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Can you be sure this isn’t some trap? Just tell me—did he take Vanessa?”

Liana hesitated, making me wonder if I was going to have to beat it out of her, but she shook her head.

“I don’t know. But Morgan and Scott don’t believe so. Not directly.” I started to rant, but she raised her voice above mine. “They do believe he knows something, which is the reason they have been keeping close watch over him.”

I stumbled when she drew me to an abrupt stop several moments later. A monstrosity constructed of steel, glass, and many-layered spells crouched above us, taking up an entire city block. Trust Dre Carrington to choose the most expensive—and gaudy—building in the entire Belly to call home.

“Dre Carrington
owns
the most expensive, gaudy building in the entire Belly.”

Liana’s dry comment indicated I’d spoken the last thought out loud. Shit. I’d have to watch that bad habit once we were inside. Being flustered was no reason to let down my guard. Especially considering the fact that we were about to walk into a viper’s nest.

A snake in sheep’s clothing whisked the door open before we reached it, bowing and smiling us inside the grand entranceway. His elegant tuxedo-like uniform and dapper doorman’s cap didn’t deceive me. He walked with deadly grace. Dre Carrington surrounded himself with trained killers, even those working as doormen.

The concierge at the front desk recognized Liana an buzzed us into a swanky private elevator before she even said anything. Crushed velvet fabric draped the w~ and a cushioned bench took up the entire rear wall of the spacious room. Another elegantly clad employee whose name tag read
Doreen
was all smiles as she urged us to make ourselves comfortable on the bench. Good ol’ Doreen didn’t fool me. The tingle of a spell swept across my skin, and I stiffened. Her body tensed as well, and sharp eyes zeroed in on my tats.

I let a slightly feral smile touch my lips but kept control of my emotions, remaining in partial Fury form only. The spell had been a simple one checking for weapons. No need to go batshit on anyone.

Not yet.

The sorceress not-quite-disguised as an elevator operator pressed several buttons, the elevator doors swished shut, and we began whisking upward at a dizzying rate ‘of speed. Yet another attempt on Dre Carrington’s part to put people off-kilter before they came into his presence. No doubt he believed it gave him an advantage, security-wise. Idiot. If he thought parlor tricks were going to keep me from ripping him limb from limb should I deem it necessary, he was an even bigger fool than I suspected. No matter
how
many thinly veiled bodyguards he had crawling around this place.

Rage stirred inside, a reminder that a very large part of me would just
love
to indulge in that little fantasy. Even if that day’s events were suggesting that he might not be the mastermind behind Vanessa’s disappearance. He was still an asshole who had kidnapped Scott’s sister.

Liana patted my hand, smile fading when I met her glance. She twitched her head slightly in the direction of the doors. Telling me to get myself under control before they opened. Easier said than done, but I made an effort.

A chime tinkled merrily seconds later, and the doors zoomed open. The penthouse suite, of course, made evident by the bank of floor-to-ceiling windows greeting us when we stepped outside the elevator, not to mention several impressive skylights that cut through the ceiling overhead. I whistled softly.

Mortals just several city blocks away would
kill
for this amazing view.

I clenched my fists. For all I knew, Dre Carrington
had
killed for it.

Liana clutched my arm. The fact that she knew me well enough to sense my seething frustration both pleased and dismayed me. A short, slender man with dark hair and pale blue eyes stepped forward with an officious expression on his face.

“Mrs. Murphy, Inspector Holloway. Thank you for your promptness.” He spoke with a crisp British accent and smiled an achingly polite smile my way. “I’m Alexander Denton, Andre Carrington’s
personal
assistant. Mr. Carrington is wrapping up a videoconference now and will be right with you.”

Sure enough, a nearby door opened, and out stepped the very rat-bastard we were here to see.

His physical features hadn’t changed in the years since I’d seen him last, but that was no surprise. Sun-

kissed, perfectly bronzed skin, set off by deep green eyes. Golden blond hair fell past his shoulders in soft waves, styled in a careless rock star ‘do he’d no doubt paid hundreds of dollars to obtain. Medium height, medium but muscular build. Gorgeous in the way only an Orpheus could be. The original Orpheus was hailed far and wide in ancient Greece as a divinely gifted poet and musician, and his songs could make immortals weep. He won back his wife from Death himself thanks to those magic hands and voice of his

—and lost her again when he became overconfident and ignored the warning not to look back as they fled the underworld. His descendants carried on that family tradition of arrogance.

