"Bugger," Angus muttered, then gulped down some Blissky. The concoction of synthetic blood and fine whisky burned his throat, wove a warm trail to his belly, and left a smoky aftertaste on his tongue. He slammed the bottle down. "Och, that was good."
"It smells good." Gregori reached for the bottle.
Angus grabbed the bottle and sat on the desk.
Connor smiled as he opened the folder. "One of these four people is the slayer."
Gregori picked up the first profile. "Sean Whelan. Boo, hiss. I betcha he's the one."
"'Tis true that Whelan hates us, especially after his daughter married Roman." Connor retrieved the profile from Gregori. "But Austin acts protective of the slayer, and he wouldna feel that way about a former boss who blacklisted him."
Angus enjoyed another gulp of Blissky. "'Tis no' Whelan. The man hasna got the balls for it."
Connor handed him the next profile. "This is Garrett Manning."
"Whoa!" Gregori jumped to his feet, pointing at Garrett's photo. "That guy was on the reality show last summer." He gave Connor a stunned look. "You told me Austin was masquerading as a contestant, but you didn't say anything about this guy."
Connor shrugged. "There was no reason to tell you."
"Aye." Angus nodded. "Ye're not important enough to know everything."
Gregori made a face. "Piss off."
Connor chuckled. "I seriously doubt Garrett is the slayer. He has verra little psychic power, and he was busy doing the reality show last summer when the first slayings occurred."
"Well, who else is here?" Gregori turned over Garrett's photo. "Whoa, a babe."
"Aye." Connor nodded. "The last two are female."
"A female mortal killing male vampires?" Angus plunked his bottle on the desk. "'Tis no' possible."
Gregori snickered. "So much for your theory about needing balls." He made a grab for the bottle of Blissky.
Angus stood, taking his bottle with him.
Connor passed him the next profile. "A female slayer would explain Austin's protectiveness."
"Whoa, baby. She's hot." Gregori grabbed the photo.
Angus studied the profile on Alyssa Barnett. Psychic power: five. She was brand-new to the CIA. No field experience prior to the Stake-Out team. "She's no' the slayer."
"Bummer." Gregori dropped the photo and reached for the next profile. "How about this one? Emma Wallace."
Angus stiffened. "The Wallace?"
"You mean like Braveheart?" Gregori's eyes widened. "Hey, did you guys know him?"
Connor snorted. "The puir man was executed long before we were born." He turned to Angus. "'Tis a common name these days."
"'Tis the name of a warrior." Angus snatched the profile from Gregori. Psychic power: seven. Black belt in several styles of martial arts. Trained by MI6 in antiterrorism. His heart began to pound. Could it be true? Could the slayer be a female?
"Sweet." Gregori was practically drooling over her photo.
Angus set down his bottle and yanked the photo from Gregori's grasping fingers. His heart stammered and lunged up his throat. No wonder Gregori was panting like a hound dog. She had creamy pale skin that contrasted dramatically with her rich brown hair. Her eyes were a golden-brown that glimmered like amber. There was a sharp intelligence in her eyes. A strong will. A fierce passion that marked her as a warrior.
"She's the one," he whispered.
Connor shook his head. "We canna be sure until we catch the slayer in the act."