Page 43 of Seduction in Blood
After Simone sat, Devon dropped into the chair between the two vampires and gave Sergi an irritated glance. "I have the feeling you didn't bring me good news."
He gave a non-committal grunt with a shrug of one shoulder. Then he drank a third of the glass.
While Sergi gathered his thoughts, Devon spent ten minutes bringing Simone up to speed on Cressa and how she came to be in his employ. He didn't have to explain the importance of Cressa being the best cat burglar in the region.
"Have you already discussed your plans with Decker?" Simone asked. She was one of the few who knew his entire history with Decker.
"We discussed that it was the right time to make a move, but I haven't shared the entire plan. He knows I have a thief on retainer, but that's all. He doesn't know who the thief is, and he would never consider it might be a woman." Devon turned his attention to Sergi, rotating his glass in his hands as he considered his friend. "Tell me what you have."
"It's still not much, but I was able to speak to a handful of family friends. I claimed to be a reporter for one of the tabloids."
"And you thought that would open doors?" Simone seemed appalled at the idea. Yet, curiosity lurked in her gaze, and Devon knew she would be filing the information away for her own use.
"Easier than it should be. Humans have no problem talking about their friends and associates if they think it's anonymous." Sergi placed a finger on his lips. "All hush hush and all."
Devon resisted drumming his fingers with impatience. He focused on the amber liquid in his glass, wondering what Cressa was doing while he listened to a report regarding his investigation into her background. The pang of guilt surprised then irritated him. She had vital information worth any cost. But as soon as he thought it, he knew it wasn't true, and he sneered. Sergi must have thought it was meant for him, so he hurried on with his report.
"There's no love lost for Christopher Underwood, Cressa's stepfather. Her mother is the perfect hostess, wife, and mother, apparently in that order." Sergi paused when Devon raised a brow. "That was one of the few things everyone agreed on. From there, the opinion of the two daughters differs greatly. April is the biological daughter of Christopher and Willa Underwood. She's five years younger than Cressa and the darling of the family. Most people like her; however, many of them believe her to be manipulative. A trait from her father. Everyone agrees April and Cressa are close, even though Cressa was a troubled child. She settled down when she turned ten, and her grades were above average until she turned sixteen. She had a sealed juvenile record for theft when she was seventeen. Nothing major and never did time. Her stepfather has many important friends, so friction between the two began almost immediately. Seems Underwood was embarrassed by Cressa's unseemly activities. However, when I pushed a couple of her old friends, they claimed she started stealing from her stepfather much earlier. From what I gather, she stole frequently and only got caught a handful of times. It took Underwood some time to uncover her habit."
"So our little thief started early." Devon rubbed his chin, a new appreciation for Cressa shaping a different image. "That certainly explains how she became so good at it."
"There was some other trouble that occurred the day before Cressa graduated, but if anyone has details, they're not talking. She left home the day after graduation. Underwood tells his friends he kicked her out after making a promise years before to let her graduate. Which she did, after regaining her above-average grades."
"A smart thief. Experienced. But does she have the right connections?" Simone asked though she didn't seem all that impressed.
"The respect of her street name implies she does," Devon replied, then turned to Sergi. "Best to confirm."
Sergi nodded. "As far as her biological father, I have no further information. But I have a couple of leads that should provide something."
"And why do we care about that?" Simone asked.
Sergi stared at his drink, which Devon appreciated, but there was no reason to shut Simone out, and she would be hurt otherwise. "She might have more abilities than just burglary." He waited, anticipating Simone would put it together. He hadn't meant to hold anything back from his friends, but the dreams were too intimate and would break an unspoken trust with Cressa. So, he'd only told Sergi and Lucas that she could dream walk and that their meetings were short, which was true enough.
"You think she can help Lyra." It wasn't a question, just a sad sigh that happened to escape Simone's lips. Her gaze was full of pity, and he glanced away.
"I can't tell you much at this point, but you'll know everything soon. I promise." He waved a hand at both of them. "You know I appreciate the patience the two of you have with me. Lucas as well." They nodded, and Devon sighed inwardly, thankful for his friends. At some point, they might not be as understanding. "If there's any possibility that Lyra can be helped, I have no choice but to follow that path."
ChapterTwenty-One
I staredout the window as Lucas drove from the lush coast manor to the ghetto where my apartment and life existed. The joy I'd felt at going home to see Ginger faded as the neighborhoods grew dingy with trash piled in the gutters, gang bangers trading on the corners, vacant shops with boarded windows, and finally to the four-story apartment building with the familiar graffiti. Away three days and I'd already grown accustomed to life at Devon's estate.
Lucas followed behind as I mounted the steps. I noticed the freshly painted red dick on the left side of the front door with the name Greco written below the sadly curved image. Bulldog patrolled the area, but the neighborhood belonged to Greco. Apparently, someone was attempting to squeeze in, and Bulldog had missed the taggers. Or maybe not, and we wouldn't see any new graffiti for a while.
I cringed when I found the front door keypad smashed again and pushed the door open to the horrific odors inside—piss and vomit mixed with the cloying scent of gardenias from Margo, the landlady. She was a wiry seventy and carried a bat when collecting rent. No one messed with Margo.
When we reached the third floor, I stood in front of my apartment and debated whether to use my key or knock first. Since my stepfather had stopped by before, I decided knocking would be less of a shock. I'd called Ginger as soon as Devon had released me for the day, but she hadn't answered. After the third knock with no answer and sensing Lucas's impatience, I dug the apartment key out of my back pocket. It had been the only personal item on me during the heist, other than my backpack. It seemed Sorrento hadn't cared to confiscate it when he captured me. What a guy.
The apartment was dark inside, and Lucas put a hand on my arm before I took more than two steps. I felt it too. The apartment wasn't as empty as it appeared. He closed the front door then moved in front of me as he scanned the tiny living room and then the kitchen, which was blocked off by two screen dividers. We moved down the short hallway, and I pointed to the closed door on the left, which was my room. After a quick check of the ten-by-ten bedroom and simple closet, he shook his head. When he tried to move in front of me at the second bedroom door, I pushed him away. If Ginger was in there with her headphones on, the last thing she needed was to be surprised by a vamp.
I knocked on the door. "Ginger? It's me, Cressa."
I heard a gurgle, something of a moan, and tore through the door before Lucas could stop me. He was so close behind me that I felt his breath on my neck.
Ginger was in the opened closet, huddled with a blanket and her stuffed bear. What the hell?
I dropped to a knee in front of her. "Ginger." I kept my voice low, horrified by her tears. "What happened?" Then I noticed the bruise forming on her cheek. I turned her face to get a better look in the dim light filtering through her curtained window.
"Who did this?" I felt the old anger brewing. "Did Christopher do this?"
