Page 43 of Dead Heat

“I’m not here to talk about me. I’m here on behalf of a friend you met recently. Alessandro.”

Her face clouded over as she shrank back. “The incubus? What about him?”

“He’s had a run of very bad luck this week. It’s wreaking havoc on his life.”

Her brow furrowed. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

Hmm. She actually sounded sorry. “He discovered a mark on his chest, and he has no idea how it got there.”

“A mark?”

“A rune.”

“I see. And the rune is connected to his misfortune?”

“Seems to be. I’m wondering if you can tell me anything about that.”

Raina blinked. “Me? You think I had something to do with it?”

“Did you?”

Her mouth formed a thin line. “I suppose this means he told you what happened between us.”

“Only because of his predicament. He wouldn’t have shared it otherwise. He’s one of the good ones.”

“That seems debatable given his current situation.”

“You still haven’t answered my question.”

Her nostrils flared. “And to think I wasted a perfectly good slice of pie on you.”

“I take that as a no.”

“Of course not. I felt humiliated by his refusal, of course, but that’s on me. I thought I had a decent chance, given his adventurous reputation, but clearly I was mistaken.”

“You already knew who he was when you met at the festival?”

She nodded. “There’s been much talk of him at the Devil’s Playground. I assumed he was a sure bet.”

“He didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Your request took him by surprise, that’s all.”

Her eyes were downcast. “I cried the whole way home. The day began with such promise. I hated for it to end in such misery.”

“I’m sorry. Some days are like that.”

She licked her lips, thinking. “This isn’t simply bad luck, is it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Alessandro must be in grave danger to have someone digging into the most private details of his life.”

“His situation is a concern. Can I show you the mark on his chest? Maybe you know more than you think.”

“I’m a vila. We don’t mark anything, unless you count the ribbons in the trees outside.”

“What do the ribbons mark?”

“Only my property line. Can I ask what sort of bad luck he’s experiencing?”

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