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A decisive shake of his head. “No. Your father had been looking for the lieutenant. Mraz wanted you dead. That much everyone agrees on. There’s talk he was working with SI.”

I considered that. It fit, and yet… “But what if it wasn’t Tomas who was working with SI? What if it was my dad?”

“The primus?” Surprise splashed across Xavier’s broad face. “Why would he want you dead?”

“I don’t know, damn it. It doesn’t make sense to me, either. But I was told by both Moreau and Tina that he knew I was in that damn cell, and he did nothing to get me out.”

His sturdy shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I suppose it could be true. It fits the facts, and everyone knows Tomas was an extension of Karoly. But why would your father want to take out his heirs?”

“That’s what doesn’t make sense to me, either. Unless he believes we’re planning a coup.”

“You heard about that?”

“So it’s true? People are saying the three of us are planning a coup?”

“Yeah. Your father disappeared around the same time as you, and suddenly Gabriel was in charge. It looked bad, si? And Mraz seemed edgy. He supported Gabriel in public, but behind his back, he was trying to find out where your father had gone. Mraz even flew to Paris, which didn’t make sense at the time, but if that’s where you were—”

“Yeah.”

“But Monday night, your father marched into the Ruby Speakeasy and put a stop to the rumors. Said he’d put Gabriel in charge himself, and if anyone said different, he was lying. Sounds like somebody was trying to make trouble.” Xavier fingered his chin. “Maybe Mraz?”

I grunted. The gods knew, I wanted to believe my father was innocent. But he and Tomas had been so close. Either one—or both—could have been working with SI. Whatever you said about one man applied equally to the other.

And there was that note I’d seen in Tomas’s office, the one that had implied the rumors of the coup came from someone else…

“So how did Tomas and Victorine die?” I asked.

“Tomas attacked Rafe out of nowhere and all hell broke loose. Feehan said it happened like that—” Xavier snapped his fingers. “Victorine took advantage of the confusion to grab Zoe’s dagger and went for your father. Then a funny thing happened. When Mraz saw Victorine attack Karoly, he went for her himself.”

“So it was Tomas who staked Victorine?”

“That’s right. And your father staked Mraz.”

“That’s what I heard last night.” I stared unseeingly over Xavier’s shoulder, recalling the scene in the Hotel Garnet courtyard. “What I don’t understand is why Father would stake Tomas when he’d defended him against Victorine? Unless he’s going blood mad…”

“Your father?” Xavier looked at me like I’d sprouted a second head. “No way. He might be old, but my master in Mexico was going blood mad, and I can tell you your father is not. He’s not giving off that odor, is he?”

“Not when I last saw him. But that was a couple of months ago. Suppose he’s in the early stages?”

Xavier spread his hands. “Anything is possible. What makes you think this, anyway?”

My gaze jumped toward the bedroom.

“Ah,” he said. “The woman. But how would she know?”

I shrugged, not ready to answer that.

Xavier tugged at his lower lip, something he only did when he was worried or upset.

“What?” I asked.

“The last thing Tomas said is, ‘Zaquiel is ours. You will not find him until it is too late.’ Everyone is looking for you, jefe. There’s a rumor going around that you secretly joined SI. They say that’s where you go when you disappear, that your so-called humanitarian missions are a cover.”

My jaw dropped, along with my stomach. “Holy fuck. Leave for a few weeks and the world goes crazy. So I’m the bad guy? Tomas really said that?”

Xavier nodded. “You have to admit, it looks funny. First you disappear like you got sucked into a fucking black hole. Then when you reappear, you don’t go straight to your father, you hide instead. You can’t blame people for getting suspicious. Most of the vampires in the syndicate go way back with Mraz, and you’re the Kral brother who never officially joined the organization.” He spread his hands. “If you were them, what would you think?”

“Damn.” I exhaled through my teeth. “It actually makes a weird kind of sense.”

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