Page 51 of Tell Me Why
Tina followed her through the main part of the party downstairs and into a large, wood-paneled office. It was almost old-fashioned, compared to the rest of the house, but not antique like upstairs.
“Whatexactlyhave you authorized them todo?” Crissy demanded as Daryll leaned against the huge desk, talking to a group of five men.
“Go on guys,” Daryll said. “I’ll catch up with you later. We have out-of-town guests.”
Isabella waited, roiling, as the men left, then Daryll shook his head.
“Now, I told you I wasn’t going to have them makingproblemsat my party tonight,” he said. “If they’ve come running to you about it…”
He shook his head.
“Red. Dawn,” Isabella said, dropping the words like individual stones.
Daryll looked from Isabella to Tina to the guard, who had actually and faithfully followed them all the way into the room.
“Yousaidyou knew how to handle vampires like him,” Daryll accused.
“Yes, boss,” the man said. “And this is how you do it. Show them a little pain, let them know that you have the upper hand.”
“A little pain,” Isabella scoffed.
“That time in Moldavia,” Daryll said. “That was him?”
“It was,” Isabella said.
“Get them out of here,” Daryll said. “You have no idea what you just about did, here.”
“But…” the guard said.
“Out of my house,” Daryll said. “Lucky I don’t make a meal of you.”
The man frowned at Tina like she’d issued him a puzzle had didn’t have the wits to solve, then he turned toward the door.
“No, wait,” Daryll said. “If you want it done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.”
He pushed himself off the desk, giving Isabella a dark look like this washerfault, then Tina followed the two men back out into the main space of the house.
She heard Isabella following after.
Tell might not have moved since Tina had left, the guard sneering at him from a few feet away, and Tina suspected thatthe man hadn’tstoppedspeaking to Tell since Tina had gone, which meant it was a minor miracle that he was still alive.
“Out,” Daryll said. “Both of you. I don’t put up with stuff like that in my house, and I don’t associate with idiots.”
“Just doin’ the job you paid us for,” Tell’s guard said.
“I’ve said everything I intend to say about it. I see you again, you’re dead men.”
They looked at each other with confusion, and Tell’s guard appeared to rally one more time, this time to ask if they were still getting paid, but Tina’s guard just grabbed him and they left.
“Already caused more problem than you’re worth,” Daryll said to Tell. “Was going to invite you down as guests, but if you can’t act like it, you can just stay upstairs for the night, while we entertain our real guests, down here.”
There were plenty of people around them, all desperately interested in what was going on, and Tina was certain that Daryll was choosing his words carefully for the broader audience with some fear for what Tell might reveal in reply.
Tell was still stiff, but he turned to look at Daryll with an intense formality.
“You are one of the greatest fools I have ever heard of,” he said. “And I pity those who entrust you with their safety.”
“You don’t know anything about anything,” Daryll said. “You show up with no notice, put us out, and expect that everything is going to be easy and convenient for you. We’ll discuss it in the morning.”
