by Diane Darcy
“No. I’m fine.” He threw a hand up in the air. “I’m as fine as I can be, anyway. My best friend is dead, and I don’t know what to think about it.”
“Ye smell of guilt. Is that because ye murdered him?”
At that, Dimitri straightened his spine, and slapped his hands down on the table top, making Lena jump.
William placed a hand on her shoulder, and glared at the vampire across from him. “Control yerself, and answer the question.”
“Of course, I didn’t murder him! I would never. I loved him, you know? Like a brother.”
“Do ye want tae change yer story?”
Dmitri receded back in his chair again, his face taking on a soft expression as he let out a weary sigh. “No.”
“Well, let’s go through it again, anyway.”
William paced to the wall, leaned back against it, and crossed his arms. “Ye were sitting beside Emilio at the slot machines. We have ye on camera handin’ him drinks all night. Did ye put something intae it? Poison, perhaps?”
“No!” Tears filled Dimitri’s eyes. “I was handing everyone drinks! I was closest to the waitress delivering them!”
“What about Bianca?” Lena asked. “We saw her standing between you and Emilio.”
Dimitri wiped his eyes. “What about her?”
“She was there, with you. She put something in Emilio’s bucket of coins. Is there a chance she poisoned him?”
“No! Absolutely not!” Dimitri shook his head vehemently. “Bianca loves Emilio…” He started to tear up again… “I mean, she loved him, more than anything. Have you seen her? Where is she? Is she all right?”
“Emilio is dead. What do ye think?” William said.
Dimitri shook his head, his gaze dropping to the table. Then he stood so suddenly Lena jumped.
William put a steadying hand on her shoulder.
“I need to go to her! I need to comfort her! You need to let me out of here.” He immediately headed for the door, and William stepped in front of him, his bulk effectively stopping the smaller man in his tracks.
Dimitri cringed back.
“If ye’re so worried about her, why didnae ye mention her before? Why didnae I ken immediately that she was part of yer group?”
“Because we are used to protecting our female vampires!” Dimitri straightened, seeming to gather his courage. “Rule number one in a nest is never mention the females. That could lead to them getting stolen, as they are so rare. Now move! I need to go to her!”
“What was it that Bianca put inside Emilio’s bucket?”
“What are you talking about? I have no idea! The two of them are thick as thieves…were thick as thieves.” His shoulders drooped a bit. “It was probably just a little game they were playing, nothing at all.”
Something flickered across Dimitri’s face.
“What?” William’s gaze narrowed.
“I’ve said that they are close. I don’t know how to say it any clearer.”
“But ye were going tae say something else, weren’t ye? Ye were thinkin’ it, anyway. What do ye ken?”
“Nothing! I’m just upset! That’s all you saw.” Dimitri pressed his hands to his face and started to sob again.
William looked toward Lena who looked very sympathetic, and William didn’t want her thinking he was a bully, so he pressed a gentle hand on the man’s shoulder, and in a much calmer tone said, “Come, man. Have a seat. We’re done for now.”
He led Dimitri back to his chair, and as the other man sank down, held his hand out to Lena.
Once they were out in the hall, he said, “We’re not going tae get any more out of him. Best let him be for now.”
Next, they went to see Heath. The moment they walked into the room, they could see the blond was more composed than his friend.
Once Lena was sitting, William leaned against the wall, crossed his arms, and asked, “Do ye want to change yer story?”
The other man crossed his arms as well, perhaps trying to imitate William, or show he was undisturbed by the entire process. His cool blue eyes were assessing. “No.”
“Emilio was poisoned. Ye had naught tae do with it?”
“I did not.”
“We ken that Bianca was with ye, and that she put somethin’ in Emilio’s bucket. Ye were right there when she kissed somethin’ and put it in his bucket. Did she poison him?”
“Not that I know of. And I can’t see it happening.”
Lena cleared her throat. “Do you have any idea who will inherit Emilio’s possessions?”
That finally got a reaction out of him, and his lips curled, a slightly contemptuous twist. “Our queen, of course.”
“Check yerself.” William's voice deepened on a threat.
Heath’s gaze went between Lena and William and the contempt quickly faded before he gave a curt nod.
William asked a few more questions, but he didn’t really feel like the man was going to give them anything.
“Lass? Is there aught else ye wish tae ask?”
Lena shook her head, and they left the room to find Caleb waiting. “Lena. You’re looking nice today.”
William made a growling noise low in his throat.
“Uh, yes, anyway, there are rumors going around the casino about murder, and we’re attempting to keep it quiet, but I don’t think that’s going to work for much longer.”
William sighed. This wasn’t good. He knew how things could blow up and cause problems quickly. “Cut Dimitri and Heath loose. Give them back their phones, and give them ten grand to gamble with. We’ll go from there. Hopefully, it will help tae see them out and about. I do want them watched. Has there been any word from Dorinda?”
“Not yet.”
William was glad about that, but surprised, too. He’d thought Bianca would have quickly called Dorinda, but he would simply be grateful for as long as it lasted.
Not only did he want answers, but he was definitely going to need them for her.
