Page 81 of Tin God

In a world of ancient predators and skilled assassins, having that neutral territory could mean the difference between a peaceful resolution to conflict and outright war. Only a fool or a lunatic would cross Gavin Wallace.

Zasha had crossed him.

“I’ll head to your address as soon as we get off the phone.”

“Chloe has already sent the address to Tenzin,” he said. “She might be there by the time you arrive. Are you hiring cars?”

“Taxis,” Brigid said. “Reliable when I can find them.”

“As long as they’re not electric,” Gavin muttered. “Come to think of it, that could be an opportunity.”

“Can we talk about your next business another time? Tell me what’s happenin’ in New York.”

“Cleanup,” Gavin said. “Chloe is dealing with the insurance. Ben left his uncle on the paperwork for the house, so Giovanni’s flying out to deal with it. I told him not to say anything to Ben until Tenzin does. He agreed it was a good idea.”

“He loved that place.”

Gavin pursed his lips. “Sometimes a house is more than just a house.”

“Tenzin is furious.”

“She should be. Any leads on Zasha?”

“Henri Paulson,” she asked. “Do you know the name?”

Gavin narrowed his eyes. “I do. He’s working with Zasha?”

“We’re not sure,” Brigid said. “Carwyn’s convinced there’s a connection. He told you to dig. He’s maybe under Katya’s aegis, maybe not. But she can’t find a connection with Zasha. He may just be another victim.”

“If there’s a connection, I’ll find it.” Gavin lifted his chin. “I know Paulson a little.” He frowned. “He approached me a few years ago—this was some time after the Ankers took Chloe. He had heard I was looking for investors.”

“For the computer things?”

Gavin covered his face. “Thank God you have Lee working for you. Yes, the ‘computer things.’ That’s how Paulson’s made most of his money in the past hundred years. Telegraph. Radio. Then computers. He’s brilliant and ferociously private, but he saw an opportunity. He wanted to invest, but I didn’t need the money and I didn’t want the tie.”

“Why not?” It sounded like Gavin had opinions on this vampire.

“Paulson has always been a bit of a fringe thinker. I’m not surprised he ended up in Alaska.”

“Describe fringe when it comes to vampires.” Brigid tapped her fingers on the table. “It’s not as if we’re a mainstream crowd.”

“Yes, but most of us don’t believe in the destruction of modern human civilization and a return of vampire empires.” Gavin raised an eyebrow. “That’s Paulson.”

It took a lot to surprise her these days, but that was a surprise. “What the feck?”

“Paulson isn’t old, but he is old-school. He’s one of those vampires who gets very nostalgic for the era when humans were peasants scraping for survival under kings, warlords, and emperors.”

“Because it was easier to hunt them?” Dear God, and she thought Zasha was a problem.

“I suspect Henri Paulson hunts as much as he wants, but he’s quiet about it. Doesn’t make waves, so to speak. But he doesn’t care about humans, he cares about wealth, and it was far easier for his kind to accumulate wealth when you only had to curry favor with a few powerful men—and it was almost always men. He hates women. He considers humans like cattle. And he’s a snob. He sires no children because he doesn’t want to share his wealth, and I doubt he’d ever find a human up to his standards.”

“What a charmer.” She stared up at the dense, cloud-covered night sky. “He and Zasha sound like a match made in heaven.”

“I don’t know. Zasha isn’t Paulson’s usual style—he’s usually very quiet—but if Zasha had something on him?” Gavin shrugged. “Maybe.”

“What could Zasha have on Paulson?”

“I have no idea, it was just a thought,” Gavin said. “He might have made some concessions, exchanged favors if it was convenient or profitable. Paulson doesn’t have a conscience that would get in the way.”

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