Page 148 of Golden Eagle

“Sasha’s already inside?” was the first thing Trina asked when she walked up to him in the Waldorf’s hallway.

It was a simple question, innocuous and normal. He and Sasha were always together; why wouldn’t she expect him to be here now?

It stung, though, and sent a fresh wave of cold prickles down his neck, and back, and arms. The lightheaded rush that usually came when he hadn’t eaten or fed properly all day.

“He’s not here,” he said, and thought he sounded as casual as he could manage right now.

Her stride faltered. Her eyes widened. She shook her head and came the rest of the way, so she stood in front of him. “Where is he?” She looked like she wanted to ask more than that, but was trying to play it cool. Just like him. Sometimes watching her was like looking at his own reflection.

“He went to brunch.”

“With Val?” she asked, expression going apologetic.

Nikita swallowed. “With Val.”

She studied him with undisguised concern for a moment, until he thought he’d have to shrink away. Then she took a breath, squared up her shoulders, and said, “Okay, well, what’ve they got?” She nodded toward the door.

“Let’s find out.”

He let them in without knocking; it would have been polite, but redundant – the wolves inside had already heard and scented them. And Nikita wasn’t in a polite mood, anyway.

Much sat at the room’s small, round table by the window, facing out, with Will behind him, peering at his screen.

Nikita was genuinely shocked to see that Jamie was already here; he’d been too stuck in his own selfish, jealous thoughts that he hadn’t picked up the other vampire’s scent in the hallway.

Slipping. Last night, and now today. He kept slipping…

“Ah, welcome,” Will said, turning to meet them. “Something to drink? Eat? The room service is wonderful.”

“No,” Nikita said. “What is it?”

Will turned to Trina and gave her a careful, correct bow. “M’lady.”

“Hi,” she said. “You said you had something?”

Will looked between the two of them, a smile tugging at his mouth, and snorted. “It runs in the family I suppose. Yes, we have something. And I assumed you’d want to see the footage for yourselves rather than take my word for it.”

“You assumed right,” Nikita said.

Still smiling, Will motioned them over to the computer screen. On it, a black-and-white image had been paused: a man in a suit leaving out an unmarked, solid-paneled door. Brick walls, and an overhead security light. It looked like an alley.

And the man was Gustav, his face plain despite the quality of the security footage.

“This was taken a week-and-a-half ago,” Will explained, and Much pressed Play.

Gustav continued out of the building, but stepped to the side and held the door. Two men stepped out behind him – or, rather,slunkout. They walked slowly, cautiously, with bent knees, heads snapping side-to-side. An entirely inhuman way of moving, their arms held in close to their middles. Furtive and animal-like.

“Those are the wolves,” Trina said, voice tight. “That’s them. The first one is the one I…and then the other one got away.”

A woman followed them out, walking upright, walkingnormally.

“Hannah,” Nikita said. “His Familiar.”

“This camera was stationed at a rear entrance, one that employees use, only accessible via keycard.”

“So someone let him in, or he has his own card,” Trina said, grimly. “This wasn’t a case of breaking and entering.”

“No,” Will agreed. “Most definitely not.”

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