“They met through the charity circuit,” Gillian explained. “And tonight we hosted a charity speed dating event here at the hotel that the Lawrence foundation sponsored.”
“Yes, I saw the sign,” Garrett muttered and scribbled a note on his pad before looking up at her again. “Then you’re telling me this is the first time you met him, and yet, you thought it wise to come up to the penthouse, two women alone?” He tried to keep the jealousy out of his voice and failed. He had no business chastising her on her whereabouts.But from the very first day he laid eyes on her, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. This investigation had to be his number one priority. For the sake of the case, he’d keep things strictly professional and remain detached. If he let himself soften where she was concerned, he risked not finding the bastards behind this mess.
Her cheeks flamed red. “I don’t make it a habit, if that’s what you’re implying.”
Hell, the last thing he wanted to do was start throwing accusations around. From what Alex’s fiancé, Willow, had told him, Gillian hated his guts. Why make things worse? Her opinion of him shouldn’t matter, and yet somehow it did.
“He’s ‘a well-respected entrepreneur and philanthropist.’ How was I supposed to know he's some kind of…?”
“Human trafficker? In a matter of speaking, yes. What exactly did you see when you walked into the suite?”
Vulnerability flickered in her eyes.“Carnage. At first, I thought it was some kind of vampire orgy, and then I realized it was, but with blood and not sex.”
Her words hit too close to home. Now he feared she thought all vampires resembled the vile creatures depicted in horror films and graphic novels. “Believe it or not, all of us aren’t monsters, Miss Howe.”
“No, just the ones I run into.” Gillian pulled the jacket across her body, and it dwarfed her slender frame.
“What else can you tell me about Lawrence? Even thesmallest detail might be significant in some way. This is important. It could help us get ahead of the press, which could mean the difference between tipping off the suspects and catching them. Please, try and think.”
“I don’t know.” She exhaled deeply. “He looked like a clean-cut businessman. I do remember he wore this red signet ring on his pinky, and now that I think of it, my attacker had on the same one. What do you think it means?”
Trying to block out the noise, Mulroney tuned in to the multiple conversations in the suite. “It could be some kind of brotherhood.” A brotherhood Garrett suspected was responsible for turning innocent women into blood slaves. He’d been down this savage road before, many lifetimes ago, and it didn’t end well.
“How long have you been investigating his operation?” she asked, pulling him from a dark place.
He debated answering the question, but he figured after everything she’d been through tonight, she had a right to know. “Long enough to find out that Lawrence and some of his associates would be up here in Damon Greystone’s penthouse tonight, which is why we set up surveillance from the hotel room next door.”
If all went according to plan and the Council voted to put this case on trial, Kurt Lawrence’s sorry ass would be locked up in a high-security mage prison for a very long time. They didn’t call it Hellios for the high thread count sheets. Over the years, he’d seen guys like Lawrence before, rich, entitled, pretty boys that thought they could throw some money at their high priced lawyers and skirt justice. The bastard would be doing hard time if Garrett had anything to say about it.
“What about the other girls, are these women all victims?” she whispered, glancing curiously around the room. “Do they know what they’re getting involved in?”
“No, we don’t believe they understand the full extent of what it means to have a permanent blood bond with a vampire. From what we’ve gathered, most are kidnapped, and some tranced much like yourself and your cousin.”
Gillian tilted her head to the side. “I don’t understand. If Lawrence had a room full of women up here, why invite Brooke and me to join?”
Garrett smiled at the question, admiring her tenacity. “Last I checked I’m the one who’s supposed to be asking the questions, not the other way around. But if I had to guess, I’d say because he's a greedy bastard.”
To Garrett the answer was obvious: Gillian was stunning, and Lawrence assumed he could auction her off like chattel to the highest bidder. As for Damon Greystone, the vampire appeared to have simply gone rogue. “After Lawrence demanded you come into the room and shut the door, did you say or do anything?”
Her face fell, and then she let out a long breath. “I might’ve threatened to expose him and his operation to my million followers on social media.”
“Jesus, now you’ve made yourself vulnerable by poking a bear.” Lawrence had too much to lose to let anyone get in the way of his operation. If Lawrence was indeed responsible for murdering the Jane Doe, then it would only stand to reason that he wouldn’t hesitate to go after Gillian to get her out of the way. “We appreciate your cooperation, Miss Howe. We’ll be in touch if we have any more questions for you. In the meantime, lay off the social media. The last thing you want to do right now is to draw attention to yourself or to Lawrence for that matter. A squad car will drive by your house, and Miss Corey’s, to make sure you're safe.”
When Gillian nodded, stress lines appeared at the corner of her mouth. “Do you think that’s necessary if he’s in the slammer?”
“We can’t underestimate the scope of his connections. He’s managed to establish quite the crime network. Our intel tells us he’s got people working on the outside. We like to take extra precautions.” Garrett’s gaze narrowed. “Do you have any questions for me?”
She lifted her chin. “Yeah, when can I get my shoes back?”
Chapter 4
Sitting in the back of Mulroney’s Jeep, Gillian rested her head against the leather seat and tried to relax. When his partner, Detective Dubrosky, had insisted on driving her and Brooke home, her first instinct was to decline, desperate for some space away from the arrogant vampire. Unfortunately, Brooke accepted, and Gillian was too exhausted to argue.
The car glided through traffic at a steady pace, and if it wasn’t for the blare of horns, the squeal of tires, and the static from the police radio, she probably would've passed out cold. In the last two days, she’d gotten a total of six hours of sleep. She didn’t think there was enough caffeine in the world that could remedy the situation.
“How are you holding up? Are you sure you’re okay?” Brooke whispered from the seat beside her. “You’re awfully quiet, which is unusual for you.”
“I’m fine,” she said with a shrug, anxious to put this whole ordeal behind her and get on with the rest of her day, after she caught up on about ten hours of sleep. “It’s you I’m worried about.” With everything that took place, Gillian hadn’t gotten a chance to ask Brooke exactly what went down when she walked in on her and Kurt in that hotel room, but from the haunted look in her eyes, she guessed they shared a similar experience. “What happened back there?”
