Page 87 of Filthy Rich Vampires: For Eternity

She moved to wipe the counter with a rag, mopping up blood spatter. “If you’d been around, you would know. Things are different."

That I did know. “Different how?”

“First you wreck my bar and now you’re interrogating me?”

“Let’s not pick a fight with a friend,” Lysander muttered.

My eyes met Maggie’s, and I saw the same question I was asking myself reflected there. Were we still friends?

“We didn’t come for trouble,” I lied. It wasn’t my finest moment, but admitting to her that we’d shown up with violent aspirations seemed a tad suicidal. “At least, not on purpose.”

“Sure.” She rolled her eyes. “What did you come looking for?”

“I need information.” If Maggie had been running this bar for all these years, she would have the inside scoop on everything happening in Venice and who was behind it. “I need to know what happened to Ginerva.”

“Didn’t she die?” Maggie asked.

“Not of natural causes,” I said dryly. “But no one seems interested in telling me what happened.”

“Why would I know?” she hedged, but her eyes flickered away from me.

“I’m guessing people spoke of her death.”

“I heard it was a surprise to the Council,” she said slyly. “They didn’t know that the Rio Oscuro was in jeopardy.”

I leaned closer. She definitely knew something. “What else have you heard?”

“I heard” — she lowered her voice like we weren’t alone — “that you’re paying for all the damage you did to my bar.”

Next to me, Lysander chuckled. “Some things don’t change.”

“No, they don’t.” She straightened up.

“Like the cost of information?” I asked, taking out my wallet and throwing bills down on the bar.

“Oh no, that has changed. The price has gone up.” She grinned at me. “Blame it on inflation.”

I emptied my wallet and waited.

Maggie plucked up the bills, counting under her breath. When she was satisfied, she shoved them into her bra. “You want to know what happened to Ginerva?”

I nodded, hoping she wasn’t just fucking with me.

“Ask her sisters.”

“The Queens?” Lysander blurted out, and I felt my blood run cold.

“But they wouldn’t jeopardize the source without knowing there was someone who could replace her,” I said.

Maggie smiled and tapped her nose like I’d hit on something crucial. “Now you’ve got it.”

“You’re saying she was killed to clear her throne,” I repeated, my ears buzzing. “But she was killed decades ago before Thea ever came here—before she was even born. They couldn’t have known.”

But could they? I thought of Mariana’s vision the night Thea took the throne. She’d clearly seen her then. But Mariana had been the one to demand my mother return. The Queens had dangled that throne over my mother’s nose. Why? They had demanded my mother ascend the throne before they ever met Thea. It didn’t make sense.

“One more thing.” Maggie slid the bottle of vodka toward me, and I braced myself. “I’d stop asking yourself who your enemies are and start asking yourself who they aren’t.”

“And what are you?” I asked gruffly.

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