The Darkest Kiss (Riley Jenson Guardian 6)

"Tell me, do you know if he had any vampire lovers?"

Little frown lines briefly creased her otherwise smooth forehead. "Not that I knew of. But we'd only been lovers for a few weeks."

"What about clubs? Which of those did he frequent?"

"All of them. Particularly the underground ones."

I raised my eyebrows and glanced at Ben. "There are still underground wolf clubs?"

"For people who have similar sexual needs to Denny. Such things are generally not authorized at the legal clubs."

Meaning they weren't places I'd want to frequent - though I would, if it meant getting answers. I glanced back to Jilli. "When did you and Denny last have sex?"

"The night he died."

"So it was you I smelled on the sheets?" My gaze went to her neck as I said that, but she had a turtleneck sweater on.

"Yes, but he was perfectly fine when I left him." She sniffed. "He was sleeping, in fact."

Her tone seemed to imply he had no stamina, and I resisted the urge to smile. "And there's nothing else you can tell me? Nothing he said or did that seemed odd to you?"

"No." She hesitated. "He did complain about being followed."

I raised my eyebrows. "When?"

"The night he died. He said he'd spotted some lanky fellow trailing him a couple of times. He'd tried to point him out to me the night before, but I couldn't see him."

Lanky - Ivan's attacker had certainly been that. And given the scent that had been in both apartments, it was looking more likely that my sense of smell was spot-on, and it was the same attacker.

"So did you believe he was being followed?"

She hesitated. "Denny wasn't into playing games like that. If he said he was being followed, then yes, I believe him." She glanced at her watch. "Is that all?"

"Yes. Thanks."

She nodded and marched efficiently off.

"Denny never mentioned anything like that to me," Ben said heavily.

"I wonder if he mentioned it to the police?" Wondered if Jilli had. I should have asked, but I guess it would be in the report if she had. I took a sip of coffee, then said, "Did Ivan visit the underground clubs?"

"No. Ivan is as straightlaced as they come."

"So that's probably not the connection, then." I studied him for a moment, then said, "What about you?"

Amusement gleamed in his eyes. "I know where they are, simply because I sometimes need to direct clientele there. Nonpareil does not cater to such needs."

"Just good old-fashioned sex, huh?"

"Not just good, thank you very much. Our standards are beyond excellent."

I grinned. "Not to blow your own horn, of course."

"Of course," he agreed, with the sort of look that had the blood surging through my veins.

Man, what I wouldn't give to be able to...

My phone chose that moment to ring, which was probably a good thing. I really didn't need to be thinking about what I'd like to do with this wolf. I grabbed my purse from underneath the table and dragged out my cell. The number wasn't one I recognized, which was unusual because this was a Directorate phone, and few people had the direct number.