Biting Bad_ A Chicagoland Vampires Novel(69)

Ethan and I exchanged a glance.

“You said the inspection was a week ago,” I said. “Just a few days before the riot?”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Charla said. “But now that you mention it, yes. They did. Do you think that matters?”

“It’s difficult to tell,” Ethan said. “Perhaps it’s coincidence.”

Or perhaps, I thought, someone wanted inside the facility.

“Did anything weird occur during the inspection? Did they take anything, or look at anything they don’t usually inspect?”

“I actually wasn’t here that day,” Charla said sheepishly. “I take a spa day twice a year, and I’d had it scheduled for months, so when they called about the inspection, I let my brother handle it.”

I smiled politely. “Completely understandable.”

She nodded but clearly wasn’t convinced she’d done the right thing. “No one reported anything odd to me afterward, and the inspection report was fine. Do you suspect foul play?”

“We suspect the timing,” Ethan said, gesturing toward the front door. “You might want to check with your brother, ask if anything unusual occurred he might not have thought to mention.”

“I appreciate the suggestion,” Charla said, her expression changing to the same all-business mode I’d seen in Ethan’s. She wasn’t a vampire, but she was a leader of humans, and a protector of her particular house.

“Also, you’d mentioned your brother might have security videos he could share?”

Charla pointed at me and pulled a phone from an invisible pocket at her hip. “Thank you for the reminder. I’ll send him a note right now.” She paused for a moment, looking at the phone, which then beeped in acknowledgment.

“Got it,” she said. “He promises to send them tonight.” She put the phone away and smiled at us. “I love my brother, but he’s not quite as . . . organized as I am, if you catch my drift.”

“We do,” Ethan said. “And we thank you again.” He put a hand at my back. “We’ll get out of your hair so you can get back to work. Thank you for your time.”

“You’re very welcome. Thank you for paying attention.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “I know I shouldn’t say this, but we talk, you know. The distributors. Most of us are human, but we like to keep an eye out, and not just because you’re clients. It’s a tough time to be a vampire in Chicago, especially when thugs like McKetrick are about. And we know about the GP, about how you stepped forward when others didn’t. Being the leader can be a thankless job,” she said. “It often just makes you a bigger target. But we see. We notice.”

Ethan took her hand in his and patted it collegially. “Thank you, Charla. I appreciate that very much.”

We said our good-byes to Charla and the guard, and walked back across crunchy sidewalks to the car.

“A last-minute city inspection?” I wondered aloud.

“It could be related,” Ethan said. “But don’t get too excited. We don’t have any evidence yet.”

“Okay,” I said. “But I will say this. If the city administration knew this place was a bottling facility for vampires, there’s a good chance McKetrick did as well.”

After my Robin Pope disappointment, I was hedging my bets. But smoke usually meant fire.

“Perhaps,” Ethan agreed. “Perhaps we can tie him to these riots, and this will be the thing that brings him down. Your task, Sentinel? Find me some evidence.”

—

Security was tight—and rather bored-looking—when we returned to the House. Luc generally considered bored security to be ineffective security, but I’d take bored over “overwhelmed by marauders” any day.

Ethan went to his office to get back to business. I didn’t bother changing clothes but went directly to the Ops Room.

I found Jonah and Luc at the conference table, mulling over materials. The temps were at the computers, but the rest of the guards were gone, probably on patrol.

Luc and Jonah looked up when I entered.

“Sentinel,” Luc said. “What’s the good word? How’s the family?”

“It varies by person,” I said, taking a seat at the table. “The children are adorable. The adults grow more ornery with age. . . . It does not appear the rioters have shown up.”

“Not even a hint of a drive-by or look-see,” Jonah said. “But there are hours to go before sunrise.”

“That’s actually something that’s been bothering me,” Luc said.

“What’s that?” Jonah asked.