Everett switched to holding Solan with one arm to accept his handshake.
“I was happy to assist. You mess with one of us you mess with all of us.”
With a final nod goodbye, Everett turned and climbed the steps to the mansion’s still open front door, carrying Solan over his shoulder the whole way. Solan raised his head from his upside-down position and pointed at Raul, the fierce glare on his face promising retribution.
Shaking his head in amusement at Everett’s feisty blood pet, Raul went back around to the driver’s side and got back in behind the wheel.
“Home, Jeeves.” LaToria said tiredly.
“You got it.” Raul put the truck in gear and pulled off.
After a short drive, they arrived at LaToria’s graceful, white stone mansion. He stopped in the circular drive and put the truck in park. When he got out to open the door for her, he took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent of the night blooming flowers planted around her estate.
“Thank you, Raul,” LaToria said as she exited the vehicle.
“Thankyou, friend. Watching you smack that guy across the room was the second-best part of my evening.”
“You’re welcome. Ji-Su is safe and I had fun brawling so it was a good night for me too.”
Raul caught movement from the corner of his eye. He looked toward her house and saw an unfamiliar, worried face in the window watching them.
“That’s not your butler,” he said. “You have a special someone waiting for you in there?”
LaToria grinned, wicked and beautiful even with multiple cuts on her face and her mouth crusted over with dried blood.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
After that teasing question, LaToria slipped past him and went inside the house.
Once the door closed behind her, Raul finally headed for home. The headlights of the cars behind him carrying his guards followed him the entire way. Their night was ending, but there would be work for others.
Their organization wasn’t at war with the LaMonte family, so out of respect, he’d ordered the Syndicate’s cleaners to go and handle the dead bodies and bloody mess he’d left behind. Cleaning up the death scene would also keep law enforcement and politicians happy. They didn’t want everyday citizens discovering the gory scene or pictures of it splashed across the local news. The matter would be handled without their involvement. That’s the way the Sanguis Syndicate did business.
He was sure there would be a meeting called with the head of the LaMonte family, but going by the way they’d practically cast Cedric out, he didn’t see them retaliating. Still, he’d ordered extra guards stationed around his estate just in case.
When he finally made it home, he let out a tired sigh. The house was mostly dark. A few lights were on for the humans who were on staff during the day while the vampires slept.
Burke stood half-hidden in the shadows of the wide front porch, leaning against the railing and smoking a cigarette. Raul thanked and dismissed the guards who’d accompanied him for the night before he went up the porch steps to join his assistant.
“You’re back.” Burke stubbed out the cigarette and pushed off from the railing. “Is it done?”
Raul simply nodded in answer. “Where’s Ji-Su?”
“He went to bed a couple of hours ago.”
That was perfect. He would shower and sleep and talk to Ji-Su in the evening. That gave him time to decide exactly what and how much he would tell Jo-Su about what had gone down with Cedric.
Gloria opened the door, the light from the one lit wall sconce in the foyer spilling out into the night.
“Welcome home, Mr. Raul,” she said with relief clear in her voice.
“What are you doing still up?” Raul asked as he walked into the house. “You should be off duty already.”
She rolled her eyes. “As if I could rest before you returned home on a night like tonight.”
Grateful for Gloria’s loyalty and concern, he lightly squeezed her shoulder. “I’m home safe now.”
“Good,” she said as she smiled and patted his hand.