MariAnn stared at him, her eyes filling with tears. “But I just spoke to him,” she whispered.
Anthony nodded. “He was murdered.”
Natalie gasped, not having to pretend her shock, since she knew he was lying.
“It was that new vampire, Duvall, who was here earlier,” Anthony explained, with a convincing show of grief. “He must have found out that Noriega was joining the challenge, and decided to take him out rather than face him in a fair fight. They ambushed Noriega—Duvall and that lieutenant of his—caught him completely unaware and all alone. He was dead before he knew what was happening.”
Natalie blinked, trying to figure out what to say. She didn’t know why Anthony was bothering to lie to them, but she did know that she couldn’t let him realize she knew the truth. He might pretend to be her benevolent ancestor, even call her “cousin” apparently. But he wasn’t. She had lots of uncles and aunts, and cousins, too. She knew what family felt like, and Anthony wasn’t one of them. His goodwill was a fragile thing and it came with a price. As long as you did what he wanted, as long as you were helpful, he was a great guy. But if you crossed the line, he never forgave you. And Noriega’s death might just be the line she shouldn’t cross.
“I’m very sorry, my lord,” she said finally. “Is there anything we can do?”
Anthony drew a deep breath through his nose, visibly gathering his strength. It was a masterful performance, and it made Natalie rethink everything she thought knew about him.
“Not right now. In fact, MariAnn, why don’t you go on home? I won’t be seeing anyone else tonight. I need some time alone to deal with this loss.”
“Of course, my lord,” MariAnn murmured. She stood and gathered her things, but made no move to leave. “Are you coming, Natalie?” she asked timidly.
Natalie was so tense that she jerked at the sound of her name, her gaze shooting from MariAnn to Anthony in time to see an irritated expression cross his face before he smoothed it back to a mask of grief.
“I need a moment of Natalie’s time first,” he told the girl. “You go on home.” He gave Natalie a slight nod, as if to confirm his request that she remain, and then walked back into his office, leaving the door open in invitation.
MariAnn gave her a panicked look, but Natalie smiled, warmed by the girl’s concern. It made her reconsider all the bad things she’d ever thought about her. “It’s okay,” she said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
MariAnn nodded gratefully, then hurried out into the hallway, closing the hallway doors behind her, and leaving Natalie shut inside with Anthony.
This was about the last place she wanted to be in this moment, but there was no way she could refuse. Especially since doing so would only create suspicion where there was none. Anthony didn’t know she’d seen the fight between Christian and Noriega, one thing she definitely had going for her.
She followed him into his office, and managed not to jump when he closed the doors behind her with a flick of his hand. She couldn’t control her reaction to the total catastrophe of the once-orderly office, however. The huge desk was still standing—probably because it was too big to lift, even for a vampire—but its top was bare, the wood gouged and grooved with deep scratches. Everything that had been on the desk was scattered on the floor, and the guest chairs, with their gold embroidered silk, were now no more than kindling, the fabric nothing but twisted shreds. A few photographs or mementos still clung to the walls, their frames broken and glass shattered. But most were part of the twisted pile of wreckage on the floor. As she stood there, something crashed behind her and she spun around to stare, only to find Anthony standing right in front of her when she turned back, his dark eyes studying her closely.
“Forgive the mess,” he said dismissively, then gestured at the lone, remaining piece of furniture, a velvet-upholstered love seat that had been shoved against a wall.
Natalie glanced at the seat, but remained standing, keeping her gaze on Anthony as he walked over to stand behind the desk. His chair still looked serviceable, but it, too, had been savaged.
“How close are you to finishing your work here?” he asked.
She frowned at the unexpected question. “I’ve made good progress, but this is a lengthy project. Our latest update was just last week, and it still stands. I estimate another three to four months to completion.”
He sighed. “Natalie, I think you should come back home with me when I leave. To New Orleans.”
“But we discussed this last week also. You and I and Jaclyn. And you all decided I would finish up the project, working under the new vampire lord.”
“Yes, but last week I thought one of my own would succeed me in a peaceful transition. But now, with this murder . . . I’ll have to report Duvall to the Council. I don’t know if they’ll take action against him or not, but either way, this could get very ugly. And I don’t want you caught up in it. You’re a woman of refinement, and unaccustomed to such violence,”
A raggedy beep came from over in the corner, where the desk phone was hidden beneath a pile of broken photographs. “Ibarra here, my lord. Front door security.”
“What is it?” Anthony responded with forced patience.
“MariAnn just passed through, my lord. She said you’re shut down for the night, but Jake Baudin is here, and he says you’re expecting him.”
Anthony’s scowl at the interruption disappeared, his expression returning to its usual blank mask. “Send him up.” He turned his attention back to Natalie. “We’ll talk again. You should go home.”
She dipped her head in agreement, then reached for the door. It opened before her hand touched it, and she was confronted by a vampire she’d never seen before. Jake Baudin, she assumed. And he was obviously a vampire, or he couldn’t have gotten up here this fast. He was tall and rangy, with a trim beard and dark hair. She didn’t know what he did for Anthony, but that very fact made her suspect it was something nefarious. She had access to every aspect of the estate’s finance and files, including data on both human and vampire personnel. And that included the so-called free agents, which was nothing but a pretty name for spies, who lived in other territories. And she’d still never heard of Jake Baudin. Add to that the fact that Anthony suddenly couldn’t get rid of her fast enough, and she realized Baudin was someone Anthony had never wanted her to know, and now wanted her to forget.
Given the night’s already suspicious events, however, and now this unknown vamp’s sudden arrival, she wasn’t about to ask questions.
Baudin nodded courteously and stood back to let her leave Anthony’s office. She kept her eyes down as she walked by, and waited until he’d disappeared behind the closed double doors, then she all but ran to her office, wanting only to get out of the building and into her car. She needed to go somewhere where she could think, needed to decide what to do about all of this. She could bug out immediately, of course. Just pack up and go home to New Orleans, just as Anthony had suggested. Of course, he probably hadn’t intended for her to leave tonight, but he probably wouldn’t question it either.
On the other hand, she could go along with what Anthony wanted, and agree to leave with him. Or at least pretend to. With the challenge about to get underway, and all of the other vampire lords arriving in just a few days, Anthony couldn’t afford to leave before then. Which would give her plenty of time to get a discreet word to Christian about what Anthony had said about Noriega’s death, and that he was planning to go to the Council with it. There had to be a reason he was calling it murder, rather than what it had been—a fair fight that Noriega had lost. Vamps were aggressive and cranky in general. They challenged and fought each other all the time, and death wasn’t an unusual outcome. So why was this one significant?