“Good evening, Mr. Itachi. This is Allison Luther,” Quinn said formally. “She goes by Lex. Lex, this is Mr. Itachi.”
The man stood and looked me over. He was a couple of inches taller than my five-five, compact and trim with a very businesslike haircut. His face was intelligent, his movements smooth and efficient.
Dangerous, I thought instantly, though I couldn’t pinpoint why.
“I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, Sergeant,” he said, extending a hand. I blanched a little at the use of my old rank, but I shrugged it off and held out my hand. Itachi’s handshake was firm and quick. “Please, have a seat. Excuse us, Quinn.”
If it bothered Quinn to be dismissed, he didn’t let it show. He just nodded and stepped out past Maven, who had come into the room behind us. She smiled and closed the door, perching on a chair next to it. I sat on the edge of the visitor’s chair across from Itachi’s desk. I didn’t like the cramped quarters, or the fact that there was a stranger at my back, but I was hoping to get out of there as quickly as possible. “Just Lex, please,” I said.
Itachi nodded and gestured to a thick open file on his desk. “I’ve just been reading up on you. Interesting stuff.” He looked down and made a show of lazily turning a page. “Joined the army right out of high school. Two deployments to combat zones. Honorable discharge under . . . odd circumstances.” He glanced up, raising his eyebrows. “And you never seem to take advantage of any of Boulder’s resources for veterans. You don’t walk in the parade, you don’t go to the VA or to any support groups.” He shook his head, smiling humorlessly. “You didn’t want to be a poster child, Sergeant?”
I ignored the question, keeping my face expressionless as my thoughts whirled. I wasn’t surprised, necessarily—if vampires really did run the supernatural world in Boulder, they were bound to have access to significant resources. But it took time to cultivate that kind of information, especially when the notoriously close-mouthed US Army was involved. Less than twenty-four hours had passed since Quinn had tried and failed to press my mind. Had they been keeping tabs on me since the attack at the Depot? Or were they just that fast?
When I didn’t respond, Itachi turned another page. The next paper in the file was my mug shot. “You’ve also been arrested twice since you returned to Boulder,” he said mildly.
“You have my police records?” I asked before I could help myself. Damn. Who were these people?
Itachi nodded, his eyes still on the file. “I see that you were in a bar fight a few years ago, shortly after you returned from Iraq.” He glanced up, letting a silence brew between us. He was waiting for me to comment.
I clenched my jaw, then painstakingly unclenched it. “Guy wasn’t familiar with the concept of no means no.”
Itachi flipped the page, revealing another police report. “And you were arrested again just last year, for assaulting a random man on the street.”
“It wasn’t random,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “He was kicking the hell out of his dog.”
Nodding implacably, Itachi closed the file. “Both times, the victims were convinced to drop the charges after a visit from your father’s attorneys.”
“I didn’t ask for that,” I snapped, feeling myself losing control. I had wanted to get a public defender and plead out, but my father insisted on using his lawyers. I finally conceded when he told me he was worried about how my actions would look for the company.
“A lot of veterans have a hard time settling back into civilian life,” Itachi said calmly. “But you do seem to carry a lot of anger, Sergeant Luther.”
I ignored the formal address. He was either too polite to use my given name or he was baiting me. Either way, I wasn’t going to correct him twice.
When I didn’t say anything else, he added in a thoughtful tone, “Although of course it makes sense for you to have some residual anger after losing a twin. And so violently, too.”
I took a deep breath and made a point of relaxing my muscles. I may have a temper, but I know when I’m being goaded. “You’re showing off,” I said calmly. “You want me to know that you can get my police file, that you can dig into my personal life. Understood. Now I’d like to move on.”
A small smile played at the corners of Itachi’s mouth, and for the briefest moment his glance flicked to Maven. “Very well, Sergeant—”
I interrupted him, going on the offensive. “And I would like to know why Victor and Darcy went after my niece,” I said firmly. “One time could have been a coincidence. They might have just wanted a baby for . . . some reason.” I swallowed, forcing my mind away from that line of thought. “But they came after her a second time. They wanted this baby, Charlie, and I’d like to know why.”
Itachi’s eyebrows raised, and he leaned back in his chair. “And what is this information worth to you?” he said casually, like I’d asked him for a stock tip.
I said, “Am I correct in assuming you didn’t order Victor and Darcy to go after my niece?”
For the first time, Itachi looked just the slightest bit uncertain. Again, I saw his eyes flicker toward Maven. Then his expression evened out, and with the same blank-slate detachment I’d seen in Quinn, he said, “That would be correct, yes.”
“Then I exposed a discipline problem you didn’t know you had,” I retorted. “And for services rendered, I’d like some information.” Itachi’s eyes narrowed, but I wasn’t finished. “You must be the person to ask, if you really are in charge of all the supernatural crap in Boulder.”