Page 57 of Wicked Little Tricks

“What do we do now?” I asked.

“We go inside and you try to convince him that you have no way of finding your mother.”

I watched Sebastian’s expression, but it didn’t change. He obviously didn’t believe that himself, or else he wouldn’t still be with me. And Mistral believed it too. Just because he liked me a little better now than when we met, it didn’t mean he had no reason for tricking me into his bargains initially. They both thought I could find my mother, and so did Ivan.

“And if he can’t be convinced?”

Sebastian turned his head to meet my eyes, butdidn’t say anything.

It was probably for the best. Vampires could hear almost as well as werewolves.

When he finally spoke, it was to ask, “Are you ready?”

I nodded. Together, we walked inside.

The interior was the same as before, quaint tables with dripping candles to the left, and the gleaming carved bar to the right. At the late hour, the place was packed. Humans and other creatures draped themselves across the arms of vampires. I didn’t know why I had expected the place to be empty for our visit. For everyone else, tonight was like any other night. I spotted Elena behind the bar, polishing a glass with a clean rag. She met my eyes, inclining her chin.

She was rooting for me, I thought, but that didn’t mean she would be any help. And I couldn’t blame her. Only idiots got in the way of vampires.

I looked around for Lilith, but didn’t see her anywhere.

A pale skinny man in a black shirt and painfully tight black pants wove toward us through the crowd. His mousey brown hair was gelled into messy spikes, and stubble lined his jaw. I usually wasn’t one to judge appearance, but he looked like he’d been sleeping in a gutter for the past week. His skin was too waxy, and he walked like he was asleep on his feet. Too much blood loss will do that to you.

He reached us, ignoring Sebastian to look down atme. “Eva?”

I nodded.

“Right this way.”

We both made to follow him, and he abruptly stopped, looking at Sebastian. “No. Just her.”

“I do not think so,” Sebastian said tersely.

The man’s jaw went slack at a flash of fire in Sebastian’s eyes, then he shut his mouth with a click of his teeth. “I’m told only her.”

I noticed a few vampires rising from their seats, casting aside their admirers.

If I was going to face Ivan, I really didn’t want to be beaten and manhandled into it.

I looked at Sebastian.

His jaw twitched with irritation. “Do you have your card in a secure location?”

I nodded. Even though he was going to be with me, I had stuck it back in my boot just in case. As long as I didn’t cross a boundary, he would be able to come right to me.

“Just don’t get yourself killed.”

I glowered. “Comforting.” I turned to the bloodless man and gave him a nod.

His shoulders slumped with relief, and all the vampires in the place lowered back to their seats as if nothing had happened.

After a final glance at Sebastian, I followed the bloodless man through the crowd, catching Elena’s eyes once more as I walked past.

Her expression said it all. I was walking right toward death’s door. Quite literally, really.

The man opened a door that saidEmployees Only, then gestured for me to walk through. Once we were both inside, he led the way down a long hall with flickering fluorescent lights. Because why would they make the lighting a little less creepy? Better to fill every visitor with immense trepidation.

Eventually we reached another door, leading to a steep set of stairs.

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