Blood Secrets - By Jeannie Holmes Page 0,58
loss he’d suffered. He swore he’d never cause that kind of pain again.
“Well, isn’t this cozy,” Morgan’s voice drifted up from behind them.
Alex stepped away as Varik whirled to face Morgan. “How long have you been standing there?” he demanded.
Morgan leaned against the side of an SUV, arms crossed in front of her with a file folder tucked between one arm and her side. “Long enough to know you’ve intentionally kept Enforcer Sabian in the dark about a great many things.”
“Don’t,” he warned, his voice hard.
“Don’t what, Director Baudelaire?” she taunted. “She already knows of Edward. Why not tell her the full story?”
“What is she talking about?” Alex asked.
“Nothing important,” he said.
Morgan laughed. “Isn’t it obvious? He doesn’t want you to know the identity of the mother of his only child.”
“Morgan, now isn’t the time for this discussion.”
“And when would be a good time?” Morgan asked. “Perhaps you’d like to avoid the issue for another eight decades?”
He turned to leave.
“Varik.” Alex touched his arm, making him pause. “Talk to me. Who is Edward’s mother?”
“I am,” Morgan responded.
He glared at her as Alex’s hand first tightened on his arm and then jerked away. He grabbed it. “Alex, wait. Let me explain.”
She shoved him.
“Alex, will you please—”
“Anything else I should know? I mean, are any of your other ex-girlfriends going to show up here wanting to kill me? If so, I’d like to know now so I can be ready to defend myself.”
“Stop!” He grabbed her upper arms. “Just stop it!”
She pulled away. “No, you stop it!” She opened her mouth as if she was about to say something, and then thought better of it. “Just leave me alone, Varik.”
He watched her turn away, reaching out with her hands to find the front of the RV and following it around the side to the door. Once she had disappeared around the corner, he shifted his attention to Morgan, who still leaned against an SUV but who now sported a broad grin.
“Well, that was entertaining,” she said.
Varik closed the distance between them in two steps. He wrapped his hand around her throat, slamming her against the SUV’s side. “Why did you do that?”
“Remove your hand,” she growled. “Or I’ll remove it for you.”
“Answer my question.”
“It’s my job.”
Centuries of hiding among humans had ingrained subterfuge into the vampire cultural psyche. Special Investigators like Morgan were trained to manipulate and provoke responses from their targets and observe their reactions. The reasoning was simple: those innocent of corruption allegations maintained their innocence, and the guilty turned defensive. It was effective if not always accurate.
Varik released her and paced a short distance away before rounding on her again. “But why Edward? Why would you choose our son to provoke Alex?”
“I didn’t use Edward,” she said, rubbing her neck and glaring at him with copper eyes. “I used our prior relationship, which you apparently haven’t shared with your latest conquest.”
“Alex isn’t a conquest,” he muttered.
“Be that as it may, you’ve kept secrets from her.” She flashed the file she’d been holding. “And she’s done the same to you.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Were you aware Enforcer Sabian possesses a psychic Talent strong enough to access a metaphysical storehouse known as the Hall of Records?”
Varik weighed his answer before speaking. “Yes, I knew she possessed a Talent, but I was only recently made aware of its full extent.”
“Did she also tell you that she’s accessed the Hall of Records on numerous occasions since her suspension?”
“I don’t see where it’s any of your or the Bureau’s business what she’s done during that time.”
“It’s very much our business considering there are hundreds of records missing from the Hall.”
“What do you mean missing?”
“Disappeared, gone, as if that person never existed.”
“You can’t possibly think Alex had anything to do with it,” Varik retorted. “She wouldn’t even begin to know how to delete a record.”
“But you don’t deny she knows how to access the Hall?”
“No, but—Where are you getting your information?”
“We have our sources.”
He folded his arms in front of him. “How many records are missing in total?”
“At least three hundred and sixteen, possibly more.”
“Human or vampire?”
“Both, but mostly human and nearly all female.”
“Damn it,” he spat. “The Dollmaker.”
“What about him?”
He stared at the front of the lab for a moment, arguing with himself on how much information to reveal to Morgan. If he told her everything, she could use it against Alex during the Tribunal’s proceedings. If he withheld information, could he potentially be putting Alex at risk with the Dollmaker?
Finally he