Page 21 of Licence To Howl
Scarlett offered Solentino a tiny smile, which promised everything and nothing all at the same time. Devereau’s annoyance increased. He sat down on a nearby chair, crossed his legs and leaned back in a bid to appear as relaxed as possible.
‘My name is Scarlett,’ she purred. ‘Mr Webb and I are old acquaintances.’
‘I didn’t realise that werewolves and vampires could be friends,’ Solentino said.
Scarlett laughed. ‘Oh, I didn’t say we were friends.’
Devereau gritted his teeth.
Christopher Solentino raised an eyebrow. Then he took Scarlett’s hand and pressed his lips to it. Slimy idiot. ‘I see,’ he murmured. ‘Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you.’ He sat down on the chaise longue and his face hardened. ‘Now, tell me how you found my address and why you are here.’
Clearing his throat, Devereau began to explain. ‘The auction was a ticketed event. It really wasn’t hard for someone of my skills to find who exactly had tickets and to track them down. I considered approaching several of the other bidders before deciding to come to you.’ He gestured towards Scarlett. ‘The two of us work together when it’s mutually beneficial to do so. We have a shared interest in the accumulation of wealth.’
‘You want money?’ There was an edge of a sneer to Solentino’s voice.
He smiled easily. ‘It makes the world go round. Or so they say anyway. Scarlett and I offer certain … services in return for generous payment. We seek out opportunities to help people in need. Think of us as less a small business and more as a charity.’
Solentino didn’t miss a beat. ‘That still doesn’t explain why you’re here.’
‘Then I will get to the point.’ Devereau linked his fingers together and placed them behind his head. ‘I couldn’t help notice that you were upset that you missed out on the Ring Of All Seasons at the auction.’
‘Upset? I’m not a child, Mr Webb. I don’t getupset. I wanted the ring and I didn’t get it. That’s all there is to it.’
Liar. ‘Is it?’ Devereau asked. ‘Because it just so happens that I managed to track down the actual buyer of the ring after the auction.’
The muscles around Solentino’s mouth tightened almost imperceptibly. ‘Who?’
‘The who is not important. Not any longer.’ Devereau grinned. ‘I divested them of their purchase. They paid five million euros for an ugly ring that they didn’t even get to keep for twelve whole hours.’
‘You stole it?’
‘I did.’ Devereau permitted himself an edge of suitably smug satisfaction. He knew it would add to his credibility.
‘Hmm.’ Solentino folded his arms. ‘The thing is, Mr Webb, that your reputation precedes you. I was given to understand that when you turned furry, you gave up your former career in crime.’
Devereau didn’t miss a beat. ‘Good. That’s what I wanted everyone to think.’
‘Because the London werewolf clans would rip you apart if they knew you were engaging in illegal activity? What’s to stop me from telling them that you’re still just a common thief?’
Devereau’s grin grew wider. ‘I can assure you that there’s nothing common about me.’
He watched the other man carefully. Solentino was deliberately avoiding asking any direct questions about the ring. He was desperate to downplay his desire to acquire it, which was exactly why he was making idle threats about blabbing to the clans. Neither Solentino’s body language nor his expression were betraying him either. But it was his very avoidance of the subject that gave away his desperate interest. This was hardly Devereau’s first rodeo, and he knew more than a thing or two about studied indifference.
‘Anyway,’ he said aloud, ‘let’s say that I have the Ring Of All Seasons in my possession and I am looking to sell it.’ He paused. ‘For the right price.’
‘How do I know you’re telling the truth? Let me see the ring first.’
Devereau glanced at Scarlett. She nodded and drew out her phone. ‘Before I show you this, Signore Solentino,’ she said, ‘I feel I must inform you that this was not my idea. I would have put the ring in a safe.’ She opened up first the photo of Devereau holding the ring up outside Solentino’s front door. Then she showed him the video.
‘You swallowed it? Youatethe Ring of All Seasons?’
Devereau waved an unconcerned hand. ‘It will pass through in a day or two. I had to ensure that it was safe. I’m sure you can understand that.’
Solentino gave him an incredulous look. ‘What’s to stop me from shooting you dead and cutting open your guts to retrieve it?’ The way he posed his words made it clear that it wasn’t a rhetorical question. Even if it weren’t for his cold eyes, it was obvious he had no problem with casual murder followed by amateur butchery if the occasion suited him.
‘That’s what I said,’ Scarlett murmured.
‘I’m a werewolf,’ Devereau said, with blithe unconcern. ‘A very powerful werewolf. And she’s a vampire. You could try to acquire the ring that way but it wouldn’t help you in the long run.’ He allowed the shadow of fur to emerge across his skin for the briefest moment. ‘Quite the opposite, in fact.’
