08-04-2015, 01:08 PM
Samara leaned against the Geo as Coyle cussed his way out of the cramped car. They had decided to speak with the Blood Fangs while Isaac was away, as they probably would be more willing to express their feelings towards the leech without him. It was no secret among the pack that the Blood Fang owned a bar in town. Well, less than owned, they had taken it over and the human owner could do nothing to stop them. He allowed them to claim it as their base, and was content to allow pack customers and the occasional fearless human.
The neon blue signed flashed the word 'Oasis' with 'Bloody' painted in red above it. Obviously a last minute change in the name when the Blood Fangs took over. Samara unzipped her leather jacket so that her shirt could be seen. It displayed her cleavage, as well as allowing her lower abdomen to shine through in her hip hugger jeans. Male pack members were no different then human males, and easily distracted by a half naked woman. It helped a great deal that Samara was without a mate as well, as there was five male pack members to every one female.
The bar was a hole in the wall, the first floor nothing more then a bar lined with stools and three booths. Having been inside before, Samara knew that the bathrooms and some tables were set up on the second floor. The walls had peeling wall paper showing the brick behind them, and the floors were a grayed wood that had once had a dark brown shine.
Coyle looked down at his sister's choice of clothing, and rolled his eyes before heading into the bar. She was close behind him as the shabby door was pushed open, and all eyes fell onto them. Samara gave her best smile before walking over to the bartender.
"Look, every time you come in here, something gets broken." The bartender said as he filled up a beer glass, "We don't know nothing, and we try to keep it that way."
Samara chuckled at the large blonde bartender, "Oh, come now, Solon. We just need to ask a couple questions about Amelia. Ever heard of her?"
"Yeah, I remember the leech lover. She could have had any man she wanted in her, but she picked a fuckin' leech." He snarled as he put the beer on the bar in front of a dirty looking packie.
There was a loud belched from one of the men in the booths, Samara looked over her shoulder then back at the bartender. "I can't imagine why she wouldn't want one of these guys."
Solon snorted, "Ain't got no time for this shit."
Coyle stepped in seeing that his sister was getting them no where. They couldn't go upstairs without Solon's go ahead. "Sounds to me that you had your own eye on Amelia."
He nodded, "Ask her out for a drink or two, I recall." He leaned against the bar with his elbows. "What's all this about, she get herself into some trouble?"
"The leech got himself killed, and Amelia is missing. We just want to clear the Blood Fangs from any wrong doing."
Solon stood up straight, "I see. So, you want to go upstairs and talk to Xavier, do you?" He said with a smug grin.
"How much?" Samara sighed.
"Hundred."
Coyle frowned and reached for his wallet in his back pocket. Looking inside, he counted how many bills he had. "I got sixty." He said, then looked at his sister.
"I didn't bring any money." Samara told him.
"Sixty is fine." Solon held out his hand, and Coyle gave it to him with some hesitation.
Walking around the bar, Solon unlocked the door to the stairway across the room with the keys on his belt. Opening the door, there was a narrow hallway that had ten stairs, then turned the opposite way for another five stairs. When Coyle and Samara were on their way up, Solon shut the door.
The upstairs looked just as old and dingy as the downstairs. The six small tables that sat four people each were filled with bikers. Some females stood around, most leaning against the walls. Everyone wore black and leather, all with images of a fang dripping blood. Many of them had tattoos of a bloody fang on their faces, which didn't help them to blend into society. However, that was their entire point, the Blood Fangs were against pack members joining human society, especial one that allowed vampires to exist in the open.
Xavier was the largest of the men, his hair and skin dark. He had one brown eye, and one light blue eye. Those in the Blood Fang believed his blue eye could look into someone's soul. What he found there varied from myth to myth. He was not pleased to see them walk up the stairs. Though Xavier was the leader of the Blood Fangs, he was without a mate, and had attempted many times to persuade Samara. Knowing that it would hurt her career, she had always declined as gently as she could. Though with Xavier any rejection was taken personally. He hadn't tried to have her killed, simply because she was with PAWS, and he didn't want them breathing down his neck.
