“What was Francisco like?” Cody asks. His anger is gone, like Simon has pulled it out with each sliver of wood.
Simon flicks the last splinter onto the carpet. Surely he owns a vacuum somewhere. “Francisco was very calm, which could be infuriating. Too sweet for his own good. He was Dima’s previous favorite, but he never held that against me.”
Cody tenses, pulling back. “What do you mean, favorite?”
Amusement pierces Simon’s strange, comforting regret. “What do you think I mean?”
Cody’s expression is delightfully appalled. “But he’s your sire.”
“He’s not my father or anything.” Simon grins. “I understand the term has multiple meanings, but that’s not how it works.”
“Right, of course,” Cody says hastily, then scrubs his hand over his face. “Are you still… together?”
“God, no,” Simon says—and for once, that answer doesn’t even hurt. Cody’s bewilderment is too beautiful. Simon slumps into his armchair. “Enough about my ancient romantic history. You have a painting to finish.”
Cody stands flabbergasted another moment, then digs a new paintbrush out of the box. Simon settles back to watch, feeling better than he has in weeks. Years.
Maybe Cody is the ally Simon needs after all. Which is why Simon doesn’t leave the room to dial Kimiko’s number. He’s spent enough time poring through his would-be assassin’s belongings. Time to investigate further.
“Hello, you’ve reached Mistress Kimiko’s number,” Andrea answers. “What’s your name, and do you have an appointment?”
Andrea is one of Kimiko’s assistants. Kimiko still refuses to learn how cell phones work. It means Simon can never tell her anything important via text.
He has his own audience this time. Across the room, Cody half-turns, but continues painting. He can surely hear everything.
“I don’t need an appointment.” Simon curls his feet up on the chair. “This is Simon.”
Andrea acknowledges him curtly, then there’s a flurry of closing doors. A brief beat of club music. Then quiet, and Kimiko’s voice on speakerphone. “Dear friend, are you calling to apologize for the mess you made in my basement?”
“Not until you apologize for your lax background checks,” Simon says cheerfully, not expecting any apology. They’re both old enough to know that not all incidents can be prevented. “On that note, I’d like to see your guest book for the nights of Lawrence’s previous visits.”
Lawrence’s notebooks tell the same story as his garlic-strewn bedroom. Not a hunter, not trained. A lone human, aware of vampires and terrified of them, until that terror somehow turned into an effective plan.
Simon wants to know every other vampire Lawrence might have spoken to. The Broken Cross’s guest book is the nextlogical lead.
“My guest book doesn’t leave my office,” Kimiko says. “But if you visit, you can look at it. As a favor.”
Disappointing, but not worth arguing. “Luckily, you still owe me two. Thanks, Kimiko.”
“Someday you’ll owe me. Someday!” she declares. Then her voice goes distant. “End the call for me, thank you, dear, and put on that podcast thing again—”
The call ends.
“Another field trip?” Cody asks, filling in a new square.
“To the Broken Cross.” The prospect makes Simon more nervous than expected. Returning to the scene of his attack, still weakened. But he won’t be alone, and having a werewolf in his shadow doesn’t seem as terrible anymore. “We’ll go three nights from now. I hope you have something to wear.”
Besides, taking Cody clubbing should be fun.
Chapter 12
Cody
Pulling into the parking garage, Cody wishes he had a larger team. The garage is looming and shadowy. The Broken Cross will be even worse—clubs are nightmares to scout in the best-case scenarios. Returning Simon to the literal scene of the crime goes against Cody’s every instinct. Especially since Simon isn’t fully recovered.
Then there’s… everything else about this outing.
“You’re brooding,” Simon muses from the passenger seat. “We never did establish brooding protocols.”
