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He rifled through her closet, sorting for something suitable for whatever he was planning. Lachlan pulled out short strappy dress after short strappy dress. He hung one on the back of the door. It was purplish, maybe maroon, with a plunging neck line and would come to her knees. I smiled, approving. She’d look fantastic in it. Bisou was about Tiffany’s size, more narrow in the hips with a bigger bust. Their height difference would be problematic in dress selection. Something about the dress unsettled me. It was far too elegant for lounging around here. And it didn’t suit Tiffany. She was unfussy and grounded.

He came out of the closet with something black thrown over his shoulder and a short jacket on a hanger. He put the room right and returned to his space. Zinnia nudged my hand off the mouse to fast forward through the dressing process.

Lachlan fussed with nervous energy. He straightened the jacket, made her change shoes twice, she suggested a pair of Aurora’s heels, he shook his head no. They settled on plain black flats. She looked smart and comfortable in tailored slacks that ended above her ankle, and the short jacket. She needed a string of pearls to pull off a 50s housewife.

Finally, they stepped into the hall. Lachlan didn’t look around, heading straight down the hall that would eventually lead to the garage. Zinnia tracked their movements all the way on to the street with aggressive mouse clicks. We had a two-block radius covered with cameras and motion detectors. They made their way to Albright Street and the subway entrance.

The subway.

I sat back, thinking. The discarded dress. The shoes. The primping.

“He’s not dumb enough to take her to…”

“They’re going to Ruelle.” Gonzo came to the same conclusion as I did.

“Fuck.” Zinnia batted the mouse away. “This fucks things.”

“We could hit it now. Veronica will be pissed and busy.”

“We’re still waiting on video footage from Wolfgang. If we go in now, we go in blind.”

“I’m not saying getting Emily out was a mistake, but it may have cost us some favors.”

“Irrelevant,” Zinnia made a dismissive gesture, “if his Highness is going off half cocked. This going to set things back.”

They continued to banter as we all caught the keening wail from the other side of the warehouse. We had all hoped Emily would get some rest before the terror of being safe kicked in.

“I’m going to go check on something.” I maneuvered out of the tangle of limbs and arguments that filled this converted janitor’s closet.

Lachlan was rash.Rashwas an understatement. He charged forward like a flash flood, leaving other people to happily clean up the mess. I told him to wait. Breaking with Veronica needed planning. He didn’t understand. He didn’t understand the half of it.

My long legs ate up the winding halls through the warehouse.

Tiffany. This was beyond her. Taking Tiffany into the city, a newly made vampire with uncontrolled blood lust, into a densely populated metropolis was beyond reckless. So many mortals, the smells, heartbeats and blood sources. My feet hit the asphalt with dull thuds that would shake like earthquakes to her newly made ears.

Seeing her standing on that ledge yesterday had stopped my heart. I would have ended her life if she had asked. Doing so might have broken me in unpredictable ways.

I was at a full run when, by the time I arrived at the subway entrance.

FORTY-SIX

TIFFANY

“Is this even real?” I was a little out of breath, but considering we just ran probably ten miles.Ranwas a bit of an overstatement.Race walkedwas more like it. Apparently, vampires can really cover some ground.

Lachlan looked up at the elaborate stone archway above our head. “This,” he gestured up with his cellphone, which was the only light we needed, “Is part of the aqueduct installed in the 40s.”

“They built an aqueduct in the 1940s?”

“1840s.”

“Oh.”

“Every square inch of Manhattan is covered in underground tunnels. The illicit ones exploded during Prohibition.”

I stumbled as my toe got caught in a crack. Lachlan righted me almost before I knew there was a problem.

“This is longer and more complicated, but a better option than car service.”