Keystone (Crossbreed #1)(50)
“I need to speak with you,” Viktor said, approaching Blue and putting his arm around her. “It’s about a job.”
She peered over her shoulder and nodded at me as they walked off. The axe handle subtly bobbed against the side of her jacket, something I’d never paid attention to before. I couldn’t imagine why Blue would arm herself in the house, but it made me consider going upstairs and retrieving my weapons.
Despite all the amenities, I was confined to the property. Without a car or the city nearby, I couldn’t leave like everyone else. They all had something to do—assignments. Not that my status diminished what I’d already done for them, but it still left me wandering the halls aimlessly.
I jumped when a shirtless Shepherd emerged from the adjoining room, his body encased in sweat. He moved past me without a word, his muscles taut like a thoroughbred just after a race. I flicked a glance at a few scars on his chest.
Only two people in the house gave me nervous butterflies: Shepherd and Christian. Shepherd looked like a hardened man just released from prison. His dark eyes carried a haunting emptiness that I’d seen in my own reflection, except that his was too far gone, as if every sense of innocence and goodness had been stripped away from him. His buzz cut showed off rich, dark hair that matched his pensive eyebrows. He was over six feet of ripped muscle, with a warrior’s face and a penetrating gaze that could strike fear in anyone unfortunate enough to cross his path. Even the tattoo of a phoenix on his right arm and across his shoulder was intimidating. It spread across his chest and looked like it stretched to his back, but I didn’t turn around to watch him going.
Christian, on the other hand, was a Vampire. That alone earned him a spot on my “Do not trust” list. Most immortals spoke without a filter, but Vampires were cunning at masking their emotions with humor and indifference, when in truth they were plotting your demise. How does a man go from being a killer, to a bodyguard, and then back to hunting killers? Clearly Christian hadn’t quite figured his shit out.
Viktor pairing me up with a Vampire was like the universe giving me the finger.
As I turned down another hall, I overheard voices coming from behind one of the closed doors. I didn’t have exceptional hearing like a pureblood Vampire, so I tiptoed over to the door. Viktor had mentioned that some of the rooms were soundproof, but not this one. I recognized Viktor speaking.
“Are you familiar with this area?”
“I think so,” Blue said, her voice more distant. “Do you think he’ll have poachers?”
“Nyet. He does not come from the Old World. In my time, men were always prepared for spies. Get as close as you can without putting yourself in danger.”
“Are you sure your source is reliable?”
“Whether Darius changes his mind is another matter, but we cannot dismiss an opportunity.”
“And if he moves?”
“Follow,” Viktor said tersely.
“If he leaves the property, do you want me to call in for backup?”
I could tell Viktor was pacing around the room by the way his voice shifted direction and volume. “He has reservations at a Breed restaurant. I cannot initiate an execution in such a public place. We have an end goal, but you must always consider how you choose to reach that goal.”
I pressed my ear closer to the door.
“Do we have enough evidence?” she asked.
“Sufficient. Wyatt gave me an update and linked all the businesses to an area of land that once belonged to Darius. His motive for extortion is evident. It was no secret to me that Darius was arrested many years ago, but after Wyatt’s discovery, I called a close friend of mine. He knows this area well and said it was commonplace that those who served time in Breed jail had to relinquish their land. The higher authority must have noticed the growing human population and wanted to create more division since many locations were a mixture of the two.”
I heard Blue’s boot heels as she trod across the room. “Wow. So the authorities stripped away his land, and once free, he couldn’t get it back because they sold it to humans. What was he in jail for?”
Viktor laughed, and it was a warm, sonorous sound. “What do you think? The very thing he is doing now. Extorting people for money. That is how I received the tip to open his case. Darius was acquiring money too quickly, and it caught the attention of the higher authority when he was buying and selling expensive properties. They suspected he was back to his old habits but had no proof. There were rumors of wealthy humans turning up dead, but the higher authority couldn’t question the victims’ families because it goes against our laws.”
“What do you want me to do if he moves to a more private location? There’s always that possibility.”
It sounded like someone was tapping their foot on the floor.
“Nyet. It will be daylight. Too much risk,” he said, his accent heavier.
“Too much opportunity,” she suggested.
“If we’re caught and endanger the reputation of the higher authority—who is paying us—we will be cut off like a necrotic limb. Just follow. We need to confirm if the information Raven gave us is correct—that he’s staying in this house. Follow the vehicle and identify him. When you get to the restaurant, shift back and call me with an update.”
“Are you sure, Viktor? We could surround him and—”