"We assume he has light brown hair. We guess he's somewhat more than average height to place that head up on that statue without a chair or a ladder. It would also take a while to set and needed to be held in place."

Gillian frowned as she gathered her thoughts.

"We figure he knows security and security systems. He's good at killing and burgling, which makes me believe he's an assassin."

She glanced at them and wondered what they were thinking.

"He has to have some contact with our world, but he's egotistical and needs to feel in control. His employers won't be ancients, more likely young masters, older turned vampires, or lesser natural vampires. Those that would see themselves as his superiors, but he views them as inferior to himself."

They listened to her without interruption and nodded in agreement.

"At first, I thought he had some attachment to one of the first victims, but he has no regard for human life. They are inferior, and he doesn't care about them, only what they enable him to do."

Elissa added her opinion, and Gillian considered the idea.

"Perhaps one of them interfered with one of his jobs. Perhaps they robbed him of a kill? That would stir his ego, but he seems to know so much about these people. He studies them in the most minute detail, ferrets out all their secrets, and exposes them to the world. That's more than egomania."

Silence followed Gillian's words.

"Except if it was the way he killed people when he was human. Assassins don't kill ordinary people; they are hired to remove people whom others cannot reach. As a human, he would have studied them and their lives to find a weakness, a moment in which to strike," Dana murmured, and they stared at her.

"Unless that's how he got to be un-dead," Gillian joked but sobered. "We're speculating now. It's possible but also a presupposition that can take our thoughts in the wrong direction. So yes, he is a security expert and has above-average intelligence."

"Older vampires resist new things; he doesn't. He embraces and learns. He's dangerous because we learned jack shit about him and can't be arrogant just because we're purebloods. How much information has he gathered about us until now? What weakness has he spotted in us?"

This time, the quiet almost made her ears ring.

"For one thing, our humans, and for another, he knows how territorial natural vampires are and that we won't tolerate his presence.

"He has an open playing field, killing randomly or specifically. We're trying to hit one little fish in a shoal of sardines when we don't even know which fish we're hunting."

Elissa's conclusion left them lost in their thoughts.

"So, anyone who has anything to do with our human killers or us?" Dana suggested, but Gillian shook her head.

"No, he's still pretending to be the vigilante that won't kill innocents. He's going after the ones he sees as guilty or dirty," she mused, and they stared at her.

"Do we focus on the human killers?" Elissa asked, but Dana had already caught on to Gillian's train of thought.

"No, not just them. We must discover the secrets of everyone attached to us because he wants a solid reason. No one will mourn a dirty judge or a witness that got bribed," Dana let Elissa finish the thought on her own. "Or a dirty cop."

The idea made Gillian too wired to remain sitting.

They were running out of time, if they were not already too late, but there was very little else they could do.

"Order some of your men to follow our people," Gillian noticed the tone of command in her voice, and Elissa tried to hide her smile, but Dana's lips twitched.

"Don't play dumb, sister. Father would send you nowhere without an army of guards at your disposal," she growled with some irritation as her sister pretended to protest.

They stared at each other for the longest moment before Elissa conceded with a nod.

***

Gillian gathered up her things, and only Dana noticed the pride in Elissa's eyes as she watched her little sister.

Their father would be content with how they worked together, and she would have to report him soon. The things they discussed made her uneasy, and Gabriel would be troubled, too.

Gillian was already at the other end of the warehouse when Elissa turned on her heel, almost making Dana walk into her. Their eyes met, and Elissa's gaze immobilized her with its unblinking power.

"Tell father I said, 'Hi,'" Elissa said as she turned away and strode after her sister.

A little shiver ran down her spine at this glimpse of the true power of Elissa Drake. That was one vampire you shouldn't mess with.

She regained her senses, made herself breathe, and forced normalcy to return. Her heart would be jumping out of her chest if it hadn't slowed to the point where it almost did not need to beat.

Gabriel was much more intimidating, even when relaxed, and he would find Elissa's keen perception amusing rather than blame her for giving their game away.

***

Elissa almost barreled into Gillian when she opened the outer door to the secured parking lot.

"What?" she asked, evaluating her sister's stillness.

"He's out there."

The words were unnecessary; Elissa sensed him like a chill running down her spine and something dark watching from the shadows.

Nothing disturbed the city's natural rhythms, and the scent of rain spiced the air, mixed with warm asphalt. Cars drove by on the other side of the building. There were humans nearby and rats, cats, and a stray dog in the alley on their right. Somewhere in all of that disturbance, something menacing and wrong lurked.

Gillian hesitated, not moving.

"Get in the car. He's just watching and letting us know he's near," Elissa breathed the words, and her sister stilled even more.

"Don't do anything. He'll see it as a challenge," she warned, and Gillian nodded.

The tiny hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end. Her sister's stiff posture, the slight stiffness of her lips, and the tips of her fangs peeking out told her they were picking up on the same things.