Cartazonon snarled as the ass-kissing businessmen left his conference room. Standing, he pushed on the wood-paneled wall. A hidden door opened directly to his office so he wouldn't have to deal with any of those idiots loitering in the hallway. If only Lee would let him bring one of his daggers to these meetings, life would be so much better.
Sitting in his chair, he propped his feet up on his antique rosewood desk and pressed the button for his assistant. "Please bring me a coffee," he said in slightly old-fashioned Italian.
"Si, signor," said his secretary.
He flipped through a few pages of paperwork and set it down with disgust, tired of the same old thing. Day after day of papers, meetings, and business people trying to get whatever they could from him. He missed the good old days when you ran a man through with your sword, took his women, enslaved his children, and owned all that had been his.
Running a hand through his shoulder-length black hair, Cartazonon remembered the little walk-in he'd sent off to San Francisco. Closing his eyes he found the walk-in. The shadow spirit showed him what it saw. He watched the memory several times. Something seemed off.
A faerie being born could have caused the energy spike but it was unlikely. And what about the missing time? Had the woman the shadow spirit taken over fought back for a while? Or did something else happen? Maybe he should go to San Francisco himself and check things out.
"Your coffee sir," his assistant said as she set the hot drink down.
Cartazonon thanked her and watched her walk out of the office. She was one of the best secretaries he'd ever hired, didn't ask questions, typed fast, understood all this strange new computer nonsense, and the little bit of siren’s blood in her would make a lovely snack, one day.
Chapter Thirteen
"When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen."