Page 47 of Seduction in Blood
"I apologize for my outburst, and I suspect you believe that your troubles are your own." He seemed to be waiting for a response, but his comment surprised me. He excelled at always saying something I wasn't expecting. So, I nodded, unable to stop my chin from rising in defiance, which only made him smile.
"Under normal circumstances, I would agree. But Christopher Underwood has too many connections and resources to ignore."
I almost spilled my coffee when he mentioned my stepfather's name. I flashed a look at Lucas, but he'd moved to stand next to Sergi and the espresso machine, seemingly ignoring the conversation.
"Don't blame Lucas. Whatever your stepfather is looking for, he seems convinced you're involved. As long as he's pursuing you, or anyone you know, it could have an impact on my interests. And I can't have anyone in my world knowing about you, other than what I personally leak to them." He studied me, looking for a crack, anything that would reveal my thoughts.
I doubted he'd find anything but confusion and turmoil. As I sipped the espresso, my entire focus was on trying to stop my hands from shaking. After the second long sip, the strong brew revitalized me enough to consider Christopher's actions from Devon's point of view. There was no telling how far Christopher would go to find whatever the hell was he looking for.
"How do you know about Christopher?" I couldn't stop the tremor in my voice, and I cleared my throat.
"You must have known I'd run a background check on you." He shrugged when I couldn't hold back my shock. "You're an unknown element integral to an important mission. I had to know if I could, I don't know. I suppose trust is too strong a word, considering how little we know of each other and how few the days." His smile was tender but his gaze remained severe. "I had to know there wasn't anything in your past that could come back around to me."
I opened my mouth, ready to fling the standard rhetoric about how my business was my own. But was it? I was a thief. He didn't know me. Any crew of worth would dig into someone's background, ask around, do whatever was needed to be sure they could trust a new member of the team. Just because we were playing for higher stakes with the elite didn't make that necessity go away. It only made it more crucial, especially in the world of vampires.
I nodded. "I hadn't considered it before, but you're right." I gave him a half-shrug. "I haven't really been looking at any of this from your perspective."
He seemed pleased, which only confused me more, but I settled back in the chair and finished the espresso, setting the cup on a side table. "As I told Lucas, I have no idea what he's looking for." I stared into Devon's eyes, which had changed from their icy blue to something warmer. "This was all a surprise. Ginger, the girl as you called her," I hesitated when he bowed his head either in apology or acknowledgment. I took a shaky breath and continued, "She told me a couple of days ago that Christopher had stopped by looking for me. I didn't know why or how he knew where I lived. Quite frankly, it irritated me. I left his house and that life years ago for reasons that aren't important to this conversation."
When Devon nodded, the tightness around my chest released, and I could breathe again, thankful to get past that single point. I didn't want anyone to know about my past and why I ran. I found it unsettling that I didn't want Devon, most of all, to ever learn of it. "Christopher is into a lot of shady stuff, and I've kept out of his circle of influence, especially with my line of work."
"I believe you." Devon set down his cup, and his expression softened. I ignored why that simple statement meant so much to me. "I knew his name and a bit about his business before I ever met you. But once I knew you were…part of his past…I did more digging into Underwood. His business ventures don't cross any of mine with the exception of a few minor investments. And those will now be put under the magnifying glass. I'm more concerned with why he thinks you have something of his. Is it just because you're a thief?"
This part was easy to share and, while satisfying Devon's immediate concern, might be enough for him to believe it was the only reason I left home. "Christopher suspects what I do for a living, though I doubt he knows everything. I stole from him while still living under his roof, though it wasn't anything of real value. A few bucks here and there or small items I didn't think he'd notice were missing." I bit my lip. "I might have stolen one or two things that I knew would piss him off."
Devon nodded again with one of his deadly vampire smiles, almost as if he approved of my thieving ways.
I gave him a steely glare. "But I haven't touched one thing of his since I left that house."Slow down. Don't make it so personal."I do stop by a few times a year, but only when I know he's traveling."
"To see your sister."
That surprised me.
"It's part of the background check. Underwood, your mother, Willa, and one sister. I believe her name is April."
"Yes," I sighed. How much more would he find out about me? Like how there was nothing more to me than being a worthless thief. "I think it's possible that April might be involved with what Christopher is looking for, though it could just as easily be some other thief. If I knew what he was looking for, I'd have a better understanding of what was going on."
"All right. I think you've had a long enough evening. You need your rest. We're only a few days away from the main event, and I need your full focus on the mission. Not on Underwood. Ginger will be safe and quite busy in her new bungalow where you'll be able to see her whenever you want. I'll make a decision later today on what, if anything, we do to curtail Underwood's interest in you."
I rose on shaky legs, but if Devon noticed, he was too much a gentleman to say anything.
Before I left, Devon whispered, "Rest easy, Cressa. You're safe here."
I closed the door behind me. His words brought more comfort than I thought possible.
* * *
Devon waiteduntil he heard Cressa's footsteps move down the hall before turning to Sergi. "Her statement seems to track with what you shared earlier this evening."
When Lucas's gaze lit with confusion, Devon asked Sergi to give him the rundown. After listening and taking a moment to consider Cressa's responses, Lucas nodded in agreement.
Sergi shook his head. "She conveniently sidestepped why she left his house in the first place."
"That's none of our business." Lucas shot Devon a glance. "She said it had no impact with whatever Underwood's searching for, and she's not obligated to divulge all of her past." His voice quieted. "It could be more personal than we know."
Something twisted in Devon's chest as it had with Sergi's report. Thieving alone would be enough to leave, or be kicked out, as Underwood had claimed. But something in Cressa's tense reactions to anything involving Underwood told him there was more to the story. Thought of possible domestic abuse made his gut wrench as if he'd drunk acid. How had this woman wormed her way into his soul? Was it only the dreams?
"Maybe." Sergi relented to Lucas's concerns. "But she gave us an opening."
