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FORTY

Reed

O ur overnight flight was uneventful, smooth, and easy over the Atlantic, with a late morning landing just outside Las Vegas after a quick fuel stop on the East Coast. My out-of-the-way entrance wouldn’t keep the news of our arrival from Carmine for long, but any advantage was one I would take.

He had a fearsome reputation, both in and out of the boardroom, and I didn’t intend to meet him on the back foot.

Fiona dozed on the way from the airport to the hotel, her head in my lap in the back seat of the car. I used the time to call Kane, fill him in on everything that had happened since we’d last spoken. By the time I’d finished pouring out all the awful details, I felt like a wrung-out sponge.

There was a beat of silence on the end of the line, and then Kane sighed with a weariness born of more than just the time difference. “I can tell you’re already halfway to taking all the onus for the failed mission, regardless of what I have to say about the matter?”

“As the lead, I?—”

“Gael is my second, is he not?”

It was my turn to be silent for a beat, staring out the window at the rolling desert landscape of red rock and sporadic cacti.

“Yes, Alpha.”

“And I think you did the best you could with a shitty situation, so there’s that. We didn’t expect it to be easy, though I am sorry that things went the way they did for Elodie. Marciana is going to be furious, and frankly, I can’t blame her. I’m furious.” He exhaled heavily, as if trying to purge that fury, and I felt lower than low for dumping more problems on his lap than I had solutions.

That wasn’t our dynamic; I was a fixer, a solutions guy. Being in an Alpha’s top five was all about what you could do for the pack, what strengths you brought to the table for the greater good. Failure was not a common occurrence in my life, and it tasted bitter on my tongue now, despite his assurances that it wasn’t all on me.

That wasn’t how I operated. If I was involved, it was on me. Period. You didn’t reach my level of success in the business world by passing the buck, and I wasn’t about to start.

“I’ll make the deal with Carmine and get the stone, Alpha.”

“It makes me itch when you call me Alpha like that. Could you knock it off?”

I chuckled, enjoying his discomfort just a little. It broke the tension, at least.

“Sure thing… High Alpha.”

He growled, and I laughed harder, only holding back to avoid waking my dozing mate.

“There’s something I need to tell you too, and I’m afraid it’s not good news either.”

That stopped the moment of frivolity dead in its tracks.

“What is it?”

“Lucien is missing. Samuel found signs of foul play in his apartment, and no one from Caelestis has seen or heard from him since the castle attack.”

I drummed my fingers on the windowsill, thinking. “I can’t imagine Christian is too happy about that. He hates being out of the know. He’ll feel like Lucien got taken on his watch.”

“He’s a butler, not a babysitter. Lucien is a grown man, and I trust that he can fend for himself under normal circumstances.”

The long pause that followed left a gaping maw for the fact that we both knew these were anything but normal circumstances. I closed my eyes, rubbing between my eyebrows at the piercing headache that was starting to develop.

“He has also missed the last several council meetings.”

I swore. “So, what do we think? Did Petró’s people sweep him up, or someone on the council who was looking for more information on our harboring an adult omega?”

“We don’t know yet. Samuel’s still following the trail, but the preliminary findings aren’t good.”

“Fuck.”

“That about sums it up, yes. This is a real mess, Reed. And I hate feeling trapped, like I can’t go out and face it head-on.”

I looked down at Fiona, and I couldn’t help but put myself in his shoes. I wasn’t happy she had a birth control rod in her arm; that was unwelcome news, which we’d have to discuss at some point.

But deep down, as troubled as I had been that she’d kept that tidbit from me, I couldn’t lie and say I hadn’t been relieved to hear it anyway.

Bringing another omega into this mess before it was settled was anything but wise. A problem for another time, though. We had more immediate issues to handle.

“How are you feeling about having your mate with you on this mission? I can send someone to pick her up and take her back to Alaska, if you’d prefer.”

It was my turn to sigh. “If I thought she’d go for it, I’d say yes in a heartbeat. It makes my skin crawl to think of her getting anywhere near a vampire nest, but she’s too damn stubborn for her own good. She’s going to stay with me.”

“You’ll keep her safe. I have no doubt of that.”

I would. Even if it cost the mission, and that was the part that wasn’t acceptable, that I couldn’t say out loud to my Alpha. My best friend? Maybe. But not my Alpha.

“I will. Get some rest, and I’ll let you know how our first contact goes.”

