“Sold. And your name is again?” she asked.
“Julian Fletcher, and this is my colleague, Thane Erickson.” He pointed at me. I tried to smile my warmest smile. I just wanted it over with.
Julian gave her the necessary paperwork and then we went to the next apartment.
“I’ll just let you do the talking,” I said, looking at him in awe.
“Sure thing. The next one is Ms. Selene Andropolous. Odd name,” Julian commented, wriggling his brows together.
The door opened almost as I knocked. I stepped back quickly and was glad I did because she was holding a serrated kitchen knife that was dripping with blood.
“What?” There was a curtness in her voice that was reflected by irritation in her deep brown eyes. She was a beautiful brunette but in a haunting sort of way. Like once you saw into her eyes, you’d never be the same again. And there was the matter of the knife dripping with blood. It was an image I wouldn’t soon forget.
Again, Julian didn’t falter. “Ms. Andropolous, I’m Julian, and this is my colleague, Thane.”
She looked at Julian with quick dismissiveness but stared at me, and I felt a little shock in my toes. She was creeping me out.
“So?”
Wow, this lady was a treat. Blood was still dripping from the knife.
I looked down at the knife, then back into her eyes, and shifted on my feet nervously.
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I was just cutting up dinner. Why are you here?” she wanted to know.
Julian told her, and she laughed. “I’m not moving.” Julian tried everything, but she seemed indifferent.
Finally, she said, “I don’t need your money. I have millions. I’m not here because I can’t afford to live somewhere else. I live here because there was an ancient burial on these grounds, and this is where I can feel my ancestors.”
Even Julian was taken aback by that one. “Well, isn’t that interesting? We will get back to you.”
As we were walking back to the car, I asked him why he backed down so easily.
“We’ll need to research that first, and then we’ll know how to proceed.”
“I wish I’d had you around years ago. You make this look so easy,” I complimented him.
“Stick with me, and I’ll have you where you want to be, believe me. And if I ruin my father in the process, then we both succeed.” He winked at me, then laughed hysterically.
I invited Julian in for a swim when we got back. He was slowly becoming a friend, and I didn’t have many of those, so I welcomed the companionship. Especially since the Ice Queen was busy these days building an igloo around herself.
* * *
Darcy
I looked over at Thane’s as I pulled up in front of the house, Addison in the passenger’s seat.
Addison and I both spotted Julian simultaneously. I could see the stab of pain flash over her face, bringing out the fury inside me.
“Go inside, Addy,” I told her, getting out of the car.
“No. I have something I want to say to him,” she said between gritted teeth.
I stood in front of her. “You need some time to cool off before you talk to him. Right now, you’ll just spew off a lot of hatred and embarrass yourself. Go get collected. I’m going to talk to him.”
“I’m not a child anymore, sis. I can fight my own battles,” Addison insisted.
“I know. But this is something I need closure on. I need to make him see that he isn’t going to win. That we’re stronger than he gives us credit for. I need to do this right now. Please, go inside,” I urged her again.