17. Go For Broke
Chapter 17
Go For Broke
Hawaiian Desire cruise—A short while later
I n the end, the plan was that Cerissa would test the curly hair tomorrow after Jayden put together the evidence bag with all the samples they wanted tested, and then Ari would flash the bag to her in the afternoon.
She joined Karen for dinner, and the guys went off to the casino before she remembered to tell them Antonio texted and called earlier. The shocking news about Petar had temporarily knocked Antonio’s communications about last night’s involuntary donor from her mind, even though Tig’s question should have reminded her.
Unfortunately, the most recent victim had suffered a worse injury than the previous ones.
Henry and Rolf skipped the dining room because they couldn’t use the same excuse every time, so some nights it’d just be her and Karen. She would brief them about the biter when the men rejoined them for the rest of the evening.
After dinner, she caught the main stage show with Karen. The guys had no interest in this evening’s comedian, so they remained in the casino at the blackjack table.
Now she and Karen waited in the tenth-floor lounge, which was decorated like a London nightclub with photos of British rock stars and other symbols from the U.K. adorning the walls. A three-person band with a superb female singer covered popular rock hits from the last twenty years. So far, they’d listened to dance songs made famous by Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, and the Black Eyed Peas.
Cerissa leaned over to Karen. “How much longer do you think they’ll gamble?”
When they stopped by the casino, Karen had gone inside to talk with Rolf. Cerissa had watched from the door, not wanting to shake Henry’s concentration. The two guys had been at a high-roller table. “I told Rolf we wanted to go dancing and would meet them in this nightclub. He promised to be here in ten minutes.”
That was fifteen minutes ago. “Should we order for the guys?”
“Just water.” Karen snapped open her formal purse and pulled out her room key, which doubled as a charge card. Her gold-flecked cocktail dress caught the overhead lights with the movement. “Between wine at dinner and a mixed drink during the show, I only want one more drink.”
“That’s fine with me.”
When the waiter came by, Karen flagged him. “Vodka and tonic and a glass of ice water, please.”
He took the cards they’d laid on the table and turned to Cerissa. “And for you?”
“Macallan, twenty years, straight up, water on the side.”
“I’ll be right back with your drinks.”
Karen looked around the room. “Odd lighting in here.”
Some tables were almost in the dark, and others were garishly over-lit with neon. “I don’t understand interior designers. What are they trying to accomplish?”
“A heightened sense of danger? A broken ankle? I don’t know.” Karen snickered. “I’m just a lowly marketing director. Not an artsy dance club designer.”
“I have the advantage of being able to adjust my eyesight to accommodate the flickering lights. And my hearing. The music doesn’t have to be that loud. What do humans do?”
“Suffer.” Karen opened her compact and patted powder over the smattering of reddish-brown dots running across her nose. “All this sun and my freckles are darkening.”
“I think they’re cute, and I bet Rolf does, too.”
“He likes them because they remind him of the sunshine,” Karen said, as the waiter returned with their drinks. They each signed their tabs, and then Karen lifted her tall glass. “Here’s to the waiter, who was a lot more prompt than our mates.”
Cerissa laughed and clinked her lowball glass to Karen’s.
Karen took a sip. “Rolf was down a thousand. He wasn’t in a good mood about it. I should’ve guessed ten minutes was a stretch.”
“Well, we can always people-watch. I learn a lot about human behavior by just observing.” Cerissa glanced around. “Quite a few single people are scoping out this club. They move around more frequently, interacting with a potential hookup before moving on if it doesn’t pan out.”
“I remember those days.” Karen took another sip. “And I’m not sad to say they are behind me. Sometimes you meet real assholes that way.” She leaned back and held a napkin under her glass, collecting the dripping condensation. “And it’s a lousy way to find love.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it.” Cerissa tasted the scotch, letting it roll around on her tongue—the rich, smoky flavor was well balanced. Excellent. She gestured with her glass. “For example, look at the blond woman at the bar.”
Karen twisted around. “The one with straight hair down to her butt?”
“The hair alone should get a lot of attention. She’s already had a few offers, but she turned them away.”
“Really?”
“Some rather hot men have approached her—”
“Don’t let Henry hear you call other men hot.”
“Yeah, right.” Cerissa chuckled. “Anyway, some good-looking ones approached, and from what I could tell, she hasn’t danced with any of them.”
“Maybe she’s just toying with them.”
