His voice was as distant as ever. I sighed. "Thoughts?"
"The information will only prove worthwhile once we pin down the face-shifter inhabiting Nadler's life. Until then, it does not help."
"Well, no, but at least it's more than what we had."
"True."
"Have you visited Jak yet?"
"No. He is not home yet."
I twisted around to look at him. He was standing over near the window again—a favorite spot, it seemed—and despite what I'd sensed when waking, his back was to me. For once, Valdis was as quiet as her master.
"How do you know he's not home?"
"Because I checked five minutes ago."
"Oh." I studied him a few moments longer, then sighed again and climbed out of the bed. He didn't look at me, though the awareness in the air seemed to sharpen. "I guess I'd better go get ready."
He didn't answer, but there was no need to, either. By the time I'd showered, changed my hair color to auburn, and tweaked my facial features enough so that anyone who knew me wouldn't recognize me, then got dressed and done my makeup—which included body makeup to hide some of the bruises—he'd left.
I grabbed my purse and ticket and went downstairs to catch a taxi. The Central Pier function center, situated behind Etihad Stadium, was little more than a gigantic shed. A long line of taxis and limos waited in front of it, each taking its turn in dropping off passengers dressed to the nines and dripping in jewelry. A thief would have a field day, I thought, though it would be a bold thief who operated where several high-ranking members of the police force were present.
I climbed out of the taxi when it was my turn. The heated evening breeze whisked around me, playing with my dress and revealing teasing glimpses of my legs. The dress was demure by my standards—and positively nunlike compared to Aunt Riley's—but the bruises that littered my left side and back had forced more of a cover-up than normal. Not even body makeup was adequate to hide some of them. My right leg was the one place that wasn't rainbow-colored, and the long split up the side of the shimmery dark green dress made the most of that.
I made it inside without a problem and was escorted to my table. Azriel had already arrived and, for the first time, he was fully dressed. But the dark suit emphasized rather than downplayed his lean, muscular body, and he looked fantastic.
"Thank you," he said, rising as I approached the table.