“He lied to the council for you,” Hawthorne interjects, a look of disapproval on his face. “The least you could do is answer his questions.”
Jamison scowls at Hawthorne. “I told you I had other reasons.”
Shock renders me speechless. Jamison lives to serve the council. “What did you lie about?”
“Seeing you on the roof.” Gatlin jumps into the conversation. “He knew it was you. The only reason we didn’t kill you was because of Letz. He protected you. Saved you. Jamison respected Letz more than his own father. If he gave his life for you, he thought you were worth it.”
I flick my gaze back to Jamison. “You knew it was me?” He nods. “And you didn’t tell the council? What about the images at the press conference?”
“Body cams,” he replies gruffly. “I didn’t lie to the council foryou. Or at least, it’s not the only reason.” He glares at Hawthorne and Gatlin. “As far as I’m concerned, you didn’t break our laws. Neither did Letz. It’s not a crime to sell or buy a human artifact. But somebody high up is working with these humans, whichmeans we have a traitor. Until I know who it is, I’mwithholdingsomeinformation from the council.” His blue eyes assess me for a second. “Did these goons say anything to you?”
I didn’t break any laws by buying the key. Stealing from the collection is probably a crime against the vampires, but no one really cares about those items. “They’re searching for the key and a panel.”
Jamison straightens when I say panel. “What kind of panel?”
I shrug. “Letz didn’t give me a panel.” It’s not as if I can tell Jamison that Hephaestus sent me a vision.
He pulls out his phone and taps on it. “No, but there was one listed in the catalog.” Flipping it around, he shows me the screen. “It says a panel was sent to Dr. Kline, but when we got there, he denied knowing anything about it.”
I scan the image. Blue with gold. Certainly looks like one of the panels in my vision. Sia’s death must have caused Letz to panic. “Letz said there was a panel found with the key, but he sold it. To the humans.”
Jamison’s brows crash down. “The same group? Then why are they here asking you about it?”
“That’s what I was wondering.”
16
JAMISON
“Pack a bag. You’re going with us to see Kline,” I order her, then turn my attention to Mathias. “Can you see if the phones have been delivered?”
I can feel her staring at me, arms crossed over her chest, trying to decide if she’s going to argue or do what I told her.
“One condition,” she snaps back. “Tell me how you knew it was me.”
I clench my jaw, not wanting to tell her, but I can see she won’t budge until I do. “Your scent is…unique.” I inwardly snort at the bland description of a scent that has burrowed into my skin and captured my senses. Returning her stare, I wait for her to say something.
She slides the computer off the counter, places it in the backpack, and hands it to me. “I’ll need to take this.” With her head held high, she returns to the bedroom and slams the door.
With her gone, my voice hardens with fury. “They sent five men after her tonight. They’ll send more when the first crew doesn’t return. She stays in our sight at all times. Understood?”
Gatlin narrows his eyes. “We could take her to a safe house. One of ours, not the council-sanctioned ones.”
Hawthorne holds up a finger. “First, I doubt she would go. Second, we need her. If we work together, we might find out what’s truly going on. If humans believe the key is important, supes will too.”
We can’t stop our investigation, and I refuse to leave her unprotected. “You’re right. We’ll go to Kline’s, and based on what we find, we’ll make a decision on how to proceed from there.”
They all nod in agreement. While we wait for her, I take a few minutes to place a quick spell on the condo to alert me to any unwanted visitors. It’s obvious the enemy easily bypassed the mechanical ones tonight.
The door behind me opens, and I turn around. Phaedra’s standing in the doorway, her body encased in a black knit long-sleeve shirt and a pair of dark leather pants molded to her every curve. All woman, she’s one hell of a distraction. My body tightens. She tosses her raven hair over her shoulder and gives me an irritated look, and it only makes me want her more.
Ahem. I take her bag and motion for her to follow Gatlin. “Right, let’s go.”
Gatlin walks down the hall and opens the door to the condo we’re using, and I hear her curse. I’m tempted to smile but manage to hold back.
“We don’t have much furniture,” I tell her as she enters the room and sees the single dining room table and Mathias’ desk. “But we’ll be leaving in five.”
She pulls out her phone. When she sees the expression on my face, she holds up a hand to stop me. “It’s encrypted. Military-grade.”
