By a Thread (Elemental Assassin 6)

The next hour dragged by. Eventually, after a series of speeches by Dekes, the mayor, and all the other muckety-mucks talking about how wonderful the new casino would be, the press conference wound down. Dekes stepped away from the podium, with Vanessa still by his side. He took questions from the various reporters and did a few TV interviews before shaking hands with all the businesspeople in attendance.

I kept an eye on the couple and drifted in and out of groups of people for about half an hour, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Finally, Dekes's latest round of fawning well-wishers left, and I sidled up to him before anyone else could get their hooks into him.

"Mr. Dekes," I said, giving him a dazzling smile and holding out my hand. "Carmen Cole. Congratulations on your new casino development. "

"Why, thank you," Dekes said. "I'm most honored by your presence. "

His voice was low and smoky, with a throaty, seductive rasp, and it matched his sleek, dark good looks perfectly. The vamp took my hand in his and lifted it to his lips for a chaste kiss. His thumb stroked the inside of my wrist, right where my pulse was, even though his wife was standing beside him. I'd thought that Dekes's green gaze might trail down to my breasts, but he kept his eyes on mine. Still, despite his polite smile, I could see the sharp, sudden hunger in his face.

Perhaps this would be easier than I'd thought. I'd be happy to offer Dekes the chance for a quick, clandestine fuck if it meant that I could get him alone. The bastard would still be trying to get his dick out of his pants while I had one of my knives pressed against his throat.

"Tell me," Dekes said. "What do you like best about my new casino?"

"Well, there are many things to admire about the construction, but my favorite is the way it will so elegantly blend in with the existing Blue Sands hotel. It looks like you're going to make good use of the surrounding landscape. And of course, the overall structure of the casino itself. It's going to have beautiful architectural lines. "

Landscaping and architecture weren't exactly my areas of expertise, but I'd taken enough classes in enough subjects at Ashland Community College that I could bullshit about almost anything and make it sound somewhat plausible and intelligent.

My answer must have pleased Dekes because his smile widened, showing me a hint of the fangs in his mouth. I decided to press my advantage. The sooner I got Dekes alone, the sooner I could tell the vampire what was what - and figure out if I needed to put him down for good.

"Actually, I was wondering if I might have a few moments of your time," I said. "So I can conduct a private interview one-on-one and let my readers discover the real man behind the curtain, so to speak. "

Vanessa stiffened at my words, but Dekes didn't notice. Or if he did, he just didn't care.

"Of course," the vampire murmured. "There are a few folks that I need to say hello to first, but I'd be happy to give you a private interview. Why don't you meet me by the door in, say, fifteen minutes? We can go inside and get out of the heat for a while. "

I smiled. "It's a date. "

Dekes returned my smile with an even wider one of his own. "Indeed. Now, please excuse me. In the meantime, I'm sure that my lovely wife will be more than happy to talk to you about the interior of the casino, since she's the decorator for the project. Vanessa, please keep this lovely lady entertained for a few minutes while I see to our other guests. "

Vanessa pinched her lips together into something that was supposed to resemble a smile. "Of course. It will be my pleasure. It always is. "

Dekes pressed a kiss to his wife's cheek before moving off into the crowd. The two of us stood there and watched him move from group to group, shaking one hand after another.

"He's certainly charming," I murmured. "Much more charming than I expected him to be. "

Vanessa stared at me, her black eyes cold in her face. "Do yourself a favor. Stay away from my husband. "

"Or what?" I asked, immediately rising to the rancor in her voice. "You'll get your giant guards to throw me out? I doubt that your husband will let that happen, since he's so eager to . . . talk to me. "

Anger and disgust tightened her beautiful features. "You have no clue what you're getting yourself into if you go off with my husband for a private chat. Don't say that I didn't warn you. "

She turned on her stiletto and stalked off. I watched her weave in and out of the crowd, barely stopping to acknowledge the people who tried to talk to her. Her reaction wasn't unexpected. I'd played the part of the saucy seductress more than once to get close to a target, and more than once, I'd been confronted by angry wives and girlfriends who wanted me to stay away from their men. Or else.

Still, I'd seen something lurking in the depths of Vanessa's gaze, burning there along with the faintest flicker of her Fire magic - fear. Not for herself, her relationship to Dekes, or whatever threat that I might pose to her.

No, unless I was mistaken, Vanessa's fear had been for me - and I had no idea why.

Chapter 14

I shook off my concerns about Vanessa and wandered back over to the model of the casino. A few minutes later, Owen sidled up beside me. He stood with his back to the model, staring out into the crowd. I leaned over, pretending to peer at some detail in the miniature landscape and scribbling nonsense notes on the pad that I'd pulled out of my bag.

"I take it that you set up your meeting with Dekes?" Owen asked, raising his champagne glass to his lips to mask the fact that he was talking to me.

"I'm meeting him in a few minutes," I murmured. "After that, I imagine that he'll take me to his office or somewhere else private so that we can have a little chat. "

"Be careful," Owen whispered. "I didn't like the way he was looking at you. "

"What is it with you and the looks this weekend?" I teased, trying to make a joke.