Page 26 of Nexus
“I know better than to bathe the apartment in blood,” I said with a scowl. “They’ll just need to shampoo the carpets where the bodies fell and wipe a few spots from the walls.”
Ruen’s eyes became glazed at the mention of blood, but at least he didn’t start drooling. Lord Gilden kept him on a tight leash. I had the feeling his minion’s appetites were never fully satisfied.
Drake’s phone rang and he held his finger up to pause our conversation. Answering it, he turned his chair around to face the French doors again. “Yes?” he asked. I glanced at Ruen, knowing he could hear every word the caller was making. He mouthed ‘body disposal team’ at me and I nodded. “Very good,” the lord said. “Thank you for keeping me informed.” He hung up and turned his chair around to face us. “The corpses have been removed and all signs of your battle have been eradicated.”
“They work fast,” I said in approval that the humans would never know what had happened in the apartment.
“Our sources said five women were abducted by the demons during the past few months,” Lord Gilden said. “Once they’d had their fun with them, they dumped the bodies in the river rather than disposing of them properly. It was only a matter of time before the police would have discovered what was going on. You’ve successfully avoided disaster from breaking out in Nexus.”
“It’s my job to kill the rogues who break our laws,” I said with a modest shrug. “That’s what you pay me for.”
Drake couldn’t quite hide his reaction to the subtle mention of payment he owed me. A faint look of pain crossed his face and he tried to delay the inevitable. “May I offer you a drink?” Ruen sucked in a breath and his fangs lengthened. “I was talking to Ms. Sterling,” our boss said wryly.
“Of course you were,” the vamp muttered sulkily and retracted his fangs.
“Sure,” I said in acceptance, taking pity on my boss. It was probably always going to be a struggle for him to pay me my due.
Rising to his feet with his usual grace, Lord Gilden crossed to the armoire where he kept his alcohol. He poured us both a shot of whiskey and returned to his desk. “Here you are,” he said and handed me my glass.
“Thanks,” I replied, then downed the shot in one swallow. My eyes immediately began to water and I struggled not to cough. “It’s real smooth,” I rasped, hoping the burning sensation would fade away soon. This stuff was a lot stronger than beer.
Leaning against his desk, Drake sipped his whiskey slowly. I knew better than to try to hurry him along. Patience wasn’t my strong suit, but I’d have to develop some now that I was on his team. Prolonging his drink for as long as possible, he sighed dismally once the last drop was gone. “I’m sure you have things to do,” he said. “I’d best gather your payment.”
Like the last time, he crossed to a painting of a fantastical landscape and I admired his butt. He unlocked the safe and I heard the clink of coins. Closing the safe and the painting, he sauntered over to me.
I held my hands out, waiting for him to drop my payment onto my palms. After a brief internal struggle, he opened his fingers and four gold coins landed on my palms. “The bounty for killing low-level demons isn’t as high as destroying an entire vampire coven,” he said when I frowned.
I glanced at Ruen to see he was nodding surreptitiously. The dragon wasn’t trying to stiff me. “Thank you, Lord Gilden,” I said, tucking them into my wallet.
“You may both go,” Drake said, turning away so he didn’t have to watch me leave with his property.
Ruen stood up and I rose with him, knowing it would be stupid to ask any questions right now. While smoke wasn’t coming from the weredragon’s nostrils, his posture was tense as he stood at the twin French doors.
“That was easy this time,” I mused once we were safely ensconced in the elevator and it began to descend. “I thought he was going to lose it the last time.”
“Lord Gilden has better control than that,” Ruen argued.
“Really?” I said skeptically. “Then why did you hold onto my elbow in a death grip and drag me out of his office?”
“I may have been slightly uneasy,” he admitted.
“Have you ever seen your boss lose it completely?”
He shook his head and shuddered. “No, thankfully and I never want to.”
“Dragons have to be the weirdest shifters,” I figured as the elevator came to a stop.
Ruen politely allowed me to exit first. “In what way?” he queried.
“All shapeshifters share traits with their animals when they’re in their human forms, but dragons seem to be the worst of the lot. They can’t stand to let go of any of their hoard, even if it’s just a few coins.”
“It’s in their nature to gather as much wealth as possible,” the vampire said as we climbed into his car.
“Why is it so hard for them to spend it?” I asked in bewilderment. “He has more wealth than he can spend in his lengthy lifetime. He only handed over four gold coins and he couldn’t stand to watch me leave with them.”
“Those coins are worth several hundred dollars each,” he reminded me.
“Yeah, I know,” I said smugly. “Pierre will be pleased with my haul when I trade them.”