A door slammed. High heels clanked heavy on the stairs as someone walked down into the room.
Angie.
She wore a skin-tight, knee-length dress in a purple satin-like material. It looked great on her, and it told me I’d slept through at least one night since she’d changed outfits.
A growl escaped my lips.
Hers curled up in response. “Agent McNeilly.”
“Angie.” I kept my response stiff.
Her eyes narrowed. “It’s Angelica.” She moved gracefully over to the couch and sat down. “But I suppose you call me Angie to get under my skin.”
I made a show of looking around my cement cube prison before I wrapped my hands around the bars. “The punishment doesn’t exactly fit the crime. Overreact, much?”
The delicate trill of her laughter filled the room, and she covered her mouth as if embarrassed it escaped. When she dropped her hand, her expression transformed into something more serious. “If I were going to lock you up for annoying me, you would’ve been caged the moment you walked into the SRD office.”
I shrugged.
“No. You’re here because you botched your assignment to kill Clint.”
“Pertinent information was left out.”
“That human servant nonsense?” She waved a noncommittal hand in the air. “You were on a need to know basis. Besides, you should’ve figured it out.” The look she gave me could only be described as scornful. “You’re supposed to be a professional.”
“There was a strict deadline.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest, instinctively. I unfolded them as soon as I realized how defensive the posture looked. I didn’t have to explain anything to her.
“And now you’re here to redeem yourself? Scoop up information and run back to your new master like a good little pup?” The sneer transformed her face into something less attractive.
“Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?”
Angie frowned. “What do you mean? I’m a Wereleopard.”
I spread my arms and waved them around the room. “You work for a Master Vampire, too.”
Angie’s body straightened as if she was a marionette and the strings controlling her were pulled taut. “That’s different!”
“Because you have no choice?”
Angie nodded.
“And you think I have one?”
Angie’s gaze cut away and her tiny hands balled up into fists. Her body vibrated with anger, so strong the scent of it hit me in waves. “You screwed everything up!” Angie hissed. “If you had done your job, Clint would be dead and Lucien would be weakened.”
“And then what? Your master would take over the city and let you go?”
A red flush spread across Angie’s face. “No. He’ll never let us go. But he will let our pride leader come back to us.”
“Where is he now?”
“Here…and there.”
I raised an eyebrow at her vague answer.
“You should be more concerned about yourself.”
“Oh, Angie. I didn’t know you cared.”
“I don’t.”
“Did you come here to gloat then?”
“To get answers. I know it will go against all of your training, but I suggest you answer them. You don’t want to experience their other forms of…interrogation.”
“Riiight.”
She shook her head.
“Well let’s summarize and save some time. You are controlled by the Master Vampire Ethan Monroe. He had you contact Landen to put a hit on Clint because he wanted to weaken Lucien in order to gain control of his territory. To clean up loose ends, Landen was killed by someone from your pride.” I stopped to gauge her reaction. Nothing. Flat eyes regarded me from across the bars. “How am I doing so far?”
Angie rolled her eyes and motioned for me to continue. Bang on, then.
“I took out Clint, but he didn’t die. I was captured by Lucien’s Werewolves and tasked with finding the person behind my orders or face eternal enslavement and some fucked up forms of torture before a long, drawn out death. I tracked Landen, discovered he was killed by a Wereleopard. I called it into the SRD, discovered he went rogue and when I came into the station to clear my name, I’m greeted by you. A Wereleopard, like Landen’s killer. I followed you and discovered the connection to Ethan.” I looked up at Angie. “Did I miss anything?”
“Yes.” She smirked. “You missed the part where you got caught…again.”
“I thought it rather obvious.”
“The story doesn’t end here.”
“No, it doesn’t,” I agreed. “I hope you’ll fill me in on how it ends.”