Leaning back in his seat, he folded his hands on the table as Samara and Coyle came to stand in front of him and his full table. They were playing poker, and Xavier seemed to be winning. Though if his gang members were smart, they would always let him win.
"Well if it isn't the canine squad." Xavier looked behind them, "Missing your handlers, I see."
The Blood Fangs believed that PAWS was run by the humans, mostly because they worked so closely together.
Samara folded her arms, "We don't have time for games, Xavier. We need to ask you and your gang some questions."
"About?"
"Pertaining to Amelia. She was once part of your gang, but you threw her out for dating a leech." Coyle told him.
Everyone in the room laughed, but Xavier answered for them. "We threw her out, because her little lover boy started a fight with one of our own. Amelia didn't allow it to remain one on one, and joined in the fight. She even changed form."
Pack members had certain rules when it came to disagreements. They always allowed two people to work things out on their own, but if third person stepped in then all rules were void.
"How could one leech and one packie, stand up to the entire gang?" Samara asked.
"We weren't around when it happened. They killed him without cause."
Coyle looked at his sister for a moment, "Sounds like motive to kill the leech to me."
Xavier snorted, "I won't lie, we would have gladly ripped that leech's heart out… and Amelia's too. But we got a better offer."
"A better offer?"
He nodded, "A human dressed in military uniform said that Amelia worked for him, and that we needed to leave her and the leech alone. Put ten thousand dollars on the table, and walked out. Think that more then paid for our dead comrade, don't you?"
"Military uniform?" Coyle asked.
"Yeah, don't know what branch. Might not have been military. It could have been a cop, don't know… don't care either. Whatever he was, he gave us enough cash to forget the entire incident. So, if Amelia's claiming that we touched her little play thing, then she's full of shit." Xavier growled, "Little bitch was always a liar. We haven't bothered her in months."
"Maybe someone in your gang wasn't pleased with the arrangement? Someone who was close to the victim perhaps?" Coyle asked.
The entire room laughed again, before Xavier spoke, "Ten thousand bucks makes you forget real quick." He picked up his cigar from the ashtray. "Now, I think we've wasted enough time on the two of you."
Samara looked over at her brother, who began to walk towards the stairs.
"Samara, interested in a drink?" Xavier asked.
She had just turned her back on him, but turned her head to see him over her shoulder, "No, thanks, I am working." She started down the stairs, but could hear Xavier clearly yell to her.
"You know where to find me, when you are finished playing hard to get, baby!" The room laughed again.
She cringed at the thought as they made their way down the stairs, and out the front door to the Geo.
Samara started the car and looked at her brother, who was deep in thought. "What do you think?"
"If Amelia was working with the humans police force or military, then maybe Trent and Isaac will have a better grasp on that lead." Coyle answered.
Samara nodded, "Yeah, we will ask them about it tomorrow… away from the leech."
"Agreed."
It slowly opened to reveal Isaac's heavy-eyed face, he ran his fingers through his disarrayed hair as he yawned. "Good God, Samara. Why don't you just kick it down?"
"Sorry, but Coyle and I have some information and we wanted to get to Trent before Corliss did." Samara stepped in, shoving him to the side.
When Coyle entered he gave an apologetic nod to Isaac, as well as a shrug at his sister's behavior.
"Where is Trent?" Samara asked as she sat down at the bar stool.
"In the bedroom, asleep. We met with the Upper Circle last night, and then came back here. He was still drinking by the time that I passed out." Isaac told her as he began to make coffee for them.
"You two were drinking? On a work night?" Coyle asked.
Isaac laughed as he opened the coffee can, "Trent was drinking, and he drinks every night… and throughout the day too." He began to scoop the coffee out with a tablespoon, "He sneaks it whenever he goes to the bathroom."
Coyle looked at his sister, who seemed to be pretending that she wasn't paying attention to their conversation. "Doesn't your captain have anything to say about that?"
