“Why were you taking a shower?”
“Because I was all bloody.”
The smile that stretched Rehv’s mouth and revealed his fangs was all about the throw-down. “You found Grady.”
“Yup.”
“Niiiiiiice.”
“We should expect a visit from the CPD sometime very soon.”
“Looking forward to it.”
Xhex patted dry her cilices and her knife, then walked past Rehv and went into the two square feet of his closet that were hers. Taking out a fresh pair of leathers and a black muscle shirt, she glanced over her shoulder.
“You mind giving me a little privacy.”
“You’re putting those damn things on again?”
“How’s your dopamine supply?”
Rehv chuckled and headed for the door. “I’ll take care of searching Montrag’s place. You’ve done enough dirty work for other people lately.”
“I can handle it.”
“Doesn’t mean you should have to.” He reached into his pocket and took out his cell phone. “Fuck, I forgot to turn this thing back on.”
When the screen lit up, he looked down and his emotions…flickered.
His emotions actually flickered.
Maybe it was because her cilices were off and her symphath side didn’t take long to come forward, but she couldn’t keep herself from focusing on him hard, the weakness he sported making her curious.
What she noticed, though, was not so much his emotional grid…but the fact that his scent was different.
“You’ve fed from someone,” she said.
Rehv froze, giving himself away by the stillness of that big body of his.
“Don’t even try to lie,” she murmured. “I can smell it.”
Rehv shrugged, and she got ready for a whole lot of no-big-dealing. He even opened his mouth, his hard face assuming the bored expression he used to distance people.
Except he didn’t say a thing. Didn’t seem to be able to muster the blow-off.
“Wow.” Xhex shook her head. “Serious stuff, huh.”
Ignoring the question was evidently the best he could do. “When you’re ready, let’s meet with Trez and iAm and do the status update before closing.”
Rehv turned on his loafers and went back out into the office.
Funny, she thought to herself, as she picked up one of the steel bands and got ready to crank it around her thigh, she’d never expected to see him like that. Ever.
Made her wonder who it was. And how much the female knew about him.
Rehv went to his desk and sat down, phone in his hand. Ehlena had called and left a message, but instead of wasting time to listen to it, he called up her contact info and-
The call that came through was the only one that would have diverted him from finishing the dial action. He answered and said, “Which Brother am I talking to?”
“Vishous.”
“What’s doing, man.”
“Nothing good, true?”
The flat tone of the guy’s voice made Rehv think of car accidents. Bad ones that required the Jaws of Life to free bodies. “Tell me.”
The Brother talked and talked and talked. E-mail. Cover blown. Deportation.
There must have been a long stretch of silence at that point, because Rehv heard his name. “You there? Rehvenge? Yo, man?”
“Yeah, I’m here.” Kind of. He was a little distracted by the dull roar in his head, like the building he was in was caving in all around him.
“Did you hear what I asked you?”
“Ah…no.” The roaring sound grew so loud, he was sure the club had been bombed and the walls were crumbling and the roof coming down.
“I tried to trace the e-mail and I almost think it’s coming from an IP address up north near the colony, if not actually within it. I really don’t think this came from a vampire at all. Do you know anyone up there who might try to blow your cover?”
So the princess had lost interest in playing blackmail games. “No.”
Now it was V’s turn to be quiet. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
The princess had decided to call him home. And if he didn’t go, she would absolutely e-mail everyone in the glymera and implicate Wrath and the Brotherhood while she revealed Rehv’s secret. Coupled with the affidavit that had been sprung tonight?
Life as he knew it was over.
Not that the Brotherhood needed to know that.
“Rehv?”
In a dead voice, he said, “It’s just fallout from the Montrag shit. Don’t worry about it.”
“What the hell happened?”
Xhex’s sharp voice from the bedroom doorway helped him focus, and he looked over at her. As he met her stare, her strong body and sharp gray eyes were as familiar to him as his own reflection, and the same was true with Kim for her…so she knew by the look on his face exactly what was doing.
The color slowly drained out of her cheeks. “What did she do? What did that cunt do to you?”
“I gotta go, V. Thanks for calling.”
“Rehvenge?” the Brother cut in. “Look, buddy, why don’t I keep trying to track it-”
“Waste of time. No one up there knows. Trust me.”
Rehv ended the call, and before Xhex could jump in, he dialed voice mail and picked up Ehlena’s message. He knew what she was going to say, though. Knew exactly-
“Hey, Rehv, I just got a visit from this…female. She was talking a lot of craziness about you. I just…well, I thought you should know. To be honest, she’s freaky. Anyway, maybe you can call me and talk to me about this? I’d really appreciate it. Bye.”
He deleted the message, hit end, and put the cell phone down on the desk, lining it up with the black leather blotter so that the LG was perfectly vertical.
Xhex came over, and as she did, there was a sharp knock and someone came in. “Give us a minute, Trez,” he heard her say. “Take Rally with you, and don’t let anyone in here.”
“What hap-”
“Now. Please.”
Rehvenge stared at the phone, only dimly aware of some shuffling and the door clicking shut.
“You hear that?” he said quietly.
“Hear what?” Xhex asked as she came and knelt down next to his chair.
“That sound.”
“Rehv, what did she do?”
He looked over into her eyes and saw his mother on her deathbed instead. Funny, both females had the same kind of pleading in their stares. And both were people he wanted to protect. Ehlena was on that list. So was his sister. So were Wrath and the Brotherhood.
Rehvenge reached forward and cupped the chin of his second in command. “It’s just Brotherhood stuff, and I’m really tired.”
“The hell it was, and the hell you are.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“What.”
