“That’s quite a different ensemble from the delightful sundress you were wearing earlier, Ms. Maya,” Sebastian cooed. “Speaking of sun, aren’t you up past a good little vampire’s bedtime? We were just about to retire ourselves.”
“You are more than welcome to bunk in with us,” Diego added before kissing Maya’s hand gallantly.
“Thank you but I have some important business to attend to,” Maya said, looking from one brother to the other. “I’m sorry to bother you at this hour but it really couldn’t wait.”
“Where’s Quesada?” Sebastian asked, looking past Maya.
“Shane is recuperating and needs to sleep.” Maya straightened her back. “I’ll be heading up north ahead of him and handling this mission on my own.”
“Recuperating?” Sebastian asked with concern. “What on earth from? He seemed fine when the two of you left earlier.”
“Shane and I were attacked by a pack of werewolves tonight.”
Maya kept her attention on the two vampires, curious to see what their reaction would be. To her relief, both seemed genuinely surprised and appalled. She worried that they might be involved, though given their friendship with Shane, it was unlikely.
“What?” Diego’s fangs erupted and his voice was tight with anger. “When?”
“Right after we got back to Lottie’s house.” Maya fought to keep her voice even. “There were three of them and Shane was bitten, but we were able to use their blood to help him heal.”
“Why on earth would you and Quesada be attacked by a pack of werewolves?” Sebastian folded his arms over his chest and looked Maya up and down. “And two sentries for the Presidium, no less. What would make them break the truce and risk all-out war?”
“Well,” Diego scoffed, “I hope you had the decency to kill them.”
“They’re no longer a threat,” Maya said with a tight smile. While she wanted to be truthful with her new friends, she’d be keeping information about the anti-werewolf whammy to herself. Besides, once she returned the necklace to the wolves, it would be a moot point and she’d be a regular vampire again. “They’ve been neutralized.”
“Maya?” Sebastian narrowed his eyes and waggled a finger at her. “You are a crafty little girl and artfully avoided answering my question. Why did they come after you?”
“I have something they want.”
“Honey, you have something a lot of men want.” Diego waggled his blond brows at her playfully. “Like Shane, for example.”
“Yes, well, I can’t get into specifics.” Maya’s hand fluttered to her throat. “But I can tell you that Otto is the one who sent them after us.”
“Otto?” Diego said furiously. “That furry fucker is involved in this? I should drain him dry. I’ll tell you this much, at the very least he’s never eating here again. I don’t care how much money he has.”
“Thank you.” Maya’s brow furrowed. “I’m still not sure how they figured out where we were staying, but that’s really beside the point.”
“Honey, this is New Orleans.” Sebastian flashed his fangs and grinned. “There are eyes everywhere, but if you do figure out who spilled the beans, please let us know. If there’s a traitor in our midst, they will be dealt with promptly.”
“If you came here looking for Otto, I hate to disappoint you because he’s long gone.” Diego rolled his eyes. “He’s probably at home sleeping off the booze.”
“It’s urgent that I speak with him.” Maya nodded her head adamantly. “Otto is only a middleman, and I’m well aware of who he’s working for. I need to speak with him so that he can pass along a message for me. Do you know how I can reach him?”
“Who is he working for?” Sebastian asked.
Maya stilled and looked back and forth between the two men. She wasn’t sure how much to tell them and decided that the less information they had, the better off they’d be. She just hoped like hell they would accept no for an answer.
“I’m sorry but it’s best if I don’t share that with you. It’s for your own safety,” she added quickly. “Can you help me get in touch with Otto?”
“Can we help you?” Sebastian asked incredulously as he elbowed his brother. “That is our business, baby.”
“My brother is correct.” Diego slipped a cell phone out of his pocket and touched the screen a few times. “We keep our regular clients on speed dial, and up until today, Otto was a regular.” His eyes narrowed when handed the phone to Maya. “But not anymore.”
“Thank you,” Maya whispered. She took the phone and pressed it to her ear. It rang five times, and for a second she thought it would go to voice mail, but on the sixth ring, a sleepy and irritated man answered the phone.
“What the fuck do you want?” Otto growled. “It’s five thirty in the fucking morning and I’m still drunk.”
“Well,” Maya purred, “isn’t that a charming way to answer the phone? My, my, my, aren’t you a cranky wolf.”
Silence filled the line and Maya’s confidence grew. She winked at Sebastian and Diego, a smile covering her face.
“Who the hell is this?” Otto barked. Maya could hear the sleepy voice of a woman in the background. “Shut up, Tiffany. Go back to sleep.” He lowered his voice to a rough whisper. “Answer me. Who is this?”
“I’m sure you’re surprised to hear from me,” she sang, putting on her most playful, seductive voice. “And I can’t say that I blame you, Otto. I guess your wolf boys weren’t up to the task, and sadly, they will no longer be able to run your errands for you—or do anything else, for that matter.”
“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about, lady,” he sputtered nervously. “Wait a minute. I know this number.”
“Yes, you do. Sebastian and Diego are rather upset by your behavior, so I think it’s safe to say that you should find somewhere else to hang out,” Maya hissed. Her fangs erupted as she fought to keep her anger under control. “I know we weren’t formally introduced earlier but my name is Maya, and if I’m not mistaken, I have something that you want.”
“I don’t want it. It’s not me,” he sputtered. “It’s that crazy little bastard Horace. Look, I didn’t want to have any part of it, okay? He’s blackmailing me, and unless I wanted my dirty laundry aired in public, I had to help him. He could destroy my entire business. Get it? He’s the one you want, okay? He believes that stupid story about some gypsy necklace, and the little shit thinks it’s going to give him absolute power. I think he wants to overthrow his old man. He’s nuts.”
“Yeah, I figured as much.” Maya’s eyebrows flew up with surprise to hear Otto throw Horace right under the proverbial bus. She didn’t think he’d roll over that easily, but she was relieved to have her suspicions confirmed. At least she knew exactly who she was dealing with. “I want you to give your boss a message for me.”
“He’s not my boss,” Otto hissed.
“Maybe not, but you’re his bitch.” Maya rolled her eyes. She turned her back on the brothers and walked away, keeping her voice low. “Tell Horace to meet me at midnight on the Gapstow Bridge in Central Park. I’ll give him what he’s after.”
“Gapstow Bridge at midnight. Got it.”
“And tell him to come alone,” Maya added quickly.
Turning around, she ended the call and passed the phone back to Diego. She was relatively sure that Horace wouldn’t show up alone, but then again, he wasn’t expecting her to be armed to the fangs, either. As far as Horace was concerned, Maya was just a silly little girl who flirted too much, not a sentry-trained vampire with a werewolf whammy.