The office door was open, and the vampire inside—a man with ebony skin and dark hair—looked up before I could knock. His eyes were an almost incandescent green that glowed brightly against his skin.
"You wanted to see me?"
Obviously, the bartender had psychically warned his boss of my presence. "I did."
He waved a hand toward the somewhat scruffy leather chair on the other side of his desk. "About what?"
I sat down. "The fill-in entertainer you hired today."
He snorted. "I can tell you one thing: She won't be coming back. She did a runner well before her set was finished." He studied me for a second, something close to amusement in his eyes. "Seems someone scared her off."
And I had a feeling he knew it was me. "Unfortunate, given I need to speak to her."
I showed him my badge, and his eyebrows rose. "So we are hiring werewolves these days."
"Well, no, just me. You could say I'm special."
"Could I, now?" He leaned back in his chair and studied me for several seconds before adding, "And did they give you the nano microcells you're wearing?"
The amusement I'd glimpsed in his eyes was definitely evident in his voice, and I had to wonder what the hell was going on. "No, they are a means of self-preservation."
"Do they keep Hunter out?"
I hadn't felt him attempting to read my mind, but then, with the best telepaths, you didn't. "Mostly." I shrugged. "Probably as much as it has kept you out."
He smiled. "I can read only the occasional surface thought."
"As can she, and usually the worst possible ones."