“Perhaps, or she’s waiting for someone like we are, or she’s not interested in men.” But to Cerissa, there was something slightly off about the situation. “Look at the man who just walked up to her.”
“He has no chance,” Karen said. “I don’t want to sound mean, but short, pudgy, and balding will not win a woman like that in a meat market like this.” A second later, Karen’s mouth hung open in astonishment as the tall blonde slid from her barstool and joined the man on the parquet floor, dancing to a song with a fast beat. When the band slowed down the rhythm, she moved into his arms. With his chin on the blonde’s shoulder and hands around her waist, the man looked blissfully happy. “I don’t believe it.”
Cerissa watched the couple dance and felt a little guilty for judging him. He might be a very nice guy, which would win out over looks any day. Slowly, the two pivoted, and she saw the woman’s face. The blonde was indeed beautiful, and quite youthful, but there was something else, and she gasped when she spotted it. “Oh my Goddess. This could be the biter Henry saw last night.”
“Are you sure?”
Cerissa motioned to lower her voice. The loud music helped cover their conversation, but Karen needed to be quiet enough that vampire hearing wouldn’t catch her words despite the club’s noise. Cerissa leaned in close and whispered, “Positive. She’s pale under that tan. Check out her fingernail ridges, and the way her pupils have expanded. And my contact lenses confirmed her subnormal temperature.” She morphed her scent receptors and detected the distinct smell of vampire blood. Once she’d started morphing to vampire, she’d realized the difference between the scent of mortals and vampires was like a grilled hamburger versus a perfectly cooked filet mignon. “She’s definitely a vampire. Henry never told us what she looked like, but that must be her.”
“He didn’t want us to hunt her.” Karen frowned. “If we knew what she looked like, it would have been easier.”
Cerissa clenched her teeth. How was she supposed to protect Karen from the biter without a description? She should have pushed Henry harder but got sidetracked.
Karen took out her phone. “I’m texting Rolf.”
When no reply came, Cerissa texted Henry. Again, no response.
Karen tossed the device on the table. “They must have their phones turned off.”
“Or the casino is shielded to prevent electronic cheating.” Cerissa bit her lips together, trying to decide what to do. “One of us should go get the guys, and the other watch her, but if we do that, we’d have to split up. And Rolf will be upset if I let you out of my sight.”
“We could just wait here and hope our mates arrive soon. The blonde might hang out for another dance or two.”
The vampire whispered into the ear of her prey. He smiled and nodded enthusiastically. She led him back to the bar, collected her purse, and, with her hand around his, exited through the neon-lit archway, her mile-high heels tapping on the hardwood floor.
Cerissa rose, then stopped herself and sat back down. “So, do we follow, or do we get the guys?”
“If we don’t follow, we won’t know where she’s going.”
Cerissa stared at her phone and debated calling the doctor, except it was too late. Asking him to meet them at the nightclub was futile. She gathered her purse and stood. “Let’s go. We follow them together. See where they might be heading.”
Henry wouldn’t be pleased, but sometimes she had to make the best decision she could under the circumstances. She no longer agreed with his assessment that the blond vampire wouldn’t take things too far—not after the doctor told her about the savage bite from last night—and if the guys had kept their promise to be on time, she and Karen wouldn’t be in this dilemma.
When Cerissa reached the dance club exit, she stopped Karen. “Let’s walk out slowly, as if we’re trying to figure out where to go next. You look left; I’ll look right. If we spot them, we can pretend to be interested in going the same way.”
She eased into the hallway and tried to act as casually as possible, then turned to Karen, who looked way too excited. Her acting could use some coaching.
“They went around the corner,” she whispered.
“Okay, let’s go.” Cerissa grabbed Karen’s arm and led her in the direction that the vampire had disappeared. When she got to the corner, she turned and almost ran right into the woman. The biter and her prey were standing in front of a bank of elevators. Cerissa swerved at the last second to miss them. “Excuse me.”
The vampire stepped out of the way. “It’s cool.”
Her accent was American, but Cerissa couldn’t place the location of the dialect from the two words.
The elevator bell dinged, and the man escorted the vampire onto the elevator.
“Which direction are you going?” Karen asked. “Up or down?”
“We’re going down,” the man replied.
“So are we.” Karen scooted into the elevator.
What in the hell is she doing?
Cerissa had no choice but to tag along, and dashed into the brass-trimmed glass octagon before the doors closed.
“Enjoying the cruise so far?” Karen asked.
