Page 24

When we enter the NIHA building, I almost expect to return to the break room again. But the hunter who meets us at the front door takes us through security and leads us down a hall to the left instead of the right.

Just like before, we have people working after hours.

Harold waits for us. He’s on the phone, but when he sees us coming, he ends the call and turns toward Noah. “She won’t talk.”

“Sophia won’t tell you who kidnapped her?” Noah holds Cassian back with his arm when the prince tries to barge into the room.

“All we’ve gotten out of her is that the whole ordeal was traumatic, and she won’t talk about it until the head of her house is present.”

Cassian shoves Noah away. “I’m going in.”

And because no one is paying attention to me right now, I follow Cassian into the room like I belong there.

Sophia is seated at a long table. Several official tie-and-suit types mill around the room, and two sit across from her with a couple of laptops.

There’s an untouched cup of water in front of her and a handkerchief in her lap.

Maybe Alfred was holding her hostage, but he didn’t deprive her of toiletries. The pretty, petite vampire’s blonde hair is perfectly curled and pinned up in an effortless style that makes my chignon look basic. She’s in a butter-yellow sundress that screams old money and is wearing pearls.

Her eyes fly to Cassian as he walks in the door, and she promptly bursts into tears.

She dabs her eyes, murmuring something about mascara, and rises from the table. No one stops her as she crosses the room, graceful as a deer in her three-inch, closed-toe stiletto heels. Like me, they probably think she’s going to throw herself in Cassian’s arms.

Also like me, they might have read the room wrong.

“What took you so long!” she demands, her voice quivering. “Do you have any idea what I’ve been through?! They withheld blood, Cas! BLOOD.” She hiccups. “I almost ate Larissa’s corgi.”

The room falls silent as people wait to see how Cassian, the high and mighty prince of the Chevalier line, is going to react.

Cassian’s expression is fierce . But…he kind of looks like he’s trying not to smile. When he controls himself, he raises an eyebrow. “A corgi?”

“Shut up,” she laughs, sobbing.

“Has anyone given you blood?”

Sophia makes a face as she dabs the handkerchief to her eyes. “I had a dose of that awful synthetic concoction you funded. A waste of time and money, if you ask me.”

“No one asked you. Let’s sit down and answer some questions, and then we’ll get you some animal blood.”

She draws in a deep breath, preparing herself, and returns to her seat. Cassian takes the chair next to her.

I find a spot near the wall, hoping no one will kick me out.

“Let’s try this again,” one of the men with the laptops says. “Miss Barrington, were you being held against your will?”

“I can’t say.”

There’s a quiet, collective groan, which makes me think they’ve been through this before.

“It’s not a difficult question. Were you there willingly? Yes or no.”

“Next question, please,” she says.

The interrogator sits back in his chair. “Okay. How about you tell us who you shared the apartment with while you were there.”

She shakes her head.

“You don’t know their names?”

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

“Why?”

Sophia laughs, sounding slightly hysterical.

“I see this is going well,” Noah whispers as he joins me.

“Have they arrested Alfred yet?”

“Harold said they were just arriving.” He shakes his head. “Not that arresting him will do any good. His dad will have him out in twenty-four hours.”

“Seriously. This head-of-house pardoning system is flawed.”

“It works better when there’s a duke to override it. It’s the Wild West right now.”

I nod toward Sophia. “Why won’t she talk?”

“A guess? Richard. Alfred still has him.”

“Oh no,” I murmur, realizing he’s right. Why didn’t we grab the butler and run when we had the chance?

“We’ll get him out of there,” Noah promises. “Even if we have to confiscate Alfred’s yacht until he hands him over.”

“Can you do that?”

A grim smile crosses Noah’s face as he pushes away from the wall. “It depends on if Jameson cooperates.”

He then walks toward the table, joining the poor men trying to get a statement out of Sophia. He says something to one of them, and the man gladly gives him his seat.

“Hello, Sophia,” Noah says once he’s settled. His tone is careful, like he’s trying not to spook her.

She sniffs. “Montgomery.”

“I thought you were going to call me Noah.”

She glances at Cassian, unsure. When he nods, she turns back to Noah and frowns. “If you’d like.”

“Would you prefer to talk about what happened with fewer people in the room?”

She glances around. “I don’t think it will make any difference.”

“Because you can’t talk?” Noah prods, but gently.

She draws her bottom lip between her teeth, thinking, and then she finally nods.

“How about this—I’ll share some things we know, and maybe that will make you comfortable enough to share some of what you know.”

She twists her handkerchief in her lap and finally says, “All right.”