Isaac shrugged, "It doesn't interfere with his job. I don't even think the captain knows."
Samara cleared her throat, she had seen the alcohol bottles around the apartment before and had suspected Trent's habit.
"What the hell is going on out here?" Trent asked, as he stumbled out of the bedroom. He wore nothing but a pair of old checkered pajama bottoms.
"We talked to the Blood Fangs last night. They had some interesting things to say about Amelia." Samara told him.
Trent sat down beside her in front of the booth, "Yeah? Like what?"
Samara grinned, "For example, someone paid them off to not bother her and the leech."
"Who?" Isaac asked as he leaned against the counter.
"Some guy in a military uniform, he said she worked for him." Coyle informed him.
"Guy as in human?" Trent questioned as he stared at the coffee pot that was bubbling throughout their conversation.
Samara nodded, "Doesn't know if it was a cop or what, though."
Running his fingers through his hair, Trent stood up from the stool. "I'll be right back. I need to shower and get dressed before Corliss comes."
Everyone excused him with a nod.
"How was your meeting with the Upper Circle?" Coyle asked as he leaned against the wall next to the door.
Isaac shrugged, "Same old bullshit, as always."
"Nothing to do with our case?" Samara asked this question.
"What is this? An interrogation?" Isaac opened the cupboard and pulled out four coffee mugs, before he turned his attention to the still brewing coffee.
"Why did you sleep here last night?" Coyle looked at the pillows and blanket that were disheveled on the couch.
Isaac cleared his throat, "Upper Circle business is none of pack or kine concern; you both know that. Anything that was told to me and Trent is confidential, and it will remain that way."
"Oh, someone is in a bad mood." Samara teased, even though she was offended. Standing up from the stool, she adjusted her gray dress suit, and felt the French bun that her hair was in. Coyle had mocked her for dressing as he put it "like a kine", but she had the urge to dress well that day.
As the cups of coffee were poured, Trent reemerged from his bedroom and took a seat on the stool again. Jeans and a grayish blue t-shirt were all that he wore, while Isaac still stood in his suit from the day before.
"Should we tell them?" Trent asked.
Isaac sighed aloud, "This is something that should be discussed in private. They were very specific about us not telling any outsiders."
"It might help our case…" Trent saw Isaac roll his eyes; which told him that he could go ahead. "Our contact at the Circle, informed us that Rylan was working on the inside for them. They were trying to gather information on any Macrea plans against other clans."
"Did he find anything?" Coyle stood up straight, so he was no longer leaning against the wall.
Trent shook his head, "They didn't say, but what they did tell us is what is important. Rylan was getting threats from what they believe to be human blackmailers, because they were asking for money. Some threatened death and others threatened to tell the Macreas."
"That is further proof that a leech did it to him." Samara grinned, a little too proud of the fact.
Again, Trent shook his head, "They don't think it was. If the Macreas discovered that he was betraying them, then they would have tortured him slowly. Shooting him is not typical of the kine."
Isaac continued, "It gets deeper though, it seems that Rylan had someone else on the inside working for him. Someone who was close to Adriel… they called this person "the Shadow." No one knows who this person is, or if they are even still alive."
"They didn't know who was working for them?" Samara sipped her coffee after asking the question.
"Well, Rylan told them to stay away from Corliss. He said she wasn't to be trusted. Now, they are wondering…" Isaac looked over to Trent to ensure it was alright to inform them. "They think that Corliss might be the Shadow. She is the one that is closest to Adriel, and she would have the most information on him."
Samara coughed up some of her coffee, "You can't be serious? That kine is more loyal to her people then…"
Coyle put his hand down on the counter, "That would explain why Adriel sent her out on this case, though. Maybe he has his suspicions about her, and doesn't want her near him until he can prove it one way or the other."
"They don't think that the Macreas know, because they installed bugs at the Macrea building, and they had yet to be removed." Trent countered.
