There wasn’t time to get into the ugly details, but he knew that he’d never get her anywhere willingly if he didn’t at least partially explain the situation.
Rubbing his hands up and down her arms, he said, “The vampire underworld is big and made up of more than just us. There are factions who make it their business to keep eyes on places like hospitals — and keep doctors in their pockets. The information was sold to whoever has their claws in Solbourne General, then leaked through informants and spies. Nothing stays secret for long when everyone’s willing to be bought.”
Dahlia’s expression was heartbreakingly shocked. “The doctor?”
“The doctor,” he confirmed.
“But why? Why does anyone care?”
“A lot of reasons,” he hedged, feeling his phone buzz in his pocket. No doubt it was Milo telling him to move his ass. “But we don’t have time to get into all of them here. We need to get you out of here. Now.”
Dahlia leaned away from him again. Giving him a suspicious look, she asked, “Why?”
“Because if that dipshit—” He jerked his thumb toward the bathroom door. “—knew, that meanseveryoneknows. We won’t just have the Bowan cavalry riding in, but every piece of shit in a thousand mile radius.”
She made a face. “Bowan? Why would Mr. Bowan care?”
Theyreallydidn’t have time to get into the intricacies of vampire culture, so instead of answering, he clapped hishands together and announced, “Time to get a move-on! Pack a bag with essentials but don’t worry about the rest. I’ll have everything shipped home.”
TEN
He expectedher to hop off the counter and get to work, but that was wishful thinking. Dahlia had never listened to him in the past. It didn’t seem likely she’d start now.
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” she said, like it should’ve been obvious.
Felix gave her the look a statement like that deserved. “You are.”
“I just saw you kill a man, Felix. You’ve lost your mind if you think I’d goanywherewith you!”
“I’m confused about the part where you thought you had a choice. Maybe I wasn’t clear enough.” He leaned in close. Speaking slowly so she couldn’t miss a word, he explained, “As of today, you’ve officially become the most wanted vampire in the entire syndicate. I’m gonna tell you why that is, but not here and not right now. Because if we don’t leave soon, you’re going to see me kill a lot more than that blond idiot.”
She paled a little, but her chin hadn’t lost its stubborn angle. “How do I know you aren’t lying to get me to do what you want?”
That rubbed him the wrong way. Felix was a lot of things, but a liar wasn’t one of them. He was an upfront sort of monster.That didn’t mean he was trustworthy, but it did mean she ought to believe him when he told her what was what.
Taking a step back from her, he demanded, “When have I ever lied to you, Dahlia?”
She said nothing, but her gaze shifted to the side. It was strange to know someone as well as he knew her and yet not have a clear read on her physical tells. Her expression was tight, but he couldn’t decide if it was one of resignation or preparation to fight some more.
He looked forward to unraveling all those subtle intricacies. Just not tonight.
“Time’s up, pet.”
She let out a squawk of alarm as he hoisted her off the sink. Giving her lovely ass a swift pat, he pushed her toward the door. “Bag. Clothes. Woman shit. Now.”
Dahlia jolted toward the door, only to stop with her hand on the knob. Her shoulders tensed. Without turning to look at him, she whispered, “I… don’t want to go out there.”
He arched a brow. “Why?”
She let out a sigh. He’d heard that exact same one from Milo thousands of times. It was the“Felix, please be normal for five minutes”sound.
“Thebody,”she stressed.
“Ah.” He’d already forgotten about the smoking ruin he’d left on her floor. Devon had been an obstacle. Now that he was gone, Felix had moved on to more important things.
Guiding her back a step, he said, “Please hold.”
With her standing behind him, he cracked the door open and poked his head out. A quick inspection revealed that his men had already done their job. There wasn’t a trace of the body on her floor, and the scent of singed flesh and plasma had been cleared out by the breeze drifting through her open windows.
