Page 63 of Obsessed in Blood
“Really? I had no idea.” In fact, he already knew that from what Lyra shared with the cadre. But he needed a way to pull more information from this vampire, and playing dumb was one option.
“He’d asked Guildford for an alignment of their Houses with Lyra the sacrifice.”
“Marriage?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know why the four of them traveled to San Francisco that day?”
“It was for the book.”
Sergi was surprised Yun knew about the book. “All that way for just a book. Couldn’t they have sent it by messenger?”
“From my recollection, it was considered a rare book that wasn’t allowed out of the library.”
“And he felt the need to take the gardener along with his wife and daughter?”
Yun smiled. “Guildford thought highly of Hamilton and knew his daughter was in love. But Irene was against her daughter’s involvement with a human. The trip was a way for her to get to know Hamilton and see how happy the two were together. It was a fatal relationship. Hamilton would grow old and die while Lyra remained young and beautiful.
“But Guildford would do anything to keep Lyra happy. Besides, it was Hamilton who told Guildford about the book. And after several phone conversations with Philipe Renaud, he became obsessed with seeing it for himself.”
“What was so important about it?”
Yun shook his head, his expression turning pained. “I don’t know. Guildford refused to talk about it, concerned that no one should know about it until he’d seen the book for himself. We had no idea what could be in a single book to create such paranoia. But I believed it must have been something that could create an even deeper divide amongst the vampires.” Yun’s expression was earnest and regretful. “To this day, I wonder if more of us had known what was in that book, Guildford, Irene, and Hamilton would still be alive today.”
ChapterTwenty-Two
I staredat the parking lot and the entrance to the tea house. “I don’t think I can do this anymore.” This was the second tea house of the day for the third day in a row. “I guess going to a tea house wasn’t as much of a thing with them as I originally thought.”
When Simone asked for recommendations on how to uncover Lorenzo’s social calendar, Ginger suggested we find a place where there was a lot of gossip. Simone had insisted vamps didn’t gossip, which produced an eye roll from Ginger.
Lyra had recommended the tea houses, and then I remembered three vamps I’d met at Gruber’s tea party. It was the same night that I’d pulled off my first heist for Devon, even though he hadn’t sanctioned it. I’d used the vamps as a shield for my getaway. We’d had a nice chat, and they seemed to be aligned with Devon’s House, though I hadn’t realized the importance of that at the time.
I remembered their names—Rachel, Red, and Naomi—but I knew nothing else about them. Ginger wouldn’t know them, Lyra hadn’t been out of the house in decades, and Simone wasn’t a socialite. Since Gruber was an ally of Lorenzo’s, we couldn’t ask him.
The three vamps had mentioned tea houses, so we agreed to try all the tea houses in Santiga Bay at varying times for four days. If that didn’t work, we’d have to do the unthinkable—attend another tea party. It was risky because we could run into Lorenzo, and we didn’t want any contact with him until after the rescue mission.
The tea houses weren’t any safer since Simone and I had run into Lorenzo at one not that long ago. The plan was for Bella to go in and scout the place for the vamp then give us the green light if he wasn’t there. Once inside, she’d watch the front in case he showed up before we left.
There weren’t that many tea houses in the city, and we’d have to visit each at least twice at different times. I suggested three per day.
Lyra had agreed. “Unless things have changed since the last time I was at a tea house, the regulars stay for hours. We could stop in for their special small-course meals and still make all three within a reasonable time frame.”
We’d had high hopes on the first day, but now that we were at the second location on the third day, our excitement had deflated. Lyra watched the park across the street. I was in the back seat keeping an eye on her. I was pretty sure her mind was on Hamilton, but it had been a long time since she’d visited a tea house, and she seemed to put him aside once we entered each establishment.
I rubbed my stomach and groaned. “I don’t think my belly can survive another bite. And with all the tea, I’m going to be peeing the rest of the afternoon.”
Lyra chuckled, her focus still on the park and whatever memory she’d conjured up. Simone grunted, which was pretty much her entire vocabulary between the tea houses.
My cell chirped, and after checking the name of the caller, I answered. “Did you make it?”
“Oh my god, Cressa.” Ginger’s excitement was almost tangible. “Luke got us a room at the Ritz. Can you believe it? The Ritz. I keep pinching myself. Whenever we were in the city, we couldn’t even afford a drink at the bar.” She giggled. “It’s a suite, Cressa. A suite.”
A muffled voice sounded like they were calling Ginger. She said something back, but it sounded like she’d covered the mic. “Sorry, about that. Luke ordered a tea service. We’re going to meet a friend of his for drinks and dinner this evening. And then…you know.”
I slapped a hand over my face. “TMI.”
She giggled. “I just wanted to let you know we’re here. I’ll check back in tomorrow.”
