Christian noticed that Crush’s breathing had picked up, and there was a slight sheen of perspiration on his skin. He could do little to hide his nervousness from the keen eye of a Vampire.
Christian looked at Viktor. “Anything else?”
“Let me know his answer.Dasvidaniya.” Viktor turned on his heel and headed back to the elevator.
Christian translated Viktor’s parting remarks and then inched closer to Crush. “What do you think your friend will do?”
Crush shook his head. “Fuck if I know. If you’re talking at least twenty Vampires, the odds play out better with four wolves per man. He can’t send his entire pack to slaughter, so he’ll have no choice but to bring in other Packmasters.”
“Can he trust them? If word gets out, our plans go up in smoke. And I don’t just mean Sparrow finding out, because I couldn’t give a shite if he does. But you’ll have numerous factions eager to overthrow every form of law. They’ll hunt organizations like ours and destroy anyone who might stop this from happening. If Sparrow succeeds, the underground societies that live in the Bricks will rise up. And if you think they won’t go after Shifters to steal their land, you’re sorely mistaken. So maybe you should pound that into your friend’s noggin. If we don’t stop this now, it’s the downfall of civilization as we know it.”
“I bet you’re a real hit at parties.” Crush went inside, and Christian followed.
“Say whatever you need to get him on board, and he needs to work his magic with the other packs in order to—Jaysus, Mary, and Joseph.” Christian gaped into the bathroom. “Come have a gander at this.”
Crush strutted over and rested his arm on the doorjamb. “I taught him that trick.”
Christian watched Harley pissing in the toilet with his hind leg lifted up.
“I’m trying to teach him how to flush when he’s done,” Crush boasted. “We tried it a few ways. Couldn’t get him to sit on it backward, but he seems to have good aim this way.”
“Well, isn’t that astonishing? I’m glad to see you’re spending your free time curing cancer and teaching dogs how to take a wee.”
“He’s got better manners than you, pinhead.”
“Maybe next time you get the urge to bond with your fleabag, you should just buy him a toy.”
Crush grinned. “He’s got a life-size Vampire doll with a raven tattoo. I drag it on the back of my pickup, and he likes chasing and pinning it.”
“As riveting as this conversation is, I’ll be running along now.”
“Maybe you should.”
Christian strolled down the hall and waited by the elevators. Ten minutes was more than enough time for Raven to grab a few essentials. Perhaps she was trapped among a cluster of humans and unable to carry her bags. The thought amused him.
He headed down to the fourth floor and caught Wyatt in the hallway.
“Have you seen Raven?”
Wyatt tossed a gumdrop high into the air and caught it in his mouth. “Nope. She probably took the stairs.”
“I doubt it. She’ll be carrying groceries.”
Wyatt arched an eyebrow and jerked his thumb toward the elevators. “You obviously haven’t seen what’s in there. Trust me, she took the stairs.”
A little boy holding a candy bar skipped past them. When he saw Wyatt, his eyes rounded. “Santa!”
“I’m not Santa, kid. Santa’s taking a holiday.”
The kid blew a raspberry at him and raced off to his room. He was obviously Breed if he could see Wyatt. Unless human children were somehow immune to the magic.
Christian branched away. “You take the elevator down to one and I’ll take the stairs. Meet me in the lobby.”
“Okeydokey.”
Christian jogged down the stairs and didn’t run into another living soul until he reached the second floor, where the lunatic lived.
The hobo grinned, half his teeth missing. “I know what you are! You can’t fool me. And neither could your lady friend.”
