Hard Bitten - Chloe Neill [125]
“What’s going on, Sentinel?” Ethan asked.
“He’s back. He’s running into the garage. Maybe he forgot something.”
Sure enough, not ten seconds later, Paulie hustled out of the garage with . . . a steering wheel in hand.
“He forgot a steering wheel,” I dryly informed the crew, wondering if Paulie had any idea he’d soon be brought down by a car accessory. Ah, well. His loss, my gain.
After a moment, he pulled the Mustang back into the street. I waited until he’d passed me, then turned on the car and pulled out behind him.
“He’s leaving again, and I’m on his trail,” I told them. “I’m about two blocks back, so hopefully he can’t see me.”
“Which direction?”
“Um, east for now. Maybe toward the Loop?”
I heard Malik’s voice. “Maybe he’s trying to bust out Celina?”
“If he and Tate are friends, he wouldn’t need to do any busting. In any event, I’ll keep you posted.”
I hung up and put the phone down again, and then concentrated on tailing Paulie through the city. He was the kind of driver that irritated the crap out of me: he had a fine car with undoubtedly a solid engine, but he drove like his license was on the line. Too slowly. Too carefully. Of course, there was a warrant out for his arrest, so it made sense for him to avoid giving the cops any reason to pull him over.
It took twenty minutes for him to reach the Loop, but he didn’t stop there. He kept moving south, and that was when I got nervous again.
I dialed up the crew.
“We’re here,” Luc said.
“Send out some backup,” I said. “He’s heading for Creeley Creek.”
I didn’t bother entering Creeley Creek through the front gate; I didn’t want to give the mayor and his apparent crony that much warning. Instead, I parked a few blocks up, buckled on my katana, jumped the fence, and snuck across the grounds. I’m sure there must have been security somewhere, but I didn’t see any, so I moved around the house, peeking through the low, horizontal windows until I saw them—Tate behind his desk while Paulie chatted animatedly from the other side of it.
But they weren’t alone. Who was perched on the edge of Tate’s desk?
Celina Desaulniers.
I closed my eyes, ruing my naïveté. Why would Celina have confessed to horrible acts in front of humans? Because she had a relationship with the mayor that ensured she’d get off scot-free.
This must have been part of her big plan. Seduce the mayor, make friends with a drug distributor, and create a drug intended to remind vampires of their predatory roots. When the shit hit the fan, she could take credit for giving vamps the time of their lives, and invite humans to join the party. And she could do it all with impunity.
It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that she’d glamoured Tate into doing it. He was a politician, sure, but he had seemed to genuinely care about the city. Had Celina created the entire ruse and wooed him with polling data?
I really, really hated her.
Irritation pushing aside my fear, I moved back to a nearby patio, crossed it as surreptitiously as possible, and tried the door. My luck held—it was unlocked. I padded quietly down the hallway to the room where I’d seen them, then pushed my way inside.
They all glanced at the door.
Paulie was the first to move. He backed up a few feet, moving closer to the corner of the room—and farther from the angry vampire.
I stepped inside and shut the door behind me. “This looks like a cozy meeting.”
Tate smiled lazily. “These young vampires have no manners these days. Didn’t even wait for an invitation, did you?”
The faux cheer worried me—and made me wonder if he was still under the influence of Celina’s glamour. I flipped the thumb guard on my sword, unsheathed it, and moved closer. No point in pretending we were here for fun.
I pointed the katana at Celina. “You set us up.”
Celina picked at a fingernail. “I did the right thing, as the GP has made clear to you time and time again. Why are you even here?” She rolled her shoulders, as if irritated.
I squinted at her in the mood lighting. “Lift your