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to believe, but I go whole days without worrying about your likes and dislikes."
    The vampire opened its mouth, imitating a sigh. It was an eerie sight: his jaws unhinged, his chest moved up and down, but no air came out.
    "I believe in civil discourse, so please forgive me if I sound blunt: you took a child away from his parents against their will. In other words, you abducted him by force. Last time I checked that constituted a kidnapping. I have a very capable staff, which, should I give the word, would present a very compelling case to the PAD."
    "The PAD can bite me," Curran said. "I also have a very capable staff. I'll drown you in paper. How would you like to be sued?"
    "On what grounds?" The vamp looked outraged.
    "Reckless endangerment." Curran leaned forward. "Your journeymen dropped two vampires in the middle of a crowded restaurant."
    "There were extenuating circumstances and you were unharmed."
    Curran's eyes acquired a dangerous glint. "I'm sure the public will take that into account, especially after my people steamroll the sordid horror story of the Arirang Massacre over every newspaper they can find."
    The vamp bared its fangs.
    Curran's upper lip trembled in a beginning of a snarl.
    I stabbed a throwing knife into the table between them.
    The man and the undead fell silent.
    "There is a child being slowly choked to death upstairs," I said. "If the two of you could stop baring your teeth for a second, you might even remember that."
    Silence stretched.
    "I simply wish to help," Ghastek said.
    Yeah right.
    Curran's face looked set in stone. "We don't need you."
    "Yes, you do," Ghastek said. "You have the necklace, but I have Lawrence. He dated Amanda for over a year. I think you will be interested to know that Colin Sunny, Amanda's father, has a sister. She is married to Orencio Forney."
    "Orencio Forney, the DA?"
    "Precisely," Ghastek said. "After yesterday's affair, the Sunnys are staying in Forney's house. I trust you understand the implications."
    I understood them, alright. The Sunnys had just became untouchable. If the Pack attempted to pick a fight with the DA, the tide of negative publicity would drown us, not to mention that every cop in the city would make it their personal mission to complicate shapeshifters' lives whenever possible.
    Curran's face hardened into that blank, unreadable expression. He saw the writing on the wall as well, and he didn't like it. "Have you asked for an interview?"
    "In the politest terms possible. We were extremely persuasive, but they are unavailable for comment."
    "They aren't asking for Roderick?" What the hell?
    "No, they are not," Ghastek said. "I found it extremely odd as well. The DA has circled the wagons. If you want any background on the boy and his mother, our Lawrence is your best bet. Give me access and I will share."
    I looked at Curran. We needed that background.
    His face was unreadable.
    Come on, baby.
    "Fine," he said.

    *** *** ***
     
    A wise man once told me that a man's house said a lot about his soul. Over the years I had come to the conclusion that it was complete bullshit. The Keep, with its foreboding, grim towers and massive fortifications, might have indicated something about Curran's need to protect his people, but it said nothing about how much responsibility he dragged around. It said nothing about the fact that he was fair and generous. And it sure as hell gave no hint that underneath all that Beast Lord's roaring, he was hilarious.
    The Casino, on other hand, looked like a beautiful mirage born of desert heat, sand, and magic. White and so elegant, it nearly floated above the ground of the large lot decorated with fountains, statues, and colored lamps. All that beauty hid a vampire stable. Undead, forever hungry and gripped in the steel vise of navigators' minds, haunted its slim minarets. A casino milking money from the human greed occupied its main floor, and deep inside it, the People brewed their schemes and machination with ruthless