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“Well, well, well. You’ve been a busy little bee tonight, haven’t you? I can smell him on you, Eva, so you might as well start telling the truth. Lying will only makes things worse. And you better start with his name, because I’ll need to have a word with him when you and I are finished here. You know I don’t share my toys.”
“I don’t know his name,” I whisper. There’s no point in denying what happened.
“Liar, liar.” He leans close and wraps a meaty hand around my throat. In my ear, he whispers, “One last chance to come clean.”
“I swear I don’t know.”
Adan shakes his head. “Go take a shower, you fucking slut. And hurry, because I don’t have a lot of time to waste. But I don’t want to smell him on you when I punish you.”
He shoves me toward the bathroom and I hurry to the shower on shaking legs. Whatever Adan has planned for me, it won’t be good. He’s more furious than I’ve ever seen him.
But I refuse to regret what happened tonight, the things I felt with Slade. I’ll cling to that memory when Adan metes out his revenge, and I know already, deep down, that that’s the only thing that will get me through it.
Chapter 4
Slade
Six Months Later
This is new.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen the heads of so many monster clans—plus several individual monsters—gathered in one place. I’m the best fixer in this city, but all the same, I’ve never had multiple clients hire me for the same case.
“The decision is made, Slade,” Atticus says. He’s a seven-foot-tall lizard with green scales and yellow eyes, not to mention a snout full of teeth that’ll make you think twice about crossing him. Right now, he’s as serious and grim as I’ve ever seen him.
“We want you for the job. You have the particular skill set we need for this. Not to mention an additional asset.”
I think of Grizzle back at home, sleeping upside down in her corner basket, snoring lightly. She is an asset, it’s true. In more ways than one.
I glance around the room, meeting several pairs of eyes. Each person I look at gives me a subtle nod, an indication that they agree with Atticus’s statement.
I consider the situation carefully, wondering whether I really want to get involved in this. “It won’t be easy,” I finally say. “It’ll take time, resources, and caution to do it right.”
“We’re aware,” Atticus says. “We’re prepared to give you your normal fee, plus an extra thirty percent to cover unforeseen expenses.”
I arch an eyebrow at that. They’re taking this seriously.
“This affects the entire population of Monstrocity,” he continues. “We want this done right, which is why we’ve come to you.”
“All right,” I say. “If you’re sure. I’ll take the job.”
The thing is, they aren’t wrong. Monstrocity is a city in a shadow. A flower being choked by a poisonous vine. We have to pull the weed before it’s too late. Unfortunately, the weed in question is the most powerful, enigmatic man in the city.
Atticus slides me file folder. “This is everything we have on King and the Genesis Corporation. It’s not much. But it’ll get you started.”
I glance at it, but I don’t open it. Not yet. I want them to tell me what they know. “Fill me in,” I say.
“Well, as you may have noticed, monsters around the city have begun to disappear,” Atticus says, evidently speaking for the whole group. “Prominent people. A city council member. Several business owners. That sort of thing. But also just regular monsters.” He lowers his voice. “Janina is missing, Slade.”
Atticus’s niece. So he has a personal investment in this case. “And your theory about what’s happening?”
Atticus glances at the crowd and then shrugs. “I don’t know what’s being done with them, but I’m positive Genesis is behind it. I don’t know how to get to King, but there’s information about his lieutenant in the file. Adan Kane. I think he’s your best point of entry.”
I open the folder and flip through the meager information, which contains a couple of photos of Adan Kane at various functions. On his arm in each picture is a gorgeous woman, with a tumble of dark curls and striking hazel eyes.
She’s breathtaking, and utterly familiar. The woman I’ve been searching for. My missing Angel.
I’ve finally found her.