They walked down the hallway to William’s office again. Lena was looking forward to the solitude, and some time to think. Just before they reached the office, Bianca Russo entered the security area, shoving the doors wide open, glancing around the room, her gaze landing on William and Lena.
She crossed the room, looking genuinely distressed, and Lena felt very sorry for her. To lose a family member, especially to murder … she couldn’t even imagine.
“I want to claim Emilio’s car. I’m his sister, and it’s my right.”
Wow. Really? So much for grief-stricken.
William pushed the door to his office open, and gestured with his hand. “Please, come in, and we’ll discuss this.”
Bianca looked like she wanted to argue for a moment, her expression one of frustration, but her face cleared, and she gave a quick nod. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” She walked into the room in front of them and Lena followed. William shut the door and leaned against it.
“Now, what’s this all about?”
“I told you,” she was much calmer now. “I want to claim Emilio’s car, and as his sister, it’s my right.”
“Sister?” William’s tone was skeptical.
“We’re in the same nest, so yes.”
Lena was trying to wrap her head around such coldness. If Olivia died, she certainly wouldn’t be scrambling to collect her possessions.
“I doonae ken whose right it is, but my understandin’ is that any of Emilio’s possessions would go tae Dorinda. Perhaps ye’ll wish tae take that up with her?”
Bianca looked to the left, and then back at them again. “I’m his sister. It’s mine.”
William shrugged. “It’s no’ for me tae decide. And surely no’ tonight, regardless. It will go tae whoever he willed his possessions tae. But only after the investigation, and after we’ve found his murderer.”
“You’re trying to keep it.”
William shook his head. “Nae, I’m not. I’ll no’ be doing that. But I’ll certainly no’ be giving it, willy-nilly, tae whoe
ver shows up tae ask for it.”
“But…” Bianca looked frustrated, distressed, she gripped her hands together tightly, and drew in a deep breath.
“Did you want to ask her about the coin?”
“The coin?” Bianca froze, a barely perceptible stiffening of her spine.
“We have ye on camera,” William said. “Just before Emilio was killed, ye kissed a coin and placed it in his bucket. Would ye like tae tell me what that was about?”
Bianca seemed to stand straighter, her expression one of outrage. “How dare you? We were just having fun! I was only joking around and telling him the coin was lucky since I’d kissed it. You’re trying to turn this on us so you don’t have to give us the payout.”
“Again, I assure ye we are no’. But, with yer brother dead, such a short time ago, I hardly think this is appropriate.”
Again, Bianca’s face lit with rage. “If you don’t give me Emilio’s car, and immediately,” her accent deepened. “I’ll ruin the reputation of the Hemlock.”
William didn’t move away from the door, but to Lena the air suddenly seemed charged with heaviness.
She looked between the two players.
“Do what ye need tae do.” William stated the words simple enough, but looked incredibly intimidating. “I’ll do the same.”
Bianca flinched.
Lena froze. If William leveled that gaze at her, she’d flinch as well. He looked scary, and she was starting to feel sorry for everyone involved. Emilio, his sister, his friends. It was all so sad, but all the same, it wasn’t William’s fault, and she felt sorry for him as well for having to deal with all of it.
“Excuse me,” Bianca said, giving William a pointed look.
For a moment, Lena didn’t think he was going to move, but he finally straightened from the door, gripped the handle, and pulled it open.
With a flip of her long hair, Bianca left.
William sighed, and Lena crossed to him and slipped her hand into his in a silent show of support.
He gave her a slight smile, and squeezed her hand and return.
This wasn’t as fun as she’d expected it to be and the sooner they found out who the murderer was, the better.
Chapter 6
After Bianca left, Caleb, who must have been waiting in the hall, came inside. “Not good?”
William shook his head and didn’t let go of Lena’s hand. “Nae. We may have tae do some damage control. Do ye have anything?”
“Sorry, no. I’ve been keeping my ears open, but no one has come forward to say they’d seen anything. I’ve had some questions coming from the guests.”
“Can ye hold them off?”
“I could, but it would be better coming from you.”
He had a point. William was the face of the casino. “All right, we’ll head down there soon.”
Caleb left, and William turned to Lena and squeezed her hand again. “Ye all right?”
“Fine.”
“Did ye sense anything? With Bianca, or, any of them?”
She looked blank. “No, sorry. It’s just all so sad, isn’t it? I mean, it sounds like they were all just having a good time, and then…”
After a slight pause, his lips twisted. “Murder is a grim business.”
He looked at her for a bit longer, wishing they could stay here, that his responsibilities could be shifted onto another so he could spend more time with Lena. “This isn’t much of a courtship, is it?”
She shrugged her shoulders, and then chuckled. “It could be worse, at least I haven’t been kidnapped this time.”
He grinned, appreciating her attempt to lighten the situation. “That’s it, lass, always look on the bright side.”
Feeling more at ease, he led the way downstairs into the casino and stopped when they hit the casino floor and glanced around. “I want tae try and gauge the crowd, and try and forestall any ugliness. My being visible down here will help, and if anyone has questions, I’ll answer them. Let’s be on the lookout for any witnesses.”
