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Molly ith the vamps That meant I needed to call Leo Either he knehat had happened here, or he sanctioned what had happened, or he could find out about it Unless soainst him It had happened before

I left the room, and stood outside the door as I punched in Leo’s nu to decide what I wanted to say The call went to voice mail, and I spoke softly into the cell, my words as formal as I kne to make them "Leo, Primo My friend Molly came to New Orleans Three unknown Mithrans took her froo She went unwillingly She hasn’t been back Please contact , you know about her situation" I ended the call

Feeling a chill that had nothing to do with the hotel’s air-conditioning system, I forced myself back to work and studied the security cameras on the way out There was one stationary camera pointed at the elevators and fire stairs, which I avoided by keepingnear the wall Provided there were no problee of the vamps who came to take Molly, and the four of them as they left

If I had known all this stuff when I went to see Leo earlier, I otten so the Kid to co into the security syste to hell Yeah

• • •

Standing in front of the hotel, I texted a note to the Kid Can u safely access hotel security cameras on 3 flr frot a text back while I aiting on the return of Bitsa

Can do Erase text

"Yeah," I said softly tothe texts "So your brother doesn’t flayyour parole in jeopardy Which, to hi up the planet Alderaan with the Death Star And I’ve been living with the Kid too long if I know that geeky bit of trivia"

"Sweet bike," the valet said, pushing Bitsa back to me "One of a kind?" he asked, his smile wide in a dark-skinned face Approachable Nice Helpful maybe

I patted the leather seat affectionately and used his intro "Yeah You know bikes?"

"I ride with a group, all black guys and sometimes a couple a’ chicks We volunteer with the community and the local po-po Dress up like Santas on wheels for Christifts to fa, the 2013 Street Bob, but I alanted an older ulped A Street Bob started at thirteen thousand bucks Being a valet ht All those cash tips, maybe But I didn’t say any of that "A Harley Zen ether from parts of two old bikes I found"

"You ever want to sell her, you let me know" He handed onna happen," I said "Bitsa’s like fa it was now or never, "were you on night before last when three vaht left his eyes, to be replaced with a cagey uncertainty "Yeah, I was I didn’t have the keys, but I saw them leave"

I handed hiht and acting nor on her oo feet Looked pissed Said ‘Thank you’ when the fanghead opened the door for her, but it sounded like she coulda been saying for hiet friendly with hilanced to the side where ato whatever he could hear over the distance "She was sounding all like, you know, like she was lying and not really thanking hiet the plate nuive you two ht back And if my boss walks over, this is between us and off the record"

I stepped to the side so his body was between us, pulled riding gloves out of loves on top of the saddlebags and you’re looking for theloves as if he did sleight of hand at kids’ parties, and disappeared I straddled Bitsa and unzippedwith piles of gray clouds and gusty, hu to sweat under all the leather Beast wanted to find a hot rock and lie in the sun for hours, and I felt my face try to relax as she sent me aBut underneath her lazy i, as worried as I was about Molly