"That is acceptable."

The line went dead and Cyn scowled at the phone. Raphael might be dangerously seductive, but Duncan certainly wasn't going to win any charm contests. She sighed again and went to her closet to the find the least attractive clothing she owned.

Chapter Twenty

Raphael stood as she and Duncan entered his office. He'd showered and changed since she saw him last, and very recently. His black hair was slightly damp, and he smelled of fresh soap. In place of his usual elegant suit, he wore a black pullover sweater and snug-fitting, black denims that made her stomach hurt. The sweater was cashmere. It would feel wonderful beneath her fingers as she ran her hands over the flat planes of his broad chest. Cynthia closed her eyes briefly, schooling her expression to something more professional and less...

"Thank you for joining us, Cyn."

Her eyes flashed open. The vampire stood less than two feet away, watching her with a pleased expression. So much for professionalism. She gazed up at his handsome face. He must have been quite young when he died, late twenties or so. In his usual power suits and mantle of authority, he seemed much older, but tonight he looked his natural age. If anything about a vampire could be called natural.

The door opened behind her and Juro appeared, all but dangling a human from one massive paw—a human bound, gagged and blindfolded. The huge bodyguard hauled the prisoner to the center of the room and dropped him on the floor at Raphael's feet.

The vampire lord's eyes went cold and appraising, a hungry wolf sizing up a plump rabbit. He crouched down next to the man and grabbed the blindfold, tearing it off over his head with a single jerk. The man blinked uncertainly, then focused on Raphael. His eyes widened in terror and he struggled to get away, whimpering behind the gag, fighting to drag himself across the antique Persian carpet.

Cynthia frowned. “Did you already question him?” she asked.

Raphael stood, glancing at her over his shoulder. “Of course not, Cyn. You wanted to be here."

"Where's the other one? Did you get both of them?"

"Ah, yes. I'm afraid my people were a bit too enthusiastic. The other guard was dealt with before I conveyed your desire to participate."

He was lying. But that was all right, it made it easier to resist his charm. She swung her gaze around the room, seeing nothing but blank faces, then turned back to the pitiful creature on the floor. This man was terrified. Not of the vampires in general, but of Raphael specifically. She'd seen lots of people on this estate, both human and vampire, and while they all treated the vampire lord with deep respect and caution, she hadn't seen anything that equaled this level of fear.

"Can you take off the gag?"

Raphael signaled Juro wordlessly.

"What's his name?"

"Duncan?” Raphael said.

"Judkins,” Duncan supplied. “Scott Judkins."

Cynthia stepped around Raphael, putting herself between him and the frightened prisoner. Then she crouched down and spoke quietly, her words only for the two of them. “Scott?” she said softly.

The man lay nearly face down on the carpet, his knees bent, curled up to his chest protectively, his hands bound behind him. At the sound of her voice, his head swiveled in her direction, his gaze searching her face without comprehension, constantly darting to the vampires all around. Cynthia swore under her breath. What the hell had they done to him? She didn't see any physical injury. Had they done something to his mind then? Was there anything left for her to question? “Don't pay attention to them, Scott. Look at me, just me."

The man blinked rapidly and his eyes seemed to focus, seeing her for the first time. They widened and he thrashed as he tried to sit up, to get closer to her. She felt more than heard Raphael move and held up one hand to stop him. This broken man was no threat to her. She braced his shoulders and helped him straighten as much as possible.

"You know what they are?” he whispered harshly.

"I know,” Cynthia confirmed. “I want to help you, Scott. You have to talk to me, so I can help you."

"He didn't even touch him.” He stared at her, his eyes wide and haunted. “He ripped his own...” Judkins closed his eyes as if shutting out the sight of something too terrible to remember.

"Who, Scott?” she asked, confused. “Who do you mean?"

"Him,” he said furtively, his eyes flashing back and forth, his horrified glance touching on Raphael, then skittering away. “They caught us this morning. I knew they would. I told them it wouldn't work, but they have my family.” His eyes filled with tears as he gave her a pleading look. “I didn't want to do it, but they have my family.” He started sobbing. Cynthia stared at him in dismay.

"Scott,” she persisted. “You're not making any sense. You have to help me understand. Who has your family?"

