Licence To Howl by Helen Harper

Chapter Eleven

The restof the meal was conducted mostly in silence. Unsurprisingly, the corpse at the table wasn’t conducive to friendly conversation and only Solentino and Rospo seemed inclined to continue eating with gusto. Devereau picked unenthusiastically at some salami while Scarlett finished her slice of bread before sitting back and watching everyone else. Gee Vissier didn’t eat a thing; he simply gazed down at his plate with a slack expression, and Alina only sipped some wine.

Devereau was well aware that his mission was to ingratiate himself with Solentino and insinuate himself into his little gang but, for the moment, he was out of ideas as to how to manage it. This didn’t seem like the time for either charm or humour. In the end, however, it was Solentino himself who provided the opportunity.

‘Rospo,’ he said, once he’d finally satisfied his appetite, ‘escort the lovely Miss Cook to the red room. I would like to speak to Mr Webb alone.’

Devereau cleared his throat. ‘You know that anything you say to me, you can also say to my colleague.’

Under the table, Scarlett’s hand brushed against his thigh. Careful. Then she rose to her feet. ‘That’s quite alright. I understand how some things need to be said man to man.’ She smiled at Solentino, indicating she was perfectly happy to be shut away again. But she also opened her mouth and ran the tip of her tongue across her top lip. The action was casual enough to appear unconscious – and yet also slow enough to be tantalising. Devereau didn’t fail to note the spark of interest in Solentino’s cold eyes. He did his best to ignore the repeated jab of familiar pain between his shoulder blades and conjured up a smile of his own.

‘Be good,’ he murmured to Scarlett as she was led away.

She tossed her head and winked.

Solentino’s gaze followed the sway of Scarlett’s hips. Then he glanced at Alina. ‘You too. I want to talk to Webb alone.’

Alina didn’t react with the same blithe grace. Her shoulders stiffened and her mouth twisted into a fleeting snarl. Interesting. There was still some deeply placed fury lurking inside that woman. She clearly knew her position where Solentino was concerned, however, because she too got up from the table and walked away. Vissier and Moore tagged after her. Now only Devereau, Solentino and the bulging eyes of the unfortunate Mike Lancaster remained.

‘You have your hands full with that vampire,’ Solentino commented.

‘She keeps me entertained,’ Devereau said.

‘Are you and she –?’ He made a gesture with his circle with his thumb and forefinger and crudely inserted his other index finger inside it.

Devereau reminded himself yet again of the role he was playing and smirked. It was important to stick as close to the truth as possible. Many a liar was undone by creating unnecessary stories that could create conflict later on. ‘We have done in the past,’ he said. ‘But these days we don’t tend to mix business and pleasure. It keeps life simpler and Scarlett isn’t the type to stay with one man.’

Solentino looked intrigued. ‘Does that bother you?’

‘Yes,’ he found himself replying. Then he looked away, annoyed with himself for the stark truth.

‘Would it bother you if I approached her for myself?’

Devereau spoke truthfully again. ‘Yes.’ He cleared his throat. ‘But I won’t interfere and it won’t change anything for me or for our deal. Like I said, I don’t mix business with pleasure.’

Christopher Solentino tapped the arm of his chair with his fingernail. ‘Hmm. I don’t see why. Personally speaking, I mix business with pleasure all the time.’ He smiled slowly. ‘I tell you what though. I won’t fuck your girl. I will, however, ask for something from you in return for not doing so.’

The man seemed convinced that Scarlett would fall into his damned bed just because he said so. Devereau forced his mouth to curve upwards and met Solentino’s eyes. ‘What’s that?’

‘That you kill her.’ He reached for a fat olive and popped it into his mouth.

Devereau was halfway out of his chair before he realised what he was doing. He sat back down again and schooled his expression into a bland mask. Solentino watched him with amusement.

‘She’s my business partner,’ he managed. ‘Why would I kill her?’

Solentino steepled his fingers under his chin and leaned forward. ‘I like you,’ he said. ‘Inasmuch as I like anyone, that is. You had balls coming here like you did. And,’ he added, without a single glance or gesture towards Mike Lancaster’s dead body, ‘my little organisation suddenly has an opening. From what I’ve learnt of you so far, you’re someone we can work with. From what I’ve learnt of Miss Cook, she’s someone I can’t.’

