Edge of Night (6 page)

“Gods, Erin.” His body responded to that offer, his cock going as rigid as steel when all the blood in his brain rushed south. He had no trouble picturing several positions they could try in her kitchen alone. Fuck, yeah. His fingers gripped the steering wheel and he had to remind himself that he still had work to do. He strangled a groan and forced his hands to relax. “It’s a deal. I might even make you beg before I let you feed me.”

“Mmm, nice.” Her voice turned low and throaty, which did nothing to make his erection subside. “I look forward to it.”

It took him several minutes after they hung up before he could get himself under enough control to climb out of his car and walk toward the elevator. He punched the button for the floor with the morgue on it. Time to stop in and see what Tess had discovered.

He stepped out and glanced right, into the windowed room where autopsies were performed. Empty. A moan jerked his attention to the left and he saw Tess in her office. Her back to him, she was wrapped in the arms of one of his agents. Peyton, a werewolf who’d brought her into the local pack after a wolf terrorist had illegally Changed her. The All-Magickal Council had harsh laws for that, and Luca had personally hunted that terrorist cell down.

But now she was tearing at Peyton’s clothes, her body arching into his. The two men’s gazes collided, and Luca felt like a voyeur. Peyton growled, the possessive sound of a male animal. Shocking from a guy who was usually stoic to the point of silence. Luca nodded to the other man, acknowledging his claim to a woman Luca had once loved more than his next breath.

Stumbling back into the elevator car, Luca could only be grateful the doors hadn’t even had a chance to close yet. Time to get the hell out of here. He stabbed the button to go up to his floor while he heard the door to Tess’s office slam.

He blew out a breath and realized he…wasn’t upset. Surprised to have walked into the middle of a tryst, but not upset. He’d known for some time that Peyton and Tess were an item, though they didn’t broadcast the fact. The first time he’d seen them out together in public was the first night he’d gone to bed with Erin, as a way to shove Tess from his mind and prove he was as immune to her as she was to him.

It had been a lie. Then. But somehow in the last year, the lie had become the truth. The shift had been so subtle he hadn’t noticed until now. It stunned him, bowling him over. Tess had despised him for the lies the All-Magickal Council forced every Magickal to tell, blamed him for her life being torn apart by werewolves. It wasn’t logical—
he
wasn’t the terrorist who had Changed her, he was just the lover who’d been deceiving her at the time—but hate often wasn’t logical. That was two years ago. Her loathing had combined with his helpless shame and guilt at being unable to save her from what she’d been through. Every insult she’d hurled at him had burned like acid for so long he’d become numb to it. Somewhere along the way, he’d gotten over it.

He didn’t love her anymore
.

Another realization that floored him. He should have seen it when he’d been more annoyed than agonized by her cutting comments, but he hadn’t. His thoughts reeled, but he didn’t have time to consider any of it. The elevator opened and the hissing shriek of a thoroughly irate female vampire split the air.

Ah, fuck. He was in for it now.

Chapter Three

“Agent Cavalli.” The receptionist glanced up from his post, a burly elf who’d been known to knock a few skulls together if suspects got disorderly. His shaved head made his ebony skin gleam and his slightly pointed ears more prominent. “There are two members of the Vampire Conclave here to see you, sir. They insisted on waiting in your office.”

That shrill female voice spilled from Luca’s office door, and Luca bit back a curse. “Thanks. It was best to keep them out of the way.”

Moving toward the pissed off vampire in his office, Luca braced himself, stuffing all his personal tumult into the deepest corner of his soul. He’d deal with it later. He was going to need all his concentration to get through this meeting.

Fantastic.

“Elinor Hammond has come to devour her prey. I mean, to speak with you.” One of his agents, Delta Dubois, poked her head out of the break room as he walked past. She hummed the theme song to
Jaws
and he snorted.

“Don’t say that too loudly. Drawing Medusa’s eye isn’t wise.”

