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"Only if you let my friends go."
He cocks an eyebrow. "Your 'friends'?"
"Gunnar and Luka," I say. "
Vance smirks. "I haven't done anything to Gunnar and Luka."
"Then why aren't they here?"
"They're cooling off in a cell while I talk to their omega."
I frown. "I'm not Luka's omega."
"Not yet," Vance huffs out a laugh. "But...you let Gunnar claim you."
"It felt right."
"Are you sure it didn't feel convenient?"
We stare each other down, Vance's eyes unblinking. He finally relents, reaching forward to pick up his wine and taking a sip. "I'm not going to hurt Gunnar Finch," he says. "He's a good,well-meaning kid--and you know his father saved mine during the last major street war. I owe the Finch family a debt."
I look carefully at him, trying to figure him out with no luck. I do think I can trust him, though--so I nod.
"Okay," I say. "So tell me, Mr. Solace--what do you want to know?"
"I want to know every detail of the conversation you overheard at Dreamland the night you escaped," he says. "I want names, details. And then, once you've given me everything...you'll have sanctuary with the Angels."
"Why?"
"Because as you said, you are a human being--and the Eclipse already believes we're harboring you. Nothing will be gained by putting you back in their hands, other than another corpse in Echo Beach."
I inhale sharply at the way he casually talks about my death. It's a reminder that, even though he's offering to help me, I'm still in danger.
And there's only one path forward.
So I tell him.
I go through every detail I can remember--who was in the meeting, what they discussed, even the minute details of theirsmalltalk. Vance listens without interrupting, finishing off his plate of pasta and having the butler refill his glass a few times. When I'm finally done, he leans back and frowns, stroking his well-groomed black beard.
"Let me get this straight," he says. "A mob boss, an ex-ACB agent, and a cultist meet at a stripclub in Pacific City. They all have one common goal...and that is to release some kind of new street drug?"
I shrug. "I guess. I have to admit, I don't really know."
"Did you ever hear anything like this before that night?" he asks. "Any discussion around the club."
"There are always new drugs making the rounds," I tell him. "People experimenting, claiming some tablet or white powder will take you to a new high. I don't partake, so I couldn't tell you."
"But you'd never met Caius Rossi before then."
"No."
I frown.
"But...there was one strange thing. His brother was hanging around as well just a few weeks ago, and he was meeting with the club's manager."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah," I say. "Nero Rossi took a meeting with Eddy Arquette. I didn't overhear any of it, but it seemed serious."
