“If you can’t trust the government, then trust what the New York City god pack will tell you. Look, I’m not trying to be difficult. I promised you I’d help, but I also don’t want to put the anonymity of your packs at risk. I need to make sure I’m not followed by hunters next time, which means I have to make some contingency plans first. Give me a couple of days to get everything handled on my end before I head out to Black Diamond again.”
“You get two.”
Mallory ended the call, and Spencer pulled his phone away from his ear, scowling at it. “Rude.”
Like you, Fatima said around a yawn that showed off her sharp fangs. She was currently sprawled across his desk like she owned it.
“Rude. You’re supposed to be on my side.” She only slow-blinked at him before turning her attention back to cleaning one paw. Spencer was about to set his phone down when it rang again, the call coming from an unknown number, but it had a local area code. He answered it with a quiet huff. “Bailey speaking. Line and location are secure.”
“You aren’t at your condo,” Alyona said, tone annoyed.
“Uh, no? I’m at work?”
“Get here. I have your clothes for tonight.”
Spencer straightened in his chair. “What clothes? I don’t have any plans for tonight.”
“You do now, so don’t keep me waiting.”
Alyona ended the call, and Spencer groaned, shoving his phone into his pocket. If Alyona was at his condo, that meant Takoma most likely had something planned for tonight. Spencer resolutely pretended that the flutter in his chest wasn’t flustered anticipation at seeing Takoma again.
You are thinking with your dick again. That never ends well, Fatima said.
Spencer squawked a protest before moving to save his report and close down his laptop. “Stop channeling Nadine.”
Someone needs to if you will not listen to reason. The master vampire should not be trusted.
“I don’t trust him.” At Fatima’s extremely judgmental stare, Spencer shook his finger at her. “Put that face away. Idon’ttrust him, but I also don’t think he means us any harm.”
You thought the same of Lucien.
“Admittedly, Lucien didn’t kill me.”
That is a low bar, and you are barely clearing it.
“I’m sure Takoma just wants to see me about the case. It’s not a date.”
Fatima’s nose twitched.You are hopeless.
Spencer chose to take the high road and ignore her as he got ready to leave. He wasn’t the last one out of the office, but the receptionists were gone for the day, so Fatima didn’t get any goodbye treats. She trotted beside him on the way to the parking lot, a new key fob attached to his key ring. The vehicle from the local motor pool wasn’t an SUV, but the Honda Civic came with government plates, which Spencer couldn’t complain about.
The drive back to the condo went a little slower than he would’ve liked due to evening street traffic. Still, he didn’t consider himself late getting there when he didn’t even know he was supposed to meet up with Alyona. The woman in question was waiting for himinsidethe building, standing in the lobby with a garment bag and shopping bag slung over one arm while she tapped away at her phone with her other hand.
She wore a black sheath dress with a deep V collar that drew attention to her scarred throat and the curves of her breasts. While she wasn’t wearing a necklace, the heavy diamond earrings and wide diamond bracelets she wore glittered in the light and spoke of a wealth that was out of place in this neighborhood. Her high-heeled shoes had the red lacquered color underneath the arch that spoke of them being from Nadine’s favorite brand.
“Did someone let you inside, or did you break in somehow?” Spencer asked suspiciously.
Alyona ignored the question. “Let’s get upstairs so you can get dressed. We’re running late as it is.”
“Late for what?”
“Dinner.” She finally looked up, meeting his eyes. “Takoma has a meeting with the Cascade Coven and representatives of the Spokane Night Court tonight, who are in Seattle as their official guests. You will be going with him.”
Spencer raised his hands in protest. “Whoa, whoa. Why do I need to go? This is Night Court business. I’m not needed for that.”
Alyona gave him a flat, irritated look. “You are pretending to be a human servant. Your actions at the gala and the coven’s property have caused Adler to use your trespassing as a way to demand negotiations with the Night Court. Not to mention what happened in the forest.”
“I didn’t trespass! And since when does Takoma give in to their demands?”