“Sounds good.”
Almost immediately after that, William was spotted. A tall, thin man hurried toward them, and William stepped forward, letting go of Lena’s hand.
“What is going on?” The man shook his head of fluffy dark hair. “What happened to the vampire who won the car?”
“Come with me, and I’ll explain tae everyone at the same time.”
William led the way to the car on display, and stood in front of it. “All right, I understand ye all have questions, and I’m here tae answer them.”
“Where is the winner?” A short, chubby lady with frizzy red hair asked.
“Yes,” her friend, a thin, sandy blonde raised a hand in the air. “We want to know what happened. We’ve been waiting, and we’re hearing things.”
“Why is the car still here?” someone else asked.
“Was he cheating? Did he somehow cheat the machine?”
“Yeah, what’s happening?”
William drew in a breath. “As I said, I’m here tae answer your questions. There’s been an unfortunate incident, and the winner is unable tae come forward.”
“What does that mean? Are we going to get to see him drive away?”
“What time is that going to happen? We’ve been waiting.”
William glanced to his left to see Lena leaning against a slot machine, assured himself she was safe, and raised his hands once more. “I’m afraid I’ve some bad news.”
“He didn’t win?”
“Tis my unfortunate duty tae inform ye all, that there’s been a murder. The young vampire will no’ be claiming the car, but his nest will, of course, take possession of it after the investigation.”
Silence reigned in the room for a long moment before everyone spoke at once.
“Murder!”
“Who’s been murdered?”
“The winner was murdered?”
“Who killed him?”
“When did this happen?”
As William continued to answer to the best of his ability, he scanned the crowd, looking for anyone who stood out.
Once again, his gaze went to Lena. A big, burly, good-looking man was introducing himself to her and it only took him a moment to realize it was Thorne Van Brussel, and barely a moment longer to realize he wanted to kill the man.
Big, blonde, and good with the ladies, he held out his hand to Lena, and she slowly took it. Touching him!
“Well? Are you going to answer our questions?”
William snapped back to the present, rather than the image he had in his head of grabbing Thorne around the neck, and choking the life out of him.
“As I said,” his voice lowered to a growl. “The investigation is ongoing. As soon as we ken what has happened, we’ll be sure tae inform everyone.”
Thorne, still smiling, was moving in, leaning in.
The man had always been good with the ladies, but William had never given it a second thought until now.
Jealousy burned in his gut. What did the other male think he was doing?
With a tug, Lena pulled her hand back, and William sucked in a breath, fighting for control. It was okay. They were no longer touching. This was no time to lose his temper.
He pulled out a tight, teeth-clenching smile for the crowd once more, and was about to answer another question when he clearly heard Thorne say, “You are simply wonderful! Where have you been all my life?”
And that sealed it. Thorne, who he’d never been anything but friendly with, was now enemy number one and he hated the man with profound intensity.
“Are you all right?” A frizzy redhead asked him, looking slightly concerned.
He needed to get control of his beast, who suddenly wanted to get out and rage. He sucked in a breath fighting for control. He was there to calm things down, not make the situation worse.
“I’m fine.” He wanted to wrap this up as quickly as possible. “As I said, the moment we catch the murderer, everyone will know about it. Now, if
ye’ll excuse me?”
A barrage of new questions was directed his way, but he was done. He couldn’t kill his competition — well, he could, but not in front of Lena and everyone else — but that didn’t mean he had to stand by and watch another man paw at his girl.
“Seriously, where have you been all my life?”
Lena glanced around, not sure what she was looking for. Hidden camera maybe? Her gaze snapped back to the guy in front of her, tall, good-looking, and muscular, but it was the look on his face that was freaking her out.
He looked almost, adoring, enslaved? What the heck?
She looked over at William to see if he was taking this in, and he was, and didn’t look happy about it. But he was obviously stuck for the moment. So, she was on her own.
“You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my entire life.”
“Uh…thanks?”
It wasn’t like Lena hadn’t been flirted with before, but this guy was taking it to a new level.
Maybe this sort of schtick worked for him because he was so good looking. And, he was good-looking. Tall, almost as big as William, with dark hair, nice eyes, and a wide, white smile. His gaze was completely fixed on her.
“Have we met before?” she asked.
“We’ve never met, no, but I have to wonder why not? What’s your name? Where are you from? Can I get your phone number?”
She had to chuckle. She’d seen a lot of fast workers in her time, a lot of guys trying to pick up girls, and in a vacation town sometimes it had to be fast. But this was seriously going over the top.
The next moment, William was there, shoving Thorne out of the way, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, and pulling her close.
“Thorne. I see ye’ve met my mate.” William bared his teeth at the other man in what seemed to be a show of aggression.
Thorne’s eyes widened. “Your mate?”
“Aye. My soulmate.” William practically threw the words.
Thorne looked at Lena again, and then back to William. “Are you sure?”
William scowled. “Of course, I’m sure.”
“But…” Thorne looked like he wanted to argue.
William looked like he wanted to take it outside.