“You do that.”

The line clicked, going dead as I watched the unbroken desert roll by outside the window and considered where my loyalties lay. There wasn’t even a question.

* * *

We pulled up to the hotel around noon, the heat a striking contrast to the cold nip we’d left behind in Italy.

I woke Fiona, and we moved quickly from the car to the safety of the hotel lobby. It was one of the few neutral zones in Vegas, owned by a warlock instead of a vampire and open to any supernatural species with money to spend. Luckily, of that, I had no shortage.

We had the penthouse suite, the entire top floor of the building, with access only through a private elevator and twenty-four-seven security. Augmented by my own for the duration of our stay, of course. I wouldn’t accept anything less with Fiona along on the trip, and I’d paid triple to have it vacated early for our abrupt arrival.

“Xeor Blaise, funny meeting you here,” I drawled, finding the warlock himself standing in the lobby to greet us. His thick head of dark hair was perfectly styled in a preppy wave to one side, his tawny skin offset by perfectly straight, white teeth. He had all the flair of the French on his father’s side, but none of the understated taste. The suit he wore was a gaudy purple velvet, a silver pocket-watch chain hanging from one pocket instead of a square like a low-rent magician, when he was anything but.

“It’s not every day I have to bum-rush someone out of my penthouse suite for the only furry restaurant mogul around, now, is it? How do you manage the hairnets?”

“Hilarious as always, Blaise. You know damn well most of my organization is fully human. Is our suite ready?”

“Of course! I’ll show you up.” He waved us toward the private elevator, and my security detail from our follow car let themselves into the security office behind the check-in desk.

My driver followed the three of us up with our bags, and the spacious elevator felt cramped with whatever Blaise wanted that he wasn’t saying.

To his credit, when the elevator doors opened on the twenty-fifth floor into the penthouse, it was stunning. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows along one entire wall showed off the glitz and glamour of the Strip. Low leather couches in the living area, a full chef’s kitchen with marble flooring, and modern abstract light fixtures made the place feel like you’d stepped into a magazine.

But I didn’t book it for looks. I’d booked it for his personal warding, making it impenetrable to anyone not on my short list of allowed individuals.

Hint: no vamps allowed.

My driver dropped our bags in the bedroom, then saw himself back out to wait with our security detail downstairs. I kissed Fiona on the forehead, and she wandered off to explore the rest of the suite. I could hear her soft inhalations from the other room as she checked out the primary bedroom and ensuite spa bath. She clearly approved of the accommodations, and I was internally preening at finally getting to show her how she deserved to be taken care of.

Blaise, however, hung around—not quite wringing his hands, but his scent gave away what his neutral expression did not. He was anxious about something.

“Something bothering you, Blaise?” I leaned against the counter, keeping my focus on him and my stance loose as Fiona continued her exploration of the suite.

“You know I pride myself on being neutral ground, and every species is welcome inside the Zodiaque Resort Vegas.”

“Yes, I do. It’s why I paid so handsomely for our accommodations for the next two weeks.” I arched my eyebrow, urging him silently to get on with it and get out of our hair.

“Of course, of course.” He waved a hand as if the substantial sum was nothing, even though we both knew it wasn’t. “But despite my open-door policy, we rarely get visitors of the wolf-shifter variety. You’re aware that Carmine runs the majority of the Strip, and it would be unwise for a warlock not affiliated with a coven to get on his bad side.”

“And let me guess, you’re here hoping to get assurances from me that I don’t intend to piss him off?”

He spread his hands in a magnanimous gesture. “It’s always best to know what to expect. Nothing more.”

“Yes, well, I’m here to invest. The Vegas Strip is a hotbed for restaurants, and it’s high time Monstru Fine Dining expanded our footprint, don’t you think? Past differences between our species shouldn’t get in the way of good business.”

“Of course not. Well, I’m thrilled to hear you’re planning to make an investment. Should I expect to see more of you, then, after your two-week stay? We do love repeat customers.”

“I’ll apprise you of my needs as we go. If there’s nothing else…” I gestured to the door, tired of the not-so-subtle prodding.

I knew as well as he did that by the time the elevator hit the first floor, everybody and their brother would know that I had checked into the Zodiaque Resort Vegas and my phone would be ringing off the hook within the next half hour.

Which was exactly what I’d intended.

It was time for Carmine to know there were wolves in town.