Read Online There'll be Hell to Pay (Hellcat Series Book 6) by Sharon Hannaford - Free Book Online Page A

Julius. All of them would lay down their lives for her, and
she would do the same for them. She knew that word of her unguarded
moment would never leave these walls either.
    “ We’ve dealt with three confirmed cases so far,” Julius began,
his voice a low rumble above her head, giving her time to compose
herself. “Three that have been tried and found guilty by the
Princeps. They were executed without delay. There was another case
where the Master had been making plans but hadn’t actually followed
through with any of them, so he wasn’t executed. We’re currently
following up another suspected case.”
    There was the
faintest clink of glass on the small table to Gabi’s left, and the
enticing aroma of a hearty Merlot teased her nostrils. She pulled
away from Julius, brushing away tears, before reaching for the
glass with a nod of thanks to Alexander. She was hesitant to meet
his eyes, not sure she could deal with sympathy or compassion, but
when she did, all she found was calm determination.
    She buried her
nose in the wine glass and leaned back into Julius’s side as
Razor’s purr deepened, her anxiety levels tempered by the quiet
strength of those around her. Three Vampires, a Werewolf, a Dhampir
and a crazy cat—if anyone could get her mother back in one piece,
it was the six of them.
    “ It’s highly unlikely that Duncan, the Master who wasn’t
executed, would try something like this,” Julius continued. “He’s a
plotter, but not much of a doer, hence the leniency of the Princep
Council. He’s well known for planning all kinds of mischief, but
never actually gets around to perpetrating anything. He was
stripped of his Mastership and is indentured to the Council for the
next hundred years. He’d have little access to the people or funds
required to pull off a kidnapping of this calibre.”
    “ And our current case is so far unaware of SID’s interest,”
Alexander put in. “I only received the intel two days ago.” Despite
being relegated to the City, Alexander was still an integral part
of the initial investigations. One of his responsibilities was to
sort through all tip-offs and information sent to SID from all over
the world and to sift out the important cases, then to arrange
preliminary inquiries into the case before handing it onto Gabi and
Julius. Once they were handed the file, it was up to them to obtain
proof of the unlawful activity, generally only achieved by
travelling to some far-flung part of the world, and then
apprehending the culprit. If it was deemed too dangerous to take
the offender, or offenders, into custody, they could call on the
Princep Enforcers to do the apprehending for them, but so far
they’d done it on their own. Very few Vampires were able to resist
Julius’s power over them. It would take a well-prepared army to
stop Julius, and even then, there was no guarantee who would come
out the victor. Alexander broke Gabi’s reverie. “Of the other three
I would say that only Sergei’s Clan would hold enough of a grudge
to try something like this.”
    Fergus grunted
in what Gabi assumed was agreement. “Aye, there isnae much left ay
Isabella’s Clan, an’ their new Master willnae tak’ kindly tae any
ay them steppin’ out ay line.”
    Gabi grimaced;
Isabella’s case had certainly stood out from the rest. She had been
an older Vampire and had had her sights set on joining the Princep
Council, only she hadn’t been powerful enough. She was, so far, the
only one who had perpetrated her crimes with the full,
knowledgeable agreement of the majority of her Clan.
    “ While most are doing this in secret,” Gabi told Kyle, seeing
his confused frown, “only trusting a handful of lieutenants or
their Consorts with the truth of what they’re up to, Isabella
included a large portion of her Clan in her crimes. All those found
to be colluding with their Master or House-leader are tried and
punished in the same manner. The Princeps executed not only her,
but more than