Deathtrap (Crossbreed #3)(61)
It sounded as if Viktor was pacing back and forth. Wyatt would be sitting, and Blue’s boot heels made a distinctive click against the floor. Shepherd tucked his left hand in his pocket and stared at a crack in the wall.
Someone’s phone vibrated. “What’s happening?” Viktor asked. After a minute of choppy conversation, he breathed out a heavy sigh. “Claude has a lead on our Mage.”
Shepherd looked toward the doorway.
“Is that why he canceled the auction?” Wyatt asked.
“Nyet. The Mage is not aware they’re tracking him down. They’re following a woman, and they plan to rescue the infant. This is good if we can separate him from the child. Keep searching for bids; perhaps he wanted higher offers or was testing the waters to see how many fish would bite.”
“Who’s the woman?” Blue asked.
“Claude did not say. But we have a name for our Mage. Cristo.”
Shepherd stepped closer.
“Last name?” Wyatt pressed.
“That is all I have.”
And that was all Shepherd needed. As he pivoted on his heel to head to a quiet room, he ran into Niko.
“Going somewhere?” Niko asked, tilting his head to one side.
“You’re one nosy Chinaman.”
Niko smiled impatiently. “I’m not Chinese, and you’re trying to instigate something so I’ll leave you alone. Viktor gave us orders to remain here until summoned.”
Niko knew him all too well. Shepherd never made derogatory remarks about his team, but he needed Niko to back off so he could make a call. He also needed to stay calm since Niko could read his energy, so he took a long drag off his cigarette, smoke tingling on his tongue as he drew in a deep breath.
“If it’s all the same to you, I’d like some privacy. Sit in the hall if you want to play watchman, but I’m going into that study, and I’m going to shut the door and smoke my cigarette. Obviously nobody around here needs my help.”
Regret flickered in Niko’s blue eyes. “Your contributions are valued.”
“Viktor’s afraid I’ll flip. I get it. Look, we each have a tattoo that binds us like brothers, and brothers have each other’s backs. Think about that the next time you’re in a tight spot with Viktor and need someone to lean on.”
He clapped his hand on Niko’s shoulder and walked past him into an empty room. After closing the soundproof door, he struck a match and lit one of the lanterns on the wall. Because there were so many rooms in the mansion, most of them weren’t used. Some were bereft of furniture, and others were storage spaces for antiques that had come with the estate. With the cigarette between his lips, Shepherd swiped his finger across his phone and called Patrick.
“Give me just a moment,” Patrick answered, putting Shepherd on hold. After a minute, his voice came back on. “I’m sorry for that; I was in a meeting.”
Shepherd blew out a breath of smoke. “I have a name.”
“Grand.”
“It’s Cristo.”
There was a short pause. “C-r-i-s-t-o?”
“I didn’t win the spelling bee,” Shepherd retorted. “But here’s the deal: I want him. Give me whatever information you can, and we’ll be square. I need it fast, and I need it now.”
“If that’s what you desire. I have to make another call.”
“I’ll be here.”
Shepherd paced. He wanted to get a jump on this while Wyatt was still preoccupied with the auction fiasco.
After five minutes, his phone vibrated. “Yeah?”
“I’ll have what you need this evening. I’m sorry, but that’s the best I can do. I can only go as fast as the men who work for me. Will an address suffice?”
“So long as it isn’t an apartment on the corner of Morningstar. Dead end.”
No sense in visiting an apartment blown to pieces. Shepherd needed new information, and chances were this guy owned a second residence. Smart criminals didn’t box themselves in with only one car and one house. Cristo had been doing this long enough that by now he’d learned how to keep his hands clean.
Patrick’s voice took on a more pleasant cadence. “I can assure you that we’ll have this resolved by the evening. But I want to be clear that the information I give you will absolve me from any further debt owed, regardless of the outcome. Obtaining this information puts me in a precarious situation, so I hope you understand. Otherwise, I’m more than happy to pursue this individual at my own speed.”
“I’ll wait for your call.”
“Very well, Mr. Moon.”
Shepherd stubbed the butt of his cigarette in a marble ashtray. After putting out the lantern, he stepped into the hall and immediately noticed something was off. Hurried footfalls sounded from around the corner, and Niko was nowhere to be seen. Shepherd rounded the corner and caught sight of Blue’s long brown hair flapping behind her like a ribbon in the wind as she ran toward the stairs and disappeared. When he reached Wyatt’s room, he peered inside. The lights were on, a half-eaten MoonPie was on the keyboard, and the laptop displayed an auction room.
But not a soul remained.
Chapter 19
When the rear door to the van swung open, the long-haired Vampire from our previous visit greeted us with a sardonic smile.