Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Empty food containers, coffee cups, and plastic utensils had been pushed aside to make room in the middle of the table. Four heads bent over a map and stared at the lines and circles Lucas had drawn around points of interest in the small town of Hazel Green.
I wasn’t sure what the three vamps were seeing that I wasn’t. They’d been staring at the map for fifteen minutes without a word while Bella had left to arrange for their rooms.
“This entire trip could be a fool’s errand, you know.” Rom scratched at the stubble on his jaw that gave him a rakish appearance.
“But you don’t believe that.” Lucas eyed his friend with an insight I didn’t have.
They’d known each other for decades, and even after being apart for several, Lucas hadn’t lost the touch to read his friend. I chalked it up to their continued communication through text and video calls. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they finished each other’s sentences.
“No. But I’m not sure how to flush them out without them running.”
“Would it help if they saw you around town?” I wasn’t sure why they hadn’t considered it already. It seemed the simplest approach. If Philipe stayed in contact with Rom, even if it was longer than every six months, he must trust him.
Rom glanced at Lucas. “It might not hurt. But how often would I have to walk around town on the off chance they’d see me?”
I shook my head emphatically, if for nothing more than getting his attention. “It’s a small town. People talk. Even if Fiona and Philipe kept to themselves, they would want to know what the locals were saying. They’d want to know if there were strangers in town. If they heard of someone new, would they run without checking it out, or would they investigate to see if someone was on their tail?”
“What did you have in mind?” Rom asked her directly, his eyes a warm honey brown.
“A simple boy’s night out with Lucas and Jacques. Lucas mentioned you normally travel with two bodyguards. Make friends with the bartender where a local or two might listen in. Tell them you’re Romero and make up some story about why you might be spending a couple days in town. I guarantee the news of three hot new guys in town will spread like wildfire with the women.” I picked up the last grape that was looking forlorn in the detritus and popped it in my mouth. “With a name like Romero, Fiona should definitely hear about you.”
“Small towns do like to spread gossip,” Lucas said. “But would he need to stay in Hazel Green for that to work?”
“No.” Jacques stretched his back and then neck before leaning over to start collecting the trash. “It’s too small a town. The last thing we need is the local sheriff watching us. That might spook Fiona and Philipe.”
Of all the vamps I’d met, Jacques seemed the closest to understanding human behavior. Or maybe he was attuned to shifter behavior. They seemed more human than vamps.
Either way, I agreed with him. “He’s right. Besides, it wouldn’t be odd for someone to go to different bars in the area. In fact, that would make the story easier to believe and harder to confirm. You’re in Fayetteville to visit some old friends or maybe looking for a new business opportunity. You wanted to get out and see more of the countryside and decided to stop in. One night might not be enough, but you don’t want to go back the next night, maybe the one after.”
“Adding in Fayetteville is an excellent idea.” Lucas tapped the map for no particular reason. “Word might get back to others in town here, which would make our job a little easier.”
Jacques was nodding. “The name will certainly make the rounds, and knowing you were seen with two other males will resonate with Philipe if he knows you that well. During the day, Lucas and Ginger can continue to monitor the grocery store while Bella and I follow the delivery boy. But I expect, if they’re close, they’ll come to you.”
“So, I stay in the motel all day and what? Channel surf?” Romero didn’t seem sold on sitting around.
Lucas didn’t like it, either. “No one stays on their own. Three of us will remain at the motel while the other two monitor the grocery store until the delivery boy heads out. Ginger and I will trade babysitting duty with Bella and Jacques.” He grinned at Romero. “You’re used to being pampered.”
Romero laughed and took on an air of superiority well-known for the species. “I can’t help the role I was born to play.”
It was said in jest, and Jacques was about to respond when he was interrupted.
The door, which had been left ajar, opened, and Bella strode in, dropping two keys on the table. “I got us two rooms. Jacques and I will double up.”
Rom picked up the key closest to him. “I’ll need to change the registered name on my room.”
Lucas briefly explained the plan to Bella. After it was all laid out, Bella patted my shoulder.
“Excellent idea. However, I don’t agree that we change Romero’s room to his name.” She picked up a pen Lucas had been using and drew a quick L-shaped block. A map of the motel. “The room we’re in now is here.” She wrote an X on the block representing our room on the long side of the building, two rooms away from where it turned left to the shorter side. “The two rooms I just rented are here and here.” She put Xs in two side-by-side rooms in the smaller wing.
She studied the map for a moment. “Let’s see if we can get this room rented in Romero’s name.” She made the last X in a room on the far side of the two newly rented rooms, away from the staircase where the two buildings met. “You’ll only be there during the day, maybe go in and out a few times, and make the room look lived in for the cleaning staff. We can keep an eye on it from this room and see if we pick up visitors—friend or foe.”
They all turned to Rom, waiting for his thoughts or questions.
“I want at least one vampire in the room next to where I’ll be spending my days. If I know Philipe, he’s likely to send someone with a message.”
“Agreed,” Lucas said. “Let’s work out the schedule and hit the bar tonight.”
The following morning, I peered through a gap between curtain and window. I’d spent a good twenty minutes building a perfect opening. From the outside, the drape of the curtain looked natural, but I’d focused on creating a slit that I could peer through at eye level while leaning back in the chair. It was an inch-and-a-half opening that provided a view of the front door to what we called the “box”—the room registered to Rom—as well as the two rooms next to it.
I was the shortest person in the room so the others would have to scoot down in the chair a bit. No one should be able to see them from the outside. At least not without spending a great length of time staring at the window. By then, the visitor would be close enough for them to shut the trap.
