and trying to get you back home to Orin’s protection?”
Finn thinks about it for a moment. “Hmm… maybe you’re right. I could see her giving me up for a bit of money or something.”
He crawls over Artemus, grabs his prosthetic leg and takes off while struggling to put clothes on at the same time.
“Where are you going?” I ask as I grab for my pants.
“Orin!” he says as he races down the stairs with me right behind him. He reaches Orin’s door and knocks before throwing it open and letting himself inside. “Orin!”
“What?” Orin cries as he leaps out of bed completely naked.
“Oh my god!” Finn cries as he spins around and grabs for his face. “My eyes! My eyes are bleeding!”
“Well, you did just burst into his room,” I say. Orin looks ready to fuck something up while naked and I feel like I need to calm him down so he can put some clothes on. “Finn has a question, I think.”
“I’ve forgotten the question now!” Finn says. “I didn’t think you’d jump out of bed.”
“You made me think something was happening! There, I have pants on. What’s going on?”
“So the day of the car accident, I think my mother was taking me to him, but then changed her mind and tried getting me back to you.”
“Why would you think that?” Orin asks. “You never mentioned anything like that before.”
“I know but… I had a dream and in it, she was really anxious. And then I was remembering how she was going to take me to get ice cream before really adamantly wanting me to make sure you were home when she changed her mind. I think she was taking me somewhere other than the ice cream place and then thought better of it. So she kept speeding and was clutching hard onto the steering wheel like something bad was happening. I think she knew. I think she was going to take me to him and then maybe she felt guilty or some shit… which is kind of hard to believe. But… do you know if my mom was close to any vampires?”
Orin sighs as he sits down on his bed. “Sadly, I feel like this’ll be another dead end. Your mother worked at a club that, behind the scenes, allowed vampires to feed off the humans. Brooks had been looking into the place as a detective and had asked me to go with him. That’s where I met your mother. So that means she worked with a lot of vampires. She was kind to me, and we hit it off, so I started visiting her. I realized later that she was just using me for the money, and I cut it off. She was conniving and was always out to make herself end up on top while not caring who or what she destroyed to get there. I could easily see her selling you out to someone to keep herself safe or for some money. Honestly, I’m surprised she kept Aria from me for so long, but maybe it was to spite me or maybe there was another reason that she took to her grave. It wasn’t until I was already aware of Aria’s existence that she told me she’d sell her to me. That she’d go along with passing her over for enough money. Too bad for her, I won in court without giving her a dime. But I think that’s what pissed her off enough to fight to keep you. I should have just paid for Aria, but because I didn’t, when I tried paying for you, she was nowhere to be found. It was a fucking mess. But yes, she was involved with many vampires.”
Finn seems to deflate. “Dammit. I thought I finally had something.”
“I wouldn’t give it up yet. It means she had to have been in contact with them. How about tomorrow we can dig up some of her old shit and see if we can find anything?”
“Too bad we’re basically poking into a thirteen-year-old case. Shit’s going to be ice cold, but I sure hope we can find something,” I say.
“Me too,” Orin says. “Now, next time, knock before you burst in.”
“Trust me, I will,” Finn says as he grabs my wrist and tugs me after him. “Come, Marcus. I need to wash my eyes.”
Chapter Sixteen
FINN
“Oh, fucking hell, who let this thing in here?” Karsyn growls as he walks into the conference room where Marcus and I are sitting across from Claude.
Claude