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“Were you born in the 1800s?”

Battersby s to a decanter in the corner and pouring two glasses of blood He offered one to Venom, the other to Holly

When she demurred, he asked her if she’d like to try a “raspberry liqueur with bite” that he’d recently acquired froeonhole this ory of “unscrupulous asshole,” Holly nodded, and he poured the liquid into a beautifully cut liqueur glass with a short, faceted stem

“You must tell me how you like it,” he said after she accepted the drink “I have a terrible addiction to all things fine and I couldn’t resist when I saw this bottle on the marketBut that’s not why you’re here Please sit”

Venoave him a view of Walter in his leather armchair, while he’d catch any movement from the direction of the door with his peripheral vision By contrast, Holly chose a chair that put her back to the wall but also placed her directly across from Battersby She trusted Venoh the door, but this intelligent and cultured ether

“Fivethe clear hazel of Walter Battersby’s gaze “I’ll get an inflated opinion of myself if you’re not careful”

To the vampire’s credit, he didn’t atte about “The client’s choice, I’lass “I did try to advise said client to lower the bounty so as not to be inundated with false reports, but” An apologetic shrug “The client was insistent”

“Have you alerted this client that I’m currently in your apartment?” Holly asked, her eyes on him and only him There was no view behind him, the s blocked out by heavy blackout blinds An interesting choice in a city where views fetched a pre out and seeing the twenty-first century looking back at him

Everything in this roo on the floor, to the ornaments on the mantel, to the chair in which she sat, came fro desk to the left, and the melted wax on the candles as well as on the metal of the candelabra itself told her Battersby used it often

“No, no my dear” Walter Battersby shook his head “I would never dip lass aside on a small occasional table that was probably a valuable antique, he steepled his hands under his chin “My job is only to facilitate certain transactions I get paid handsomely for that I don’t need totheir target”

“How about the Tower?”

Veno stone-still for an instant It was the first time the urbane male had shown any indication of fear—and he recovered quickly

Spreading his hands, he said, “I wasn’t aware that Holly was special at the time I accepted the commission I knew she lived in the Tower, but word on the street was that she’d earned that room by dint of her ith the darker denizens of the city No one high-end, so to speak” Another look of sincere apology “No one the Toould miss”

Holly knew the Tower kept track of all its people No one was expendable “How et paid?” she asked as the unashamedly opulent scent of the liqueur rose to her nose “Howafter even a small fish in the Tower pond?”

“Two million”

That et her Seven fucking million Her head spun “How much is this apartment worth?”

Battersby s for es or one fades away into ennui and that’s a waste of near-immortality, is it not?”

He leaned forward “Now that I know of the Tower’s interest, I’ll be returning the pay out the clause in our contract that says they have to warn ers Hazard pay is extra, you see—and this hazard, I do not wish to chance There is a difference between acceptable risk and foolish stupidity”

Holly stared at him “There’s a contract?”