Page 64 of Betrayed in Blood
Bella dropped into a chair. Her hair stuck up in places, probably from running her hands through it. Her eyes were sallow. “I was surprised to hear Venizi sent one of his own security detail to stir things up. I know Levi has made friends with El Lobo, but having humans involved in our business could be a problem down the road.”
“Levi has been instructed to have another talk with the group. If the gang understands the rules and still wants to play, there isn’t much we can do about it. They consider it their neighborhood, and if Venizi stirs up trouble in a human neighborhood, that’s something the Council can’t ignore.”
“I’ve tried telling her that.” Jacques glanced at his fingernails, then slowly lifted his eyes to meet Devon.
He couldn’t remember the last time Jacques said a word in their meetings, though he was always fully engaged. Perhaps he didn’t think he was supposed to speak, since he wasn’t cadre, but he wasn’t just Bella’s partner. He was an intelligent and loyal vampire. Maybe a one-on-one discussion with him was in order.
“I’m going to ask one thing of you.” Devon’s gaze locked with his. “See to it after this meeting that Bella gets a full feeding.”
Jacques’s grin was predatory as he glanced at his partner, who had enough energy to scowl at both of them. “Not a problem, sir.”
“Excellent. Ah. Here’s Sergi.”
Sergi closed the door behind him and sat in his usual seat, his tablet on his lap. “Have you brought them up to speed?”
“I was just getting to that.” Devon spent ten minutes reviewing the text Cressa received and the return reply when Cressa asked who was texting her. He also added that it was possible that it tied back to the recent phone conversation with her mother. “Sergi, do you have anything to add?”
“Not much. I wasn’t able to start a deeper dive into April’s background or access information on the Underwood estate. I just forwarded what limited information I have to all of you. I just made a couple of calls, which is why I was late. One was to my friend at the SBPD. I’m curious about what they might have dug up on April during the Underwood investigation. I’m also checking to see what Underwood’s will stated.”
“Why is the will important?” Bella asked.
“If April is working for Venizi, it would be interesting to know how much she got from Underwood’s estate. It might mean something, and it might mean nothing. Either way, it helps paint the picture along with other bank records I’m gathering. In the human world, money is the most valuable commodity.”
Bella nodded. “You mentioned that outside of the cadre, only Cressa’s mother knew about Rasmussen and that April might have learned of him from Willa. That’s her name, right?”
Devon nodded.
She continued. “Why are we thinking Venizi?”
“April was seen going to Cressa’s old apartment with a vampire when Underwood was searching for the medallion. We don’t know who the vampire was working for, but we know Underwood had connections with Venizi.”
She considered it for a moment. “Cressa isn’t a common name. Is it possible Venizi has connected the dots?”
“If so,” Jacques interjected, “I would think he would have kept Cressa locked up rather than give her an opportunity to escape.”
Sergi glanced over, as surprised as Devon had been by the vampire’s participation. Bella didn’t seem fazed by Jacques’s comments. Maybe she spoke with him about his ability to participate.
“He has an ego,” Sergi replied. “He probably thought the mesmerizing was working.”
“If Venizi has discovered that Cressa is April’s sister—” Bella leaned forward as she worked through a theory. “Maybe this was recent news to him. Something he didn’t discover until after Cressa escaped from Shadow Island.” Her leg began bouncing, her energy returning. “Let’s say when Underwood was searching for the medallion, he didn’t tell Venizi who had it.”
“Which was one of our theories as to why the drawing of the necklace was left next to Underwood’s body in the limo.” Sergi nodded, seeming to know where Bella was headed. “It was meant as a lure for the person who had it.”
Bella stood to pace. “He probably thought the medallion was lost to him until April said something. Cressa told you April was still upset with her. If April is working for Venizi or one of his underlings, perhaps her disgruntled words floated up to him.”
Devon didn’t like where this was going. “Now that he’s lost Hamilton, his dreamwalker, he might believe Cressa is another dreamwalker. That was something I didn’t want him to discover.”
“If any of this is true,” Sergi picked up the trail, “with the lockdown, it’s almost impossible for him to gain access to anyone in the Family. But with a lure of one’s missing father, someone she barely remembers, it might be enough to get her out in the open.”
“Maybe April considers Cressa rash enough to jump at the opportunity and leave the nest.” Bella stopped and leaned against the coffee bar. “I’ve only run a couple of drive-bys in different cars to get a look at the neighborhood and the house before the problem at the safe house. But we can get back to the surveillance tonight. We found a couple of places where we can watch the front drive without notice.”
“I was able to get a couple of images of the property and neighboring houses. It’s in the information I sent.” Sergi went back to his tablet. “I have the name of the estate’s security company from your earlier request, but not the specifics. I’ll have something for you later this evening.”
“Let’s meet back in the morning. I’d like Cressa to join us. I don’t want her left out of this. I’ll speak with Colantha and see if she can track down Rasmussen. This might not be Venizi at all. Maybe it’s another dreamwalker who’s just being careful.”
When the group gave him patronizing nods, he chuckled. “We need to consider all angles. I know we all want to blame Venizi. Maybe this time we’re wrong.”
ChapterNineteen
