Page 58 of Mortal Heart

By the time Arkady parked under the porte cochère, his angelic power was no longer hidden in any way. No one waited for them or came out of the building, however. Even the valet stand was abandoned.

“Try a flex.” Arkady shut off the vehicle, pocketed the keys, and got out. “Maybe they’re out of range of passive energy.”

“They are not out of range.” He exited the car as well and stood facing the building’s large doors. The tinted glass prevented him from seeing into the lobby, but he sensed it was deserted. In the middle of the day, he would have expectedsomepeople in the lobby—residents and employees going about their daily business. “They know we’re here. The lobby’s empty.”

“Empty’s just as bad as full. Maybe worse.” She came around the car to stand beside him and gave him her hunter’s smile. The sword he’d given her for this confrontation rested in its scabbard on her back. The sight of the hilt on her shoulder somehow made her even more desirable to him. “You ever get the feeling you’re about to walk into a trap?” she joked.

He returned her grin with one of his own and adjusted his own sword and scabbard so the hilt rested comfortably against his upper back, ready for a quick draw. “All the time.”

“Has it ever stopped you from going in?”

“Not yet.”

“Me either.” She cracked her knuckles. “And today doesn’t feel like the day to break tradition.”

They crossed the tiled area under the porte cochère and entered the lobby. The photos they’d seen online did not do the six-story atrium justice, but at least they’d been able to see the layout before arriving. A large reception and security desk spanned the wall directly opposite the main entrance. To the left was a coffee shop and several boutiques. A bar and restaurant took up the area to the right of the desk. All were ominously dark and shuttered. And as Ronan had already surmised, the entire area was devoid of people—human, demon, or otherwise.

“Is it just me,” Arkady mused, “or is this all the demon version of a big flex?”

He mirrored her posture, weight on the balls of his feet and hands at his side, ready for an attack. “It is absolutely a flex.”

His belief that they were being watched was confirmed when all the TV monitors in the lobby suddenly flared to life. Each one showed the same smiling young woman with long dark hair, high cheekbones, and striking green eyes, sitting on a sofa in front of windows that overlooked the city to the south. “Hello, darlings,” she said, her voice coming from all directions via the monitors. “We meet again.”

Her hair color had changed, but Ronan knew her face and voice. Judging by Arkady’s muttered curse, she’d recognized the woman at the same moment he did.

“Bunny, you sneaky bitch.” Arkady put her hands on her hips. “Or should I call you Melody?”

“Call me whichever you prefer. Neither are my true name, which of course you’ve figured out, lovely Arkady.” Bunny’s smile widened. “And you’ve brought me the delectable Ronan. Rumors of your triumphs have reached me even in this provincial world. How disappointing to finally meet you in the flesh, only to find you’ve been stripped of your glory and power. It’s hardly worth my time to kill you.”

“I was going to say the same thing to you,” he said easily. “But maybe that’s not the way this has to go.”

In another none-too-subtle flex, all the monitors shut off except the screen behind the security desk. On it, Bunny raised an elegantly shaped eyebrow. “I don’t see this ending any other way than with you two in my stomach, but I’m willing to entertain other possibilities. Why don’t you come up so we can meet properly? The penthouse elevator is on your left. I’m sure you know my apartment number already.”

“Oh come on, Bun-Bun, we’re not getting on an elevator in this demon shithole,” Arkady snapped. “If you know who we are, you know we’re not new to this game.” She made a wry face and hooked her thumb at Ronan. “He’sseriouslynot new to it.”

Bunny rested her chin on her fist in an exaggerated thinking pose. “Oh dear, that means we’re at an impasse. I’m up here and you’re down there. We’ll never settle things this way.”

“We could just wait until the next time you want to slum at Bella’s,” Arkady pointed out. “Sooner or later you’ll have to come down to get your fix of being worshiped. I don’t mind biding my time. Anticipation makes everything better.”

“I’ve had my fill of Bella’s for now. And how many more lost little waifs will fall into my web while you wait?” Bunny chuckled. “For every one you think you save, ten more disappear. But yes, please do just wait for your chance to catch me by surprise.”

“Yeah, right.” Arkady snorted. “You are so full of shit. If your organization was that big, you’d never have gone undetected for so long. You’re all talk. What my CO in the army used to callbig hat, no cattle.”

Bunny’s eyes flared red. “You know nothing, little human. Nothing about meoryour pathetic lover.”

“Sticks and stones, Bun-Bun.” Arkady made a show of rolling her eyes. “You’re just jealous that I’m getting some and you’re stuck in your little apartment humping a cactus or whatever you demon bitches do to get off.”

Ronan could guess her motivations for antagonizing Bunny. Angry people—even angry demons—made mistakes. If they could bait her into revealing more about the trafficking ring, that would help them dismantle it. So far Arkady seemed to be doing an excellent job of pushing Bunny’s buttons. His Valkyrie’s hobby of being extraordinarily aggravating had its practical uses.

Bunny chuckled. “I may have to revise my opinion of you, Arkady. You’re actually rather entertaining. Under different circumstances, we might have gotten along quite well.” She tapped her chin. “Perhaps, as your companion suggested, this might go another way. We must meet and discuss our situation. Would you both care to join me in the lobby bar for a drink?”

She’d intended the suggestion to seem spontaneous, but to Ronan it was anything but. Then again, he figured the bar was no safer or more dangerous than anything else in this building. “The bar,” he agreed. “Shall we say five minutes?”

“Oh, do give me ten minutes to get ready.” Bunny smoothed her hair. “A lady likes to look her best, you know.”

“What’s that got to do with you?” Arkady asked.

Bunny clucked her tongue in disapproval. “How rude you are. I suppose it’s not surprising given what sorry excuses for parents you had. All those years of beatings and starvation. A shame they couldn’t have beaten some manners into you as well.”

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