“Truer words have never been spoken.” She had a massive mug of coffee cradled between her hands and the harried look of someone who’d already had a run-in with Elinor. Delta winced as the other woman’s tone reached a volume that could rupture eardrums. “Better you than me. Good luck, boss.”

“Thank you,” he replied drily. “My father is here with her.”

It wasn’t a question. He could sense the older man’s presence, but Delta answered anyway.

“Yep.” Her cheeks dimpled when she flashed a lascivious grin. Her southern accent deepened when she spoke. “Handsome old devil too. Y’all have some amazing genes in your family.”

He rolled his eyes at that. Delta was a blonde bombshell with curves that didn’t quit, but she worked for him, so she was off-limits. Plus, the mess with Tess made him more than a little wary of even flirting with anyone in the office. Not that Tess worked for him, nor had they worked together when they’d been dating, but still. He had enough problems without adding relationship drama to the mix. “How long have they been waiting?”

“An hour, give or take.” She rocked a hand back and forth through the air while the other hand lifted her coffee to her lips. After taking a deep drag of the liquid caffeine, she sighed.

“Then they won’t mind waiting a few minutes longer, give or take.”

“Ooh, aren’t you playin’ fast and loose with the leaders of our beloved Conclave?” Her grin showed a vampiric fang this time. “That’ll get their panties in a twist.”

“Their shorts are permanently in a wad. That’s not my problem.” He shrugged. “What do you know about the Hammond boy?”

“Jack said you’d want to know about that, so I put some stuff together for you.” Gesturing for him to follow her, she went to her desk and flipped open a file. “His pre-school and kindergarten teachers thought he was a good kid, smart, high marks in his classes. Too quiet and in need of more socialization.” She tapped a bright red fingernail against a page in the file. “One of them remarked that the father was a bit too strict. That’s it for the schools. Medical records were more revealing.”

“And not in a good way.”

“No, sir. Not even a little.” She slid aside the top file so she could open a much thicker one.

He crossed his arms and propped a hip against the desk. “Tell me.”

“There were a number of accidents, sir, but he was taken to different hospital emergency rooms each time.” She hesitated for a moment. “The mother—Cecily—has a similar record. I looked into her too.”

“You think Robert is responsible.”

She inclined her head in acknowledgement. “Much as it might put me out of favor with a lot of folks in the Conclave, yeah. It looks like pretty classic signs for a man who likes to rough up his family.”

Not shocking, but Luca had to conduct this investigation thoroughly. Someone with as many political connections as Hammond would be slippery to convict. “Robert and Cecily will be coming in tomorrow morning for questioning. I want you to talk to her, get a feel for her mental state.”

Delta was the team’s profiler and general psychological expert, so it wasn’t an unusual request. She looked doubtful though. “Elinor made it clear when she got here that both her son and daughter-in-law have lawyered up. I doubt I’ll get much out of Cecily. Probably too scared to talk anyway.”

“Do what you can.” He narrowed his gaze. “Have Peyton and Jack question our main suspect.”

Delta’s eyebrows arched. “A Normal and a wolf with a snobby ass vampire? Oh, he’ll
love
that.”

“Exactly.”

She took another drag from her coffee mug. “I’m sure he’d prefer to speak to you, as the agent in charge.”

“I’m sure he would, but that’s too bad.” He flourished his hand toward his office. “As the agent in charge, I have to deal with Conclave members when they pop in, but I also get to decide if he has to deal with somewhat lower-ranking agents than my esteemed self. The wolf and Normal will handle him.”

Her violet gaze sparkled with impious delight. “I am so watching that interview on the other side of the glass.”

“You’ll be talking to Cecily, but Robert’s interview will be video recorded. Make sure you get a chance to chat with him before he leaves. I want your reading on his mental state.”

“Yes, sir.” She gave him a jaunty salute.

He turned for his office and her off-key humming of
Jaws
followed him as he went. He hated to admit it, but it was an apt theme song for the meeting he was about to have.

