Page 98 of Brushed By Moonlight

I started to stand, intent on checking on her, but Roux grabbed my arm. “Where the hell are you going?”

I opened my mouth to reply, but Henrik beat me to it.

“It’s eight. Are we meeting, or shall I find another form of entertainment?” He glared, moving quickly to the deepest shade of the patio, right up against the cold stone walls of the building. Like all mature vampires (if mature was the right word), he could tolerate, but preferred to avoid, direct sunlight.

Roux sighed and kicked out the chair opposite him — the one in the shade. “We’re meeting. We need to work out the details for today.”

Henrik sat without so much as a glance at the breakfast bar. So, he was definitely sated. Bad for Delphine, good for the population of Mallorca. Still, I wasn’t about to leave Mina alone around him, so I stayed put.

“Don’t worry. I got it all figured out,” Bene said through a mouthful of food.

Henrik turned away with a disgusted expression. Which was pretty rich, considering his dining preferences.

“You do, do you?” Roux muttered.

“Yep. Ronald Baumann’s party starts at seven, right? I figure we spend the day reconnoitering. At seven-thirty, I march through the front door with Mina and—”

I cut him off with a growl. “I march through the front door with Mina.”

Roux pointed firmly at Henrik. “No,hemarches through the front door with Mina.”

The vampire looked just as surprised as I was — and a hell of a lot more pleased. Mina, on the other hand…

“Do I get a say in any of this?”

“No,” Roux said, steamrolling along. “We need someone who looks rich and snobby enough to collect art. That’s Henrik.”

“Thank you?” the vampire grumbled.

Mina gnashed her teeth, but even I had to agree the tiger had a point. Still, I wasn’t ready to give up.

“Why not me?”

“Because you’ll give us away. Seething fury just won’t fit in.” Bene patted my shoulder. “But next time we have to infiltrate a fight club, you’re in, man.”

I balled my hands into fists.

“Delphine and I will arrive at the party first, posing as a couple,” Roux said, then looked at Henrik, choosing his words carefully. “That’s assuming Delphine will be…er, up to it this evening?”

Henrik flashed his fangs. “Of course she’ll be up to it.”

Mina looked between Roux and Henrik, aghast. “Does Delphine get any say in this?”

“No,” they both said coolly.

Henrik shrugged. “Don’t trouble yourself. Delphine knows her role, and she’ll be paid handsomely.”

His tone sickened me. This wasn’t my first time witnessing Henrik’s “arrangement” with Delphine, but it was the first time I’d considered the imbalance there. What kind of bastard did that make me?

“You’re with the caterers,” Roux told Bene, then turned to me. “And you’re with the local security staff, if Gordon can pull some strings and get you in with them.”

“If?” I asked.

Roux tapped his phone. “He’s already on it. Worst-case, we’ll get you in as a parking valet.”

I bared my teeth. Parking valet?

Bene laughed. “Look at it this way. You’ll get to drive some really cool cars for a few seconds each.”