“About twenty minutes. You needed it.”
Ant’s gaze sharpened, focusing on Viktor’s face with that unsettling intensity that meant he was analyzing every micro-expression. “You left.”
Shit.“Just for a few minutes.”
“Viktor…”
“I found something,” Viktor interrupted. “Claudius has a safe in his private study. It’s warded to hell and back, but I think that’s where he’s keeping the physical evidence of the financial crimes. The stuff he didn’t want to destroy.”
Ant sat up. “You went snooping.”
“I went investigating,” Viktor corrected. “There’s a difference.”
“Not from a legal standpoint.” But Ant didn’t look angry - just thoughtful. He swung his legs off the bed and stood, stretching before he reached for his clothes. “Tell me everything.”
Viktor did, recounting the conversation between Claudius and the lawyer, the safe’s location, and the wards protecting it. Ant listened without interrupting, his expression growing more focused with each detail.
When Viktor finished, Ant was silent for a long moment.
“So he’s already thinking about killing me,” Ant said finally. Not a question. A statement.
“Yep.” Viktor’s hands clenched. “He’s not going to get the chance.”
“No,” Ant agreed quietly. “He’s not.” He looked at Viktor, and there was something almost cold in his expression. “Because we’re going to find his evidence, prove he murdered Ronald Finch, and make sure he spends the rest of his very long life in a Justiciary prison cell.”
Viktor grinned. “That sounds like something my mate would do.”
Ant bent over and picked his boots up off the floor, tugging them on quickly. “First, I’ll conduct the scene reading in Ronald Finch’s room. That will establish the timeline of his death and hopefully identify his killer. Then we’ll figure out how to access that safe.”
“Claudius isn’t going to just let us waltz into his study.”
“No,” Ant agreed. “He’s not. Which is why we’ll need leverage.” He pulled on his shirt and turned to face Viktor. “You said the lawyer was worried about prosecution. That means Claudiusknows he’s vulnerable for some reason. We just need to make him more afraid of what happens if hedoesn’tcooperate than if he does.”
“I love it when you talk in riddles.” Viktor stood and moved to join his mate. “Are you ready to do the scene reading now?”
Ant nodded. “I was going to do that now, but no, not just yet. First, I want you to take me for a walk through the grounds.”
What the fuck?Viktor had been sure Ant would want to get into the room where the accountant had been killed. He’d have a vision, see all the details, and hopefully from those details, Viktor would be able to work out which vampire was responsible for the man’s death.Claudius.Viktor might’ve been biased, but he was pretty sure that’s what Ant would find. And now Ant wanted to go for a walk in the gardens?
“Are you going to tell me why?”
“Magic needs a source.” Ant tugged on his boots. “I know the magic for the wards comes from Claudius, but that is the only magic he has. As an old vampire, he only gets one additional gift. But there’s a lot more magic here - magic that has to have a source. I want to have a wander around and see if we can find it. That could be where his vulnerability lies.”
“What has that got to do with who killed the accountant?”
“Nothing,” Ant said, clicking his fingers for Able to come to him. “But, if we need to make a speedy getaway, after I’ve done the scene reading, I want some idea of the defenses Claudius has set up to try and stop us. Besides, Able needs some outside time.”
How is it, my mate can be so logical, and yet so infuriating all at the same time.“You’ll surprise the fuck out of Claudius then. He’d expect you to read the crime scene above all else.”
“That’s just an added bonus.” Ant smiled as he reached for his phone and slipped it into his pocket.
Chapter Seven
“The wards are only part of it.”
Ant stood on the front steps of the manor, Able pressed against his left leg, and stared out at the sprawling grounds. The gardens stretched in beautiful patterns, but beneath the aesthetic beauty lay something far more complex. Magic hummed through the earth like static electricity, creating an almost visible shimmer in the air.
Viktor moved closer. “What are you seeing?”
