Page 10 of Tin God

Brigid nodded. “Yeah. Thatisthat it looks like.”

“But?”

She looked at Lee’s face on the screen. “Zasha made a lot of money in Vegas when they were there. They don’t need money right now.” And she didn’t think Zasha was truly motivated by money in the first place. “So why piss off your vampire brother in his backyard to make money you don’t really need?” She started reassembling her 9mm. “I’ll figure it out. Just need time and more information.”

“She’s going to come.”

“Hmm?” Brigid had been thinking about Las Vegas and lost track of Lee. “Who?”

“Tenzin. She’s going to come. She always does when things get bad.”

She pushed the slide lever back into position. “How’d you like that to be your reputation, Lee? The one who shows up when things go to shit.”

He shrugged. “I guess as long as I could help make things better, I’d be okay with it.”

“Yeah. Fair point.” She tested the function of her gun, then carefully checked the magazine, reinserted it, and clicked the safety into place.

Of course, Lee’s point was only good as long as you ignored the very real likelihood that was starting to stare Brigid in the face the longer she looked at this problem.

Tenzin wasn’t the solution to this tangled mess that had ensnared Brigid’s life. She was probably the one who’d started it.

ChapterTwo

The corporate office of Katya Grigorieva was located in an old brick building in Seattle’s Pioneer Square. It was connected to various other buildings and residences via underground tunnels that the water vampire maintained with the help of earth vampires in her employ.

Carwyn walked through the tunnels, his amnis spreading out into the walls, the old mud, the broken logs and living things beyond the visible.

He was a creature of the earth, as connected to the ground beneath his feet as a tree or a grub. His head nearly brushed the top of the tunnel in places, and he had to duck as he walked through the narrow corridor.

The skylights that would illuminate the tunnels during the day—thick glass set into the modern sidewalks of the city—were dark at night, and rain dripped through the seams, dropping to the muddy floor where he walked.

The darkness matched his mood.

Carwyn reached the door that was the underground entrance to Katya’s building and lifted his head to face the vampire security guard, a broadly built man with light brown skin, close-cropped hair, and an angular jaw.

“Father.” The man nodded.

“Not a priest anymore, my boy.” He’d been one for a thousand years, so he didn’t judge the young vampire. He’d made his connections in the immortal world as a priest, and vampires weren’t exactly known for keeping up with current events.

“Mr. Bryn.” The vampire corrected himself. “Katya is expecting you.”

The young vampire’s energy sparked the image of green and growing things. Despite the man’s curt voice and stoic expression, Carwyn sensed a kindred spirit.

“What’s your name?”

The guard looked at him and frowned. “Jerome, sir.”

“You’re good,” Carwyn said. “Your amnis touched mine nearly as soon as I entered the tunnel.”

A slight flinch. “Thank you, sir.”

“I didn’t take it as a threat.” The corner of Carwyn’s mouth turned up. “It was a warning. Like a… polite knock.”

Jerome nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

“After all” —Carwyn stared— “we both know I could pull this entire building down on top of us if I wanted to.”

“Yes, sir.” Jerome didn’t flinch. “But doing that might ruin that kick-ass Soundgarden T-shirt you’ve got going on.”

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