Vampire Debt - Supernatural Battle (Vampire Towers #2) - Kelly St. Clare Page 0,115

that wouldn’t deafen me by age twenty-two.

“Hey, Tom?” I asked, yawning. My watch beeped, and I groaned.

Practice time.

“Basil?”

I smiled at her flushed face. “Can you take a picture of you and the man? And maybe call me while you’re with him one time so our voices can meet.”

She snorted. “That’s gross.”

“So our voices can meet.”

“Stop it.”

I hollered the words after her as she all-but floated from the room in her happy bubble. It made my heart lighter to see her so in love.

My phone vibrated—because allowing it to ring was no longer an option. The sound was like nails on a chalkboard.

Huh, what did he want?

“Neelan,” I answered.

“Basilia. Are you coming to work tonight?”

I contemplated that. “Not sure I can handle that many people yet. Should be okay by Monday though.”

Their whispers were 100 percent audible to me now.

“—we’ll have to ask her now then—”

“—it’s too easy for her to say no—”

“—I can’t wait until she sees the pictures of her all over the walls—”

My brows climbed. I wouldn’t be revealing this advantage anytime soon. Kyros’s siblings gave me the shits even if I also liked most of them now.

Neelan cleared his throat. “What are you doing this weekend?”

“Not coming to Kyros’s new house to hang with your family,” I said, hanging up.

Snickering, I flipped my phone in my hand, grinning at the ceiling. Kyros’s amusement flared again. What was he so happy about?

A knock sounded at the door, the booms battering my brain.

I sat up in case it was someone I had to scare. “Come in.”

Mrs Gaughton poked her head in.

“Mrs Hannah! Have a seat, please.”

The mid-sixties woman shuffled in, glancing around with wide eyes.

“Have you settled in okay?” I’d placed her on the first level right at the back of the west wing. I’d moved the Vissimo out, letting Laurel, Josie, and Kelsea share my grandmother’s suite after making it clear that harem activities wouldn’t occur outside of the room.

I’d have to pack up Grandmother’s stuff soon to make more room for them. Not something I looked forward to.

The older woman sat, perching stiffly. “Yes, dear. I’m just wondering how on earth I ended up here. It’s so fucking fancy.”

I relaxed, glad she wasn’t going to be one of the weird ones.

“Basilia Le Spyre pulled my weeds and watered my garden.” She cackled. “Wait until I tell my bingo friends.”

“Let me know what they say.” I lay down again, crossing my feet.

“The gardens are beautiful. Makes me ashamed of my old one.”

“You’re welcome to get in the garden, too, if you like,” I told her. “If you want your own patch, just talk to Georgia, the head gardener. She’ll set you up.”

“I do want to make myself useful somehow,” she said darkly. “You’re sure you won’t take any money?”

I shrugged a shoulder. “Don’t need it.”

“Why do you work then?”

Pondering my answer, I replied, “Regular penis and world domination.”

“Better reasons than most, I suppose. Got a picture?”

Twisting, I fixed her with a look.

“Of the man, Basilia. What do you take me for?”

She didn’t fool me for a second.

Opening my phone, I clicked on the picture of Kyros and his family—having deleted all my naked thrall pictures—and held it over my head for her to look at. “He’s the one in the middle.”

“You sure you ain’t got a penis picture?” she whispered.

Snorting, I yanked the phone back.

Mrs Hannah hummed. “He the one that messed with you?”

“Yeah. He pretended he didn’t know who I was, then I found out he was interested in my money.”

God, that felt good to say to someone other than Tommy.

She swore long and hard, then added, “Still. Great body.”

Tipping back my head, I laughed. “Excellent body.”

“Back to me being useful,” she said abruptly. “I’ve been hiding in a closet for five years and I need to catch up on life. I want a challenge. Maybe some new friends. My bingo crowd is too wild. I want to find a quieter circle.”

I considered her.

This was the perfect entry point for what I had in mind for her. It would require a bending of the truth with how my operations worked, but if I was right about the remaining properties in Bluff City, Mrs Gaughton would boost my acquisition rate big time.

“You know who you should talk to, Mrs Hannah? My friend, Tommy.”

“The pretty brunette who’s disgustingly in love?”

“That’s the one. She set me up when I was looking for work. Maybe she could help you find something interesting. I only have one friend, so I’m not the