Page 46 of The Hunter’s Affection

Chapter 13

“Idon’t understand why he needs to be involved.”

Torr had told Lawrence about their encounter with Annabel Walsh. His reaction? To call Kenton for a “meeting.” The workers had all left for the day, and they sat at the bar waiting for him.

“Really?” Lawrence poured him a drink, pausing to playfully swat Toni’s butt as she circled around to the customers’ side of the bar. The two hardly kept their hands from each other, which Torr found amusing. His brother had never been one for public displays of affection. But he’d also never seen him this much in love before. Which did make him wonder where exactly this was heading.

Did Lawrence plan to change Toni so they could be together long term?

He’d have to ask him about that.

He knew from his last visit that Kenton had, so far, refused to turn Alessandra. He had to give the asshole credit there. No one knew exactly what would happen, since, to their knowledge, no Cheld had ever been turned. Laria had been asking other vampires and Cheld about it on their travels, for she was apparently as bespelled with her new friends as Lawrence appeared to be.

“Here you go.” Lawrence slid the whiskey across the bar to him. “What’ll you have?” he asked Toni, who’d pulled up a stool next to Torr.

“Water,” she said. “Unlike some people, alcohol still affects me, and I can’t drink seven days a week.”

Lawrence reached for a bottle of red wine. “Tonight”—he uncorked the bottle—“you’ll need something a bit stronger than water.”

Accepting the glass he poured, she shook her head. “We’re gonna need some ground rules for working together.”

Lawrence leaned against the bar as if he had not a care in the world.

“Such as?”

She lifted her glass. “This. And you swatting my ass in front of customers.”

“But you like it,” he said, looking down as if contemplating how he could give her another swat even though she was sitting. “Besides, my brother isn’t a customer.”

Toni looked pointedly at Torr.

“Sorry. I’m all for ass-swatting. No support here.”

“Did I hear someone say ass-swatting?”

He’d heard the door open behind them and assumed the cavalry had arrived. Alessandra’s voice carried through the room, which had little furniture yet other than barstools.

“Isn’t that what you’re here to talk about?” Toni quipped.

Torr couldn’t bring himself to look at Kenton, but he did greet Alessandra, who sat on the empty stool beside him. Despite himself, he was grudgingly impressed with her handling of Charlotte the night before.

Charlotte.

He’d put her out of his mind all day. Or tried to, at least.

Quite unsuccessfully.

His brother poured Alessandra a glass of wine and went to work on a gin and tonic for Kenton. A gracious host, always. Even to former enemies.

“It seems we may have a problem,” Lawrence said.

Toni looked at him, the most likely candidate to tell the story since he’d heard it all firsthand.

He turned, reluctantly, toward Alessandra. And him.

“I saw Annabel Walsh ambling down the street earlier. I know she hasn’t been seen around for some time.”

“So we followed her,” Toni cut in.