“Keeping score? Is that wise?” I hiss, standing up and leaning over his desk, mostly to get in his face but also to flash him my tits. I will get this man to look at me for more than a second if it kills me. It probably will, actually, if CK knew what I was doing.
He stands and pulls himself up to his full six feet four inches, causing me in my bare feet to tilt my head right back to continue glaring at him. Most undignified.
“Fine,” I concede, knowing which battles to pick. Not that I fear him, but he does know things I don’t want him blabbing to his boss about. I sit and return my feet to his desk.
He sits as well and says, “Go ahead,” as if nothing just happened.
“I need you to find a man for me. He was in the hotel with us in Milan last week and I bumped into him again at JFK. He said he lives in New York. Said to call him Cade. I owe him a debt,” I add as unnecessary information.
Nico has gone still, looking worried. “What else? What does he look like?”
“Tall, six feet two inches, I’d say. Human, early forties, I guess. Dark brown hair and gray eyes. Impeccably dressed, definitely money, wears a Rolex on his right wrist, he’s left-handed and he has a ring on his middle finger. It has some weird crest on it. An eagle with a sword. His manner is very off-putting. Rude, but in a polite way. It’s infuriating.”
Nico is now staring at me. Oops, was that too much information? I smile and shrug. “Photographic memory,” I tap my head. “You asked.”
“Indeed,” he murmurs.
“Do you know him?” I ask, suspicious of his change in manner.
“I will look into it,” he says shortly. I know I couldn’t get more out of him if I tried.
CK walks in then looking like he is about to blow a gasket at my indecent dress coupled with my sexy, casual pose.
“I trust you are finished in here.” It’s not a question.
“Yes, sir,” Nico replies.
I slowly remove my feet from his desk and stand. I take CK’s hand by way of placating him for the dress, although technically that wasn’t my fault – exactly.
“Good. Liv. I don’t have much time left with you. Get back upstairs,” he orders me using ‘Liv’ to show his indifference to me.
My eyes blaze into his but I can’t win with him, so I stalk out of the room. He doesn’t follow, but turns to the door and closes it, shutting me out.
I use my Vampire eavesdropping abilities, but I can hardly hear anything. Must be that expensive magick again. I turn to go back upstairs, but then decide to try out my own pretty kick ass magick. Standing just outside of CK’s sensing range, I close my eyes again to concentrate. I focus on my hearing senses and then try to push out just a bit more. It’s working, I think excitedly, I can hear them… just barely.
“…Cade,” I hear Nico say.
“What?” CK snaps. “When, where?”
“She said he was at the hotel in Milan. Then she ran into him again at JFK. Said she owed him a debt,” he says warily.
“What kind of debt?”
Oh, me and my big mouth, it’s just a coffee for fuck's sake.
“Didn’t say. The way she ran it down, I’m sure it’s him.”
“Yes, I’m sure she managed to give it to you in great detail,” CK says wryly.
Hey, I think, affronted. Don’t blame me for my eye for detail and incredible memory.
“Find him and make sure he doesn’t come anywhere near her, or any of us for that matter,” CK orders.
“On it, boss,” replies Nico.
I hightail it with extra Vampire in my speed back upstairs.
CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE