Midnight Marked (Chicagoland Vampires, #12)(53)

His tone was vulgar, obviously intended to incite Ethan, embarrass me. But I’d seen enough of Reed to be unsurprised. I glanced again at Sorcha, intrigued and baffled. If the comment bothered her, she didn’t show it. Then again, Reed was manipulative, controlling. Maybe she was under his thumb, too.

Ethan dropped the glamour but bared his fangs. If he’d been wearing his katana, he’d probably have pulled that, too. “Stay away from her, and from the rest of my House.”

But Reed was enjoying himself now. “Why should I? Your entire community is a mess, and that’s just one sliver of our city. Do you know how many murders occurred in this city last year?”

“No, but I imagine you had a hand in most of them.”

Reed shook his head. “Tsk-tsk, Ethan. I didn’t, of course. And the answer is, too many. Chicago is, in your parlance, a disaster.”

“And you’re going to save it?”

“Not that it’s your concern, but let’s say I’m less troubled by the end result than the profitable middle. My job involves evaluating financial opportunity. Chicago has that in spades. Hypothetically speaking, a man with connections in both legitimate and illegitimate worlds would bring order and efficiency to a city that wastes time and resources on people who refuse to do their part.”

My brain tripped back to Cyrius Lore and the conversation in his office, to the order he’d mentioned, Reed’s “plan.” Lore had believed Reed was a messiah. I wasn’t sure if that was spin by Reed or na?veté by Lore, but it was wrong either way.

“So which is it?” Ethan asked. “Do you want the money or the power?”

Reed clucked his tongue. “You know better, Ethan. Money and power are inseparable. Money begets power; power begets opportunity; and opportunity begets more money.”

Reed should have that motto inscribed in his ouroboros, if it wasn’t already. Probably explained why he called his organization the Circle.

“Power,” Reed said, “is the only game worth winning.”

Ethan went rigid. “Chicago isn’t a prize for you to buy with dirty money.”

“Don’t be dramatic,” Reed said. “This isn’t Gotham, and you aren’t some tragic superhero. This is the real world. People want money and power, so they respect money and power. I have both, so they respect me for it. And if you’re smart, you’ll heed it and walk away right now.” He slid his reptilian gaze to me. “Before anyone gets hurt.”

Ethan’s magic flared again, this time with heat. “I’ve already told you once to stay away from her.”

Ethan, he’s baiting you.

Stay out of this. Even in my head, his voice was edgy, angry.

I wanted to drag him back, to push Reed away. But that wouldn’t have helped anything. I wasn’t sure there was anything we could do right now that wouldn’t make things worse.

Reed couldn’t have heard the byplay, but his gaze said he realized it was there. “Fortunately, you have no control over me. Which must irritate you greatly.”

“What irritates me is your arrogance.”

Reed smiled easily. “You want to hit me, don’t you?”

Ethan’s expression was grim. “More than anything else.”

It was an obvious ploy. But Ethan would have known he was being baited, and wouldn’t have cared.

“Then take your shot, vampire. I dare you.”

Ethan stepped forward.

The air suddenly buzzed with steel and guns. Cops appeared at our sides, weapons drawn. “Step back!” said one of them to Ethan. “Step back, and get your hands in the air, very slowly.”

Reed had cast the bait, and Ethan had taken a bite. Now we’d pay the price.

Ethan’s jaw clenched with unmitigated fury, but he didn’t move. “Whatever you may be, whomever you may have in your pocket, you are, at heart, a coward.”

Reed shook his head ruefully, put a protective arm around Sorcha’s waist. “As we expected, Officer, they continue to stalk and threaten my family.”

“Hands in the goddamn air,” the cop said again, tension rising as Ethan and Reed stared at each other.

I could see Ethan wanted to move. He wanted to ignore the cops, step forward, and give back some of the pain Reed had caused us. But that wouldn’t have helped. It wouldn’t have done anything but land us in even more trouble.

Step back, Ethan, I said. Now.

I will have my chance at him, Sentinel. For all that he has done to us, I will have my chance at him.

Not here, and not now.

It took Ethan a long moment to weigh justice against consequence, honor against action.

He is mine, Ethan said, but took a step back, lifted his hands into the air.

The cop stepped forward, pulled Ethan’s arms behind him, forced him to his knees. A second cop did the same thing to me. I winced as I hit the ground hard, my bare knees scraping across the rough stone of the path. My arms were wrenched behind me, my wrists zip-tied together, because I was obviously a threat in a ball gown and stilettos.

“You should use two ties,” Reed said. “I understand that’s more effective on vampires.”

The cop was last on the list of people I hoped to battle tonight. Reed, for being an unmitigated monster, was number one on the list. Sorcha, for just watching as the officers cuffed us, was second. And Ethan, whose stubborn ass had gotten us into this, fell in at third.