Page 36 of Addicted in Blood
“No.”
So, Jamison was a talker.How would I ever get a word in?I snorted, and he lifted a brow before dropping the duffel on the bed and walking out.A moment later, I heard the front door shut.At least they wouldn’t hover.
Another door was on the far side of the bed, and when I checked, discovered a closet on the left and the sink, toilet, and shower complete with tub on the right.Overall, a nice hotel suite.
I spent the short time I had unpacking and pulling out my training outfit.Fortunately, I’d brought a second set.It appeared I’d be living in them most of the time I was here.With ten minutes to spare, I sat on the couch and considered everything Colantha had shared.Security, secrecy, and solidarity.I expected to see the motto stamped on some wall hanging or embroidered on a pillow.
Something told me to prepare for condensed training sessions similar to Anna’s.If that was true, these would be three very long days.
ChapterNineteen
Simone slammedthe sedan in park and strolled up the steps of the manor.It appeared an afternoon of solace at Oasis was too much to ask for.When she entered Devon’s office, Ginger and Lucas were already there, sitting by the hearth, the embers from the morning still glowing.
She strode past them and sat at the desk, opening the laptop and scrolling through emails.A new one from Sergi made her pause.They’d found Colantha Dupré, and Cressa was in training.Unable to conceive what that might consist of, she made notes of her meeting with Noah and sent a reply to Sergi.
After a quick review of the remaining emails, she pushed the laptop aside and leaned back, staring at her guests.
“Did everything go all right with Noah?”Lucas stood and held out a hand to Ginger.
She’d seen Ginger intimidated, irritated, but mostly happily oblivious of House matters except where her and Cressa’s safety were concerned.Bella considered her brave beyond her ability to protect herself, and she held a fierce loyalty to Cressa.Her devotion to her friend might explain why she appeared pale and scared.Before they returned their focus back to Lorenzo, the humans in the House would need defensive training.Those that showed potential and expressed interest would be battle trained.It would make the House even stronger.
Ginger fidgeted while Lucas settled into the chair next to her.He’d matured since she’d arrived.It was no secret among the cadre and many within the family that the two had grown close.He didn’t go to a club without her, and he’d increased his duties, taking on more leadership responsibilities.She was curious what brought them together, and any other time, she’d spend more time analyzing the relationship.
She turned her attention back to business.“Noah is grieving, but he didn’t know any more than Asher and Maya.Except for the name Boris Gheata.”
Lucas shook his head.“I’ve checked my list of contacts, but it’s like I said earlier.His name means nothing to me.Sergi didn’t recognize it either, but he’s working his connections.”
“It probably won’t amount to much if we can’t locate him.”
“Lorenzo tends to keep his Family out of his more questionable activities, preferring to use outside contractors.If this man is close to Lorenzo, he’s most likely got his fingers in unsavory activities.”
She nodded.“We’ll see how it plays out.”She smiled at Ginger and wasn’t surprised when she seemed to grow smaller in the chair.“But we’re here on another matter.”
Lucas nudged Ginger, who shot him a look before her eyes grew wide.
“Oh, sorry.I was just thinking if I’d seen anyone like the vamp…” She blushed.“Sorry, vampire Lucas has described, but nothing comes to mind.”She lowered her head, and Simone waited, studying her as she wrapped her fingers in a long rainbow-colored scarf.It was the only touch of color she wore.Her leggings and long sweatshirt were both black.Even her earrings were black onyx.“I know I was told to get rid of my old cellphone, but I have tons of contacts on it, and I didn’t want to lose them.It didn’t even occur to me to download them to a flash drive, but I asked a friend to remove the GPS tracker.”Her voice, which had started strong, softened to almost a whisper.
Simone turned to Lucas, and instead of appearing chagrined at not keeping better track of Ginger, he glared at her.For a moment, she didn’t understand.Humans.Always so sensitive.She forced her facial features to relax, and taking a deep breath, attempted a more congenial expression rather than the irritation that Ginger hadn’t followed instructions.
“Who is this friend?”She kept her tone light so she didn’t spook the woman again.
Instead of being timid, Ginger straightened and looked her in the eyes.“His name is Bulldog.He’s the muscle for our old neighborhood.”
“A street thug?”
She lifted a shoulder.“In a sense.He runs security for Greco, and Greco owns the neighborhood.”
Simone nodded.“Continue.”
“Anyway, Greco has his fingers in a lot of businesses.One of them is a laundromat where he also runs a room of safety deposit boxes.Bulldog oversees the operation.”
Simone nodded.“So Bulldog helped you remove the GPS, then you put the phone in one of these boxes?”
Ginger nodded and seemed impressed by her ability to follow along.It almost made her smile that a human would be so impressed by a vampire keeping up.
“Lucas takes me by there once a week so I can check messages.”Her fingers twisted the scarf into a tight knot.“We stopped by earlier today.I had five messages from the Santiga Bay cops.Some detective.They say it’s urgent I get in touch with them.They want to know where Cressa is.”
“They said that.”
