He looked over his shoulder at the containers that lined the walls and suddenly all the magic wards and silencers made sense. I lowered my gun and holstered it. “They’re full of magical creatures, aren’t they?”
“Yes,” Orson replied solemnly. “I’ve been part of the Hollow Thread for decades interfering where I can and saving who I can.” He looked down at Wilder, a sorrowful expression on his face. “I couldn’t save you. I was outbid at the auction and when I came to rescue you, you’d disappeared. I’m so sorry, Wilder.”
“Who outbid you?” Wilder asked as he got to his feet, his eyes focussed on Orson.
“I don’t know. We use codenames. Mine is the Historian but the man who won the auction was called the King.”
“For fuck’s sake,” I hissed as I jumped up. I pulled the image I’d taken of Caleb’s memory up on my phone. “Is this him?”
Orson’s brow furrowed as he peered at the image. “It’s a little fuzzy, and it’s been a few years since I’ve seen him, but yes. That’s him.”
I fired the image over to my twin and told him to delve into him. I wasn’t holding up much hope of him finding anything, but you never know, he might find something that leads us a little closer to him. For now, we needed to focus on Lawler Rowan. He was at least tangible enough that we could bring him down.
AndI was going to enjoy cutting him up into tiny little pieces. So, there was that too.
“So, how do we get into the containers?” Wilder asked as he stepped towards them.
“My team is on standby,” Orson said as he pulled out his phone and typed something into it. “We will handle this.”
“How do we know you’ll take care of them?” I asked, taking a few predatory steps closer to Orson. He seemed so out of place, with his fancy suit and gothic coat but I could feel how powerful he was. He was probably more powerful than Damyr. I didn’t want to underestimate him, despite his casual stance and Victorianesque clothing.
The vampire just looked amused and held out another damn business card. “You can’t, but here’s a card with my personal details. I don’t give that out to just anyone. Feel free to pop by if you’re ever in Brackley Hollow.”
I tucked it away in my pocket and then laced my fingers with Wilder’s. “There are still two guards near the office. Can you send any information pertaining to Lawler Rowan over to us? If you’re as good as you think you are, I’m sure you can find a way. I don’t carry business cards.”
Orson smiled wide as he typed something into his phone. “Already done. I’ll send you what I find.”
Smug bastard.
“Thanks.” I turned to Wilder. “Ready to go home?”
“Yep,” he said with a warm smile.
The warehouse shutter doors started to open, and an army of men and women filtered through. Orson wasn’t lying when he said he’d take care of everything.
“Right, well, we will leave you to it.” I tugged Wilder in the direction that we came, looking forward to some alone time with him. Ooh, perhaps we could run a bubble bath or do something else that normal couples do.
“Before you go,” Orson called after us. “You haven’t come across a wendigo, have you?”
“Nope, don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied.
Orson’s left eyebrow raised in a supercilious arch. “Well, if you do, be sure to pass on my details. I’d like to help him, if I can.”
“Will do,” I called back with a little wave before finally getting out of the building and all the way back to the SUV.
“Why didn’t you tell him about Vee?” Wilder asked as soon as we were back in our seats.
I shrugged. “I didn’t want to put him in a position where he might be captured again. With us, I know he’s safe, and he has the option of reaching out to Orson if he chooses. If Orson knows where he is, he might not have a choice.”
Wilder eyed me curiously.
“What? Is there something on my face?” I asked.
“No. I’m just surprised that was your thought process. You barely know Vee and yet you were willing to lie to keep him safe.”
I grinned at him and fired up the engine. “Perhaps that’s your influence on me.”
Wilder laughed, a rich warm sound that I wanted to hear again. It had been too long since he’d been relaxed enough to enjoy himself.