The man gave a shy grin. “I’m starting to. Which floor do you want?”
“Can you push—”
“Eight.” Cerissa had spotted the lit number on the panel.
The man nodded. “Already done. We’re getting off on eight, too.”
“Perfect.” Karen glanced at the vampire. “That works out nicely. These elevators can be such a pain, especially when everyone wants a different floor.”
Karen sometimes got chatty when nervous. Would the blonde suspect something was off? The last thing Cerissa wanted to defend them against was a threatened vampire in close quarters. She wasn’t carrying her Lux E-beam weapon—her evening purse was too small—but fortunately, she carried one of her other inventions: aerosolized garlic. It worked on vampires the same way pepper spray did on humans, or at least she hoped so, because she’d never tested it. She opened her purse, reached in, and palmed the thin cylinder, which was about the size of a pocket breath spray.
When the elevator stopped and the door opened, Cerissa held Karen’s arm to stop her from lunging through the doorway first. The man and woman said, “Goodnight,” then turned left.
Cerissa stepped off the elevator but hung back to look at the room number directional plaques, to give the impression she and Karen were trying to figure out which way their room was from the elevator. When the vampire was far enough down the hall not to be spooked if they followed, Cerissa started after them.
“That club was such a bore,” Karen said as they strolled along the corridor. “After we change shoes, I want to try the DJ pool party.”
“Sure,” Cerissa replied, improvising her end of the fake conversation. “I can’t believe I broke the tip off my heel. I didn’t dance that much.”
“Don’t worry, you can get it fixed in Hawaii.” Karen slowed as the vampire entered an exterior cabin with her victim.
Cerissa looked back over her shoulder at the sound of the door shutting and read the room number. Then she continued down the hallway, chatting with Karen about the clubs until they reached another themed bar and quickly pivoted into the spacious lounge. Finally, far enough away to feel safe, she turned to Karen. “Which room number?”
“Eight-twelve.”
“Same one I saw.” Cerissa frowned. “But what if we’re wrong? He could be her mate. Maybe she’s been waiting for him just like we were waiting for Henry and Rolf. There could be more than one female vampire on this ship.”
Karen scoffed. “I may have been out of circulation for a while, but I can still spot a pickup when I see one. She didn’t know that guy. You can tell from their body language. We should find the guys and let them know. Besides, we can ask Henry to describe what his vampire looked like and compare it to ours. Make sure they’re the same.”
The casino was on the seventh floor. Cerissa suggested they take the stairs. They had barely entered the hallway leading to the casino when Henry and Rolf strode their way.
“Now, Liebling , don’t be angry.” Rolf slipped his arm around Karen. “I know I said only ten minutes, but our luck turned, and we couldn’t leave in the middle of a hot streak.”
“That’s not why we came looking for you.” Karen pumped excitedly on her toes. “We found her.”
“Found who?” Rolf asked.
Karen lowered her voice. “The biter. At least, she could be the biter.”
Henry’s brow furrowed. “I thought we agreed to let this be?”
“You’re sure she’s one of us?” Rolf asked.
Cerissa gestured for them to keep walking toward the central staircase and chose to answer Rolf. “Positive. She has the distinct qualities.”
Rolf’s nostrils flared. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Fingernails, solid black eyes when excited, and distinctive scent.”
“What? We don’t smell different—”
“Do you really want to have this conversation in the middle of a public hallway?” Cerissa pulled the group into a small alcove near the sports bar so they weren’t blocking the other cruisers. “Take my word for it. I can detect the differences.”
“ R olf, we can discuss this later.” Henry turned to stare at Cerissa sternly. Had she ignored his stated wishes and gone looking for the vampire? “Tell us what happened.”
“The woman was in the same club where you two were supposed to meet us.” Karen crossed her arms. “She was hunting her next victim.”
Cerissa frowned. “You never gave us a description, so we weren’t sure at first. Once we were, you two were nowhere in sight.”
Their accidental discovery was indeed his fault for being late. Henry took a breath and tried to sound less harsh. “Tell me, what color was her hair?”
“Blond and long. She looks college age.”
“That sounds like the same woman I saw at the piano bar.” Henry pulled out his phone and opened the text app, tapping Antonio’s name. “You left her at the club and came to get us?”
Cerissa lips quirked. “Not exactly.”
Henry looked up from his phone. “What do you mean? Where did you see her last?”
“Going into room eight-twelve,” Karen replied. “With a new victim.”
