“The club needs a new roof. It’s a safety hazard.”
I believed Mike would sell us out for a few thousand dollars, which made the threat even more real.
“Tell me,” you said with admirable calm. “Now that you’ve seen me in person, do I look any different to you?”
Mike studied you for a moment and said, “Your hair. It was black in the photograph.”
“Can you remember what I was wearing?” A clever question. If we knew the origin of the picture, we might have a better chance of determining the person who took it.
“You were wearing a white shirt and blue pants.” He motioned to his own neck, “And a tie.”
“My school uniform,” you said to me. Had they found you in Miami and followed us here?
You asked a few more questions about your pursuer, but Mike was out of answers. I determined our best option was to abandon this endeavor altogether.
“We were never here,” I told him.
“You were never here,” Mike agreed, eyes going blank.
“Let’s go.” I grabbed your hand and pulled you out of Mike’s office, making sure to enthrall the man in the floral shirt and the bartender on our way out. With my access to Mike’s surveillance, I’d erase the footage to hide our tracks.
Unless someone else was already monitoring it. I shielded you with my body on our way to the car and stuffed you inside.
“What was that about?” you asked when we were back on the road. I checked our surroundings to make sure we weren’t being followed, more disturbed by that interaction than I cared to admit. I could count on my hand the number of people who knew where we were—your parents, Azrael…
“Did you tell Mater we’d be coming to Las Vegas?” She was always my number one suspect.
You shook your head. “You told me not to. But I did tell her I was to be your apprentice.”
“How did she take that?”
“Not very well. She also wasn’t very sympathetic about Carter.” You glanced over at me. “She said you’re stunting my growth as a demon.”
I shook my head. “She’s said the same thing to me. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. She gets over things in time.” I doubted she’d punish you for long for either offense. You were her new favorite. What might Lucian say about that?
“Did you tell anyone other than your parents we were going on a trip?”
“No. No one.”
Perhaps one of my old adversaries had been stalking me and somehow knew you were with me. The thought made my skin prickle in fear. I regretted involving you in my interrogation. But if I hadn’t, we wouldn’t even be aware that someone was looking for us.
“I don’t like this,” I said and you only nodded solemnly.
I decided to rearrange my schedule in order to visit an associate who was usually a wealth of information, to see if she knew anything about your stalker. Conveniently, she owned a day spa, a distraction I thought you might enjoy. When I parked at the building’s entrance, you glanced over at me with hopeful anticipation.
“How would you like to be given the royal treatment?” I asked.
“Um, yes, please.”
The owner, Genevieve—Vivie for short—cultivated an Oriental aesthetic. There were potted bamboo plants on either side of the double red doors as well as working fountains, which seemed like an extravagance in the desert. I’d made Vivie’s acquaintance years ago, when she was working as an escort to the divine. She’d since taken her earnings and invested them into what appeared to be a thriving business, but she still contracted with the Imperium from time to time.
While I waited for Vivie to finish with a client, a stylist shampooed and cut your hair. Upon completion, you modeled your new look. With your stark silver hair cropped close on both sides, it reminded me of Elvis Presley in his younger years, even down to the broody look on your face.
“Well?” you asked.
“Stunning.”
You beamed at the compliment. An attendant escorted you to a private room for a facial and massage. One of Vivie’s hairdressers begged to trim and style my hair, but I politely declined. Long and unkempt worked for me.
Soon after, Vivie invited me into her office where she offered me an array of herbal concoctions meant to “rejuvenate my spirit.” I selected one of the more pedestrian flavors, and we settled in for the reason for my visit.
First, I inquired as to whether anyone had been asking about us,