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He inclined his head. “As you wish.”
I stuck out my hand to show there were no hard feelings, and we shook.
Tomas wished me a good evening and then hesitated, his hand on the doorknob.
“Speak,” I said.
“It is possible that your Camila works for the slayers. After all, she’s one of those humans who can hide their emotions from us.”
My brow lowered. Uneasiness prickled my nape. Tomas knew way too much about Mila. But then, my father would have extensive files on her.
“Impossible. I’ve been keeping an eye on her ever since she left.” Okay, maybe, I’d lost her for a few days here and there, but I’d always located her again.
“Slayers undergo years of training,” I added, “but she worked at farms and low-end retail jobs, and when we first met, she was a college student.”
“They are clever at placing their people.”
“No,” I said firmly. “Mila isnota slayer. It’s just not possible.”
He lifted a big shoulder, let it drop. “So she’s not a slayer. For enough money, she could still stick the silver stake into you. You are sleeping with her, no?”
“Enough,” I ground out. “Camila Vittore isnota slayer. But”—I tensed, and then reluctantly continued—“it’s possible they’re using her.”
“I’ll see if I can find the connection. But you will be careful. Your father will string me up by the balls if something happens to you.”
“I’m always careful.” Hell, I’d survived three assassination attempts by the time I was twenty-five.
As soon as I was alone, I sat back down at my computer to poke around in Mila’s background. It was easy enough to find out that her brother had gone missing. In fact, I wondered why Tomas hadn’t already informed me.
The local paper had run a story on the missing twenty-one-year-old. I stared at the photo of Joey that came up on my screen. I’d only met him a few times. He’d been a teenager, an easygoing kid who never seemed to go anywhere without a pack of friends. The photo had been taken by the water. Joey aimed a cocky grin at the camera, his curly hair windblown, his arm around a pretty blond woman about his age.
My heart gave a single hard beat.Of course.
Mila would do anything for her family. Her brother was the key. Find him, and I’d discover who was behind this.
Normally my father would give a job this delicate to Tomas, but for now, I preferred no one else in the Syndicate know about Joey Vittore. If this was an inside job, I didn’t want to inadvertently feed intel to the man—or woman. Instead, I contacted a small private firm that Father kept on retainer for jobs like this.
Fagan Security was owned by a married dhampir couple in Pennsylvania. The two had never joined the Syndicate but were loosely under my father’s protection. Other than my father, they worked only for dhampirs and the occasional human.
Mariah Fagan took the call. I explained what had happened and hired her to start the search for Joey at double their usual fee. “But keep it quiet. No one but me knows we’re looking for him—understand?”
“Got it,” Mariah responded in her no-nonsense voice.
“I also want an around-the-clock team guarding his parents,” I continued. “You already have their address. I want them kept safe, whatever it takes. But no contact with them. The Vittores can’t even know you’re there. Any questions?”
When she said no, I cut the connection, then deleted my search history and signed off my PC. Rising to my feet, I stared absently at a large black-and-white photo of the Manhattan skyline on the wall.
Someone was growling. Me.
My vampire was enraged. That Mila had been forced, maybe even compelled, to return to me. Underlying my fury was disappointment. It was as I’d suspected. Mila hadn’t come back because of me, she’d come back to save her brother.
Tomas was right—Iwasan ass. I’d known something was off, yet I’d still hoped. You’d have thought I’d learned my lesson three years ago.
My fangs elongated. I slammed a fist into the photo. The glass shattered and the photo crashed to the black marble floor.
A knock sounded on my door. “Sir?” called one of my bodyguards. “Is everything all right?”
I drew a slow breath through my teeth, then opened the door so he and the other guard could see I was okay. “Everything’s fine. But tell Dino to send down someone to clean up the mess—and have this photo reframed.”
