Page 20 of Vice

“You sure he didn’t get them for his more degenerate clients at a more secret underground club?”

“Positive. There was something weird about this. One of my agents said he switched the location with the driver at the last minute. Said it was the correct final destination and address.”

“And your agent didn’t hear it? Couldn’t tail them?”

“Not without breaking her cover. She got lucky when she overheard it as they were transferring the shipment she was infiltrating. She didn’t even get his name. I got that later.”

I’m not even going to ask how Delilah got that name. Most of the time, it’s better not to ask Delilah anything about her methods. Save myself the high blood pressure and headache.

“So, he needs to be questioned,” I say.

“Yeah. The best place to probably get to him is at his little club. Thing is, he’s only there when the most prestigious of his prestigious clientele is there. Or, at least, who he thinks is prestigious.”

And this is why I haven’t cut my losses with my sister. She’s a glass cannon much like Viper is, one I have less control and leverage over. But she’s useful, and does exactly what she says she’s going to do. She said she’ll help me. She’s going to do that. And when she decides she’s not, she’ll be dumb enough to give me a heads up so I can know exactly when to have her killed.

“Oh yeah?” I ask.

Before Delilah can answer, the sound of footsteps thundering from the house and into the yard catch my attention.

Leon and Lady, unabashedly, run into my legs from behind. If I hadn’t braced myself, I might have fallen.

“Good morning, Mother,” they say brightly.

“What do you want?” I ask dryly, knowing that this kind of a morning greeting only means they’re trying to butter me up. But usually, it’s not for something this early in the morning.

I pointedly ignore Delilah and the stunned look she’s giving me as the twins begin rambling about some place one of their classmates invited them to spur of the moment this morning.

“We’ll talk about this over breakfast. I’m in the middle of something.”

They finally notice Delilah, let go of me, and pretend to look apologetic, though I know they aren’t.

“Sorry,” Lady says somewhat carelessly.

“We didn’t mean to interrupt,” Leon says a little more carefully. Then, “Who are you?”

“She’s a distant relative,” I reply. Telling Lady and Leon that I have a sister would mean a bunch of questions I’m not ready to talk about right now. “We’ll talk over breakfast.”

“Right,” Lady says, looking at Delilah and then back at me, no doubt wondering just how distant our relation is. Because if not for the fact that Delilah and I are three years apart, we would have been identical twins.

Leon grabs her hand and tugs her back into the house before Lady can decide whether or not she’s going to ask more questions.

I turn back to Delilah. “Now. Harp. When’s someone prestigious enough going to be there for me to get my hands on him?”

Delilah doesn’t answer, looking after where Leon and Lady have gone.

I roll my eyes and snap her name. She finally looks at me but doesn’t answer my question.

“I don’t know why I’m surprised. You and Adrian. Of course. You really let that man knock you up,” she mutters.

Delilah didn’t know Phae like I did. Doesn’t look in Lady’s face and see the ghost of her mother. All she sees is the married not-quite-boyfriend of her sister. The man she was sure I could do better than. The man I chose over my relationship with her.

She’s not alone. That’s what everyone sees.

“That’s none of your business,” I say. “Now. Harp.”

“I don’t know. In light of this, I don’t think it’s a good idea to tell you.”

“What do they have to do with anything?”

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