Page 48 of The Incubus and the Bodyguard

“She knows better than to cut a deal with them without informing ourBratva.” Vlad dropped his head against the backrest, suddenly exhausted. “It could be that they’re using her.”

“That woman is too clever to be fooled by some snot-nosed kids from Jamaica,” Jared muttered.

“You’re right.” Vlad sighed and rubbed his temple.

“By the way, you wouldn’t happen to know anything about a shoot-out in Newtown Creek earlier today, would you?” the Immortal grunted.

“No,” Vlad lied.

They’d since found out that the gang who’d attacked them that afternoon was a newly formed Peruvian syndicate that had been making noise for all the wrong reasons in the past year. Their boss was currently on his way to Yuliy’s estate to explain exactly why his son had sent his men after Vlad.

Jared sighed, not buying the lie for one second. “Just make sure you guys keep the body count to a minimum while you resolve this mess.”

* * *

TheOro Divinowas eerily quiet when they arrived. The maitre d’hotel greeted them at the service entrance.

“The insurance adjusters were here this morning,” he told Vlad as they crossed the main kitchen area. “I’ve kept the third floor sealed off, as you requested.”

The stench of gunpowder still lingered in the private dining room three days after the attack. The smell registered on Delphine’s radar the moment she crossed the threshold, her nanorobots ten times more sensitive than a human nose.

Her gaze swept the space.

Bullet holes peppered the walls like deadly constellations. The overturned table in the middle of the floor bore deep scars from where projectiles had struck its reinforced surface.

Though the cleaning crew had done a decent job of clearing up most of the debris, glass still crunched underfoot as she crossed the room, noting details she’d missed in the grainy footage she’d watched at Yuliy’s mansion. She did a full circuit before retracing her steps, Vlad and Cortes watching her.

Delphine stopped and crouched to examine a spent casing half-hidden under a chair.

“They knew exactly where to breach and how to funnel the targets.” She looked around the room, tracking invisible angles only her mind could see. “And they knew where everyone would be sitting.”

Tension knotted Vlad’s shoulders.

“The table arrangement was only finalized the morning of the meeting.”

“They must have had someone on the inside feeding them information in real time,” Cortes concluded with a grim expression.

Delphine rose and headed for an ornate potted plant by the window.

“Is this where your men found the camera?”

Vlad approached. “Yes.”

Delphine studied the mounting point and angle.

“High-end equipment. Wireless. Remote activated.” She frowned. “They wanted footage of what happened to you specifically.”

“To confirm the curse worked?”

She met his gaze. “And to prove that theBlack Devils’ heir could be taken down.”

Vlad’s jaw tightened.

Delphine suppressed the urge to reach out and stroke his cheek.

“I need to see your personnel files,” she said curtly. “Everyone who’s had access to this floor in the last four to six weeks.”

“I’ll talk to Antonio.”

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