Devereau bit back the question which rose to his lips. Why? Why had he decided he couldn’t work with Scarlett? What had he found out? It couldn’t be her identity as the buyer of the Ring Of All Seasons. If that were the case, Solentino would be trying to kill them both. It had to be something else. ‘I’ve worked together with Scarlett before,’ he said carefully. ‘She’s someone who is trustworthy. And as a vampire she has considerable power.’

Solentino didn’t hesitate with his reply. ‘Her other loyalties indicate that she is not a good fit for us. You are a different story. Tell me, Mr Webb, how far are you really prepared to go to make decent money? I’m not talking about the sort of money that will buy you a nice holiday or a nice car. I’m not even talking about the sort of money that will pay off your mortgage. When I say decent amount of money I mean the sort that changes lives.’ He raised a single meaningful eyebrow. ‘For ever.’

Devereau kept his body language as relaxed and open as possible. ‘Go on.’

Solentino shook his head. ‘I can’t say any more. Not yet. Not until I know that you can truly be one of us.’ He picked up a knife from the table and toyed with it. ‘Prove your worth to me and kill your little vampire friend. She’s sexy and I like her but she has to go.’ He paused, his fingertip on the edge of the blade. ‘Unless your feelings for her are so strong that you cannot bear to end her life.’ He shrugged. ‘In which case, we shall part company with no hard feelings.’

It was a test. The worst kind of test. Devereau had no choice but to stall. He forced the tiniest smile to play around his mouth, giving the impression that he was truly considering Solentino’s proposal. ‘Am I permitted some thinking time?’

Something sparked in the other man’s eyes. ‘Sure. In fact, why don’t you and Miss Cook take the rest of the day off? You can both leave. I will ask you to return tomorrow morning. That should be enough time for those laxatives to take effect. Give me the ring and I’ll give you the money I have already agreed upon. One point five million euros. We shall shake hands and I will hope never to see you again. Alternatively, give me the ring and Miss Cook’s head and the world will be yours for the taking.’ Solentino ran the knife across the fleshy part of his own thumb, watching with some disinterest as beads of blood appeared. ‘It’s entirely your choice.’

‘Very well,’ Devereau said. ‘I suppose that will give me the night with Scarlett to enjoy first.’

Solentino suddenly grinned. ‘You are indeed a man after my own heart.’

* * *

Both Devereauand Scarlett were ejected onto the pavement outside Solentino’s apartment block. Devereau glanced towards the locking mechanism of the door as they were pushed out past it and smiled slightly to himself.

‘You’ve not shit yourself already, have you?’ Scarlett asked suspiciously. ‘How strong were those laxatives?’

‘Don’t worry about the ring,’ Devereau said cheerfully. ‘It’s not budged yet. Signore Solentino and I merely had a frank discussion about various matters and we’ve come to an understanding. There’s nothing for you to worry your pretty your little head about.’

Scarlett’s spine went rigid and she glared at him, rage spiking in her eyes. Then she suddenly relaxed, realising that he was concerned Solentino could still hear what they said. The windows above their heads were open. There was every reason to think their voices could drift upwards. ‘I deserve a little more respect than that, Dev,’ she bit out.

‘Let’s go to the hotel,’ he said, ‘and I’ll show you all the respect you deserve.’

Scarlett folded her arms. ‘That had better be a promise.’

He touched his heart. ‘I give you my solemn vow.’

They crossed the road and wandered down to the battered Fiat. Scarlett paused beside it, examining the lock. Devereau checked the passenger side. It looked clean. Then she unlocked the door and they both got in.

‘There’s no sign of tampering,’ she said quietly. ‘They didn’t peg the car as mine. We’re good.’

Devereau nodded. ‘Let’s get out of here and I’ll tell you what happened.’ His tone was grim.

Scarlett put the Fiat into gear and drove off. As soon as they rounded the corner, she started to shake her limbs vigorously. ‘Ugh. I’m going to need to scrub myself for hours to get rid of the taint of that man. What a fucker.’

‘You have no idea,’ Devereau said darkly. He glanced in the rear view mirror. There was a figure behind them on a motorbike. Their helmet was tinted so it was impossible to tell who it was. He was certain it was one of Solentino’s men, however. It might even be Alina. ‘I think we’re being followed. Head to the Hotel Condotti. I don’t want to raise any suspicions. Solentino already knew I was staying there so the hotel room may be compromised. We’ll have to be careful where we speak candidly.’