The only weak part of the plan was the open staircase between the two buildings. Their special guest could make it to the stairs, but the only place to park a car was in front of the motel, so they’d have to be fast. If they tried to make a break for it out the back, they wouldn’t get far. Only a single-person cement path ran between the back of the building and a six-foot chain-link fence. A vamp could easily scale it—if they chose to run—but they still wouldn’t have their car.
“No one’s out there. If Philipe gets our message, or worse, the vampires who’ve been chasing you, it will take them a couple of hours to trace my credit card and even longer to get here.” Rom set a cup of coffee in front of me. “I’ve tried different beans this time. Tell me what you think.”
I snorted. “Are you the one to blame for Lucas’s addiction to espresso?”
“Hmm. I think it was a passion we both shared from the beginning. Maybe that was why it was so easy to have him around. We share many of the same interests.” His gaze was intense, but I’d lived with vamps long enough that it no longer bothered me—as long as they weren’t touching me while doing it. Unless it was Lucas or Devon’s Family. And even with them, it had taken time for the fear of being mesmerized to fade.
I sipped the coffee while returning his stare until he grinned. “Mmm. That is good. Did you do something different with the beans?”
He shrugged. “I might have had them ground finer, but I think it’s just the quality of the roast.”
“So, what other interests do the two of you share?” I could have let the topic drop since I’d steered the conversation away from it, but I was curious. And I wanted him to know that while I respected him, I wasn’t scared of him—much.
He leaned back and took a swallow of coffee, seeming to savor it like a wine connoisseur. “You already know his penchant for books. We spent hours in the library during the wee hours of the morning debating politics, Council law, and why some Houses lost battles while others won them. It’s the one thing I miss about not having him around.”
“And why the two of you spend hours on the phone.”
He chuckled. “So you know most of it.” He ran his fingers over the table as if playing a piano. Maybe he did. He’d had plenty of time to learn. “There is one thing.” He glanced at me under hooded eyes. “I don’t know if I should even mention it. It’s a highly guarded secret.”
I rolled my eyes. “If you’re trying to sell it, don’t bother.” I leaned in. “I’m all about gossip.”
“A human trait.”
“More than you know. And I’m pretty good at it. But the vamp world has its own gossip mill.”
“Oh?”
I nodded. “You call it the aristocracy.”
He threw his head back and laughed. It had a pleasant ring to it. If Cressa and Devon weren’t such a perfect couple, I’d consider playing matchmaker.
“You’re spot on. Lucas said you had insights like no one else he knew. I didn’t understand it at the time, but I’ve seen it several times now. You are an enigma.”
“That’s a first. I don’t think I’ve ever been called anything quite so…I don’t know, mysterious doesn’t quite cover it.”
“Don’t change that part of you. Sometimes, when humans are around vampires for too long, they tend to lose their own aura. The thing that makes them special. I don’t know why. Maybe because in most vampire households we don’t give the humans the challenges they need to hold on to their humanity. Perhaps that’s something we can learn from you.”
“You’re an insightful vampire yourself. I’d say there’s hope.”
“You are a tease, Ms. Morrison.”
“And you’re deflecting, House Leader Romero.”
He grinned. “So I am. And I’m also serious that only a handful know what I’m about to tell you. This stays between you and me. It wouldn’t seem dignified for a House Leader or a member of the cadre.”
“Please tell me you’re not overselling it.” I giggled. His tone became guarded, as if state secrets were about to be shared.
He glanced around the room, and I followed his gaze, prepared to find a small crowd of onlookers. I grinned so widely my cheeks hurt. The more stoic he became the harder it was to hold in the laughter.
He leaned in, beckoning me with a crooked finger. State secrets indeed. He had me so wrapped up in the mystery, I almost missed the minute crinkle at the edge of his lips. I’d only known him a day, but I’d say that was the start of a grin.
“We’re obsessed with bingo.”
I fell back, not sure I’d heard him right and feeling somewhat deflated. I stared into those honeyed eyes, the sincerity so real. But there was a light behind them, the touch of the beast, but not in hunger or anger. He was playing me.
“You do know what bingo is in the human world, right?”
He nodded in all seriousness. “Little cards with numbers in rows and columns. A free space in the middle. Depending on the bingo hall, some use those dot markers, but we prefer the places that still use the little wooden chips or multi-colored plastic ones. I prefer the dark blue or the red ones.”
I released something between a honk and a snort, which was unfortunate because I breathed in air while a laugh burst out. The two forces lodged in my throat, and I couldn’t catch a breath.
Next thing I knew, I was on my back, and Rom was pressing on my chest with the palms of his hands, trying to force the air out, but it wasn’t working. I wondered if I would actually turn blue before I met my maker. A vamp shoving a sword through my heart or slicing it across my neck would have been a more honorable way to die. Like a Klingon.
The giggles came on again like little bubbles of compressed air. I was turned onto my side, and Rom slapped my back. I’d be worried if I didn’t find this entire episode idiotic. Did the vamp ever get first aid or trauma training, or was he just guessing on the best way to help me?
Suddenly, my breath rushed out, and I had no idea which of Rom’s various techniques worked. He was still bending over me, his face flushed with concern, and my giggles erupted all over again. Then I started coughing when the door burst open.
We both turned to glance up at Lucas’s surprised face, which darkened the longer we stared at him. He was back early from a store run, and even as I got my coughing under control, I could only imagine what the pair of us looked like from his vantage point.
But only one thing came to mind as I was caught in his sapphire glare.
“Bingo?”