Page 43 of Bloody Kingdom

“In twenty minutes, a car service is coming to pick you up from the house, don’t worry, I’ve already taken care of giving the driver the address you’re going to. You’ll wait under the green sign and someone will come by with a package. You’ll take it and get back into the car that will be waiting for you down the street. You’ll be home just in time for dinner tonight.”

My pacing comes to an abrupt halt. “Della, this sounds like some sketchy drug deal. Absolutely not, I’m not doing this.”

My job here is to take care of Ira, not partake in whatever illegal activities Silas is entangled with.I’m too cute for jail, thank you very much.

“No, no, Quincey, I swear on my mama’s life that it’s not drugs,” Della assures me, but it does little to ease my concerns.

“Then what is it?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“Of course, you can’t,” I snap. “I swear to God, this house runs on hostility and secrets. Every single one of you is exhausting to be around. I don’t know how you keep all your lies straight, Della.”

“It’s taken many years of practice, I’ll give you that.” I want to ask just how many years. If Ira has been here over sixty, how long has Della worked for Silas? I would bet money it’s longer than I’ve been alive. “Just in case you’re tempted and knowing your obscenely high level of curiosity, you will, you should know the package will be locked. I have the only key to unlock it, so don’t even try it.”

Well crap.

This confirms it. Della might be a mind reader.

“This whole thing seems wildly suspicious.” I catch myself before I can bring my hand up to my mouth to chew nervously on my nail. It’s a habit I’ve been working on breaking. “What am I supposed to do with Ira? I can’t leave him here alone.”

“Constance is coming to sit with him, he hates her but with any luck, she’ll only be with him for an hour or so until I get there.”

Ira filled me in on who Constance was within my first week of being here. She’s a night nurse Silas hired to watch over Ira when things got really bad. Ira never meshed with her, which is why they started looking for other options.Enter me stage left.

“He’s going to be pissed.” Between the gap in his open door, I watch Ira as he naps soundly. Maybe he’ll sleep through her being here. “But fine, I’ll do it.”

I can almost feel Della’s relief through the phone. “Thank you. I’ll have my phone, call me if you run into any problems.” Just as I’m about to end the call, she stops me by uttering a warning. “I don’t have to tell you what will happen if you think you can use this as an opportunity to run away from him. You and I both know you’re starting to grasp just who he is and what he’s capable of.”

My hand tightens on the phone. “Are we going to keep skirting around that discussion or are we finally going to discuss it?”

Her response is to hang up on me.

Real polite, Della. Your mama would be proud of those manners of yours.

For a cityI lived in for most of my life, I feel like a stranger in it now. The streets I know like the back of my hand feel foreign to me after only a month of being away from them. I should have known this meet-up would take place back in the Quarter. Della swears up and down that this isn’t illegal, but like anything that involves Silas, it’s all very cloak and dagger. What better place to have a secret exchange than the busy streets of the French Quarter where everyone is too busy or too drunk to notice it’s happening.

The driver dropped me off in front of the location. It’s an empty storefront with plywood in the windows, the green sign that once held the business’s name sways from its hooks above me.

Della told me someone would come with the package, but she never told me how long I’d have to wait here for them to show up. In the time I’ve spent leaning against this brick building, I’ve thought about running away no less than fifteen times. St. Sin is just blocks away—Lucyis just blocks away.

I’ve never needed my friend more than I do now. Even if I can’t really tell her anything, just seeing her again would make me feel better. The impulse to run to her and proclaim my sudden belief in vampires is a hard one to fight. Della’s parting comment about knowing who I’m dealing with stops me from doing it. Without a doubt, Silas has no limits to how far he’ll go to protect his secrets.

You haven’t even confirmed it, Q. This is all just a crazy theory in your head,the rational part of my brain scolds me.

Groaning, I lean my head back on the hard brick behind me and let the last bits of sunlight warm my skin. Now is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for to get away from it all, but the overbearing curiosity over this package has me sticking around. I’ll see what it is andthenI’ll go.

Della said it was locked, but just how locked could it possibly be?

My question is answered when a surprisingly young guy appears out of nowhere in front of me. In his hands is a high-tech looking metal briefcase. Cautiously, I stand up straighter and eye the man warily.

He lifts his chin at me in greeting. “Della said some blonde chick in a ratty T-shirt would be meetin’ me. That you?”

Self-consciously, I glance at my old, oversized, concert T-shirt. I’d tucked the front part into my torn-up shorts to make it look less big. It’s a little disturbing that without even seeing me, Della knew what I’d be wearing. My limited clothing options have been on constant rotation and she’s clearly been keeping track. “That’s me.”

His dark eyes flick over me quickly before he shrugs. “Cool, this is for you.” He holds the case up for me to take, and when I don’t immediately reach out to take it from him, he shakes it at me with a huff. “I don’t got all day, lady.”

Reluctantly, I take the case from him. It’s heavier than I thought it’d be and nothing in it rattles or makes any noise.

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