Cursed To Death

“A word… in private?” Sasha said, lowering her weapon.

“As the lady wishes,” the baron said, inclining his head toward an empty VIP table behind the casino area.

Sasha kept an eye out for any twitchy Vampires as they followed the baron. She knew that they wouldn’t attack on their own with Geoff right there. But that didn’t mean Geoff wouldn’t tell them to attack. She knew Hunter, who was bringing up the rear, was on alert as well.

When they reached the table, Sasha declined to sit when he swept his hand before them in a gallant gesture.

“This won’t take long,” Sasha said. “I’m sure by now you’ve guessed this isn’t a social call.”

“I’m shocked,” the baron said in a sarcastic tone, placing a graceful hand over his heart. But then his tone took a sinister dip as he stared at Sasha, then Hunter. “So to what do I owe the pleasure of your intrusion here at my place of business?”

“Do you know of the Phoenixes Desidera and Penelope?” Sasha folded her arms over her chest.

“Of course,” the Baron said coolly, taking a seat and snapping his fingers. A blood goblet appeared at his table and he took a sip from it. “We value diversity here at the Blood Oasis.”

“Did they work here?” Sasha said with a low growl beginning to form in her throat. She hated these game- playing bastards.

“Now why would you think they do anything at all here, other than enjoy the-”

Sasha whipped out the card and flung it down in front of the baron, cutting his denial short. “This was in Desidera’s purse. Penelope’s calendar had BO twelve to five written in it at least three days a week for months.”

“The card is a member’s card,” the baron said evenly with a deadly smile. “Penelope is one of my dancers. When she gets Desidera to dance regularly, there may be a bonus in it for her.”

Sasha glanced at Hunter and then returned her gaze to Geoff. “So, they danced for you, at least one did regularly, and the other came on occasion to see if she wanted in?”

“They are the best exotic dancers around… McGregor cannot nearly begin to pay what we are willing to pay. Therefore, the girls are torn-loyalty versus commerce. It is always the conundrum, oui?”

“Now was that so hard? Why did you keep it a secret?” Sasha demanded, losing patience by the second.

“We’re not exactly popular with the other paranormals right now, are we?” The baron glared at her and pursed his lips for a moment before he went on. “I don’t think they want anyone to know. I don’t hold it against them… we all have our secrets and we honor that in our realm, unlike others. They are magnificent performers. Extremely popular.”

“Did they let anyone feed off them?” Indignation crawled through her, just thinking about the possibility.

“No,” the baron said, his fangs beginning to crest. “They aren’t on the menu. I make sure that is very clear to anyone who set foot in here. I do look after my own employees. Now that I have answered a flurry of your questions, I have some of my own. For starters, why are you in here asking about these two lovely ladies and sounding like you’re accusing me of something?”

“They’re dead,” Sasha said, watching him closely as he calmly took a sip from his goblet. “Killed sometime in the last four hours, I believe.”

Hunter folded his arms over his chest, keeping his back toward the wall.

“And you think I had something to do with their deaths?”

“I think a lot of things, Baron, but I know we have two dead girls and that they both worked for you. That’s enough for me to become a major pain in your ass while I find out who killed them.”

“And where did you find their bodies?” The baron leaned forward with his elbows on the table, making a tent in front of his mouth with his long, graceful fingers as he stared up at Sasha.

“Desidera was found in the basement of The Fair Lady and Penelope was found in her home.”

The baron sat back, one eyebrow raised, and he picked up his goblet again. “Your requirement for guilt is that they both worked for me and yet they also both worked for Ethan McGregor… and you actually found one of them in his basement. Seems to me that you should stop looking into coffins and pay attention to those in your little alliance.”

Hunter pushed off the wall with a warning growl so quickly that security instantly materialized around them. “How about if we look into coffins during the day?”

“I suggest you keep your guard dog on a short choker chain in here, Sasha,” the baron warned. “Unprovoked violence could be misconstrued as a reason to go to war.”

“Going to war is the way of the wolf, when a principle is involved,” Hunter said in a low rumble, sizing up the potential combatants.

The baron took a sip from his goblet. “When there is no evidence that we’ve been involved in any wrongdoing, going to war against us is both illegal and unjustified-wolf.” He then brought his goblet away from his mouth slowly and set it down on the table before him with precision. “That, like the loss of those two beautiful Phoenixes, would be a waste of resources-a terrible waste of resources.” Turning his attention away from Hunter in a cool snub, he stared at Sasha. “How did it happen?”

“We were hoping you could tell us,” Sasha said, her gaze narrowing.

“When you find out, you will advise us?” the baron asked evenly, picking up his goblet again.

Sasha pulled out her notebook and flipped to the page with the symbol on it. “This was on the bodies. What is it?”

The baron shrugged. “I haven’t a clue.”

“Know that we’re watching you,” she said, leaning down to place both hands on either side of the table.

“Fair exchange is no robbery, she-wolf,” the baron murmured. “Know that we have never stopped monitoring you.”

The hair on the back of Hunter’s neck was standing up by the time they got back into their jeep. As he pulled off, she watched him maneuver the vehicle in the wrong direction from the bed-and-breakfast.

“Where to?” she said, trying to break through his wall of fury.

“The teahouse. If Penelope worked there tonight, we should be able to pick up her fresh scent, and if a Were followed her from there home, there should still be a scent lingering there.”

Sasha leaned back against the seat and simply closed her eyes to endure the ride. The last place she wanted to be was back at Chaya. Hunter didn’t say two words while driving over to the now infamous tea salon, and he dismounted from the jeep with his gaze straight ahead. She couldn’t blame him; what had transpired here between her and Shogun was scandalous-albeit Faerie spell induced.

“Ethan said it closed at ten, so nobody will be there to question… But we could go through the gardens, and if our murderer is a Were, maybe it was lurking for her out there, stalking her,” Sasha said, keeping the conversation directed toward the investigation.

Hunter just nodded.

New Orleans heat, even at night, was kicking her ass. The humidity made her jeans and tank top cling to her like a second skin. It also didn’t help the irritability factor, which was now on full blast for some odd reason. She’d felt that way ever since she’d left Ethan McGregor’s cellar. Dealing with the baron definitely didn’t help.

“You know… thinking back on it, was it my imagination, or did Sir Rodney seem overly tense?” She stared at Hunter, waiting, watching his gaze rove past the bamboo blind.

“The man just lost a lover. His cause for tension was justified.”

Sasha let out a quiet sigh. Okay, so this was going to be a long night.

Ignoring the subtle dig, she easily propelled her body over the wrought-iron gate, needing the physical exertion. Hunter simply slipped into a shadow and came out on the other side of the barrier. Now inside with closer access to the main building, it was clear that the establishment was locked up tight. Breaking in was possible, but there’d be no way to do it without leaving evidence of intrusion; wolf scent would linger and could confuse the issues for Fae investigation.

“Pixies and Faeries to ask as possible witnesses won’t be out this late-not with angry Vampires in the area,” Sasha remarked casually, walking through the gardens. “We’ll have to come back at dawn when they normally begin collecting the dew.”