“Why so much? Why pay him at all?”
“I gave him the money because it was one option to solve the problem of getting you away from Cedric.”
“What was the other option?”
The briefest flash of a dark look passed over Raul’s face before it was gone.
“It doesn’t matter. I simply wanted to resolve the issue with both speed and your safety in mind. Paying Cedric the amount he requested was the best way to do that.”
“Yes, but... Now I’m in debt to you for an amount I can’t even begin to think about paying back. And counting my service as a blood pet no longer works since you’re paying me for that too.”
Raul reached across the table and laid his large, hand atop his smaller one.
“You didn’t ask me to pay Cedric. I did it because I wanted to. That means that you do not owe me. You are not in debt to me. Consider that payment a gift from a very rich vampire who has more money than he can spend in several human lifetimes. Can you do that?”
Ji-Su quietly considered it for a moment. What Raul said was true. He hadn’t asked him to give Cedric that exorbitant amount of money. And Raul wasn’t holding it over his head. Still, it was odd. This entire situation was odd. But he trusted Raul and he wanted to stay with him. Ji-Su finally answered. “I can do that.”
“No debt,” Raul said.
Ji-Su repeated after him. “No debt.”
Raul smiled and squeezed his hand. “Good.”
RAUL COULD TELL THATJi-Su was uncomfortable with the price he’d paid Cedric to back off and leave him alone. He almost wished he’d thought to tell Sandra not to mention it. But what was done was done. Besides, it was probably for the best that Ji-Su knew now rather than learning of it later.
When they walked in to the house, Raul carrying their shopping bags after returning from lunch, Jason was waiting for him. Like Ji-Su, he was Korean American but that was where the similarities ended. Jason was tall, dark haired, and muscular. He was dressed in the black suit that most of the Syndicate’s guards wore. And he was a vampire.
“I have the info you requested,” he said holding up a black folder. “Is now a good time?”
Raul set the bags down on the bench in the entry way. “Yes. Now is fine. This is Ji-Su, my new blood pet and the reason for the request. Ji-Su this is Jason Choi, head of security where I work.”
Ji-Su bowed. “Hello, Mr. Choi. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Jason bowed in return. “You as well.”
“Let’s talk in private,” Raul suggested.
The three of them went into his office. He led Ji-Su to one of the chairs in front of his desk and gestured for Jason to take the other seat. Raul leaned against the desk and crossed his legs at the ankles.
“What did you find out?”
“On the surface, Cedric looks harmless. Turned forty years ago by a high-ranking member of the LaMonte family. He was originally intended to become one of the family’s business leaders. But they made a bad choice with him. After turning, he didn’t want to work and saw being a vampire as a never-ending life of riches and decadence. He has expensive taste in cars,clothes, and food. Wants the best of everything as long as it’s handed to him. When the family realized Cedric didn’t have the head to become a key player in business, they set him up with a trust and a place to live and let him be.”
“That sounds like Cedric,” Ji-Su chimed in. “He spends all night watching vampire movies and talking about how much power he has. But that’s really all he does.”
“He does a little more than that unfortunately. My people had to dig, but they found some of his more unsavory habits. With the well-known blood pet services and blood brothels he’s been on his best behavior. However, there are shadier places he frequents where he’s drained several humans near to the point of death. They all survived with emergency transfusions. The LaMonte family paid out large sums of the money to the donors and the club owners to keep them quiet. But one day, Cedric is going to cross the line.”
Raul nodded grimly. “He’s working his way up to it. But he definitely wants to know what it’s like to kill.”
At an alarmed noise from Ji-Su, Raul immediately straightened and went over to him. His eyes were wide and full of fear.
“Do you think he was going to kill me last night?” he asked in a whisper.
Raul kneeled in front of him and took Ji-Su’s hands between his own. “We can’t know that, but don’t worry. I won’t ever let him harm you again. You’re safe now.”
A tremor went through Ji-Su before he pulled in a deep breath and slowly let it out. “I’m glad I got out of there.”
“So am I.” Raul rubbed a thumb over the back of Ji-Su’s hand. “Like I said before. You were right to listen to your instincts.”