All eyes went immediately to the door when the light tapping occurred, and immediately everyone knew that it was Corliss.
"Keep this quiet. If she isn't the Shadow, then we will hurt the Upper Circle's investigations." Trent ordered in a whisper, as Coyle answered the door.
Corliss shrugged, "We have a list of girlfriends, two of which are willing to speak with us. I would say we visit them first."
"I doubt they would have any leads for us. It's obvious that Amelia is our road to answers. We need to find out where she is… she might even be another victim." He looked over at Corliss' freshly manicured nails that she was tapping against the steering wheel. She had gotten a French manicure this time, her tips painted white. It matched the casual look she seemed to be going for lately. Today it was jeans, black high heel boots, and a low cut black t-shirt, but she still wore that red lipstick.
"They could very well be a path to that road. Like this one," She pointed to the list, "Jenelle Horst, I know which blood bar that she likes to patronize."
"Horst? That's the German clan isn't it?"
Corliss nodded in response.
"What is a Macrea or Fausto doing with one of them? Don't you guys find them to be dirty?"
"After hearing that my brother was dating a pup, nothing can surprise me now." She turned on the engine, "Besides, the Macreas think anyone outside their clan is dirty. The Faustos actually have a closer relationship to both humans and other kine clans."
"Fine, lets go." Trent sighed as Corliss pulled out of the parking space.
He wanted desperately to call her on the information that his father had given him. Tell her that he knew that she had been ordered to seduce him, but more importantly find out if she was the Shadow. Things would be so much easier to understand if they knew that she was trying to bring her overlords down. It would take their ability to trust each other to entirely different level. As it stood now, they were working against each other, but trying to get to the same end.
"How was your evening?" Corliss asked, interrupting his train of thought.
Trent shrugged, "Like any other, yours?"
"Interesting…" She grinned slightly, and for a moment he thought she was about to tell him something more, but she seemed to think better of it.
"Interesting how?" Trent was not entirely sure if he wanted to know, and hoped it would revolve around the case.
She gently shook her head, "Just interesting."
"Going to peek my curiosity and then just make me suffer with it, are you?" Trent folded his arms and grinned.
Corliss chuckled, "It's nothing that you would want to hear about, trust me. For a moment, I almost forgot that you… never mind."
"That I what?"
"That you aren't a kine." She mumbled, then cleared her throat.
"Oh… I see." He turned his eyes to the passing buildings outside his window. After a moment of silence, he looked back to her. "So, what did you do?"
She gently shook her head, "Whatever you think us naughty little kine do in the privacy of our sacred blood chambers… that's probably what I did."
"Sacrificing babies and bathing yourself in their blood?"
She nearly gagged, "What? No!" She swallowed again, "No!"
Trent began to laugh, and it took a moment for Corliss to realize that he had only been teasing.
"I was part of a blood ritual last night, a very important rite for the younger kine of the clan." For a moment she silenced herself, and Trent said nothing as he knew she was gathering her words. "First time that I was allowed to even witness the ritual, let alone be part of it, since I left the Faustos anyway. Back then, I was permanent fixture at those things."
"Oh, that's nice… I think."
Corliss smiled, "No one died," She said to reassure him, "and no one got upset that I was there. That means they might finally accept me as part of the clan."
"That's good then." His words were empty, and she heard it.
"Yeah, I think it has to do with how I am handling this case. If I can get the clan to accept me, then I won't need Adriel to keep me as a toy anymore."
"Why do you need him to do it now?"
"For protection. No one will touch me knowing that I belong to such a powerful kine." Her eyes went to her rear view mirror for a moment, and then back onto the busy road ahead of her.
"Being a toy to a powerful kine didn't seem to save Rylan." Trent tried to keep the safety belt away from his neck, as it was rubbing against his skin.
Corliss nodded slowly, "Which is exactly why I don't think a kine would have killed him. It had to be a human or pup kill."
Trent said nothing, he wasn't about to argue with her on this issue. He had been a cop for a long time, and knew that the only thing that could lead them to the truth was the evidence left behind.
