and Connor a nod. “Let’s go. We’ll find Levi ourselves, and what happens, happens.”
“Touch him, and you’ll pay.”
I snorted. “How? By making me give up my freedom? You already proposed that deal.”
“Recall you only have”—Clive paused to actually check his watch—“twenty-four hours before your freedom is forfeit.”
“You unmitigated asshole,” Connor said, stepping forward. Connor’s rage was barely checked, his urge to protect nearly pushing him beyond reason.
I put a hand on his chest, felt him vibrating with fury, and his eyes flashed to me. No longer entirely human, they shifted in the light from blue to gold like a wolf in moonlight.
I wished for a moment Connor and I had the same telepathic connection as my parents, could silently communicate in a room of enemies. So I let him see the truth in my eyes. After a moment of tension and magic, he stepped back.
I turned my gaze back to Clive, offered a thin smile. “As to the forty-eight hours,” I said. “You may be confused about our terms. My father agreed I wouldn’t leave Chicago. And I only agreed I would meet you in forty-eight hours. I didn’t commit to doing anything specifically when I got to that meeting.”
Red began to creep up Clive’s neck, color his cheeks. “Bitch,” he spat, the word venomous.
“I’ll admit it’s a very technical argument, but vampire deals run that way.” I smiled. “And since I’ve just voluntarily come to your hotel room, and I’m communicating with you and your”—I cast a glance to the other AAM vampires, who now had uncertainty in their eyes—“team, I’ve fulfilled my agreement to meet you, if a little earlier than we’d planned. So, long story short, I’ve met the terms of our contract and have no other obligations to you.”
Clive lunged. Two of his vampires grabbed his arms.
Behind me, Connor growled. “Please,” he said softly. “Please make a move so I can finish you here and now.”
“You have to be careful when negotiating,” I told Clive. “Can’t be ruled by your emotions, or you’ll make mistakes. I learned that one from my father. And before you spout off,” I said when he opened his mouth again, “recall that your brother has killed a member of the AAM.”
The other vampires were moving nervously now.
“I imagine Nicole takes a pretty dim view of that, and the Canon probably describes very specific penalties. Unlike the Bureau, which hasn’t even been codified, has it? It’s just an idea. A proposal, and one that can be ended at Nicole’s whim.”
“I will destroy you.”
“You won’t, actually. I’m not sure if I mentioned this, but the roadblocks you put up between us and Nicole are toppling as we speak. She’s going to know about the lines you’ve crossed, and the lines your brother completely obliterated. And I’m pretty sure any regulatory violation I committed by saving Carlie is going to be a mere drop in a very large bucket.
“So here’s what’s going to happen,” I said. “You can tell me where your brother is, and the CPD can pick him up and deliver him to Nicole and tell her what’s gone on here, and see how she wants to handle it. Or you can lie and delay and, like I said, maybe we find him first. It’s up to you.”
“I wish he’d never heard of Cadogan House,” Clive said, freeing his arms and standing straight again.
“We all wish that for you, Clive. Where is he?”
“I don’t fucking know where he is.” He straightened his sleeves, grasping for dignity. “He’s supposed to be here.”
I could feel the truth of that, and I nodded. “Okay, then.”
There were footsteps behind us. Gwen stood in the doorway, cops arrayed behind her. She stepped forward, holding up her screen in one hand, badge in the other. “Detective Gwen Robinson,” she said. “I have duly authorized warrants for the arrest of Clive, for the arrest of Levi, to question you, and to search any rooms reserved or paid for by the AAM.”
“I did nothing,” Clive said, attempting to lunge again. But cops moved in, replacing the vampires who’d held him.
“Oh, I guess I forgot to mention,” I said. “You assaulted a guard at Cadogan House, and he’s going to press charges. Rules matter, after all.”
He was cursing when I glanced at Gwen. “Have fun in here.”
“Oh, we will,” she said with a thin smile. “It’s going to be a fun night.”
TWENTY
That was neatly done,” Theo said, when we made it down to the lobby again.
“I’ll be honest—it felt good. Really