“Alfred and Larissa were holding you against your will. You’re hesitant to name them because they’re your friends—or were your friends.

However, they were not working alone. House Sorin was behind your abduction, and they were using you to extort Cassian so he would turn down the nomination he’s expected to receive. ”

Sophia’s lips part with her surprise, and she suddenly looks like she wants to dart out of the room.

“This is what we need from you—who is House Sorin working for?”

“Alfred told you all that?” Sophia whispers, stunned.

“He was feeling gregarious,” Cassian says nonchalantly.

Sophia frowns at her ex-fiancé, likely knowing there’s more to the story. “I don’t know which house Gerald is allied with.”

“ Sophia, ” Cassian growls.

“I don’t know!” she exclaims. “No one ever told me! Larissa probably knows—ask her. And Alfred most definitely knows.”

Noah turns to Harold, who stands in the doorway. “Do you have an update for me?”

“We have hunters entering the marina right now. We should have Alfred in custody soon.”

“What about Larissa?” Noah asks.

“She got away when they were getting Sophia out of the hotel suite. We have people searching the area.”

“Who would be willing to get me Gerald’s current location? I’d like to pay him a visit.”

Harold shifts, uncomfortable. “We do have the prince's locations recorded in the system, but we’re not allowed to give out that information. Only the duke can request it.”

And there currently isn’t one.

Noah turns to Cassian. “Are there strings you can pull?”

A grim look crosses Cassian’s face. “Most likely.”

“Then I think we’re done for now.” Noah rises. “Let me know when you have Alfred and Larissa in your custody.”

I join Sophia while Noah and Cassian finish up.

“I like your dress,” she says, looking unsure of herself.

“Yours too.” This is awkward. “Yellow is a good color on you.”

“This shade,” she says with a soft laugh, her southern accent becoming more prominent. “Bright yellow isn’t my friend.”

I nod, unsure how to respond.

“So…what do you think of Miami?” she asks.

“It’s hot and humid.”

“You get used to it. I’m originally from Savannah, so I don’t mind it a little balmy.”

“Even after you entered the final stage?”

“It was just awful at first, but I acclimated.”

I try to picture her and Cassian all those years ago, Sophia in a fussy, lace-trimmed day dress and Cassian looking debonair in a brocade waistcoat. I imagine them sipping tea on a grand front porch lined with potted hanging ferns, while people pass by the front street driving horse-drawn carts.

But my brain short-circuits. The idea of them being as old as they are is difficult to comprehend—especially when they look so young.

Finally, Noah and Cassian join us.

“Let’s go back to the hotel, and we can—” Cassian stops mid-sentence and coughs.

Noah stops dead in his tracks, looking at his friend like he’s sprouted another head. “Did you just cough?”

Cassian clears his throat, disconcerted. “Must have been dust in the air.”

Noah looks around the practically sterile space. “What dust?”

“What else could it be? Now, as I was saying, let’s return to the hotel, and we’ll sort all this out.”

We end up in Cassian’s room. It’s a suite, larger than the one Noah and I are sharing.

As soon as the door is closed and the four of us are alone, Cassian turns to Sophia. “You worked with Gerald, so you should know how to contact him.”

“Are we doing this right now?” she asks. “It’s nearly midnight.”

“If you don’t want to talk about that, then we can discuss something else.” Cassian turns on her, his jaw hard. “Why did you leave with Larissa? You took your pardon, and you ran.”

“Excuse me?” Sophia says sharply, pressing her hand to her chest like she’s offended. “I didn’t run . I was abducted. ”

Uh oh.

I glance at Noah, pretty sure he’s having the same thought as me. They’re about to have a lover’s quarrel, and neither of us wants to be here for it.

“We’ll talk tomorrow.” Noah touches my shoulder, edging toward the door. “Try not to kill each other before morning.”

We escape into the hall and make our way to the elevator. As soon as the doors close and we’re alone, I groan, resting my head back.

“Careful.” Noah steps in front of me and angles my head forward. “The pins are still in your hair.”

“Right.” My eyes move to his face. “Good news—we’re not dead.”

“Another successful day on the job.”

Noah’s eyes move to my lips. I make a noise of contentment when he drops a brief kiss to my mouth.

“No moaning,” he murmurs, moving his hands to my bare shoulders. “I’m barely controlling myself. Your dress has been driving me crazy all night.”

“That was a sigh, not a moan,” I correct, wrapping my arms around his neck and standing on my tiptoes to reach him better. “Get your noises straight.”

A roguish glint sparkles in his eyes. “Why don’t you show me a moan so I can tell the difference?”