Page 18 of Volatile Vice

“Then I’ll get twenty-four-seven security on her.”

He laughs at that one. And it’s a serpentine laugh, as if it’s coming from the throat of a rattler. “You think there’s anyone you can get who I can’t pay off?”

I draw a breath and let it out slowly, forcing the anger curling at the back of my neck to dissipate to the point where I can at least speak calmly.

“She’s been through hell. She wants to start a nonprofit foundation for blood cancer research. Let her have that. Let her have her life.”

A small grin cracks across his face. “That, dear grandson,” he says, “depends on you.”

5

RAVEN

Istill haven’t heard from Vinnie.

I brush my upper arms against the chill as Falcon and Leif scrutinize every part of my home.

I don’t have a phone line. Leif starts with the obvious spots, sweeping a device over the bookshelves and behind picture frames. The device emits a soft beep, and Leif pauses, removing a framed photograph to reveal a small, inconspicuous camera nestled behind it. He deftly disables it, nodding to Falcon.

Falcon moves to the kitchen, carefully inspecting the ceiling light fixtures and appliances. He finds a tiny microphone hidden inside a wall clock and signals Leif. Together, they disable it and continue their search.

In the bedrooms, they lift mattresses, check inside air vents, and even dismantle lamps to ensure no device goes undetected. I heave a sigh of relief when they leave my bedroom, finding nothing.

The thought of them having video footage of…

I can’t go there.

Falcon finds another camera in the hallway cleverly disguised as a smoke detector, and Leif deactivates it.

Their search extends to the bathrooms, where they inspect behind mirrors and inside exhaust fans. Nothing there either, thank God. In the study, Leif examines the computer for any tampering, while Falcon checks behind the curtains and inside a decorative vase.

I follow them through my home, feeling more violated with each device they uncover.

Finally, they move to the outdoor areas, inspecting the porch lights and garden ornaments. They discover a hidden camera inside a garden gnome, which Falcon promptly destroys.

Nothing in the pool house, and nothing in the little alcove where the gazebo is. I guess Vinnie and I could’ve stayed there last night.

Nothing also around the fire pit, nor around the furniture where we ended up sitting.

I swallow hard. “I can’t thank you enough,” I say to Leif.

“You know I would do anything for your family,” he says. “I will tell you that this is not hard-core monitoring.”

“When did it happen? How could they get in here without anyone’s knowledge?”

“These kind of guys are known for their discretion. They could have come in while you were sleeping and gotten these in place. But my best guess is that they set this up while you were still in the hospital,” Leif says.

“But I had my security system armed.”

Leif frowns sympathetically. “Unfortunately, your basic security system is nothing to experts. I’ll get you set up with something better.”

“Right away,” Falcon says.

Leif nods. “We’re going to need to check out your parents’ place too.” He turns to Falcon. “Your place is clean for now.”

Falcon crosses his arms. “Can you guarantee it stays that way?”

“We’ll set you up with the best system. Same as I’m going to do here for Raven. We’d best do it for Hawk and Eagle too, based on…you know.”

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