The neon blue signed flashed the word 'Oasis' with 'Bloody' painted in red above it. Obviously a last minute change in the name when the Blood Fangs took over. Samara unzipped her leather jacket so that her shirt could be seen. It displayed her cleavage, as well as allowing her lower abdomen to shine through in her hip hugger jeans. Male pack members were no different then human males, and easily distracted by a half naked woman. It helped a great deal that Samara was without a mate as well, as there was five male pack members to every one female.
The bar was a hole in the wall, the first floor nothing more then a bar lined with stools and three booths. Having been inside before, Samara knew that the bathrooms and some tables were set up on the second floor. The walls had peeling wall paper showing the brick behind them, and the floors were a grayed wood that had once had a dark brown shine.
Coyle looked down at his sister's choice of clothing, and rolled his eyes before heading into the bar. She was close behind him as the shabby door was pushed open, and all eyes fell onto them. Samara gave her best smile before walking over to the bartender.
"Look, every time you come in here, something gets broken." The bartender said as he filled up a beer glass, "We don't know nothing, and we try to keep it that way."
Samara chuckled at the large blonde bartender, "Oh, come now, Solon. We just need to ask a couple questions about Amelia. Ever heard of her?"
"Yeah, I remember the leech lover. She could have had any man she wanted in her, but she picked a fuckin' leech." He snarled as he put the beer on the bar in front of a dirty looking packie.
There was a loud belched from one of the men in the booths, Samara looked over her shoulder then back at the bartender. "I can't imagine why she wouldn't want one of these guys."
Solon snorted, "Ain't got no time for this shit."
Coyle stepped in seeing that his sister was getting them no where. They couldn't go upstairs without Solon's go ahead. "Sounds to me that you had your own eye on Amelia."
He nodded, "Ask her out for a drink or two, I recall." He leaned against the bar with his elbows. "What's all this about, she get herself into some trouble?"
"The leech got himself killed, and Amelia is missing. We just want to clear the Blood Fangs from any wrong doing."
Solon stood up straight, "I see. So, you want to go upstairs and talk to Xavier, do you?" He said with a smug grin.
"How much?" Samara sighed.
"Hundred."
Coyle frowned and reached for his wallet in his back pocket. Looking inside, he counted how many bills he had. "I got sixty." He said, then looked at his sister.
"I didn't bring any money." Samara told him.
"Sixty is fine." Solon held out his hand, and Coyle gave it to him with some hesitation.
Walking around the bar, Solon unlocked the door to the stairway across the room with the keys on his belt. Opening the door, there was a narrow hallway that had ten stairs, then turned the opposite way for another five stairs. When Coyle and Samara were on their way up, Solon shut the door.
The upstairs looked just as old and dingy as the downstairs. The six small tables that sat four people each were filled with bikers. Some females stood around, most leaning against the walls. Everyone wore black and leather, all with images of a fang dripping blood. Many of them had tattoos of a bloody fang on their faces, which didn't help them to blend into society. However, that was their entire point, the Blood Fangs were against pack members joining human society, especial one that allowed vampires to exist in the open.
Xavier was the largest of the men, his hair and skin dark. He had one brown eye, and one light blue eye. Those in the Blood Fang believed his blue eye could look into someone's soul. What he found there varied from myth to myth. He was not pleased to see them walk up the stairs. Though Xavier was the leader of the Blood Fangs, he was without a mate, and had attempted many times to persuade Samara. Knowing that it would hurt her career, she had always declined as gently as she could. Though with Xavier any rejection was taken personally. He hadn't tried to have her killed, simply because she was with PAWS, and he didn't want them breathing down his neck.
Leaning back in his seat, he folded his hands on the table as Samara and Coyle came to stand in front of him and his full table. They were playing poker, and Xavier seemed to be winning. Though if his gang members were smart, they would always let him win.
"Well if it isn't the canine squad." Xavier looked behind them, "Missing your handlers, I see."
