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"Loren is at the gate, my lord," Duncan murmured
Raphael smiled slowly, viciously "Excellent"
Chapter Thirty-Five
"Well, that was intense," Colin commented as he held the door open so Sophie could cliarage Sophie had suggested they take the Lexus she’d been driving earlier, but there was no way Colin was going out on an op--even a civilian one--driving a da Since his Tahoe was prettyto Sophia, stank of blood, he’d commandeered one of Wei Chen’s fleet of SUVs
He closed Sophie’s door, hurried around the hood and settled hi the truck with a quick twist of the key He pulled out of the garage and started down the curve of the driveway, slowing as the gate opened and a gray BMW pulled through with Loren at the wheel Colin caught a glimpse of the vampire’s shaken expression as he drove by There was a wo next to him and she didn’t look happy, either Colin shook his head He didn’t envy Loren Not one little bit
It was a short drive to the Pettijohn’s place Their house was on the near side of town, down a narrow slice of dirt that barely qualified as a road Like a lot of the other hoentle disrepair The wood could have used a good oiling and the eaves were clogged with pine needles, but the roof was sturdy and there was a brand new alue off to one side The double doors were open and Colin could see Ellen’s Honda sitting inside, but there was no sign of Leon’s truck
"Let’s make this quick Looks like Leon’s left already and I’d like to get to him before Raphael does"
Sophie snorted delicately "Only if you want hi" She opened the truck door and slid to the ground, closing the door quietly behind her "Maybe we should go directly to the bar and this Leon fellow You said the wo"
"Yeah, but Leon probably tells her stuff As long as we’re here, it’s worth a five minute conversation"
Sophie shrugged "It’s your call I don’t know these people" She glanced around the yard and then at Colin, as if to say, and I’d really rather not know the the steps to the front porch in two long strides Before he could ring the doorbell, the door whipped open and Ellen stood there, rifle in hand and pointed right at his face
Chapter Thirty-Six
Raphael felt Loren’s fear long before the va with the human woman at his side He looked awful, his face pale and his eyes wide as he scanned the vah, took one look at Raphael and dropped to his knees
"Forgive azed down on hiht this one orthy of responsibility?
"In the other roorabbed Loren by the elbows, hauling him to his feet The wo off her cries with a thought At his signal, another of Raphael’s guards escorted the now placid female after Loren
"Duncan, you’re with ," he told hio directly to the bar and move out froement I want to be absolutely certain we catch every one of these animals in our net Information first--" He lowered head and let a fraction of his power floard, swirling around him "--and then we hunt," he finished
His varin, then spun around and strode through the double doors and into the nearly ehts were low, the night nothing but a black space beyond the s Loren was on his knees, hunched over, arms wrapped around himself h she didn’t seem aware of anyone, much less her vampire lover
Raphael walked over to Loren and stared down at hiiven Loren life He owned him body and soul It was iht to try
"How long have you been fucking her, Loren?" Raphael asked flatly
He sed dryly before speaking "Almost a month, my lord"
"Who is she?"
"Deb Jenkins But I’ve told her nothing, my lord I swear--"
"Silence"
Loren’s mouth closed and he dropped his head to his chest, his shoulders bowed and shaking with fear Raphael hadn’t yet decided what to do with him Despite Loren’s protests to the contrary, Raphael knew the va secrets to the wo if he was si in bed with her But if he’d intentionally dropped secrets to persuade her of his i else The next several minutes of Loren’s life would depend on what he’d told the womanand what she’d done with it
"Deb" As Raphael said the wo her cooperation If necessary, he’d rip the truth frohts, he kneouldn’t be necessary She ide open to hiaze with a s have you known Loren?"