declared outlaw. Turns out he was the one recruiting girls from your club and who knows where else.”
“I do tire of asinine behavior. Do you see what I have to put up with to earn my keep in this world? He could have put my entire business in jeopardy.”
I rested my arms on the bar. “Sure you didn’t know anything about it?”
“If I see him, I won’t bother turning him in. I’ll do what one must do with any dog when it’s gone mad.”
“Don’t. He’s not the worst criminal I’ve ever met. He just made a lot of dumb choices for money, and he didn’t know about the death matches.”
Houdini tilted his head to the side. “Why the empathy for a criminal and yet none for me? There’s nothing that separates us except that I make smarter choices.”
“Yep. Dumping me in a morgue was brilliant.”
An enigmatic smile crossed his expression. “It was the smartest move I ever made, wouldn’t you agree?”
I knew where he was leading this conversation, so I let it go. “You can keep whatever money you owe me. I’m outta here.”
After grabbing my bag, I lifted the countertop to head out.
Houdini swiveled on his stool and then rested his elbows on the bar behind him. “Did you fight?”
Without turning around, I stopped. “Yes.”
“I’m curious, how did it feel? Powerful? Inconsequential? Savage? Tell me the truth.”
I pondered the question before facing him. “People don’t choose that life because they want it. They do it because they don’t have other options. They want to feel like their life has meaning, and people like you take advantage of that.”
He chuckled softly. “You wanted to become a Vampire. You accepted the offer, just as the other women did. Don’t play victim. Now I pay people to work in a fantasy club, and they do so willingly. Obviously a few of them received a better offer, but unfortunately for them, it didn’t end well. Take responsibility for the choices you make.”
“Accountability means nothing to you.”
“On the contrary, I’m quite pleased with the woman you’ve become. Resilient, witty, but not quite independent. Tell me, do you still question whether you’re good or evil?”
Houdini would never perceive his actions as evil. Especially if they wound up having a good outcome. What bothered me was that each time we revisited this conversation, he made sense. Why did I come across as the irrational one, ungrateful for the life I had?
I pushed my anger down and walked away.
“I’m always charmed we keep meeting this way. See you when I see you, Butterfly.”
I didn’t give Houdini the satisfaction of a head turn—I just kept strutting toward the door, hoping it really would be the last time we ran into each other. I wanted to leave my past behind, and he was a constant reminder of where it all went wrong.
Once outside, I drew in a deep breath of crisp morning air. The train station wasn’t far, and that would get me halfway home. If only I had parked my truck in an indoor parking lot. I hadn’t been thinking ahead about what would happen after the assignment was over.
I dashed across the busy street and headed north.
“Donuts,” I whispered, my mouth watering as I passed a pastry shop. A beefy-looking Chitah stepped out with a stack of boxes in his arms and made his way to a parked car. The coffee smelled tempting, but I kept thinking about my warm bed. Food and drink could come later.
“Raven!”
I looked ahead and recognized the blonde poking her head from the back-seat window of a white Rolls-Royce. I stepped up to the curb and admired the antique automobile. “This looks like something the Queen would drive around in.”
Lenore smiled. “Good morning! Come have a seat and we’ll chat. I’d like to discuss that favor you still owe me.”
I circled the car to the other door, which opened opposite than regular car doors. The back seat was roomy and stylish.
“It’s a 1948,” she said. “I’ve had it in storage for years, but I also had to pay someone to keep it in mint condition. The newer cars have all the creature comforts, but I have a newfound appreciation for the classics. They’re sophisticated and detailed. Just look at the workmanship.”
The leather bench in the back was more like a couch. I leaned forward to shut the door. There was an abundance of legroom and no middle hump, and I’d never been in a car quite like it. I set my stuff