Please don’t let that be a ghost.I stopped on the landing and peered over my shoulder.
“You dropped this.”
The man in the trench coat panted heavily, his head down as he came up the steps. “I had to run my ass off. You know you’re not supposed to flash in the daytime.”
Hopefully this idiot wouldn’t report me for using my abilities in front of humans. I noticed crackers in his hand. When he reached the landing, he bent over, huffing like he might pass out. Then he blew out a breath. “I should work out more.”
“Thanks. Just put them in the bag.”
He dropped them into the sack, and I noticed he was missing two fingers. “There you go. Have a good one.”
We parted ways, but after a few steps, he said, “Mind if I ask you something?”
When I turned, he was right in my face, staring at me with the blackest eyes, so inky and bottomless that I couldn’t look anywhere else. He wasn’t out of breath anymore—that was just a ruse.
“Why don’t you set down the heavy bags and take a walk with me?” the man said smoothly, his words burrowing deep into my mind and snatching hold. “I know about your situation, and I bet you want answers, don’t you?”
Yes, Ididwant answers. The thought repeated in my head over and over, and I could think of nothing else I wanted more.
“I have them,” he said with a toothy smile. “Come with me, and you’ll have them too.”
I robotically set down the bags and felt an inexplicable need to go wherever he went, for the Vampire had charmed me.
CHAPTER20
After Raven took off to buy food, Christian lightly knocked on Crush’s hotel room door.
Crush cracked the door, Lenore’s dagger in his hand.
“Ask him to step outside so we do not wake the boy,” Viktor said.
Christian fell back a step. “Viktor Kazan requests your presence in the hall.”
Crush came out and closed the door behind him. He had a pizza stain on his white T-shirt that he’d obviously tried to blot with water, but it had spread out. “Is he here?”
“Aye. He wants me to translate for him verbatim.” Christian listened to Viktor before he began. “I met with your close friend, Ren. We had a good discussion. As a Packmaster, he understands our situation and the need for secrecy. We don’t want the entire city going up in flames. There are people who will seize the opportunity to overthrow the higher authority. A fire has to start somewhere, and taking over an entire city would set a precedent.”
Crush tapped the blade against his jeans. “I’m guessing you got Ren’s contact info from Switch. Since Switch knows all my friends, what do you need me for?”
Christian listened to Viktor before answering. “I considered HALO helping us out, but they’re a small outfit of mixed Breed. We need larger numbers, either Vampires or Shifters who can take down Sparrow’s men. I don’t know enough Vampires to trust a large group, but packs I know. Switch is a good man,” Christian said, listening closely so he didn’t miscommunicate. “But Switch doesn’t have the same level of respect and influence as you do. This favor would require great risk and sacrifice, and that’s why I wanted to speak with him personally so he would understand the full impact if we do nothing. This isn’t just about saving the lives of those who attended the party; it’s about saving Cognito from insurrection.”
Crush mulled it over. “Are you staging an attack?”
“Yes,” Christian said, not wanting to confuse Crush with a Russian response coming out of his Irish mouth.
“How many of these scumbags are there?”
“We have to think in big numbers. Both Raven and Christian have confirmed that these men are not skilled fighters, yet we cannot dismiss their power since they are still Vampires.”
Crush gripped his bicep and threw his gaze to the floor. The old man looked like he’d taken a grievous blow, and Christian knew it had to do with Raven. “What about the curse? How are you gonna break it if he’s dead?”
Christian listened and then replied. “We capture him alive. Christian can charm the information we need from him. There are many lives impacted by his foolish bravado, and we must do whatever is in our power to stop this. If we fail to break the curse, we need full support from the packs to help protect the infrastructure of the establishments until they find suitable replacements. I think we both know they will never allow those affected to remain in power. It would cause too much disruption. People fear what they do not understand.”
Crush rested his palm on the doorknob and propped one foot against the door. “You want me to speak to him. That’s why you’re here.”
“Yes.” Christian watched Viktor speak with a tinge of embarrassment that he wasn’t able to seal the deal himself with Crush’s friend. “Ren’s loyalties run deep to those he’s close with, and while he respects Keystone, he doesn’t know us. He doesn’t knowme. There will be no compensation for the lives lost, so this has to be done of their own free will. He wants assurance that this isn’t a trap. I couldn’t prove our situation since we’re only invisible to humans, not Breed. He thought my eating an apple and watching it reappear was a nice trick.”
Crush chuckled. “Ren’s a hard-ass, but he’s a good man. He wants to know that you’ve exhausted all other efforts. He needs to hear it from someone he trusts, and we go way back. If this were just about Raven, he’d give up a few men—no questions asked. But you’re asking a hell of a lot. I can’t promise anything, but I’ll let him know what’s at stake.”
