“Godfrey is here.” Cain looked outside with a thoughtful air. “He’s daring to be in London when he knows I’m on his tail. I don’t like this.”
“He killed her knowing damn well that portal is open.”
“Believe me, Godfrey doesn’t care about the consequences of an open portal. He has no soul.”
“What about Daniel?”
“Clelia will find him. She’s got a talent for hunting gila shifters. What we need to do is bury Nicolas as quickly as possible so that we can find Godfrey.” He looked at Ivan. “Any news from Boris?”
“Nothing.”
“Then we better make use of the time we’ve got.”
“Have you found the body?”
“I’m waiting for a call from Tim as we speak.”
“How’s Alice coping with all of this?”
Cain studied him. “You don’t love her.”
Ivan chuckled. “If I were capable of love, it would’ve been her.”
“Stay away from her.”
“I’m not a boy, any longer,” Ivan said on a sneer. “You don’t get to throw me out.”
“You may have grown into a man, but you’re still the same person I saw that night.”
Ivan narrowed his eyes. “Still not good enough for you?” He held up his palms. “Everything I own, I earned with these two hands. I didn’t inherit my money like you.”
“You think it’s about the money? I don’t give a damn about the money.”
An old anger surged through Ivan. “A title? A name? What makes you so goddamn superior?”
“I never said I was superior. Alice deserves a good man. She’s a better person than you and me put together. You and I, we’re the rotten apples.”
“That’s why you left?” Ivan asked, his voice steadily rising. “You walked out on her when she needed you most, you sorry excuse for a father. You couldn’t even stick around and be a parent to her when she had no one else.”
“Like I said, the rotten apple will only spoil the barrel.”
“I’ve got news for you. Alice is mine. I’m not going anywhere. Not this time.”
“If you care for her, you’ll leave her in peace.”
“Like you did?”
Cain gave him a cold, hard stare. “Unlike you, I am still capable of love, and I know the difference between being selfish and making a sacrifice in the best interest of someone I care about more than myself.”
Lann pulled up at The Ritz. Kate waited at the entrance, surrounded by a small crowd of journalists and photographers. Not able to stand Cain’s presence for a second longer, Ivan jumped out when the car came to a standstill and banged the door shut. He stalked to the door without as much as a backward glance. Kate rushed up to him. Reporters pushed microphones and cameras into his face. Color exploded around him while voices gnawed at his insides. He gritted his teeth and made his way through the milling bodies.
“Did you kill her?” someone asked.
“What happened? Tell us your side of the story.”
“Did you have an affair with Melissa May?”
Kate took his arm and held up her hand as a flash went off in their faces. “No comment.”
Might as well give the vultures a show. He raised his arms. “I’m innocent.”
“Shut up,” Kate said through pursed lips, shoving him inside the building and all but dragging him to the elevator.
Only inside the confines of the elevator did his tight muscles relax marginally.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Kate said.
He shrugged. “It’s the truth. I am innocent.”
She pointed a finger at him. “Don’t play that game with me, mister. You know very well what I mean. How could you get yourself into this kind of trouble? I mean, murder? For God’s sake, Ivan!”
“Come on, Kate. You’re a tough cookie. You can handle it.” He tried to give her a playful hug, but she pulled away. “I’ll tell you what really happened.”
“I don’t want to know. I don’t care.”
“’Course you care.” He pinched her cheek. “Despite all your denial, you love me. Admit it.”
The elevator stopped on his floor. He made to step out, but Kate didn’t budge.
“Aren’t you coming?” he asked.
“No.” Her mouth set in a firm line. “I’ve got legal issues to iron out, thanks to you. I only wanted to make sure you lock your ass safely in your room. You have a rehearsal, tomorrow. I managed to move it. Seeing that your butt was in jail, Verlene was kindly accommodating.”
He got out and blocked the door. “Heard from Crim?”
“Ivan,” she sighed. “Why are you doing this?”
“You’re stressing too much. How many girls can make it?”
“Five.”
“Wonderful. When do they arrive?”
“Tonight.”
“Good job.” He winked and let go of the door. “You deserve a bonus.”
The doors closed on Kate’s downturned smile. Alone at last, he let a bit of his act slip. The voices were driving him crazy. If he didn’t find a solution to the portal problem soon, he was going to go out of his mind.
He made his first priority finding the ghost girl’s aunt. Next, he called a social worker and left an anonymous tip about the brother. If the social worker was worth her salt, the issue should be solved in a couple of days. He’d have to follow the case and make sure the brother was placed in good care. There was no point in solving a bad situation only to make it worse. Nobody knew better than him about bad situations going worse, being sent from one foster family to the next, only for the abuse to escalate in intensity and volume. He couldn’t wait for Crim and the rest of the groupies to get here. He didn’t have enough time to deal with all of this alone. There was no doubt in his mind Crim would be the perfect candidate to run his supernatural charity work. He recognized the kind of pain he’d seen in her eyes. It was the kind of hurt people understood when they’d grown up in a house where food and comfort were commodities to be bargained or traded for.