Henry whipped his gaze back and forth between the two women. “And why were you on the eighth floor?”
“Um…” Cerissa averted her eyes and played with the shoulder strap of her evening purse. “Because we followed her.”
“ Dios, dame paciencia .” Henry gave her a quelling look. “That was a perilous thing to do.”
Cerissa wrinkled her nose at him. “Well, we could argue about the wisdom of it, or you could apprehend her while you have the opportunity. Which will it be?”
She was right. They could discuss the matter later. He tapped out a message on his phone as the others kept arguing.
“It’s not our problem to solve,” Rolf said. “We talked about this already.”
“Except today Antonio contacted me.” Cerissa shoved her phone into Rolf’s hand. “See? Yesterday’s bite was brutal. I don’t think she’s de-escalating.”
Henry cringed. Attached to the text message was a gruesome photo of fang marks.
Karen shrugged. “And I never agreed to drop it. Last night, you distracted me.”
“ Liebling —”
Henry held up a hand to stop the argument. “Rolf, if her control is deteriorating, she may pose a threat after all. And the repercussions would interrupt our vacation even more.” Taking the lead, he redirected them toward the elevator bank down the corridor. They needed to get moving fast if they were going to act. “Right now, we’ll take our mates back to Karen’s suite, and then you and I will knock on the door of eight-twelve.”
“Wait a minute.” Cerissa stopped in front of him. “We’re going with you. Better to stay together.”
Henry harrumphed and reached around her to press the elevator call button. “That would not be wise. Rolf and I should have no trouble cornering the woman in her cabin. She’s a young vampire. She won’t be very strong.”
Cerissa gestured at the staircase down the hall. “We don’t have the time to return to our suite. She had her next victim with her. You may need me with you to render medical care.”
Henry shook his head. That wasn’t happening. “I’ve already texted Antonio and asked him to meet us at room eight-twelve. I would prefer that you guard Karen.”
“Who said I was staying in my suite?” Karen’s voice rose. “Cerissa and I found her. We should be there for the capture.”
“We just want to protect you, Liebling ,” Rolf said.
“Protect me? You mean control me. I’ve got agency too.”
Rolf looked quizzically at Henry. “Agency?”
Karen stabbed a finger at Rolf’s chest. “I get to make my own decisions.”
He gripped her shoulders. “ Liebling , Henry and I will be busy enough trying to convince the woman to listen to reason. We don’t need to be distracted—and she might try to attack you, to get leverage against us. So please, do this for me.”
“Fine.” Karen angrily twirled a strand of hair. “But if you don’t phone me ten minutes after you leave, I’m sending Cerissa to retrieve the both of you. I mean, what if there’s another vampire in that room? An older, stronger one?”
Henry checked his phone. Still no reply from Antonio. “Then Cerissa is our backup plan.”
When the elevator arrived, Rolf pivoted his mate and marched her into the elevator. “But you will not leave your room.”
After two steps, Karen twisted around and narrowed her eyes.
“ Liebling , please.”
“All right. Since you said ‘please.’”
Henry ushered Cerissa in.
“What are you doing?” she asked. “You don’t need to escort us back; you should take the stairs.”
As the elevator doors closed, Henry pressed the button for the fifteenth floor. “Antonio hasn’t responded to my text. I’m going to page him from the suite’s phone.”
When they reached Karen’s suite, the ship’s operator took precious minutes to find the doctor, who was off duty. When Antonio finally came to the phone, Henry explained the situation, and they agreed to meet on the eighth floor.
After hanging up, Henry motioned to Rolf. “I wish we had something to restrain her with if it becomes necessary.”
Karen smiled coyly and looked at Rolf. When he didn’t figure out what she was thinking, she whispered something to him.
He didn’t look pleased, but he nodded, went into the bedroom of the suite, and came back with a small wooden box. “Will these do?”
Henry opened the lid. The box contained a pair of silver handcuffs, which were lined with leather and capable of restraining a vampire without leaving burn marks. “Why do you have these with you?”
“I’m a reserve police officer.”
“I don’t mean why you have the authority to carry them. I’m asking why you bothered to bring them on vacation.”
“Don’t ask.” Rolf headed to the door as Karen giggled behind them, whispering something to Cerissa.
Too much information—Henry refused to contemplate his friend’s sex life, nor would he ask his wife to share whatever tidbit Karen had whispered. He closed the lid, tucked the box under his arm, then rushed to the suite’s door. Antonio should be waiting for them by now.