The Blood Fangs believed that PAWS was run by the humans, mostly because they worked so closely together.
Samara folded her arms, "We don't have time for games, Xavier. We need to ask you and your gang some questions."
"About?"
"Pertaining to Amelia. She was once part of your gang, but you threw her out for dating a leech." Coyle told him.
Everyone in the room laughed, but Xavier answered for them. "We threw her out, because her little lover boy started a fight with one of our own. Amelia didn't allow it to remain one on one, and joined in the fight. She even changed form."
Pack members had certain rules when it came to disagreements. They always allowed two people to work things out on their own, but if third person stepped in then all rules were void.
"How could one leech and one packie, stand up to the entire gang?" Samara asked.
"We weren't around when it happened. They killed him without cause."
Coyle looked at his sister for a moment, "Sounds like motive to kill the leech to me."
Xavier snorted, "I won't lie, we would have gladly ripped that leech's heart out… and Amelia's too. But we got a better offer."
"A better offer?"
He nodded, "A human dressed in military uniform said that Amelia worked for him, and that we needed to leave her and the leech alone. Put ten thousand dollars on the table, and walked out. Think that more then paid for our dead comrade, don't you?"
"Military uniform?" Coyle asked.
"Yeah, don't know what branch. Might not have been military. It could have been a cop, don't know… don't care either. Whatever he was, he gave us enough cash to forget the entire incident. So, if Amelia's claiming that we touched her little play thing, then she's full of shit." Xavier growled, "Little bitch was always a liar. We haven't bothered her in months."
"Maybe someone in your gang wasn't pleased with the arrangement? Someone who was close to the victim perhaps?" Coyle asked.
The entire room laughed again, before Xavier spoke, "Ten thousand bucks makes you forget real quick." He picked up his cigar from the ashtray. "Now, I think we've wasted enough time on the two of you."
Samara looked over at her brother, who began to walk towards the stairs.
"Samara, interested in a drink?" Xavier asked.
She had just turned her back on him, but turned her head to see him over her shoulder, "No, thanks, I am working." She started down the stairs, but could hear Xavier clearly yell to her.
"You know where to find me, when you are finished playing hard to get, baby!" The room laughed again.
She cringed at the thought as they made their way down the stairs, and out the front door to the Geo.
Samara started the car and looked at her brother, who was deep in thought. "What do you think?"
"If Amelia was working with the humans police force or military, then maybe Trent and Isaac will have a better grasp on that lead." Coyle answered.
Samara nodded, "Yeah, we will ask them about it tomorrow… away from the leech."
"Agreed."
---***---
Samara pounded against the door with Coyle standing closely behind her. She had seen Trent's car outside, and hoped that meant that he was home. Otherwise, he was out with Corliss and each time she slammed her fist against the wood, she became more and more afraid of that. Finally, she heard someone mumble something from the other side of the door.It slowly opened to reveal Isaac's heavy-eyed face, he ran his fingers through his disarrayed hair as he yawned. "Good God, Samara. Why don't you just kick it down?"
"Sorry, but Coyle and I have some information and we wanted to get to Trent before Corliss did." Samara stepped in, shoving him to the side.
When Coyle entered he gave an apologetic nod to Isaac, as well as a shrug at his sister's behavior.
"Where is Trent?" Samara asked as she sat down at the bar stool.
"In the bedroom, asleep. We met with the Upper Circle last night, and then came back here. He was still drinking by the time that I passed out." Isaac told her as he began to make coffee for them.
"You two were drinking? On a work night?" Coyle asked.
Isaac laughed as he opened the coffee can, "Trent was drinking, and he drinks every night… and throughout the day too." He began to scoop the coffee out with a tablespoon, "He sneaks it whenever he goes to the bathroom."
Coyle looked at his sister, who seemed to be pretending that she wasn't paying attention to their conversation. "Doesn't your captain have anything to say about that?"
Isaac shrugged, "It doesn't interfere with his job. I don't even think the captain knows."