Elinor rounded on him the moment he opened the door. “How
dare
you insist on dragging my son in here? He’s been through more than enough. You are supposed to make sure this is easy on him. You’re a vampire—you’re
supposed
to protect your own.”

“Actually, I’m an FBI agent. I’m supposed to uphold the law, and that’s exactly what I intend to do.” Luca allowed the door to swing shut, then moved around to stand behind his desk. A position of authority. He’d need all he could get. “If your son has nothing to hide, then this will be easy on him. As I told him, I expect this investigation to be fairly straightforward. However, I’m glad you’re here, Elinor. I have a few questions for you. Have a seat.”

Her mouth gaped, as if no one had dared contradict her in longer than she could remember. Which was probably pretty close to the truth. The elder Cavalli remained silent, but disapproval came off him in waves. Luca ignored it. There’d be hell to pay later, but he wasn’t compromising his work for anyone.

He stabbed his finger at the seats across from his desk. “Sit.
Down
. If you please.”

She huffed out an insulted breath, but sank gracefully into the chair he’d indicated. His father looked almost amused while he sat as well. Luca lowered himself into his own chair, taking a moment to decide how far to push this conversation.

He folded his hands on the top of his desk. “Thank you. I was hoping you could tell me a bit about Dillon.”

She sighed, looked away. “Oh, all right. I hate to say it about my own flesh and blood, but the child was…defective.”

The inflection of her words, the generations of purebred classism and Magickal racism that were reflected in her tone, made Luca fight not to bristle. One of the many reasons he stayed away from Conclave politics. “Defective how?”

Her shoulders rolled in an uncomfortable shrug. “He was clumsy, bumped into things, bruised easily.”

Perhaps that explained the condition of the boy’s body. “Did he have some sort of illness?”

“In a manner of speaking.” She jutted her jaw when he gave her a pointed look. “He was Normal. Like his mother.”

He blinked. Cecily didn’t have
very little
magical ability, as he’d assumed, but none at all. “Robert didn’t turn her when they married?”

Elinor’s chin lifted. “No, he didn’t.”

Luca sat back, tapping his fingertips together as he absorbed possible ramifications. “Was that her choice or his?”

“His, of course.” She looked startled. “Who wouldn’t want to be a vampire?”

Luca didn’t meet his father’s gaze. They both knew very well that some people wouldn’t want to become a vampire. Luca’s first love hadn’t. He tried not to wince. His track record with women sucked. Tucking those ugly memories of pain and failure away, he blew out a breath. “But because he didn’t turn her, his children had a fifty-fifty chance of being born Normal.”

Her mouth formed a moue. “Really, everyone knows the vampire gene is the dominant one. The child was born with some unfortunate recessive…conditions.”

“Like bruising easily. And clumsiness.” Or just not having the advanced abilities that magic leant a vampire. Poor kid. Luca clamped his mouth shut on words he shouldn’t say, struggled to keep the rage off his face. Hammond had married a Normal and kept her weak and helpless when he didn’t have to, and then his family had turned their backs on a child who’d dared to be born weak and helpless as well. What a fucked up, horrible situation.

“Yes.” Elinor brushed at the sleeve of her silk blouse. “Well, of course, we would have turned him when he came of age, but the law forbids turning children.”

“I’m well aware of the law.”

Her glance was both indulgent and condescending. “Of course, you are, dear. You’re a Cavalli.”

“I’m also an FBI agent. My job is to help enforce those laws.” His eyes met his father’s when he said it, and by the way the older man’s gaze went steely, Luca knew his message had been delivered. Don’t think he’d look the other way on this case. Don’t think that because Robert was a vampire, he’d have any leeway with Luca.

That wouldn’t please his father, the Conclave leaders or most vampires he knew. So be it. It wouldn’t be his first unpopular decision. He doubted it would be his last.

Rising to his feet, he offered a hand to Elinor. “Thank you for your help. It’s put a great deal into perspective. I’ll still have a few questions about details of what happened this morning for Robert and Cecily, but we’ll try to keep it brief.”