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Damn it! I know better than to fall for this stuff. How many times have I been the target of the damsel in distress, the poor me story, but yet I allowed myself to fall for Catina’s little game. I turn to Lord Braedon who has quietly let me absorb things in my own time. “Thanks for taking them into the room and bringing me here to watch. It was a good plan, and I appreciate your loyalty and friendship.”
He pats me on the shoulder. “You would do the same if tables were reversed, my friend. I know that you would. Better that we find out now than after she’s taken you for a ride.”
I close the laptop on the security desk and put on the best face that I can given the situation. “Indeed. Now, I’ll focus on the rogues without any distractions. See to it that her family is not allowed back on the premises. I’ll deal with Catina myself, and I don’t need to ask you to keep this between the two of us, no?”
“You have my word.”
“Thank you. I’ll get ahold of you when I know how you and your men can assist.” I briefly consider bringing him with me, introducing my right-hand man to the masters, but they won’t trust anyone outside of our consulate and their mates, regardless of whether I vouch for the lord’s character or not. Not with so many traitors running around and stabbing us in the back any chance that they can.
I take the back door out of the security room, down the hall to where the masters are drinking coffee and pouring over blueprints of the club, outlining points of entry to defend. The minute they start talking about the street in front of ours and the adjacent streets, a plan clicks into place. I know the land around this club like the back of my hand. “Here, there are a few garbage dumpsters that are usually in this alley.”
I grab a pencil and mark the blueprints with obvious hiding areas in those spots. “The overflow of parked cars that weren’t lucky enough to get into our lots will be dotted along the back alley, up to about two feet from those dumpsters. They can’t park any closer without getting ticketed. Not to say that it doesn’t happen, because some are going to break the rules regardless, but it’s less likely.”
It takes us less than twenty minutes to identify all the places to set up perimeter security.
Lucianna walks in and sidles in next to Descallia. “How are the arrangements for the auction coming?” Descallia asks her.
She sighs. “I think Willow, Raven, and Madria are getting a little wrung out and anxious with all the waiting. They were trying to have a good time and not show it, but they’re worried and rightly so. They know the rogues want their stones and that they will stop at nothing to get what they want. It’s hard to reassure them when I don’t know exactly what to expect myself. I should feel something about how this plays out, but I don’t yet. It’s a little unnerving if I’m being honest.”
He pulls her close to his side. “Things will fall into place. We know what they want, and we have it here, and the masters have a good plan for Friday night. The rest of it we’ll deal with as we go.”
She nods but doesn’t look convinced. “The witches may think they can defend themselves, but we all know that the vampire power can make their magic seem like child’s play when we want something. I just came down to let you know that the rest of the group is here. Lucas is showing everyone around and then will bring the other masters down so you can fill them in while the ladies help us before dinner.”
I glance at my watch. “If they want to stay at my place tonight, they can, but we also have plenty of available space downstairs too. I don’t plan on leaving until after we finish this auction.”
Lucianna nods, and her eyes give off a glow. “I have a feeling they’ll want to stay in here, close to the action too.” She glances around and scowls. “Where’s Catina? I thought she was with you all this time. She wasn’t up in the main room with the other ladies.”
I look up. “She’s in my private room, probably resting.” I ignore the raised eyebrows and smirks from the masters. Let them think what they want, better that than explaining how she almost made a sucker out of me and a laughingstock of the entire community. “I’m sure she won’t want to miss out on helping you ladies. I’ll text her and let her know to join you upstairs.”
Lucianna’s eyebrow arches, but she doesn’t continue her line of questioning. She sees far more than she should, and I have no doubt her psychic senses are swirling with images of the truth. To her credit, she says nothing else on the subject. “Sounds good.” She turns and heads to the door. “It’s getting late, we’ll eat when the club closes down, or at least dies down, so we can get up early and start again tomorrow evening. Join us upstairs once you get finished going over the plans with everyone.”
Descallia glances at the clock on the wall. “I didn’t realize it was that late either. Let’s finish getting this thing hammered out so we can get something to eat and go to bed. I’m exhausted. Why don’t we all take rooms here to sleep? I know you’ve gone out of your way to make accommodations, but there are the perfect number of private rooms here for each of the masters and our significant others.”
My jaw tightens at the thought of spending another night in close proximity to the little vixen, but he’s not wrong. We only have so many private rooms until we expand, and we still need Catina between now and the auction. “Staying the night here will save time, especially if we send for everyone’s things to be brought over.”
Overmaster Descallia’s eyes narrow. “Probably best not to let word out that we’re here. Let them think we’re still at your estate. I know you trust your men, but no one is above reproach right now.”
He’s not wrong. Keeping up appearances as though we’re still over at the estate does seem like a good idea, unless they have eyes on us and know exactly where we are at the moment, which I highly doubt. They don’t travel without the shifters as their guards these days. I don’t smell the rank and putrid smell that tells me they’re around, and Lord Braedon would have let me know.
Campania clears his throat. “I sent a message to Willow. She and Raven will take care of the suitcases. They’ll be in everyone’s rooms when we retire.”
Descallia scowls, looking first at Campania and then at Romano. He points a finger at one and then drags it in the air to the other. “You two are encouraging the use of their magic?”
Campania tries to control his smirk without much success as Romano chimes in. “They only use it for simple things without consequence. They have to stay in practice, or they would lose their ability to use it at all. We don’t condone using it much, but the reality is they are witches.”
I smirk. “Witches will be witches.”
That gains me a grin from Sardinia who sits quietly and thoughtfully across the table. He looks down at the perimeter map. “See where you outlined this entry point? I wonder if we can use that area to try to draw them in there.” He points at the blueprint with the tip of his pencil’s eraser. “If we do, this area and this area would be the perfect cover for some of us to lay in wait on the fuckers.”
There’s not a sole around the table who disagrees with Sardinia, and once that spot is agreed upon, it’s easy to develop and solidify the entire plan. I roll up the blueprints and walk with the guys upstairs, making our way to the reserved spot up front where a waitress is making her way around the table, taking orders.
I feel Catina’s eyes on me. That heat and attraction is not simply going to go away, just because I want it to. I avert my eyes, feeling her track my movements. The key is not to let her know I’m onto her until after the auction, but that means sharing my private playroom until Friday evening at eight. And that’s a long ass time to be in the same room with her and keep my hands to myself.
Descallia grins as his mate rattles off an order that’s big enough to feed three people. “Were you going to leave any food for the poor males of the group?”
Lucianna gives him a wink. “Made it just in time. We were going to get a few things to share between us and then lots and lots of dessert.”
Embry looks up from her menu and laughs. “Got that right. We were just about ready to order one of everything on the menu. Especially since Master Botosoni allowed Chef Rene to stay here for the week instead of at his estate.” She turns to Catina who sits next to her. “You have to try his masterpieces. I swear sometimes I think those decadent and creamy desserts are better than sex.”
