When she braved a glance at Tegan, she found him staring at her. If he noticed any of the public couplings taking place all around them, he didn't seem fazed in the least. No, he seemed to be more interested in measuring her reaction. His gaze was hard, penetrating. His jaw seemed clamped tight enough to shatter his teeth.
The intensity of his look made her too warm inside. Elise blinked, glancing away. But glancing away from him meant seeing more of the club. More raw, pulsing sexuality, which only made her all the more aware of Tegan and the very vivid knowledge of how good their bodies felt together.
She couldn't have been more relieved when their escort paused in front of an elevator bank and led them inside a waiting car.
They rode up to the fourth floor. The elevator opened into a glass-walled suite outfitted as both office and bedroom. Reichen stood up to greet them, rising from an elegant sprawl on the luxurious round bed. His white dress shirt was unbuttoned and hanging loose, his finely cut gray trousers showcasing his trim waist and smooth, muscular chest. The vampire's dermaglyphs swirled over his pecs in winglike flourishes, drawing the eye to the masculine beauty of his form.
He seemed accustomed to being admired and merely smiled as Elise and Tegan strode into the room.
I didn't realize you would be accompanying Tegan here, he said, gallantly taking Elise's hand. I hope you aren't too shocked.
Not at all, she said, hoping her discomfiture didn't show. Reichen brought her in front of the tall brunette Elise had seen him with the other night. The woman wore a simple yet sophisticated ivory sweater and pants outfit that looked like it belonged in a boardroom more than a brothel. Tonight her long raven-dark hair was swept up in a loose chignon, secured with a pair of gleaming, tortoiseshell chopsticks.
She was the picture of professionalism, a curious contrast to the live video feeds playing on flat-screen monitors mounted behind her on the wall of the office. While images of people on the main floor of the club writhed and bucked on- screen, the woman merely smiled pleasantly as Reichen and Elise paused in front of her.
This is Helene, Reichen said. She owns the club, and she is also a trusted friend of mine.
Hello, Elise said, offering her hand. A pleasure to meet you.
Likewise, came the accented purr in reply. Elise's fingers were gripped in a firm yet feminine hold that echoed the confidence gleaming in Helene's dark eyes. That self-assured gaze slid in Tegan's direction and politely feigned unfamiliarity, a gesture that seemed for Elise's benefit. Hello and welcome to Aphrodite. Both of you.
Good to see you again, Helene, Tegan said, his tone cutting through all pretense. Reichen tells me you have some intel.
Yes, I do.
The woman picked up on Tegan's all- business tone and reached for a laptop computer that sat on her desk. She opened it and typed something on the keyboard. Behind her, one of the wall-mounted video screens went black, then came back on with a freeze-framed surveillance image of a man seated at the club's bar downstairs. The scar down the Minion's face identified him instantly.
That's him, Elise said. She could still feel his punishing hands on her, could still hear his ugly thoughts ringing in her ears.
He came here only a few times. He was a prick, very nasty to the girls. I banned him a couple of months ago. It wasn't until later that I heard rumors of his involvement in the blood clubs. Helene glanced over at Elise. You were lucky today. I'm glad you gave him some pain.
Elise didn't feel any pride in what she'd done. But more than that, she inwardly shuddered at the mention of blood clubs. They were all but unheard of in Boston for many decades, due mostly to the Enforcement Agency's crackdown on the illegal operations. Quentin had especially despised them as little better than organized sport where humans were the captive playthings of twisted members of the Breed. To think that she and Irina had been in arm's reach of one of the suppliers for that kind of activity put a chill in her marrow.
Tegan's hard gaze on her now told her that he didn't like the idea any more than she did. Do you have any leads on the area's clubs? Anything on this guy's associates, or someone who might know his name or where to find him?
Helene nodded and typed something else into the laptop. I have cultivated a few close friends among the police. Not surprisingly, this Minion is no stranger to the law. She walked over to a laser printer behind her desk and retrieved a sheet of paper as it came out of the machine. I was able to get his most recent arrest record, which contains his name and last known address.
Beautiful and resourceful, Reichen said approvingly as Helene passed the report to Tegan. Elise watched Tegan drink in every detail of the report, his eyes narrowed, calculating. He glanced over at Reichen. Will you see Elise back to the Darkhaven?
Of course. It will be my pleasure.
What are you going to do, Tegan? Even as she asked the question, she knew his intentions. He was going out to kill the Minion who'd attacked her. She could see the warrior side of him locking in to place, its sights fixed on the target with deadly focus. Tegan, just...be careful.
He met her gaze for a long moment, then looked again to Reichen. Get her out of here. I'll meet you back at the Darkhaven when it's finished.
Elise wanted to throw her arms around him, but Tegan was already stalking toward the elevator, a solitary warrior with a single purpose. This was who he was, who he would always be.
She closed her eyes as he stepped inside the waiting car and the polished brass doors closed behind him. Her senses tracked him as he descended, her blood link to him warm and alive in her veins. It was the only part of him she could truly hold on to; she wasn't sure he would ever let her close enough to have anything more.
Chapter Twenty-six