Free Duncan by D. B. Reynolds

who had jumped to their feet.
    “If you ever need anything,” Duncan said, “you may call me. If I’m not available, you may speak to either Miguel or Louis. They’ll fill me in, and I will get back to you. I’m not Victor, gentlemen. You will see that in time.”
    He stepped around the couch, signaling Louis who was waiting by the front door.
    “Thank you for the information, and for your hospitality.”
    “My lord,” Brendan said when Duncan was halfway to the door.
    Duncan turned and gave him a questioning look.
    “Thank you , my lord. We knew you were different from the moment you claimed the territory. You cared more in those few minutes of terror and confusion than Victor had in his entire rule. Just by getting rid of him, you’ve done every vampire in this territory a service already. We’ll talk to the others, too, and let them know.”
    Duncan nodded. “We’ll see each other again, Brendan. I don’t intend to be a stranger to my people.”
    * * * *
     “Fucking Victor,” Duncan swore as Louis steered the big SUV down the curving driveway. “I can’t believe none of us realized how corrupt he was.”
    “How could you, my lord? He never let anyone but his guards live in the District, and anyone else who may have known was too frightened to take action.”
    “That’s no excuse. I saw him every damn year at the Council meetings, and I never suspected any of this. Neither did Raphael, and it’s not easy to pull one over on him.”
    Miguel shrugged. “Not if he’s looking for it, but why would he have looked for any of this? I’ve never been to a Council meeting, but I know they don’t last long. A few hours, maybe? It’s not like they meet for cocktails and dinner afterwards. And when they’re together, I imagine everyone has their shields locked up as tight as a virgin’s knickers.”
    Duncan gave his lieutenant a sideways look. “You’re not old enough to know about virgins or knickers, Miguel,” he said dryly.
    “Hey, we still have virgins!” Miguel protested with a smile.
    “If you say so,” Duncan agreed. He was grateful for the change of mood. “You checked the addresses with Erik?”
    Miguel nodded. “It’s the same two we have, though we didn’t have a record of the one property operating as a blood house. From what Erik said it’s pretty active, too. It’s the only one for a hundred miles around here.”
    “I’m beginning to think this whole trip was a waste of time, but we might as well check it out next.”
    “We need to leave enough time to get back to the city tonight, my lord,” Miguel commented. “And that blood house is a good hour’s drive on the other side of Leesburg. I don’t want you to end up spending a day unguarded in a strange blood house, or worse, that party place of Victor’s. God knows what sort of people he let in there. We should head back tonight and get an early start tomorrow. Check them both out then.”
    Duncan frowned. The whole idea of Victor’s parties made him want to kill the vampire lord all over again, but it also sounded a lot like what Lacey had described to Emma, and that couldn’t be good. He wanted to see the house for himself, but Miguel had a point.
    “All right,” he said. “We’ll do them both tomorrow. The blood house and Victor’s party place, though I expect there’s nothing left there but the ghosts of pain and old blood.”
    * * * *
    The next night, as Duncan stood in the yard of Victor’s Leesburg estate, he looked back and remembered those words. He remembered and thought how foolish he’d been to believe he’d already understood the full depth of Victor’s depravity.
    Chapter Eight
    Emma found it nearly impossible to concentrate. Two days had passed since she’d spoken to Duncan at the vampire embassy, and she’d heard nothing back from him yet. She was so strung out with nerves that she’d skipped her morning coffee, figuring she didn’t need the caffeine, even though she’d barely slept last