Read Online Bloody Heretic by Emily Barker - Free Book Online Page B

sat. “ Now, I understand you showed some interest in our Ivana. She won ’ t shut up about her offer to dance in America, in fact. I ’ m sure you understand that it was wrong to get her hopes up about something so impossible.” He smiled at her but it looked to her like he might be having a stroke.
        “ I don ’ t see why it should be impossible. It would be a sound investment for the both of o ur businesses. I ’ m sure you would want a percentage of her cut. I pay all my girls handsomely.” He seemed to think on her offer but she knew this rat didn ’ t really control Ivana ’ s fate. He was a pawn. Boris Aleksandrov was the man they were after.
        “ I ’ m sure you do. The real problem is that I can ’ t let her go. She belongs to Boris and he will never let her go, not without something substantial in return. And I don ’ t mean money.” He opened his pudgy hands to show that it was beyond his control. She took a deep breath, growing tired of his game. A quick thought sent out to the guards outside the main door and they were under her control. They were effectively blacked out but still appearing to be conscious to anyone who bothered to look. She didn ’ t hear any electronics running inside the room.
        “ Where is Boris?” She watched with satisfaction as the stupid grin he had been giving her fell, his mental walls falling as quickly. Nobody kept Jeanne out if she wanted in.
        “ He ’ s out on business. H e didn ’ t say where,” he answered robotically.
        “ When will he be back?”
        “ Tomorrow night. He said tomorrow night.” Sweat was dripping from his temples as he fought her, ratting out his boss was against his nature. She let him think he had a snowballs chance in hell, just for the fun of it.
        “ Tell me,” she said as she decided to finally sit, “ did Boris promise to help Dante of Orleans with his ridiculous plans of world domination or did he just receive the goods for staying out of the way?”
        “ I d on ’ t know. He doesn ’ t talk to me about things like that. I just run the club for him.” He was telling the truth. She drummed her fingers on the desk.
        “ Alright, how about this? Where do the girls stay when they ’ re not working?”
        “ The compound.” Cryp tic. She glared at him and he flinched. “ There are four stories of underground tunnels below us. The girls and most of the guard stay below.”
        “ Excellent. Where do you stay?” She asked out of curiosity.
        “ I have a house in the country. I only come in on the days Boris tells me to.” His skin was soaked as he tried his hardest to keep from answering her.
        “ How nice for you. How do you gain access to the compound?”
        “ There are two ways in. One is throug h the girl ’ s dressing room. The other is used as an emergency e xit. It leads out to the river. The security teams are the only ones with access beside Boris and myself.”
        “ Very good, Val. We ’ re almost done. Tell me how many Werewolves do you have employ ed here.”
        “ Sixteen of the thirty girls are Weres. Only ten to fifteen of the bunch work a night. We switch them out in shifts so none of them are bled out.”
        “ That ’ s considerate,” she said and he nodded as if he really thought it was. “ Why keep them drugged?”
        “ Keeps them docile.” She couldn ’ t stand to be in the room with him any longer. His stench was the least of the reasons why.
        “ Go to sleep, Val,” sh e ordered. His eyes rolled back as his head hit the desk with a thunk. She leaned in to w hisper in his ear. “ You ’ ll wake up as soon as I leave the room. All you will remember is my offer of $60,000 for Ivana, which you generously decided to consider. You will tell Boris of the offer and convince him to see me at his convenience tomorrow night. I will be back to receive an answer then.” She sent the