A knock on his office door had Tony looking up from the numbers before him. He frowned at the door as if the person on the other side could see his disapproval at being interrupted.

“Come in,” he called out.

The door was pushed open with a force that was completely unnecessary. Tony stood quickly and reached for the gun he wore on his back beneath his suit jacket but froze when Tarron, Lorsan’s chemist, strode efficiently into the room. Tony felt the chill that followed the demented elf flow into his office and rush over his skin. He struggled with his need to back away from the evil that had just entered and his need to not appear weak in the face of that evil. He knew what kind of man Tarron was. He fed off the weaknesses of others. He took pleasure in pain and Tony wasn’t about to give him that kind of power.

“Tarron,” Tony said as he let his hand drop to his side.

Tarron’s unnaturally green eyes met his and Tony itched to grab his gun. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his slacks instead.

“I’ve heard some disturbing news,” Tarron said as he slowly walked over to the one way glass that looked out at the casino floor. Tony recognized the motion for what it was. Tarron was letting him know that he didn’t consider him a threat—a man doesn’t give his back to something or someone he considers a risk to himself. He didn’t respond to the dark elf, but waited for him to continue.

“I’m told that Rapture is not being made available to the customers all of the time.” Tarron turned to face him and leaned casually against the glass. Tony wasn’t fooled by the casual stance. He knew how fast the elves could move. He also knew that the calmer they acted, generally, the more trouble you were in.

“People were tearing my casino apart over the stuff,” Tony told him, his shoulders tense as he tried to temper his anger. “When they can no longer pay for it, some of them go berserk. It’s dangerous and frankly I was getting tired of cleaning up the mess.”

“Your casino?” Tarron asked coolly.

Now you’ve done it, Tony thought to himself as he watched the dark elf grow very still.

“You are simply the caretaker of this establishment, just as your father was before you. You do not get to make decisions like the one you have made. I advise that you remedy the situation immediately.”

Tony bit his tongue to keep from telling the chemist to go to hell. He knew that all that would do was get him a one way ticket there himself. He nodded instead, but kept his lips firmly shut. Tarron was pulling the door closed just as he looked over his shoulder at him and spoke. “And Tony, I do hope that we haven’t put our trust in the wrong human. I would hate to have to tell Lorsan that you were keeping questionable company.”

The door shut with an audible click and Tony felt it all the way to his bones.

“Shit!” He growled as he grabbed his cell phone, about to dial, but then realized just how stupid he had been. He forced himself to wait twenty minutes to give Tarron time to get out of the casino before he left his office and headed towards the floor where the light elves and the females were staying.

The knock on the door startled Elora from where she dozed on the couch. Cush wasn’t next to her, and when she looked around the room, she saw that the door to the bathroom was closed. She stood and stretched and started towards the door just as another knock came, only this one was more insistent than the first.

“Okay, okay, hold your horses,” she grumbled. Just as she reached for the door knob, she felt the air around her shift and suddenly a large hand was flat against the door. She turned her head up to look at Cush who was frowning down at her. “Pushy much?”

“Did you bother to ask who it was?” he growled at her. “Or have you forgotten that you are in enemy territory?”

Elora stepped back and crossed her arms across her chest. “How many times do I have to remind you that I,” she pointed to herself, “am a dark elf? I am technically in my own territory.” She smiled innocently at him.

Cush bit back the snarl that lurked just below the surface as the knock came again and this time a voice with it.

“Warrior, open up; we have a problem.” Tony’s voice came through the door.

He stepped in front of Elora to block her from view as he undid the lock and pulled the door open to reveal a flustered looking casino owner on the other side. He walked in without being invited, sweeping past Cush, and then whipped around to look at them both.

“You all have to go. Now.”

“What’s happened?” Cush asked.

“Seriously, dude. You’re looking a little panicked and it’s really not a good look for you,” Elora pointed out unhelpfully.

Tony gave her a pointed look.

“What?” She shrugged. “It’s my dark nature. I’m just spouting off at the mouth. Truly I have no idea what I might say or do next.”

“That’s my fault isn’t it,” Tony asked Cush as he nodded towards Elora.

Cush bared his teeth at the human. “Yes, thank you for that.”

“Not to break up the boy bonding moment or anything,” Elora interrupted, “but you were just telling us that we needed to get out of Dodge. Would you please like to elaborate?”

“Tarron was here.”

Cush went still at the name of the dark elf.

Tony’s eyes narrowed on him. “I take it you know who he is?”

“I know Tarron,” Cush confirmed gruffly. “And if he was here, then you are correct we need to go.”