Page 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

“I still can’t believe this.” Cortes chortled as he settled at the kitchen island. “Of all the bars in New York, you two had to pick the same one.”

“Are you done?” Vlad asked stonily as he plated their lunch.

“For now.” The Colombian’s gaze sparkled with unholy glee.

“The tiger wants to know if there will be a repeat of last night’s passionate performance?” Popo asked cheerfully where he was eating a bowl of dried fruits and nuts next to Tarang.

Tarang grinned around the steak in his mouth.

“One more word and we’re having parrot for dinner,” Vlad growled, slamming the cutlery drawer closed.

“I can help with that,” Delphine said.

“My Enrique!” Popo protested.

“Maybe you should stop commenting on their sex life,” Cortes told the familiar drily.

Delphine took the fork Vlad handed her. Their fingers brushed briefly. Heat sparked along her skin at the contact. She did her best to ignore the awareness knotting her belly.

The way Vlad’s pupils dilated a little and his mouth tightened told her he’d felt the same thing and was just as determined to steer clear of it.

At least we’re on the same page.

“How about we talk about something else?” Cortes’s shrewd gaze swung between them. “Like what you discovered at Yuliy’s?”

“For one thing, Delphine was given this assignment by Gideon Morgan,” Vlad said curtly.

Cortes did a double take. “Gideon Morgan? As in the super soldier mercenary Serena works for?”

“The very one.”

Delphine held Cortes’s wary stare as she dug into her salad. “Don’t tell me you have something against super soldiers too.”

“I don’t.” Cortes glanced at Vlad.

“I don’t have anything against super soldiers,” Vlad grunted defensively as he straddled a stool.

“Your face said otherwise when we were at your uncle’s,” Delphine countered mildly.

Irritation darkened Vlad’s eyes. “I was just surprised.”

Cortes watched their exchange with poorly concealed interest.

“What?” Vlad snapped at the Colombian.

Cortes grinned. “You guys get along pretty well.”

Delphine narrowed her eyes fractionally. Vlad’s frown deepened.

Cortes ignored their death stares and carried on eating.

“So, any insight as to who was behind the attack and why?”

“Delphine thinks whoever came after me wanted people to see me and the Black Devils weakened,” Vlad said bitterly. “And by people, she meant the rest of the criminal underworld.”

Cortes sobered. “To be fair, that thought did cross my mind. The timing can’t be a coincidence.” His brow furrowed. “Someone may be trying to destabilize the current power balance in New York.”

“I agree,” Delphine said levelly. “Our mercenary corps have seen similar patterns in countries where there have been a coup d’état .”

Vlad hesitated. “That scenario does makes sense.”

They ate in silence, each lost to their own thoughts.

Cortes wiped his mouth and put down his napkin at the end of the meal. “Speaking of power balance, I’ve heard some strange rumors about Wei Chen’s Kingston contacts.”

Vlad frowned as he got up and cleared their plates. “What kind of rumors?”

“The kind that make seasoned criminals nervous.” Cortes drummed his fingers on the counter. “They’re involved in some pretty nasty stuff.”

Delphine was pondering how much nastier the criminal underworld could get when the Colombian’s phone rang.

Cortes stiffened when he checked the screen. “It’s one of the guys watching Mrs. Son-Ha’s place.” He took the call. Whatever he heard made his expression brighten. “How long ago?” He listened for another moment. “Keep an eye on the house and make sure she doesn’t leave. Block the street if you have to.”

Unease prickled Delphine’s scalp.

Vlad had reluctantly admitted exactly what line of inquiry he and Cortes were pursuing to her and Yuliy that morning. The fact that it involved a Shaman who could see spirits had done little to reassure her. Even though she knew there were things in this world that could not be explained by logic or science, the super soldier inside her drew a line at ghosts.

“Mrs. Son-Ha is back?” Vlad asked when Cortes ended the call, hope underscoring his voice.

“She just got home. Looks like she’s been away. My guy said she had a case.”

“Finally.” Vlad turned to exit the kitchen. “Let’s go.”

“Hold up,” Delphine said. Her tone stopped the incubus mid-stride. “We need a plan of action first.”

“The plan of action is to go see Mrs. Son-Ha,” Vlad said impatiently.

“I get that you want to talk to this woman, but everything you do from now on needs to be carefully thought out. You’re currently without your powers and someone strong enough to suppress them is still out there.”

Vlad bristled. “I can handle myself.”

Delphine arched an eyebrow. “Like you handled yourself at the Oro Divino ?”

Cortes winced. “Ouch. She kinda has a point.”

“Tarang and Cortes will be with us,” Vlad said flintily.

Cortes lifted his hands. “Hey, don’t bring me into your lovers’ spat.”

