Odolf shook his head, eyes falling serenely closed. He launched into another chorus of the riddle, murmuring it in a maddening, singsong voice.
Goddamn it! Tegan growled, stalking right up next to the cage. Is Dragos in hiding somewhere? Are he and Marek allied in some way? Have they been plotting something together?
Odolf kept chanting, unresponsive now. Not even when Tegan grabbed hold of the metal box he was in and gave it a hard shake did Odolf show any indication of awareness. The Rogue had mentally checked out.
Shit. Tegan raked a hand through his hair. In his coat pocket, his cell phone vibrated with an incoming call. He flipped it open and barked into the receiver: Yeah.
Any progress? It was Reichen.
Not much.
Behind him in the cage, Petrov Odolf was snapping at the air, growling and cursing. No point in lingering any longer. Tegan gestured for Elise to follow him out of the Rogue's holding cell and into the adjacent observation room.
We're just wrapping up, he told Reichen. Did you get anything on the Minion?
Yes, we have something. I'm at Aphrodite with Helene. She's seen the man in here before once or twice. Had some trouble with him, in fact. Reichen cleared his throat, hesitating. He, ah, apparently works for a blood club here in the city, Tegan. Probably supplies women for it.
Jesus. He looked at Elise, his veins going tight at the thought of her being anywhere near trafficking scum like that. Blood clubs among the Breed, while illegal, had once been the preferred entertainment of a certain class of vampire. They catered to the bored and affluent, and those with appetites that tended to run toward the cruel. Any idea where I might find this place?
Naturally, to avoid unwanted attention, the clubs seldom meet in the same location. Helene has already put out feelers for you. She'll probably have something back within the hour.
I'm on the way now.
What's going on? Elise asked as he snapped the cell phone closed and slid it back into his coat.
I have to meet one of Reichen's contacts in the city. She has some intel on the Minion who attacked you today.
Elise's fine brow arched. She?
Helene, Tegan said. She's a human friend of Reichen's. You saw her last night when we picked him up outside her club, Aphrodite.
Elise's look said she remembered very well the half-naked woman who walked Reichen to the curb. All right, then, she said with a quick nod. Let's go talk to her.
Tegan reached out to catch her arm as she started to walk out to the corridor. I'm not taking you to Helene's club, Elise. I could drop you back at the Darkhaven--
Why? Elise shrugged, unconcerned. I'm not afraid to go to a nightclub.
Raw images of what Tegan had seen at Aphrodite the night before came back to him in vivid detail. It's, uh, not that kind of club. You wouldn't be comfortable there. Trust me.
Her eyes widened in understanding. Are you telling me it's a brothel?
He didn't answer right away, not that she needed him to spell anything out for her. He watched her absorb the idea, her brow creasing in a slight frown. Have you been there?
Tegan lifted his shoulder slightly, wondering why the hell he felt bad about admitting it. Reichen took me there to meet Helene last night.
Last night, she said, her pale purple eyes narrowing on him. Last night, you went out to a brothel...after we...oh. Okay. I see.
It's not what you think, Elise.
He had the sudden absurd impulse to assure her that nothing had happened while he was at Aphrodite, but Elise didn't seem interested in hearing any excuses. With brisk movements, she put on her coat and started buttoning it up.
I think I'm ready to go now, Tegan.
He fell in step beside her as she headed up the corridor. I shouldn't be long with Reichen. Once I finish up, I'll come back to the Darkhaven and we can try to make sense out of what little we got from Odolf tonight.
Elise turned a level look on him. We can talk about that on the way to Aphrodite, she said. I'm going with you.
He met her unwavering stare and exhaled a defeated chuckle. Suit yourself then. But don't say I didn't warn you.
Despite living a sheltered existence in the Darkhavens, Elise had never considered herself a prude. But walking with Tegan into the private back entrance of Aphrodite gave her an instant education in eroticism.
They were let in by a huge, muscle-bound man in a dark, tailored suit. He wore a wireless communication device on his ear, with a small microphone that extended near his goatee-rimmed mouth. He spoke into the mic, presumably advising his employer that her guests had arrived, as he escorted Tegan and Elise through the main floor of the club.
Festooned in bright carnival colors, with polished brass fixtures and sumptuously appointed furnishings, the lounge and bar area was a visual feast. Beautiful nude women reclined on animal- print sofas, some of them entertaining a male client or two in full view of all. Still others performed together, kissing and caressing one another as men wearing silk robes or sauna towels watched with rapt, heated stares.
On another cushioned nest near the bar, a man was being serviced by four women at once. Elise could hardly keep from gaping at the erotic tangle of tanned arms and legs. Even over the soft, pumping beat of the music pouring in through the overhead speakers, she could hear the slap of skin meeting skin, and the pleasured moans and hoarse shouts of release coming from practically every corner of the lounge.
Surrounded by so much humankind, Elise weathered the low drone of her talent, which stirred to life as soon as they entered the club. Fortunately, most of the input hitting her was of a lustful nature, some of it graphically so, but nothing disturbing enough to cause true pain.
She remembered Tegan's coaching and reached with her mind for one of the least offensive voices that was filling her head. She brought it forward, using it to damper the others as she made her way through the place.