Kade said, “Vee—Violet, you can hate me all you want, but right now we’re in big trouble. The Carnelian must have reported to Ferro that we were fighting together. Mia is going to have to tell Ferro that I still haven’t completed my mission. Ferro is going to send someone else to, as Mia quoted him, ‘remedy the situation.’ That means finishing you. I don’t know how high this goes, so I can’t risk going over his head. What I can do is make sure you’re safe.”
Jessup asked, “Is that what ‘taking care of her’ was supposed to mean?”
Kade seemed to run his conversation through his mind. “Yeah, exactly.”
Jessup stepped in front of Violet. “We’ll take care of her. After all, sounds like we’ll be protecting her from a trained killer like you. If someone’s coming for her, we’ll take him out at first sight. Or her, if they send your sister.”
Fear tightened Kade’s face. “If she comes here, it’ll be to try to talk sense into me. She’s not a killer. Don’t hurt her.”
She could tell Kade was not a man used to asking for mercy. He leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes for a moment. His voice was low when he said, “When my replacement comes, his assignment will be to kill me, too. Ferro can’t afford to have me investigating and questioning him. If you leave me here like this, I’ll die.” He looked at all of them. “I can help keep Violet safe.” He met her gaze. “You figured out there was something going on, and you unfortunately brought your suspicions right to the man behind it.”
“Why would some Guard dude want to start a war in the Fringe?” Ryan asked. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Kade said. “It’s a lot easier for me to believe that Violet is some crazed psycho bitch than to suspect my superior is setting up a war. It goes against everything I believe in, everything I’ve worked most of my life for.” She saw the truth in that, at least. Unless he was a consummate actor, this was tearing him apart.
Vegas are trained to be spies and go undercover. Everything he’s told you could be part of a plan. And if you believe him, you could not only put yourself at risk but everyone you love.
She turned away, doubt tearing at her. There was the Kade who’d shared his ache at not believing in his father. Who had made sexy and tender love to her. Then there was the Vega Kade. Her brothers were right, damn it. She couldn’t trust her judgment where Kade was concerned.
Behind her, Jessup said, “When your Vega buddy comes, we’ll see what he does. If he tries to kill you, we may intervene. If he tries to rescue you, we’ll take care of you both.”
14
Ferro watched Mia in the parking lot beneath the sodium lights. Judging by her anxious pacing, he suspected the conversation had not gone well with her brother. He still couldn’t believe Kade fell for a target, after everything he’d been through with his father. And a Castanega, no less. Maybe this kind of thing ran in the blood.
Mia lowered her hand, her face full of tension, and slowly walked into the building. He waited for her knock.
“Come.”
She shored her shoulders as she came in, brimming with confidence. “My brother isn’t romantically involved with the target.”
“And you know this how?”
“He told me. I believe him, considering how much he disdains the Fringers, especially that family. Sir, my brother hasn’t been emotionally involved with any woman for as long as I’ve known him. He told me that being a Vega means sacrificing long-term relationships. He asked me to tell you that he’s undercover, working on something big. He’ll report to you when he can.”
Ferro nodded, putting on the same kind of mask she wore. “Very well. Thank you, Kavanaugh. If you hear anything else, you’ll let me know?”
“Of course.”
“You may go now.”
Relief crossed her features. “Thank you, sir.” She spun on her heel and left.
He picked up his phone and scrolled down the list of Vegas. His finger pressed on a name he knew well. “It’s Ferro,” he said, though he was sure his name appeared on the screen. “Report to me immediately.”
“On my way.”
Vegas were always on call.
Ferro pulled the map from the drawer where he now kept it out of sight. If the Castanega woman hadn’t seen this, things might have gone differently. If she hadn’t burst into his office like a crazed animal. Dispatching her was no big deal.
He now had marked the map rather than using the pins. There should be enough deaths to start the clans fighting. Why was it taking so long for them to retaliate in a bigger way? Not just a revenge kill here or there but full-out war?
Ferro felt the presence of his sire. What was he doing, coming here to his workplace? Ferro knelt as the Dragon god materialized in the usual way, opening a window to Ferro’s dimension. Drakos was all Dragon, truly every bit the beast. His scales were the darkest of dark, his head as large as Ferro’s desk. Whiskers trailed from his lips, and fangs speared down below his chin.
“Sire,” Ferro said.
“Stand. I grow weaker by the day and need your reassurance that things are progressing on schedule.”
