Page 32 of Addicted in Blood
She nodded as the construct faded back to the limo.Her smile made me think of the cat who ate the canary.I almost felt the feathers sprouting.
ChapterSeventeen
After the Boretskys left,Simone needed time to think.They’d been rushing to respond to the Council’s orders, preparing the House and the family for a siege and possible sanction.Now that the House was safe, their priorities had shifted.
Lyra required rest, as did the cadre, and she shooed everyone out of the office.She missed Sergi, for no other reason than his quiet demeanor and steady presence.She picked up the journal the Boretskys had left, and after stirring the fire and adding another log, she leaned back on the sofa with a fresh cup of espresso.
She ran a hand over the journal as Maya Boretsky had done.The leather cover had been softened with age and heavy use.It was scarred in many places, and she lifted it to her nose, breathing in the scent of paper, leather, and something unfamiliar that she considered before storing the scent away in memory.
She opened the journal and began to read.
A gentle knock jarred her, and she blinked.
“Come.”
The door opened, and Bella stuck her head in.“Cook says dinner will be ready in half hour.Lyra wanted to keep to a schedule.”
Simone nodded.“I’ll be there.”
Once the door closed, she glanced at the fire, which was nothing more than embers, and returned to the journal.If they were sticking with their normal dinner hour, then she’d been reading for several hours.She finished the last pages in fifteen minutes and reviewed the notes she’d taken.She’d have Anna make copies and Lucas could return the journal in the morning.It would be a perfect time for him to review their security and determine if additional guards were required.It was imperative the Boretsky family was kept safe.
The journal hadn’t provided any great insight, but two things came to mind for her immediate action—speak to Boretsky’s younger brother, Noah, and find the man Cressa had pointed out after their visit to a tea house.The same man Cressa had seen conspiring with Gruber against Devon at a tea party.
It might be a dead end, but after weeks of training by her side and completing a couple of missions together, she knew one thing with certainty.Cressa paid attention, and if she thought the man was up to no good, it was worth checking out.
The following morning,Simone considered the condominium high-rise with the lovely spring-green awning that covered the front entrance.It wasn’t unusual for the siblings of a House leader to move away from the family manor, especially if there was animosity between them.
From what Asher had told her after a quick phone conversation, Noah, the council member’s younger brother, had moved out ten years ago when the two brothers argued over Venizi’s growing influence over their House.While the brothers had remained close, they found it easier to communicate with physical distance between them.
Asher had also mentioned that Noah didn’t receive any financial aid from the Family, and based on the neighborhood where he’d moved, he was doing just fine.He hadn’t wanted anything that had been tainted with what he considered Venizi’s blood money.This would be an interesting meeting indeed.
After a friendlier-than-expected visit from Asher and Maya, she wasn’t surprised that Noah was more than willing to meet.She sighed as she used her keypad to lock the sedan.The more eager someone was to spill the beans, as the humans said, the less information the person typically had, but she wasn’t willing to let a sliver of a lead slip through her grasp.
Noah’s condo took up half the top floor.Though it was almost eleven when he opened the door, he was in a silk bathrobe over sweats and a white T-shirt, his hair looked like it had been through a blender, and an oversized mug was gripped in his hands.
“It’s Simone, right?Sorry, but I haven’t been sleeping well since Hiram’s murder.”He walked back into the condo, leaving the door open.
She shut it behind her as she followed him past expensive artwork, leather-and-chrome furniture, and a state-of-the-art entertainment center before settling on a stool on the counter facing the kitchen.
Noah lifted a full pot of coffee.“Want a mug?Just made it.”She nodded, and he set the coffee in front of her.“The second pot of the day.”He glanced at the retro clock against a far wall and shook his head.“I’ve always been a night owl, but I just can’t seem to get my shit together after…” His eyes teared up, and he busied himself with gathering sugar and cream while he controlled his emotions.
Simone dropped a few drops of cream into the coffee.“I’m sorry for your loss.From what Asher and Maya said, he was a well-loved leader.”
He leaned against the counter.“He was, for the most part.”He blew out a breath.“Even in these later years, after falling completely under Venizi’s control, he was always fair to the Family, considering how many disagreed with the direction the House had taken.To be honest, I’m not sure he saw it.”
“Did your brother have any enemies that would have acted out in revenge?”
Noah chortled.“Hardly.He was one of the quieter Council members.We argued all the time, but around others, he was considered the peacemaker.How ironic is that?”
“How so?”
He gave her a look that said how could she not know, then shook his head.“I’m sorry.With Devon’s censure, he wouldn’t have known unless he heard it from someone else.Hiram was always concerned about the future of our race, especially with the decline in our fertility rates and the rapid growth of humanity.He bought into the conspiracy.”
“You don’t believe humans are the cause of our dwindling numbers?”
“Hardly.I mean, the vast majority of them don’t even know we exist.That we walk among them.”He chuckled.“Even their best scientists couldn’t be the cause of our decreased fertility.At least, the one virologist I know doesn’t think it possible.”
When she lifted a brow, he took that as the sign to continue.
