His unblinking eyes left mine. “Find out what did this, enforcer. There is no reason for your existence if you cannot do the job you were entrusted with.”
None of us spoke as Tse gave one last look at the body and then turned back the way he came. Liam indicated Eric was to follow.
He waited until long after the two had disappeared to speak.
Thomas crossed his arms over his chest. “I would not want to be in your shoes right now, old friend.”
“Who was that man?” I asked. The others treated him as someone to be feared and respected.
“He’s part of the council,” Liam said. “He’s one of two conducting the selection.”
“So not someone to mess with then,” I said, looking down the corridor.
“That would be the wisest course of action,” Liam said.
“I’m surprised you would view him that way as you haven’t demonstrated an abundance of caution to this point,” Thomas said.
I gave him a long look. “Perhaps you just haven’t demonstrated a reason to respect or fear you.”
Thomas’s fangs showed. I gave him fang back.
Liam whirled, grabbing my arm and dragging me several steps away. “Enough baiting him. What is wrong with you? He’s a possible candidate. If you had any sense in that thick head of yours, you’d be bending over backwards to get on his good side, not giving him reasons to destroy your life.”
“Perhaps I just don’t like his face,” I returned.
He studied me, his eyes seeing way more than I wanted. “No, you’re reckless, but not usually this reckless. There’s more to this than you’re telling me.”
He’d nailed it.
“How would you know?” I said. “You’ve met me a handful of times and read a few reports on me. That’s hardly enough information to form a reliable judgement on my actions.”
His sigh was angry, a sharp expulsion of breath.
“Go home. Do the job I’m paying you for.”
I stiffened. He wasn’t shutting me out of this investigation. I wasn’t a child to be sent to her room when the adults were working
“I don’t think so. Whatever is doing this is affecting the rest of the city.”
His voice was calm but deadly as he said, “This doesn’t concern you. This is vampire business and you’ve already decided you want no part in that.” He arched a smug eyebrow. “Unless that’s changed. Has it?”
I glared at him, hating the smug arrogance that said he had me trapped and he knew it.
“I didn’t think so. Run off, little girl. We have business to attend to.”
He did not just call me little girl. The wicked grin on his face said he knew exactly what affect those words had on me. It made the blood rise to my head and steam practically pour from my ears.
Fine, if he wanted to be an asshole about it, two could play that game. We’d just see who the little girl at the end of this was.
I walked backwards. “You have fun with that, grandpa, but you may want to tell your boy over there that the basil and anise he keeps smelling is a sign of demon taint.”
I gave him a victory smile as the smug look dropped from his face before whirling and strutting back inside. Let him chew on that.
Chapter Fourteen
The smile dropped from my face as soon as I stepped inside. I hurried back to the rest of the party. I needed to find Caroline and get her out of here. It was too dangerous.
Caroline was involved with a different group this time. How many people did she know here? And how did she meet them? It wasn’t like medieval history professors had a lot of chances to rub arms with the city’s wealthy elite.
