On the other end of the call there was a beat of silence and then the clicking of keyboard keys.
“I have his file here. Min Ji-Su. He was placed with Cedric LaMonte two months ago. A younger vampire. Forty years turned and part of the LaMonte family.”
“Yes, that’s him.”
“And what precipitated this removal?” Sandra asked.
“Last night, Cedric said something to Ji-Su that led to him being upset and walking barefoot down the shoulder of the highway.”
“Anything else?”
“Is that not enough?”
“Mr. Raul—.”
“He also bit Ji-Su, took more from him than was safe, left the wounds open, and didn’t see that he got the nourishment he needed to recover after drinking from him. That is unacceptable treatment of a vulnerable human that blood patrons are expected to care for.”
A sigh came from the other end.
“Yes, Mr. Raul. You are correct. If we had been informed of the situation we would have removed Ji-Su ourselves. You are aware there are proper channels we must go through when something like this occurs.”
“Excuse my language, but I don’t give a fuck about proper channels. Ji-Su needed immediate help and I acted. I paid Cedric a million dollars and let him know that from now on he is to stay away from Ji-Su.”
“You paid Cedric amilliondollars?”
“I did.”
Another sigh.
“Mr. Raul. Are you positive this didn’t all take place because you wanted Ji-Su for yourself?”
The question drew Raul up short. “I—.”I want him, want his blood, want to fuck him until he cries. “I am attracted to him, yes. But I was fine waiting until his contract with Cedric ended before I approached him. I only stepped in because of the way I found him.”
“Okay, Mr. Raul. I will accept that. Do you intend to keep Ji-Su with you?”
“That will be up to him.” He would love to keep Ji-Su. But he might be too traumatized to serve as a blood pet or even be in close vicinity of vampires this soon after his time with Cedric.
“Regardless if he remains with you or not, Ji-Su will need to be compensated as he is now out the remaining ten-month salary he was expecting. And you gave that million dollars directly to Cedric rather than to the agency so that we could distribute it properly.”
“Fuck.”
“Yes. Quite.”
“I will take care of him financially. Draw up whatever papers you need and I’ll sign them and set up the required monthly payments.”
“I’ll get started on the contract immediately but will hold off on finalizing it until Ji-Su decides if he will remain with you or not.”
“I also need you to vet me. If he stays, I want him to know that he is safe with me.”
“Naturally that will be taken care of.”
“Good. Thank you for working with me on this.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. Raul. The safety and well-being of our blood pets is my top concern. I do appreciate you looking out for Ji-Su.”
They ended the call. Raul leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head. He looked at Burke who was sitting in the chair across from his desk.
“A mess,” Raul said with a shake of his head. “But it’s being handled.”