He laughs. “What do you take me for? I’m hacking the security system as we speak.” I can hear the clicking of laptop keys in the background as he goes quiet, mumbling code or something under his breath. “Yes, yes come on you beauty,” he says quietly to himself. I sit back against the leather taxi seat and listen, I can’t help the small smile that touches my lips. Finn just never struck me as the kind of man to be into computers. I guess people will surprise you every day.
“Did you get the van?” I ask, as he continues tapping away at his keyboard.
“Yeah I just pulled off into a car park down the road so that I could get this done,” he answers, but I can tell that he’s still focused on what he’s doing. Then he continues, “I think the police are searching the building right now, it doesn’t look like they’ve tried to view the security footage just yet. But the bastards won’t know what hit them, once I’m done with this the whole system will be scrambled.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. I feel bad for the police who are going to be searching for us, but it’s not like we stole anything, we just commandeered the roof for a while.
All of a sudden Finn lets out a whoop of triumph, so I take it he’s successfully fucked up their footage. I say goodbye, laughing at his lone celebration, then hang up.
The taxi pulls up outside of Crimson and I pay the driver. There’s only about five or six people waiting to get in. Dru nods to me as she sees me approach, she’s by herself on the door tonight.
“Hey,” she says as I step in front of her.
“So you’re working for Ethan now?” I ask her with a grin.
“Yeah,” she pauses to look me up and down. “You look like you just ran a marathon, hun, what’s up?”
I dab my sweaty brow and shrug, going for nonchalance. “It’s been a rough night,” I answer, looking away from her and out at the street. I’m still jumpy that a police car is going to come speeding down the road at any minute.
“You want to talk about it?” she asks, a concerned look on her face.
“Not really.”
“Okay, well Ethan’s in his office if that’s who you’re looking for. Oh and I’ll warn you that the she-bitch is around, so watch your back. She’s got a hard on for you.”
I visibly deflate at the news that Eliza’s in Crimson tonight. Does that woman ever leave the place?
I look back at Dru. “Thanks for the heads up,” then I move past her into the darkness of the club. Taking a peek at the VIP section, I notice that there aren’t very many vamps here tonight, which is always a good thing. For me anyway. Thankfully I don’t see Eliza anywhere, maybe she left already. Here’s to wishful thinking.
I slip off my coat and drape it over my arm because it’s way too warm in here, especially after all the running I’ve just done, even if I did get to sit down in the taxi for a few minutes. Sneaking past the staff door, I head straight for Ethan’s office, but as I near it I hear voices arguing. I stop a foot away from the slightly open door and listen.
“I can smell her all over you Ethan,” a high pitched voice grits out. Eliza. Oh shit, is she talking about me? I look behind me, back down the corridor, and consider leaving. But my curiosity gets the better of me. I stay still and listen.
“This really is none of your business, Eliza dear,” says Ethan, he sounds smug or self-satisfied in some way. Perhaps he enjoys making Eliza mad.
“None of my business? Are fucking serious? Ever since that piece of human garbage walked into the club the other night it’s like I don’t even exist to you any more. Do you expect me to just take this, I’m the daughter of the Governor for crying out loud!”
“There was never anything between us,” Ethan says then, his voice low and exasperated. “I’ve told you this time and again, just because I might have flirted with you, it doesn’t mean I want a relationship.”
“You’re a two-faced bastard, you use people. You made me believe you liked me so that you could get in good with my father. You’re a snake.”
“Myself and Jeremy have been friends for a very long time, I do not need to pretend to be interested his daughter to get into his good graces. And I have never been the kind of man to sleep with a woman in order to further my professional status, if that’s what you are implying. Don’t get me wrong, you are a very attractive woman, I’m just not interested.”
Eliza’s voice drips with hatred when she responds, “You’re just like your father, going around sleeping with human whores, diluting the bloodlines of our species, birthing more of those vile half-breeds.”
Ethan seems angered now. “My sister is one of those vile half-breeds Eliza, so don’t ever refer to the dhamphirs in that way in my presence. I will not tolerate it.”
“Oh, and what if I do?” Eliza snaps.
“I will inform Jeremy of how you have been trying to lure me into your bed for months. You know he frowns upon you having relations with those who work with him. You need to go and find yourself a nice blue blooded young gentleman, that’s what would make your father happy.”
“You think that just because you run your own business that you aren’t just as highly born as I? You can slum it all you want Ethan Cristescu, but you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth just like me.”
“That is of little consequence. I have always made my own way in the world, I have never relied upon my father’s wealth or influence.” He seems like he’s being slyly critical of Eliza now. She makes a very unattractive snort, through her nose I imagine.
Then there is silence, and I think it might be a good time for me to leave before I get caught eavesdropping. Just as I’m about to turn on my heel, Ethan zooms out of his office and is standing before me. I jerk back in fright.
“I thought I could smell you,” he says tenderly, dipping his head to press his lips softly to my cheek. He pulls back to gaze at me, and something touches lightly on my mental shields.