazar was going to be a problem. If the vampire wasn’t involved, if he didn’t know anything about the killings, then he’d be furious with Rayne for calling him out and kidnapping Felix. But Rayne had to try. He had to get to the bottom of this before the situation turned much worse.
Like their kind being exposed to the world.
In Ridgeway, Eleazar was the main power. He reigned over the vampire population—with the exception of Fayez and his own coven of vampires. However, Eleazar had more influence than Fayez, which caused Rayne to believe that nothing in the city happened without his knowledge.
But now, he wondered if Eleazar had as much control as everyone believed. Eleazar was right in one aspect. He did own Ridgeway. But so did Rayne. He would do whatever it took to keep the vampires in line, keep the balance.
And if he couldn’t, he would hunt down every last bloodsucker and kill them, which would cause a war. That was something Rayne wanted to avoid. A war was not something this city needed or would survive.
Rayne tapped the phone against his thigh, thinking. There had to be a way to get Felix to talk. He just had to figure it out.
* * * *