Samara cleared her throat, she had seen the alcohol bottles around the apartment before and had suspected Trent's habit.
"What the hell is going on out here?" Trent asked, as he stumbled out of the bedroom. He wore nothing but a pair of old checkered pajama bottoms.
"We talked to the Blood Fangs last night. They had some interesting things to say about Amelia." Samara told him.
Trent sat down beside her in front of the booth, "Yeah? Like what?"
Samara grinned, "For example, someone paid them off to not bother her and the leech."
"Who?" Isaac asked as he leaned against the counter.
"Some guy in a military uniform, he said she worked for him." Coyle informed him.
"Guy as in human?" Trent questioned as he stared at the coffee pot that was bubbling throughout their conversation.
Samara nodded, "Doesn't know if it was a cop or what, though."
Running his fingers through his hair, Trent stood up from the stool. "I'll be right back. I need to shower and get dressed before Corliss comes."
Everyone excused him with a nod.
"How was your meeting with the Upper Circle?" Coyle asked as he leaned against the wall next to the door.
Isaac shrugged, "Same old bullshit, as always."
"Nothing to do with our case?" Samara asked this question.
"What is this? An interrogation?" Isaac opened the cupboard and pulled out four coffee mugs, before he turned his attention to the still brewing coffee.
"Why did you sleep here last night?" Coyle looked at the pillows and blanket that were disheveled on the couch.
Isaac cleared his throat, "Upper Circle business is none of pack or kine concern; you both know that. Anything that was told to me and Trent is confidential, and it will remain that way."
"Oh, someone is in a bad mood." Samara teased, even though she was offended. Standing up from the stool, she adjusted her gray dress suit, and felt the French bun that her hair was in. Coyle had mocked her for dressing as he put it "like a kine", but she had the urge to dress well that day.
As the cups of coffee were poured, Trent reemerged from his bedroom and took a seat on the stool again. Jeans and a grayish blue t-shirt were all that he wore, while Isaac still stood in his suit from the day before.
"Should we tell them?" Trent asked.
Isaac sighed aloud, "This is something that should be discussed in private. They were very specific about us not telling any outsiders."
"It might help our case…" Trent saw Isaac roll his eyes; which told him that he could go ahead. "Our contact at the Circle, informed us that Rylan was working on the inside for them. They were trying to gather information on any Macrea plans against other clans."
"Did he find anything?" Coyle stood up straight, so he was no longer leaning against the wall.
Trent shook his head, "They didn't say, but what they did tell us is what is important. Rylan was getting threats from what they believe to be human blackmailers, because they were asking for money. Some threatened death and others threatened to tell the Macreas."
"That is further proof that a leech did it to him." Samara grinned, a little too proud of the fact.
Again, Trent shook his head, "They don't think it was. If the Macreas discovered that he was betraying them, then they would have tortured him slowly. Shooting him is not typical of the kine."
Isaac continued, "It gets deeper though, it seems that Rylan had someone else on the inside working for him. Someone who was close to Adriel… they called this person "the Shadow." No one knows who this person is, or if they are even still alive."
"They didn't know who was working for them?" Samara sipped her coffee after asking the question.
"Well, Rylan told them to stay away from Corliss. He said she wasn't to be trusted. Now, they are wondering…" Isaac looked over to Trent to ensure it was alright to inform them. "They think that Corliss might be the Shadow. She is the one that is closest to Adriel, and she would have the most information on him."
Samara coughed up some of her coffee, "You can't be serious? That kine is more loyal to her people then…"
Coyle put his hand down on the counter, "That would explain why Adriel sent her out on this case, though. Maybe he has his suspicions about her, and doesn't want her near him until he can prove it one way or the other."
"They don't think that the Macreas know, because they installed bugs at the Macrea building, and they had yet to be removed." Trent countered.
All eyes went immediately to the door when the light tapping occurred, and immediately everyone knew that it was Corliss.
