Annalynne Russo Irresistible Nemesis [Evernight] (pdf)

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punishment. Andreas twitched uncomfortably in his chair. He hated
talking to the walls.
Would you be so kind to tell the board how you became
acquainted with the accused, a Mr. Ivan Olshanskey?
Of course. Mr. Olshanskey is employed by one of my
business establishments. He s worked for me for the past eight
months at The Crypt, a nightclub I own here in the city.
A pregnant pause raked against Andreas s nerves. It was an
eerie silence. Finally, another voice spoke over the PA system. Are
you aware of the crimes Mr. Olshanskey is accused of?
Yes, I am aware of the accusations. I have seen the
photographs of the human he abused. I have personally spoken to the
victim and tried to make amends on behalf of our people. Andreas
pinched the bridge of nose and forced blood into the area to keep him
calm. He d done nothing wrong. So why the hell did he feel like he
was on trial? Mr. Olshanskey must be punished by the authority
given to this council. If our coven does not act swiftly and harshly, it
will leave us vulnerable to attack by outsiders.
Well said. It is good to know we are all in agreement on this
matter, echoed another member of the group. If you don t have
anything else to add, Mr. Kristopolous, you are dismissed.
I do have one more concern I d like to address with the
board. The words burned at the back of Andreas s throat. I want to
make it clear that Mr. Olshanskey s actions were his and his alone.
No one else is responsible for this incident, whether direct or by
association.
Interesting you would bring that up. The voice hummed the
words with distinct curiosity. You seem to be implying that this
committee is looking to pass down judgment to someone in addition
to Mr. Olshanskey? By the response, Andreas sensed that the board
was already mulling around the idea of what to do about Natasha.
They, too, were worried about her sphere of influence.
Andreas had to put in a good word for Natasha. It was now or
never. No, sirs. I would like to make it clear that my head of
security, Natasha Blagovich, with whom you are all well-acquainted,
had nothing to do with the matter. I wouldn t want her ties to the
Russian community to be used against her in this court proceeding.
So much for appearing impartial. She has served our coven well for
nearly a century with both bravery and fidelity. I want to be certain
that her good name is not soiled because of her close involvement
with the case.
But Mr. Kristopolous, she is the one person who failed to act
swiftly in the first place. Her refusal to seek justice for Mr.
Olshanskey s victim is the very reason we are here today. Her
Russian compatriot clearly has anger issues directed towards humans
and your head of security was well aware of it. If she had done her
job, we would not be wasting our time with this trial.
He took a deep breath to still his reaction. You realize that
Ms. Blagovich could not have known what he was capable of. You
must lay the blame for this on Mr. Olshanskey. Andreas chose his
words carefully. He formed each utterance with cold, calculating
precision like a lawyer cross-examining a witness. With all due
respect, please don t make this into a witch hunt just to save face.
I think we ve heard enough of your testimony. Thank you for
your time, Mr. Kristopolous. We will take your words into account
before we make our decision. You should hear back from us soon in
regards to Mr. Olshanskey s fate. With that said, Andreas placed the
blindfold back over his eyes. He d been dismissed. Both literally and
figuratively.
Moments later, he was escorted out the door and back into the
waiting limousine. He wasn t sure if his support of Natasha in front of
the board of trustees had helped or hindered the situation. But for
now, all he wanted to do was forget about his obligations to his father,
to Natasha, and especially to his coven.
Chapter Eleven
The Betrayal
Sorry to interrupt your patrols. You know I wouldn t pull you
out of the field if it weren t important. Oliver reassured Eva as she
sipped on her latte at their usual hang out. The eclectic Rue Orleans
Coffee House in the heart of Lower Manhattan. With voodoo dolls
suspended from the ceiling and love potions for sale, this wasn t your
typical New York City hot spot. But then again, Eva wasn t your
typical girl next door either.
No worries, boss man. I was starting to get a little loopy
anyways. I need another cup of joe to make it through the rest of the
night. What s up?
Oliver looked guilty, like he d just lost his rent money in a
game of cards. Whatever he was about to tell her, wasn t gonna be
pretty. Our sources inside the coven contacted me about an hour ago.
The board of trustees convened this evening to hear testimony and
pass judgment on Ivan Olshanskey. You know what this means,
right?
I do. Eva rubbed the kinks out of her tense shoulders. She
knew exactly what he referred to. It was time to leak information
about Olshanskey to the press. In turn, she d have to implicate
Andreas, and make him susceptible to interrogation by the police, the
INS, and God knows who else. Eva expected this. But when it came
right down to it, she didn t anticipate feeling like such a cowardly
traitor.
Oliver grabbed her hand. A friendly gesture of comfort
intended to settle her skittish nerves. This part of the job was far from
easy. Are you sure you can handle this, Eva? Clearly, Oliver had
taken advantage of her vulnerable state of mind. The son of a bitch
used his gift to read her thoughts.
Naturally, Oliver picked up on their mutual attraction and
incredible sexual chemistry. But did he know the extent of her
feelings? Could he see that she started to fall for Andreas
Kristopolous? Had he seen the past the fa�ade Andreas created for the
world? The wealthy playboy. The self-centered socialite. The
bloodthirsty vampire. The beautiful monster. Over the last few weeks,
Eva began to see the real Andreas. He was a loving son. A
philanthropist. A scholar who studied literature and the arts. A fierce,
yet gentle lover. Eva didn t quite know when kicking his ass turned
into kissing him senseless. Somewhere along the way, her feelings for
Andreas changed. Big time.
Regardless of how she felt about him, she had a job to do. She
tried hard to remember that. Eva had to follow through with this, if
nothing else, for her parents sake. Their sacrifice demanded
vengeance and what a better way to obtain it than through the blood
of the leader of the New York City vampire coven? She didn t have a
choice in the matter.
Yes, Eva replied with renewed bravado. I ll do whatever
needs to be done. Determined to do the right thing, she pulled out her
Blackberry and emailed the document she d prepared beforehand to
the editors of both the New York Times and the New York Daily News.
Eva placed the phone back into her jacket pocket and turned to Oliver
for validation. But approval wasn t what she needed. She needed her
best friend. Eva doubted Oliver was up for the task. Good thing one of
them had their head screwed on straight.
Good girl. I knew you d do the right thing. Oliver consoled
her with a half-smile. And I m sorry it had to be like this. Believe
me, if there was any other way, I would never have asked you to get
so close to the enemy. I can see that turning your emotions on and off
so erratically, is taking its toll on you. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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