Dre raised both hands in a gesture of surprised pleasure when he caught sight of us. I barely choked back a snort.

Yeah right. He’d known the exact
second
we’d entered his building.

“Liana, so nice to see you again.” He made a kiss-kiss gesture in the air, then turned his killer green eyes on me. His sense of self-preservation kicked in enough that he didn’t bother with the kiss-kiss.

“Marissa, you look stunning as always. I’m so pleased you could stop by for a visit.”

“I would say the same, Dre, but we’d both know I was lying.” Liana’s fingers dug into my skin. I focused on the pain so as not to beat the living snot out of him. “You look even
more
stunning than usual.”

Amusement flicked across the inhumanly perfect lines of his face. He knew what I’d really meant, but as long as

I played the game, things would go smoothly. Which was probably a good thing, considering the sheer number of arcane beings I sensed in the rooms around us.

“Please, step this way. Would either of you like a drink?” At our—okay, Liana’s—polite refusal (no way I would let my guard down enough to drink in his presence, not even for Jack), he ushered us into a room filled with priceless antiques and musical instruments. The tools of an Orpheus’s trade.

“Make yourselves comfortable.” More a command than an invitation. His teeth widened in a shark’s smile, one I wanted to smash into itty-bitty pieces. “Liana, I think you’ll be happy to hear my proposal.”

She arched a brow. “Proposal? What could I possibly offer that you want?”

“Not you.” He nodded at me. “Marissa is the one I wish to barter with. But the commodity at hand is one very dear to you, Liana darling.”

“Amaya,” she murmured, as if I hadn’t already guessed.

“Yes, the lovely, loyal Amaya. Since time enough has passed that I believe certain individuals might be more amenable to actually discussing things rather than, shall we say, shooting first, now seems the perfect time to make my proposal.”

Liana shot me a stricken look, eyes pleading for me to maintain my cool. Shit, you’d think Furies never served as negotiators in sticky situations the way she kept poking and prodding me.

“Dre,
darling,
I would be happy to hear your proposal. Just vow by all the gods and goddesses that you had absolutely nothing to do with Vanessa’s disappearance.” Though such a vow didn’t hold any magical weight, in a world where gods and goddesses existed—and kept close tabs on their arcane children—few of us were stupid enough to swear in their names lightly.

His eyes darkened again, but this time the expression seemed sad rather than angry. “I can’t make that vow, Marissa.”

I tensed, preparing to leap to my feet. Liana didn’t even bother trying to hold me back.

He rushed on. “Not because I was directly involved by any means. I can vow that here and now. But I’m afraid that former—business partners of mine
could
be responsible. And, by drawing their attention to her, I may have played an indirect role in her disappearance.”

I counted to five, trying to get a handle on the Rage skimming beneath my surface emotions. “What do you mean, you drew their attention to her?”

Dre licked his lips. “Ahhh, well, I confess I handled the breakup rather poorly. My therapist claims that confession is good for the soul, so I can admit that now.” Narcissus had nothing on any Orpheus. Dre Carrington especially.

“I may have—traded—some information about Vanessa and her Fury duties’ to an associate of mine, who may in

turn have passed that on to others down the line. Because soon after our discussion, she vanished.”

My legs twitched with the need to leap off the sofa, but I fought it down. “You
may
have. They
may
have. I don’t have time for
may haves
and
shoulda, coulda, wouldas.
Is there concrete information you can offer me? Because, after the shitty day I’ve had, busting through you
and
your guard dogs to take Amaya back is starting to sound more like fun than work.”

Liana’s lips parted, but this time I was the one to grab her hand and squeeze. She remained silent.

He laughed, the musical sound very similar to the elevator’s chime. “Never one to quibble, are you?