"Keep this quiet. If she isn't the Shadow, then we will hurt the Upper Circle's investigations." Trent ordered in a whisper, as Coyle answered the door.
---***---
"So, where to?" Trent asked as he buckled his safety belt.Corliss shrugged, "We have a list of girlfriends, two of which are willing to speak with us. I would say we visit them first."
"I doubt they would have any leads for us. It's obvious that Amelia is our road to answers. We need to find out where she is… she might even be another victim." He looked over at Corliss' freshly manicured nails that she was tapping against the steering wheel. She had gotten a French manicure this time, her tips painted white. It matched the casual look she seemed to be going for lately. Today it was jeans, black high heel boots, and a low cut black t-shirt, but she still wore that red lipstick.
"They could very well be a path to that road. Like this one," She pointed to the list, "Jenelle Horst, I know which blood bar that she likes to patronize."
"Horst? That's the German clan isn't it?"
Corliss nodded in response.
"What is a Macrea or Fausto doing with one of them? Don't you guys find them to be dirty?"
"After hearing that my brother was dating a pup, nothing can surprise me now." She turned on the engine, "Besides, the Macreas think anyone outside their clan is dirty. The Faustos actually have a closer relationship to both humans and other kine clans."
"Fine, lets go." Trent sighed as Corliss pulled out of the parking space.
He wanted desperately to call her on the information that his father had given him. Tell her that he knew that she had been ordered to seduce him, but more importantly find out if she was the Shadow. Things would be so much easier to understand if they knew that she was trying to bring her overlords down. It would take their ability to trust each other to entirely different level. As it stood now, they were working against each other, but trying to get to the same end.
"How was your evening?" Corliss asked, interrupting his train of thought.
Trent shrugged, "Like any other, yours?"
"Interesting…" She grinned slightly, and for a moment he thought she was about to tell him something more, but she seemed to think better of it.
"Interesting how?" Trent was not entirely sure if he wanted to know, and hoped it would revolve around the case.
She gently shook her head, "Just interesting."
"Going to peek my curiosity and then just make me suffer with it, are you?" Trent folded his arms and grinned.
Corliss chuckled, "It's nothing that you would want to hear about, trust me. For a moment, I almost forgot that you… never mind."
"That I what?"
"That you aren't a kine." She mumbled, then cleared her throat.
"Oh… I see." He turned his eyes to the passing buildings outside his window. After a moment of silence, he looked back to her. "So, what did you do?"
She gently shook her head, "Whatever you think us naughty little kine do in the privacy of our sacred blood chambers… that's probably what I did."
"Sacrificing babies and bathing yourself in their blood?"
She nearly gagged, "What? No!" She swallowed again, "No!"
Trent began to laugh, and it took a moment for Corliss to realize that he had only been teasing.
"I was part of a blood ritual last night, a very important rite for the younger kine of the clan." For a moment she silenced herself, and Trent said nothing as he knew she was gathering her words. "First time that I was allowed to even witness the ritual, let alone be part of it, since I left the Faustos anyway. Back then, I was permanent fixture at those things."
"Oh, that's nice… I think."
Corliss smiled, "No one died," She said to reassure him, "and no one got upset that I was there. That means they might finally accept me as part of the clan."
"That's good then." His words were empty, and she heard it.
"Yeah, I think it has to do with how I am handling this case. If I can get the clan to accept me, then I won't need Adriel to keep me as a toy anymore."
"Why do you need him to do it now?"
"For protection. No one will touch me knowing that I belong to such a powerful kine." Her eyes went to her rear view mirror for a moment, and then back onto the busy road ahead of her.
"Being a toy to a powerful kine didn't seem to save Rylan." Trent tried to keep the safety belt away from his neck, as it was rubbing against his skin.
Corliss nodded slowly, "Which is exactly why I don't think a kine would have killed him. It had to be a human or pup kill."
Trent said nothing, he wasn't about to argue with her on this issue. He had been a cop for a long time, and knew that the only thing that could lead them to the truth was the evidence left behind.