I returned to my original spot and kicked the glass shards across the floor. I could see it was aggravating him since he wasn’t just her guard but also her servant. “You smell just as bad as the day we met—like dead bodies. I guess it’s from working in the morgue all those years. All the smells from autopsies and putrefying bodies probably seeped into your pores and fused with your DNA.”
He bared his teeth before ducking into the next room. It gave me a chance to catch my breath and get my head together. I couldnotlose my shit in front of Viktor. Especially with Lenore present. Nothing would thrill her more than walking out of their meeting and finding me shoving a dagger into Fletcher’s skull. Viktor didn’t know what Fletcher looked like—no one did except Christian. He would never make the connection with Lenore referring to him as Jack, probably short for Jack the Ripper.
I wondered what Christian would have done hadhebeen the one to escort Viktor. Lenore probably asked for him to stay behind. I would have bet my right arm that she recommended me in his place. And now my enemies were teamed up. Hopefully Viktor wouldn’t invite her over. I couldn’t handle the thought of Fletcher in my home. In my room.
He returned with a dustpan and brush.
I kicked another piece across the room, and it clinked against the wall. “Looks like you finally got the job you deserve. Don’t forget the mop. You wouldn’t want your master to slip and crack her skull open.”
Fletcher knelt and swept up the broken glass. “I have plans for you, love. Just you wait.”
I strutted past him. “Missed a spot.”
He growled and seized my ankle, his fingers encircling like tiny snakes. I jerked my leg from his grasp and coolly returned to the windows.
Fletcher would never know it to look at me that I was coming unhinged. I’d never seen him when I wasn’t in chains, and I suddenly wished that I could have seen him before he escaped. ThatIcould have been the one to make him scream and beg for death.
Watching him on his hands and knees, frantically cleaning because he was afraid his boss would be upset, brought me a sliver of satisfaction.
I had to choose my words carefully. We weren’t alone, and Lenore was undoubtedly splitting her attention between Viktor and us. I didn’t want her to know she’d gotten to me. I wanted her to realize thatshewas the one who’d made the mistake by freeing him.
“Do you know what that sodding Vamp did to me?” Fletcher asked.
“Not every detail, but I’m looking forward to hearing those stories over Christmas dinners in the future.” I stepped on a shard of glass, pressing down until it crunched into pieces.
Fletcher shot up like an arrow and glowered. “You were always trouble. A nasty little halfling with a dirty mouth.”
“Speaking of dirty habits, I saw the news yesterday. They found a few dead bodies. Looks like someone with a bad juicing habit out of control. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you? Does Lenore know about your light addiction?”
I knew she was listening, and if she didn’t know Fletcher was a light addict, I’d make sure she found out. As long as he was under her wing, he had protection. I needed to clip that wing.
“I’m sure you made her all sorts of promises. Am I right?” I leaned against the sofa. “Maybe she controls your life, but she can’t control your addiction. You’re messy, Fletcher. I know you had something to do with all those bodies. You don’t know how to control yourself. A juicer knows when to stop, but youcan’tstop, can you? All those months without a single drop of light—I bet you couldn’t wait. You were weak and frail and probably started with humans before graduating to stronger light. Then you remembered how good that light tasted and didn’t stop until they were dead. That’s messy. Lenore doesn’t like messy.” I kicked the tiny particles of glass, and they skittered across the floor.
Fletcher’s nostrils flared like an angry bull. He hurled the brush at my head. I ducked, and it struck the window.
I chuckled. “Hope it didn’t chip the glass.”
He slowly approached, menace in every step, and bent over, spearing me with his gaze. “I’m gonna fucking rip you apart.”
“And I’m gonna turn you in.”
He barked out a laugh. “For what, love? I have connections. I built a reputation with the Mageri. Do you think they really care what I do on the side?”
“If your mistress sees the mess you’ve made, you’ll be the one who’s fucking torn apart. Better hurry. She’ll be coming out soon.”
As much as Fletcher wanted to taunt me, he must have known how Lenore liked things just so.
I wondered if he stayed here all the time. Surely not. She probably called on him when needed, which meant he was staying somewhere close. He obviously had enough free time to feed his light addiction. I had my doubts he lived in a secluded home. Fletcher liked his privacy, but Lenore wouldn’t want him too far from her reach. It wouldn’t be long before he would get the itch to take a light slave, and I would be damned if I let that happen to anyone else.
Embers burned in the pit of my stomach the more I thought about it. When Fletcher returned with a long broom and a mop, I went to the corner and faced the window. My dark reflection watched as if it were another side of me—the one I’d left behind when I joined Keystone. I was done speaking to Fletcher. I didn’t have the strength, and I didn’t want to give either him or Lenore the satisfaction of my anger. I stared at the twinkling lights and imagined myself living up here. I loved heights. I loved looking down on the city and feeling its pulse beneath my gaze.
“I’m glad we could work this out,” Lenore said from a distant hall. “Next time you visit, you should join Ronald and me for drinks in the restaurant downstairs. We’d love to have you. He’s such a busy man but always makes time for me.”
Yeah, I’m sure Viktor would love nothing more than to hang out with the woman who dumped him for a tyrant.
Not that he knew about her treasonous act, but she had left him all the same.
“I am a very busy man.” Viktor squinted at his watch. “I am pleased you have found someone who is not so busy.”