Judkins blinked again, obviously confused and trying to concentrate. “Kolinsky. He took my little girl, grabbed her off the street when she was walking home from school one day. She's only a baby, eight years old. He drove her to the house and dropped her off, just so I'd know. So I'd know what would happen if I didn't give him what he wanted. What else could I do? And now it's too late,” he moaned, his head weaving back and forth in denial. “Too late."

"Too late for what? Who's Kolinsky?"

His head came up and he stared at her. “You know about Kolinsky?"

"I don't know everything. I'm trying to figure it out. What does he want?"

"He needed to get some guy inside here, he said. Inside the vampire's estate. Told me the guy's name was Barry, but I think he was lying. What did I care what his name was? Either way I was a dead man."

"Who's Kolinsky?"

"I'm not sure,” he said, suddenly evasive. “What do I know? I'm only a security guard. I don't know how they found me. I don't talk about my job much, but my wife ... you know how wives are, they know things, even if you don't tell them. And she talks too much. Her cousin, I think. I'm not sure. But they came to me. Said if I didn't cooperate, they'd take my family ... my wife, my little girl. What else could I do?"

Cyn tried to make sense of the disjointed monologue. “I understand. Where's your family now, Scott? Are they safe?"

"I don't know. Maybe. We've been locked down since it happened, they probably don't know yet that Barry's dead.” Cynthia swore to herself when he said that. Raphael had all but admitted the other guard was dead, but ... “Poor bastard,” Judkins continued. “Even if he was an asshole, nobody should die like that.” He was muttering mostly to himself, but twisted to stab her with a searching look. “You won't let them do that to me, will you? They can kill me, I don't care, but don't let them do to me what they did to Barry. Please. Oh God...” He began crying again and Cyn looked away, embarrassed and ashamed.

"I'll try, Scott. I will, but...” She drew a deep breath. “You helped kill six men. Men who knew you and trusted you. You betrayed that trust. I don't know—"

"Not me. No, no, that's not what I mean,” he insisted at her skeptical look. “I did those things. You're right. I knew those men, knew their families and I...” He swallowed hard. “If I help you, if I tell you everything I know, can you save my family? Get them out of here, a fresh start? I've got life insurance, death benefits; I've earned that. If I tell you, will you help them?"

There was no madness in his eyes any longer, only a bleak acknowledgment of his own fate and a desperate hope for his family. Cynthia didn't want the burden of this man's hope. She was nobody's savior; she didn't want to be.

"Please,” he whispered. “You're human. You're like me."

I'm not like you, Cynthia wanted to scream. It's not me lying on the floor, stinking of my own piss and sweat and begging a total stranger to save my family because I fucked up my life. She closed her eyes and looked away, opening them to find Raphael watching her. She matched gazes with him, then rubbed one hand over her face tiredly.

"I'll try,” she said finally. “Give me your wife's name and address, and I'll try. But you have to tell me everything you know. You have to give me something to work with."

"Okay,” Scott said, nodding eagerly. “Okay.” His tongue darted out to wet his lips as he started talking.

* * * *

The door closed behind Juro and Duncan, poor Scott Judkins held between them. He was right about one thing. He was a dead man and there was nothing she could do about that. He'd signed his own death warrant the minute he'd decided to betray a vampire. He could have gone to Steve Sipes, to Duncan, or even to Raphael himself, and told them he'd been approached. That would have been the smart move. But people never thought about the smart move. They simply reacted and then watched their lives go down the toilet and wondered why it was happening. And now six men were dead, their families grieving, and a little eight-year-old girl would never know what happened to her daddy.

Cynthia watched the door close, then turned away, sickened by the waste of human life. She walked over to the sliding window behind Raphael's desk and pulled it open, stepping out onto the balcony, into the cool, salty air. She raised her face to its freshness, wanting to wash away the last hour of her life.

"That was well done.” Raphael's silky voice blended perfectly with the dark night.

Cynthia closed her eyes. “He was terrified of you."

He didn't say anything, and she turned her head slightly, listening. She wanted to know where he was. “How did the other one die? Was it you who killed him?"

Raphael gave an elegant shrug. “I am Vampire, Cynthia. They betrayed me and murdered men who trusted them. Did you not say the same to Judkins?"

She gave him a bleak look. “So is this like a palace revolt or something?"

"Just so."