do you care?” I snapped.
“He’s a vampire like me. Of course I care,” he retorted. “You think I liked seeing one of my own kind help you against me? I know the Mistress of this city doesn’t like me, but I’ve never actively worked against my own kind.”
I thought about Leith, Annie-Lyn, and Terry—fae, fae, and werewolf. I thought of Paden—fae. Me, the naga, and Cassius, another fae. Raphael, the maybe-human. He didn’t even have another vampire working for him on this mission.
Because he intends on killing his colleagues.
“Really? That’s the line of loyalty you draw?”
“Why do you think the vampires on the Tribunal are upset with me but don’t come after me? They could, you know. They could have brought their nests down on Las Vegas and have wiped me out a century ago. I don’t screw over my own kind, so it remains a problem with the Law and the Tribunal at large, but not a problem for them specifically, no matter how much you or the others want them to finish me off.” He was still smiling. “I thought you would have put that together already. Maybe Executioner is the better role for you. Maybe I was wrong about that.”
“What did Mygi really offer you?”
“Twenty million dollars. Ten for taking the job, ten for completing the bounty,” he answered, an obvious but easy lie. There was no way I could refute it without giving away my own hand.
You want Raphael, though. The money isn’t worth this. Are you going to betray Mygi as well? Damn it, Sinclair, give me something I can work with.
“Well, I should really go,” he declared, checking the elegant pocket watch he had tucked in the front pocket of his vest. “This has been interesting, but I tire.”
I snorted. “Dawn is hours away.”
“I tire of you, like most people in your life,” he retorted, tucking the watch back away.
It’s almost funny when people I like a little make fun of me, but damn, I want to rip his fucking head off.
“No witty remark?” he asked, giving me a curious look. “Tell me, Kaliya, if it weren’t for me being involved, would you care at all about this man? Raphael Alvarez?”
“Probably not,” I answered with my own easy lie, but it was less obvious. Sinclair had no idea I could mate with Raphael and that he was important to my species. He had no idea my fangs dropped constantly, wanting to sink into the skin of the Catholic too full of guilt for my taste. “I just want to win.”
“Ah, such childish motivations.” He shrugged.
“Why do you care so much? Like I pointed out, twenty million is chump change. There’s no reason to go as far as you have for that much money. Hell, I could give you that and ask you to walk away.”
“Your confusion as to why I’m doing this shows me just how little you truly know. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. You have an investigative mind, but it never gets you anywhere. Not in your job, not in your personal life. You’ve never been able to find your way out of the dark, and I hold all the cards you so desperately desire.”
I stood up in a rush of anger and surprise, showing that, yes, there was a gun in my hand.
Sinclair stepped back behind the wall. I licked my lips and realized the fae was close. There was no good way for me to go after Sinclair; he had backup, and I didn’t. He could have killed me, but my initial suspicion had been right. He was going to wait until he had everyone where he wanted them to finish off this dirty mission he’d taken.
I walked out of the house on my own two feet, unwilling to run or move quickly. I didn’t want to show any signs of fear. When I reached the car, my hand was shaking as I opened the door. When I sat down, I let his words sink in.
He can’t know anything about that. There’s no way.
I looked down at my passenger’s seat and saw a note, which definitely didn’t do anything good for my anxiety. Picking it up, I read it quickly.
I propose a different deal for you. Raphael for your vampire friend and information about who murdered your family. Same time, same place.
I folded it and shoved it into my pocket, my palms sweaty.
There was no way. Is this his trump card to walk away without a scratch at the