themselves to get a scent, so they could continue to work in secret without being trackable.
I caught a hint of the witch I had killed as well, letting that satisfy me. At least one of them was dead. They had brought the body back here. I caught the distinct note of death in the air, that decay. It left a bad taste in my mouth, but not because I had done the killing. It was just a gross smell.
I wandered through the house, looking through drawers and under furniture. I wanted to be thorough. If I didn’t check this house, it would have bugged me for weeks. I would have considered it a missed opportunity and would have never known if I could have saved Carter before the trade. But there was nothing and no one. They were gone, and so was any trace of them except their lingering scents.
I sat down at the dining table, thinking about what Sinclair must have thought when he learned I had stolen the intel. It had been a bold play on my part and a direct challenge to him. It must have infuriated him, which could have driven him to take Carter. Hostages weren’t normally Sinclair’s thing—too bold, too messy. People just tended to disappear, never to be seen or heard from again. Nothing anyone could prove was him at the end of the day.
I didn’t move for a moment as I heard a creak in the living room, just out of sight. I reached down and pulled my gun but didn’t cock it. I just wanted it ready.
“I knew you would come back,” Sinclair said as he entered my line of sight. “You’ve played this game well, Kaliya, but I think we both know how tomorrow is going to end up.”
“Yeah. We give you Raphael, you give us back the vampire who belongs to the Mistress of Phoenix.” I sounded like it was an easy solution.
“Really? You’re ready to shoot me right now. We both know that won’t kill me, and that’s the only reason you haven’t. You want me dead. You’ve wanted me dead for years.”
“If I could, I would, but you’re right. You can’t kill me either, though. Guess we’re at a bit of an impasse.”
“You’re correct. We’re stuck in the same situation we’ve been in for…a few decades?”
“Several decades,” I corrected.
He nodded slowly. “Yes…”
“Tell me, professionally, is twenty million worth this?” I was curious. I wanted to egg this man into telling me his wonderful little secret, whatever was bothering him enough to go this far this time.
“Twenty million is a lot of money.”
“You run Las Vegas. Twenty million is what you can extort out of the casinos in a night,” I retorted. “I’ve looked over some of the finances.”
“Other people’s,” he pointed out.
I rolled my eyes. Everyone knew he was at the top of the food chain. He got a cut of everything supernatural, and sometimes human, that happened in Sin City.
“Yeah. Okay, Sinclair.”
“See, this is why I’m tired of dealing with you. This Mygi job is going to get me beyond this pettiness with you, Cassius, and the Tribunal. I’m going to get out of the little circles I have to constantly run around you and move on to greater opportunities. I recommend you let me go, Kaliya. Your people need you alive, don’t they?” He smiled at the end, and I hissed softly.
“Don’t you dare bring them into this.”
“Why not? You bring them into everything you do just by being you. You’re a de facto leader, are you not? Yet you make enemies and fight against powers you have no chance of beating. I would think after so long, you would know you can’t beat me.” He rested a hand on his chest, an arrogant gesture of power and style.
“If you knew I was coming to check this place out, why are you here?” I asked, tired of the little game Sinclair was playing.
“Because I wanted to convince you to just accept the trade tomorrow. Don’t try anything. There’s no reason for so many people to get hurt. Carter is safe, for now, but don’t do anything to jeopardize it. It was so easy to take him, you know. My fae just convinced the humans living in the nest he wanted to visit his new boyfriend and he walked right out with Carter like it was nothing. We could have killed him out right, but again, no one has to die. This can be very easy.”
“Why