Scarlett glanced at him. ‘What’s going on?’

Devereau drew in a breath. ‘He wants me to kill you. If I bring him your head tomorrow morning, I will get a free pass into his little gang.’

She bared her single fang and hissed. ‘That fucker. I thought I’d done a good job of flirting.’

‘You did.’ Devereau hoped he didn’t sound too bitter about it. ‘It’s something to do with your loyalties.’

She frowned. ‘Is that what Solentino said?’

‘Loyalties was the word he used.’

‘I made it clear that as long as we’re outside London, I am free from any constraints. I can do what I want. There’s nothing in any of my history to suggest otherwise. Nothing that Christopher Solentino would be able to find anyway.’

Devereau’s eyebrow twitched. ‘I think,’ he muttered, ‘you answered the question for yourself.’

‘What?’ The crease in her brow deepened. Then she paled. ‘You mean London. He’s planning something in London.’ She slowed to a stop as the next traffic lights turned red and turned to stare at him. Devereau noted the motorbike remained directly on their tail. Whoever that was behind that helmet, they weren’t trying to conceal their presence.

‘Keep your eyes ahead,’ he advised. ‘Try not to look angry.’

‘Try not to look angry? What the fuck, Devereau? What are we doing by leaving Solentino back there? We should take him out right now. Done, dusted, end of problem.’

He shook his head. ‘He’s got more people working for him than those blokes we met just now. What if someone’s waiting to take his place? What if he’s not actually the guy in charge but someone else is calling the shots? We can’t act until we know more.’

‘When did you become so bloody cautious?’

He kept his voice even, although he wanted to slam his fists against the Fiat’s flimsy dashboard as much as she did. ‘When it became clear that lives are at stake. Possibly a lot of lives. Solentino has got money but he couldn’t afford to come close to outbidding you for the Ring of All Seasons. He’s expecting a massive payout from whatever he’s planning. This is serious shit, Scarlett.’

‘You don’t need to tell me that,’ she growled. ‘I’m the one whose head he’s demanded on a silver platter.’ The lights changed and she took off again, narrowly missing rear-ending the smart car in front. Scarlett hissed under her breath in vexation and squared her shoulders. ‘If you won’t kill him, then what exactly will you do?’

‘Well, I won’t chop your head off, if that’s what you’re worried about.’

‘As if you could,’ she scoffed. ‘I’d like to see you try.’

No. She wouldn’t.

‘Come on, Devereau. What’s the big plan? Is MI5 going to come charging in and save the day?’

‘I don’t know what the plan is. I don’t have one. I’ll need to contact HQ and see what they think.’

‘You know what they’ll think. They’ll order you to off me so you can continue to string Solentino along.’

‘They wouldn’t do that.’ Then Devereau grimaced. Actually, they might say that. Sarah Greensmith might tell him to do exactly that.

‘I’m a vampire. That makes me immediately expendable in the eyes of the British government.’

‘Whether they order that or not, it’s a moot point. Don’t you get it, Scarlett? I like you. A lot. I care about you. A hell of a lot. No matter what’s happened between us in the past or what’s happening now, I would never ever hurt you. And I certainly wouldn’t kill anyone because some tosser in Whitehall ordered it. Whether I work for them or not, I’m not their beholden to them. When they say jump, I don’t say how high. I’m not that kind of person and you know that.’ He drew in a breath. ‘You also know somewhere deep inside you that I would kill myself before I’d ever harm a hair on your head.’

For a long moment Scarlett didn’t say anything. She kept her gaze trained on the road ahead. When she finally did speak, her voice was barely audible. ‘My favourite food,’ she said quietly, ‘is mashed potato.’

‘Mashed potato?’

‘With butter and cream. Sometimes with cheese melted through it. Sometimes with chives on the top. Sometimes I even go all out and add some crispy pancetta. But really, when it comes down to it, what I love is mashed potato. Even if it’s lumpy.’

Devereau looked at her. ‘The mashed potato I make is never lumpy.’

‘Yeah, yeah.’

‘It’s true.’

She jabbed him in the arm. ‘One day I’ll make you prove that.’

Fantastic. He grinned. ‘No problem.’