“What type, my dear?” he said, lifting a pierced eyebrow. “You know I love to help tall, dark, and handsome men.”
“Have you ever heard of the Tacitus family?”
“That does sound familiar,” Hathor said. “Roman in origin. I seem to recall one of them was a legion general or some such. What do you want to know?”
“I want to know who the fuck they are,” I said.
Shrugging, Hathor inspected his nails. “A rather well-off family. They were quite popular in both human and paranormal society. Attending balls, galas, and concerts with important people from both.”
“Were?” I said. “Want to expand on that?”
“I’ve heard things. Being as old as I am, I get invited to a lot of the same parties. They had some bad luck a few years back. Bad investments, failed partnerships, and less than stellar earnings from the human companies they owned. The whole empire basically went belly up over the course of about eighteen months. Mr. and Mrs. Tacitus took the coward’s way out. Both took a death potion and died in one of their foreclosed penthouses. Left what little there was of the remaining fortune and holdings to their youngest son. Rumor is, the eldest child is a real fuck up.”
Won’t have to worry about that anymore,I thought bitterly.
“Do you have any idea what they might still own? Houses, property? Stuff like that?”
Hathor rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Sweetheart, I know alot, but I don’t know everything. Go ask Eduardo Conalès. His office is right down the street.”
“I need this infonow. Can I trust this guy?”
“As much as you can trust any panther shifter. He’s down the street that way. First left, second shop on the right,” he said, pulling a cell phone out. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go live. My followers demand it.”
Growling, I moved along while the vampire started filming. My left hand clenched and unclenched as I hurried along, following Hathor’s directions until I came to a brown brick building with a simple, handwritten sign tucked in the window:EC and Associates, Real Estate, Acquisitions, and Auctions. BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.
Ignoring the appointment-only part, I banged on the metal frame of the glass door, slamming my fist against it over and over and over. After a couple minutes of that, I spotted a man shuffling toward the door. He looked irritated as all hell.
I stopped knocking and watched him unlock the door.
“Can’t you read? What? Are you on something? I’m trying…to…” His words trailed off as he took a step back, eyes locked on the gun pointed at his face.
“My apologies, Mr. Conalès—you are Eduardo Conalès, correct?”
He nodded quickly, eyes never leaving the barrel.
“Good. I’m sorry for the interruption, but I have a life-and-death situation going on right now, and I need information.”
“Wh…whatever you need,” he said, slowly raising his hands.
“The Tacitus family,” I said, stepping into the store and gesturing for him to back up as well. “Your sign says you deal in real estate. I need to know if they have any property and where. Now.”
The fear faded from his face as his brows drew together. “Sir, I can’t give you that information. Don’t you?—”
I cocked the pistol and bared my teeth. “I don’t think you understand the position you’re in. I need the information, andif you can’t give it to me, you are worthless. Do you know what I do with worthless things? I put them in the trash. So, unless you want someone to find your body in a dumpster, you’ll do as I ask.”
I wouldn’t kill an innocent person. Not even to save Veronica. I’d always find another way, but this guy didn’t need to know that.
He swallowed hard and pointed to a filing cabinet on the far side of the room.
“Calm down, friend,” he said. “I’ve got it right over there.”
I jerked my head toward the cabinet. “Grab it.”
He walked to the cabinet, moving slowly and deliberately.
“If you doanythingI find suspicious, aggressive, or weird, I will put so many holes in you, the wind will whistle as it blows through you.”
“Understood,” he said, his voice shaking. “Did…uh…did the Tacituses piss you off in some way?”
