Page 134 of Taste of Blood
“Can I see you in my office?”
I follow him inside, where he shuts the door. It’s just the two of us, which is unusual in itself. I rarely see Dante without Gio present. “I want you to take point on this.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve got experience with Thalium.”
“What exactly do you want me to do? He knows my face. Hell, he knows who I am.”
“I’m aware of that, but like I said, I don’t care if he knows we’re watching him. In fact, from what I’ve seen of him, he probably expects it. I’ll bet the bastard put on a show for us.”
“Look, Dante, can I level with you?”
“Please do.”
I take a moment to collect my thoughts. “Okay, this guy has been one step ahead of us this whole time. He managed to pull together an army of followers right under our noses without us suspecting a thing. In fact, I doubt we would’ve known anything until the first hit on one of our dens if I hadn’t been tipped off on those Outliers snatching people.”
“I’ll admit, that was luck.”
“You’re damn right it was. Whether he wanted us to be alerted or it was just a screw up on their part, he hasn’t backed off. In fact, he’s doubled down. It’s no coincidence that he hit our dens tonight of all nights, when he knew we’d be occupied.”
“And how do you think he knew that?” Dante fires back, his ire growing.
I might have overstepped here. The last thing I want to do is pull Asher into this conversation, but we’re there now.
“Probably the same way Asher knew he’d be there. The guest list was public knowledge.”
“Just because my name was on the list, doesn’t mean I was going. In fact, I was intending to skip it until Asher called me.”
Wait, what? “Asher called you? When?”
“The other night. He said it was my chance to get eyes on Thalium.” He regards me with narrowed eyes. “How do I know your boyfriend wasn’t somehow setting me up?”
I’m still trying to process the fact that Asher called Dante. He hates Dante. Why would he call him, and when did this happen? “What possible motive would Asher have to set you up? He has just as much to lose here as you do.”
“Does he?”
I can’t believe he’s asking me that. I bite back my own anger now, keeping my voice level when I reply. “Think long and hard about what you say next, Dante. I’ve been loyal to you all these years, but even I have my limits.”
“Are you saying you’d choose him ahead of me?”
Am I? Ten years ago I walked out on Asher because he accused me of letting Dante use me. That time I chose wrong. I won’t make the same mistake again.
“I think you know the answer to that.”
He regards me for several minutes. Finally he sighs and pinches his nose. He’s still in his tux, the cuffs of which are now stained with blood. He looks as tired as I feel, but I’ll be damned if I’ll spare him any consideration if he insists upon accusing Asher of trying to undermine his authority. I know Asher doesn’t like him, but I also know he realizes Dante is a necessary part of our society.
“The last thing we need right now is infighting,” he says at last.
I’m about to answer him when the door to the office inches open and Roland pokes his head in.
“Sorry for the interruption, boss, but we’ve got company.”
“Who?”
The door swings wide as Roland is pushed back out of the way, revealing two stern-faced men in black cloaks. I’ve never actually seen any of them before, but I know without being told that I’m looking at our worst nightmare.
“Are you Dante Fantini?” one of them asks. His voice is deep and authoritative with an accent I can’t place.