Delphine’s eyes shrank to slits. “This is not a lovers’ spat.”

“Yeah,” Vlad snapped. “Whose side are you on, anyway?”

“The one that entertains me the most,” Cortes said bluntly. This earned him a pair of heavy frowns. He sighed. “How about you listen to your super soldier bodyguard?”

A muscle worked in Vlad’s cheek. He finally relented.

“What do you suggest?”

She took out her phone, mapped out the two most defensible approaches to Mrs. Son-Ha’s address as well as three viable exit routes, and showed them her plan.

“Can you have your men cover the property while we’re inside?” she asked Vlad and Cortes.

“We don’t need to,” Vlad said. “There’s a divine barrier protecting the place. If anyone with magic or demonic powers tries to attack, it will repel them.”

Delphine gave them a skeptical look. “A divine barrier?”

Cortes grimaced. “You’ll see what we mean when we get there.”

“We should be able to take care of anyone else who turns up,” Vlad said, heading into the foyer. “I can fight.”

Delphine frowned. “We should have your guards follow us anyway.”

Vlad grudgingly agreed.

She made the call and coordinated their backup on the ride in the elevator. Tarang padded silently beside them when they stepped out into the underground garage.

Vlad pressed his remote key. The Bentley’s lights flashed.

“We should take my wheels.” Delphine indicated the Range Rover parked beside his convertible.

“Why?” Vlad said.

Delphine counted to three in her head. “Because Gideon modified it to be literally tank proof.”

Vlad stared. “Did you just grind your teeth?”

Cortes made a strangled sound.

“And why do we need a tank-proof vehicle?” Vlad added suspiciously.

Delphine ignored the silently laughing Colombian and did her best not to scowl at the incubus.

“I did not grind my teeth. As for your second question, it’s because there are people out there who want your blood and wouldn’t give a rat’s ass about ramming your precious Bentley into a river.”

Vlad pursed his lips. “You just did it again. You ground your teeth.”

Delphine’s fingers twitched. “Maybe it’s because my client is turning out to be a royal asshole and I’m seriously considering putting a bullet through his leg,” she snapped.

Vlad blinked. Tarang huffed worriedly.

Cortes turned away slightly, shoulders quivering. Popo’s gaze swung avidly between Vlad and Delphine.

“Technically, Yuliy is your client,” Vlad murmured.

“Dude,” Cortes choked out.

Delphine counted to five this time.

“Are we doing this or are we going to stand here having a debate?” she said glacially.

Vlad watched her for a moment before sighing. “Alright, we’ll take the Range Rover.”

“Cortes will ride shotgun,” Delphine said briskly. “You’re in the back.”

“It’s broad daylight,” the incubus protested. “It’s not like we’re storming a fortress.”

“No.” Delphine opened the back door and indicated the interior. “We’re protecting a vulnerable asset.”

The way Vlad’s eyes darkened told her she’d hurt his pride.

“Fine!” He stormed over to the vehicle, got inside, and slammed the door shut after Tarang climbed in.

Delphine lowered her brows.

“Any chance that magic made him regress to a petulant teenager?” she asked Cortes.

The Colombian laughed.

The ride to Glendale took place with a surprising lack of mishaps. Delphine stayed alert as she turned the Range Rover into a quiet cul-de-sac lined with bare trees, the Black Devils guards following at a distance. She parked behind an ancient Subaru at the end of the road and stared at the two-story clapboard house to the right.

It was a deceptively normal-looking home with a neat yard full of garden gnomes.

Delphine picked out Cortes’s men loitering inside two SUVs that stood out like sore thumbs where they were stationed amidst the weathered vehicles hedging the curbs.

“Your guys should hire a beat-up Chevy next time they do a stakeout,” she told Cortes as they stepped out of the Range Rover.

The Colombian grimaced. “That might hurt their pride.”

Vlad alighted from the vehicle with Tarang, his expression tense.

Tension oozed through Delphine when they crossed the front yard to a redbrick porch. Something had brushed against her senses. Something that made her skin prickle with an otherworldly awareness.

Cortes clocked her expression. “That’s the barrier we were telling you about. It feels kinda creepy at first.”

Delphine masked a grimace. Creepy didn’t even begin to describe it.

“We do this my way,” she said. “I’ll go in first and clear the place before you guys enter. At the first sign of trouble?—”

A chorus of excited barks and yips erupted from the property.

“Too late,” Cortes muttered.

The front door opened.

An elderly Korean woman in a neon purple tracksuit stood in the hallway, a scowl on her face.

“Are you kids going to stand out there all day? The spirits are getting impatient.”

The Chihuahua in her arms wriggled excitedly at the sight of Tarang and Popo.