some point. So we should all be in…or all out. Don’t you think?”
Chalton frowned. “It’s not that simple.”
“Yes, it really is.” Theo clicked some levers on the dash. “Let’s fight about that once we figure out who’s trying to draw the three of us out at once.”
“Good plan,” Chalton said, leaning his head back and reaching for Olivia.
She blinked as he wrapped his huge hand around hers. Warmth and an odd feeling of safety filtered through her. She didn’t know him, she sure as heck didn’t understand him, but somehow, that simple touch calmed her as nothing else could have.
Of course, that just gave her one more thing to worry about. How would a vampire react to blackmail? She, unfortunately, was probably going to find out.
CHAPTER SEVEN
After Theo had landed the helicopter on the roof, Chalton led a subdued Olivia down the stairwell to the penthouse suite of one of the legendary apartment buildings in New York. How many laws had he broken by letting her know that vampires, Kurjans, and shifters existed? Probably enough to get them both killed.
Treason had become an unfortunate byproduct of his current mission. “That’s why I stick to the control room,” he muttered.
“What?” she asked, stumbling into him.
“Nothing.” He also didn’t like the silence coming from his younger brother, who took up the rear. It was almost as if Chalton could feel the guy thinking things through. Man, he’d missed his brother. Why hadn’t he reached out before now? Fighting a war seemed like a lame excuse. He had to make things right.
They reached the vestibule, and Chalton punched in a code near the door.
“Where are we?” Olivia whispered as they entered the grand foyer of an opulent penthouse.
“Our great-uncle Benny’s New York home,” Chalton said, drawing her inside.
She glanced down at the sparkling fifties-style marble. “You have the code?”
“Sure.” Chalton pressed a button near the door, and heavy drapes swung open across the living room to reveal the New York skyline. “He’s in Europe this time of year, so his place is open for anybody needing to camp out.” Chalton waited until Theo had entered and shut the door, leaning back against it, after assisting her out of her jacket. “Talk,” he ordered.
Theo flushed. “Well, none of this makes sense.”
“Who hired you?” Chalton released Olivia’s hand, and she moved past him and headed straight for the floor to ceiling windows and incredible snow-filled view. “Time to talk, Theo.”
He nodded. “That’s just it. I was hired by, well, mom.”
Chalton stilled, the hair on the back of his neck rising. “Excuse me?”
Theo shrugged. “Mom is involved in a group investing heavily in different enterprises, and some of those are pharmaceutical facilities the Realm has used to research and manufacture the virus that formerly impacted vampire mates. Their stock has risen, mainly because of byproduct research, so mom’s making a killing.”
Chalton rocked back on his heels. “So she and her group hired you to track down Olivia? And do what? Kill her?”
Theo snorted. “Of course not. I’m supposed to bribe her to let the story go.”
Chalton frowned, his mind spinning. “Was it mom’s idea for you to go after Olivia?”
Theo frowned, his eyes sizzling. “No. Well, I don’t think so. It seems like she mentioned one of her partners suggesting we tamp down on the articles talking about possible immortals.”
Chalton nodded. “Okay. Go get mom, and get all the information you can. In fact, bring her here, just in case she’s in danger from whomever is trying to get us all involved in this. Find out who told her to hire you.” He reached for his phone and called Jared, having kept tabs of his brother’s location and contact information through the years. “Where are you?” he asked when his brother snapped a greeting.
“On my way to have a little discussion with the group that hired me. Somebody
Chalton frowned. “It’s not that simple.”
“Yes, it really is.” Theo clicked some levers on the dash. “Let’s fight about that once we figure out who’s trying to draw the three of us out at once.”
“Good plan,” Chalton said, leaning his head back and reaching for Olivia.
She blinked as he wrapped his huge hand around hers. Warmth and an odd feeling of safety filtered through her. She didn’t know him, she sure as heck didn’t understand him, but somehow, that simple touch calmed her as nothing else could have.
Of course, that just gave her one more thing to worry about. How would a vampire react to blackmail? She, unfortunately, was probably going to find out.
CHAPTER SEVEN
After Theo had landed the helicopter on the roof, Chalton led a subdued Olivia down the stairwell to the penthouse suite of one of the legendary apartment buildings in New York. How many laws had he broken by letting her know that vampires, Kurjans, and shifters existed? Probably enough to get them both killed.
Treason had become an unfortunate byproduct of his current mission. “That’s why I stick to the control room,” he muttered.
“What?” she asked, stumbling into him.
“Nothing.” He also didn’t like the silence coming from his younger brother, who took up the rear. It was almost as if Chalton could feel the guy thinking things through. Man, he’d missed his brother. Why hadn’t he reached out before now? Fighting a war seemed like a lame excuse. He had to make things right.
They reached the vestibule, and Chalton punched in a code near the door.
“Where are we?” Olivia whispered as they entered the grand foyer of an opulent penthouse.
“Our great-uncle Benny’s New York home,” Chalton said, drawing her inside.
She glanced down at the sparkling fifties-style marble. “You have the code?”
“Sure.” Chalton pressed a button near the door, and heavy drapes swung open across the living room to reveal the New York skyline. “He’s in Europe this time of year, so his place is open for anybody needing to camp out.” Chalton waited until Theo had entered and shut the door, leaning back against it, after assisting her out of her jacket. “Talk,” he ordered.
Theo flushed. “Well, none of this makes sense.”
“Who hired you?” Chalton released Olivia’s hand, and she moved past him and headed straight for the floor to ceiling windows and incredible snow-filled view. “Time to talk, Theo.”
He nodded. “That’s just it. I was hired by, well, mom.”
Chalton stilled, the hair on the back of his neck rising. “Excuse me?”
Theo shrugged. “Mom is involved in a group investing heavily in different enterprises, and some of those are pharmaceutical facilities the Realm has used to research and manufacture the virus that formerly impacted vampire mates. Their stock has risen, mainly because of byproduct research, so mom’s making a killing.”
Chalton rocked back on his heels. “So she and her group hired you to track down Olivia? And do what? Kill her?”
Theo snorted. “Of course not. I’m supposed to bribe her to let the story go.”
Chalton frowned, his mind spinning. “Was it mom’s idea for you to go after Olivia?”
Theo frowned, his eyes sizzling. “No. Well, I don’t think so. It seems like she mentioned one of her partners suggesting we tamp down on the articles talking about possible immortals.”
Chalton nodded. “Okay. Go get mom, and get all the information you can. In fact, bring her here, just in case she’s in danger from whomever is trying to get us all involved in this. Find out who told her to hire you.” He reached for his phone and called Jared, having kept tabs of his brother’s location and contact information through the years. “Where are you?” he asked when his brother snapped a greeting.
“On my way to have a little discussion with the group that hired me. Somebody
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