Very well. I knew you’d never believe I hadn’t done harm to Vanessa three years ago, so I took out a little insurance to keep myself safe.” He nodded toward Liana. “Amaya is unharmed and happy enough, I can assure you. She could return to the family fold today if you promise me one thing, Marissa.”

Liana leaned forward, eyes intense.

“And what promise is that, Dre?”

“To do no harm to me or mine from this day forward, and to make sure no other Furies do harm to me or mine for any wrongdoings we may have committed.”

My mouth, dropped open, and even Liana looked surprised. “Are you completely’ insane? I can’t make that promise.” What was he playing at? Why was he coming to me with this now, after he’d had Amaya captive for at least two years?

He shrugged.’ “Then Amaya remains a guest of mine indefinitely. And I won’t give you the information I recently acquired. Pity. I think you would have found it quite intriguing. And useful.”

This time, I counted to ten. And then added an extra five for good measure. “What information?”

He shook his head. “Nuh-uh-uh, Marissa. No promise, no information.”

I blew out a breath. “How do I know the information is worth the price you ask?”

“Come now, isn’t the freedom of your lover’s sister alone worth that promise?”

“Ex-lover,” I corrected automatically. After the past three years I’d spent loathing Dre, I couldn’t believe I was seriously considering making that vow. Then again, now that I knew there were much more sinister forces than Dre behind Vanessa’s abduction, it didn’t seem like such a large price to pay.

Especially in light of the fact that I couldn’t see Dre going to all the trouble of blackmailing the Murphys into protecting him from me and then making them bring me here if he wasn’t damned sure of himself.

Tiny beads of sweat broke out on his brow the longer my silence continued. That almost cheered me up enough to smile. Instead, I let out a huge sigh and rolled my eyes. “Fine. I can vow to do no harm to you or yours from this day forward as it relates to Vanessa’s disappearance, and to make sure no other Furies do harm to you or yours for any wrongdoings committed regarding the same incident. That’s the best I can manage.”

“Done.” He agreed so quickly, I knew that was what he’d hoped for all along. And I’d made it a cakewalk for him.

I gritted my teeth. “Now, the information.”

“First, the vow.”

Jeez, this guy was relentless. And smart enough to know I wouldn’t break such a promise, once made.

“I, Marissa Holloway, Fury of the Sisterhood, do vow before all the gods and goddesses to do no harm to Andre Carrington, Orpheus, or any of his brethren or followers, for any of the wrongdoings they may have committed regarding the disappearance of Vanessa Turner, sister Fury. I also vow to ensure that my sister Furies maintain the same vow, from now hereafter, as regards the same incident. This vow is conditional upon the full and immediate release of Amaya Murphy, along with the information Andre Carrington claims to have regarding Vanessa Turner’s disappearance?’

The moment I choked the last few words out, I dropped Dre’s hand and stepped away. “The information?”

He moved to an old rolltop desk across the room, drawing something out and approaching me. I frowned but

accepted it without complaint. An ultramodern PDA.

“What do I need a BlueBerry for?”

“BlackBerry.”

“ Whatever. How’s
this
going to help?”

“It’s a specially spelled BlackBerry with a magical GPS. It’s keyed to Vanessa.” His eyes softened when he said

her name. “I had it made back before—before the breakup. Her duties as a Fury were so dangerous, and I just wanted. , His voice trailed away. He cleared his throat. “Anyway, that will lead you straight to her once activated.”

My vision grew hazy. “And you just
now
thought to give this to me?”

He took several quick steps backward. “It has a limited range or I would have contacted you sooner.

You have to be within five miles of the spell’s target. I’ve kept a close watch on it for three years now, and it’s never indicated she’s been near enough to locate. Not since the night she disappeared.”

Sheesh, he’d been even more of a stalker than I suspected. “So, what’s changed?”

“The investigators I hired to find her, or at least some trace of what happened to her, have finally turned up a solid lead. The lead ties her to those former associates of mine I mentioned. It’s not much, but it does give you a solid area to start searching.”

Something stirred in the back of my mind. A memory of the conversation with the Sidheborn spirit.

“Let me guess. It’s in Western Mass.”

He nodded, surprise flickering. “How’d you know?”