John’s gaze shot to Nicolette, who now pulled on the handcuffs. “I won’t let him hurt you,” he assured her now.
Abel grinned. “So, we’re in agreement then?”
John pinned him with a furious glare, but Abel knew he’d won.
“Good. Make it look like a rival clan is responsible for it. It will appear that we’re under attack.” He grinned to himself. He would kill two birds with one stone: Cain would be dead, and because the kingdom would be believed to be under attack, Abel would ascend to the throne instantly. The waiting period which would start rolling from Cain’s actual death once again—one year, one month, and one day—would be waived in a time of war.
Without taking his eyes off John, Abel instructed his guard, “Baltimore, make sure he’s healed completely before you release him so Cain won’t become suspicious. Then get two of your trusted men to watch the woman and return to the palace. I don’t want your absence to be noted.”
“Yes, Abel.”
“Good, then my work here is done.” He turned to the door, then looked back over his shoulder. “And just so you know how generous I am to those who serve me well, I’ll grant you and your woman safe passage after the coronation. Releasing you from your position as leader of the king’s guard is the only way for you to keep her, as you’re well aware. I’m doing you a favor. Don’t forget that.”
Without waiting for John’s response, Abel opened the door and left.
17
Cain noticed that the door to Thomas’s room stood open and announced his presence with a knock before opening the door wider and entering.
Thomas, cell phone pressed to his ear, wasn’t alone. Haven leaned against a desk, while Wesley slouched on an armchair, his legs hanging over the armrest. All three turned their heads to Cain, acknowledging him.
Haven pointed to the phone and said quietly, “Eddie.”
“Keep monitoring that,” Thomas now said into the phone. “Cain just got up. Yeah, I’ll fill him in.” Then he turned his face away and lowered his voice. “I miss you, too.”
Tucking the phone back into his pants pocket, Thomas turned back to them.
“Have they found John?” Cain asked.
“I’m afraid not. They’re in New Orleans right now, keeping their ears to the ground, watching for any vampire-related activities, anything that could lead them to John. But so far nothing.”
“Crap!”
“Don’t despair yet.” Thomas lifted his hand. “I’ve messaged HQ to have them run a trace on John’s cell phone. I don’t have the right equipment to do anything from here, but I’m sure they’ll be able to help us pin down his location if he’s used his phone since he disappeared.”
Cain nodded. “Good. In the meantime, let’s get to work. We’ll start with the king’s guards. I want a full accounting of where everybody was and what they were doing the night I was attacked. Any inconsistencies and we’ll spot them. If John told us the truth that he was indeed lured away from his post, then we’re going to have to find out who might have done so.”
“It’s going to be hard to get an accurate account of what happened that night,” Wesley threw in. “It’s been over a year. They won’t all remember exactly what happened and in what order. Hell, most people can barely remember what happened a month ago.”
“This is different,” Cain cut him off. “People have a much better memory when it comes to significant events. Just like we all remember where we were when 9/11 happened. Well, all except myself. But that’s beside the point. The guards will remember where they were or what they did the night of the assassination, because their king being killed would have been a significant event.”
“Point taken,” Wesley admitted. “But that still doesn’t mean they’re gonna tell you the truth.”
“That’s what I’ve got Thomas for, right Thomas?”
Wesley stared at the IT geek. “You gonna put them on a lie detector?”
Thomas smiled and shook his head. “Of course not. I’m simply gonna watch their reactions, how their eyes move when they talk, how they breathe.”
Wes sat up. “Oh, I know. I saw that show. What’s it called again?”
“Lie to Me,” Haven answered.
“But those guys are like PhD’s and stuff,” the witch said.
“Trust me, I don’t need a PhD for that,” Thomas assured him. Then he gave Cain a questioning look. “Shall we?”
“Ready when you are,” Cain agreed, though he wasn’t as confident as he let on. Without John by his side, he was bound to trip himself up. For starters he didn’t know any of the guard’s names other than the man who’d recognized him: Marcus.