“It was a brief discussion.”
“What else did he say?”
“He mentioned that far from wanting me and my sisters dead, he has been trying to save us.” She deliberately paused. “From you.”
His false laughter echoed through the hallway. “That bastard. He would say anything to save his worthless hide. You weren’t stupid enough to believe his lies, were you?”
“Of course not.” Harley smiled, able to lie with the best of them.
At the moment, she didn’t know what she believed.
She didn’t trust Caine. And she sure as hell didn’t trust Salvatore.
All she knew for certain was that she wanted answers.
“Good.” He brushed the back of his hands down her cheek, allowing his fingers to linger on the curve of her neck. “He’s dangerous, Harley. You need to stay away from him.”
“If he’s so dangerous, why don’t you just kill him?”
“And have every Were in the world wanting to nail my ass to the wall?” he smoothly demanded. “No, thank you.”
Yeah, right. She narrowed her gaze.
“Holding him captive isn’t going to make the Weres any happier.”
“Who will know that I’m holding him?” His hand deliberately encircled her throat. “He was alone, wasn’t he? I assume you would have mentioned if he had his pack of curs with him.”
Harley abruptly recalled the tiny gargoyle. After capturing Salvatore, he’d slipped her mind.
She knocked Caine’s hand from her throat. “Yeah, completely alone.”
“There you go then.”
“The vampire chasing you will suspect you’re involved in Salvatore’s disappearance.”
She could sense him scrambling for a suitable lie. “Not if I force the dog to call his pack and assure them that he’s fine and on my trail. By the time they figure it out, we’ll be long gone.”
She snorted at his ridiculous boast. Caine might be a bad-assed cur, but he was a pale imitation of Salvatore Giuliani.
“You think you can force the King of Weres to do anything?”
Without warning he moved forward, his pride clearly pricked by her patent disbelief. He crowded her against the wall and lowered his head until he was speaking directly against her mouth.
“Never underestimate my powers of persuasion.”
She lifted her hands and pressed them against his bare chest. “If you want to keep those lips, then you’d best remove them.”
He stepped back with a mocking smile. “Someday, sweet Harley.”
“Don’t you have a phone call to make?”
“I want your promise you’ll stay out of the basement.”
She met his gaze squarely. There was something going on, and she suspected she was involved, whether she wanted to be or not. She intended to discover what the hell it was.
“Fine.”
“Your promise.”