Chapter 5
As I settled back on the sofa, I allowed myself a moment to take a few breaths and get my bearings. Ever the optimist, I jumped whenever the wind blew and shifted the trees outside, half expecting Robert to come waltzing through the door. No such luck.
After a few minutes of doing nothing, I made a mental list of vampires I trusted enough to contact about Robert’s puzzling disappearance.
It took a pathetically short amount of time.
I planned on eventually calling Liz regardless, but I needed immediate help from someone with enough clout to connect me with proper vampire authorities.
At minimum, I needed a vamp qualified to offer practical advice on what steps I needed to take.
Liz was new to vampirism, and Robert was usually the one she went to for guidance, so it was doubtful she’d be able to offer much beyond commiseration.
The VGO would likely know what to do, though I was hesitant to involve them.
Sure, I was on their good side now, but I didn’t entirely trust them.
Without Robert’s protection, they might get it in their heads to abduct me and keep me in their dungeon as a human cask they could tap blood from any time they pleased.
And why not? It would save them from having to travel all the way to San Francisco from their UK headquarters every time they craved my blood.
Shuddering at the thought, I went to take a sip of my second glass of wine and realized that I’d already drained it. I poured myself another, feeling the beginnings of a buzz settling over my brain like a warm blanket. Wonderful.
Since contacting the VGO wasn’t an option, I considered my previous employer, Marlena. In the past, she’d had my back when it counted, so I knew she was trustworthy. Still, she was cantankerous on a good day and always preoccupied with running her business.
Jerome Bellamy, a civil rights attorney and talented artist I’d met back when I was decoying for Marlena at Dignitary, was reliable—and he’d saved my hide more times than I could count.
However, he was fearful of getting caught up in vampire affairs, and rightfully so.
Also, he was busy planning his wedding, which was swiftly approaching, on top of preparing for an upcoming trial.
He already had enough on his plate. He would absolutely help me out if I asked, but I didn’t want to put him on the spot.
After a bit more waffling, I decided to call Liz. She may not have been able to offer any solutions to the Robert situation, but sometimes you just need your best friend.
I crossed my fingers that she wasn’t at work. She was a hairdresser at Dignitary, and her hours were irregular, often revolving around the special events her clients attended in the middle of the night. Vampire hours.
Luckily, she picked up. Even better, she said she’d head over.
I shouldn’t have been so surprised when the doorbell rang only a few minutes later. Liz drove like most people ate pepperoni pizza: fast and dirty.
She stood in the entryway, looking trendy yet ethereal in high-waisted jeans and a cropped baby-blue sweater that juxtaposed her flaming red hair gorgeously. The changeover to vampirism had been very kind to her, though she’d also been stunning as a human.
“Damn, Liz, did you fly over h-here?” I asked with a hiccup.
“Have you been drinking?”
“Yep.” I gestured for her to come in. “Want me to pour you one? It’s merlot, your favorite.”
She quirked a brow. “How drunk are you?”
As she took a seat at the dining room table, I went into the kitchen to open another bottle of wine, then stopped in my tracks. “Duh! Sometimes I forget,” I said, smacking my forehead. “Want some blood?”
“I want you to tell me what this is all about. What’s the big emergency?” Liz sat up in the chair and tucked a leg under her butt. She looked around. “Where’s Robert?”
I hadn’t told her anything over the phone, except that I needed her. Liz was good like that, willing to help with no questions asked.
Our friendship had endured some ups and downs when I’d first gotten involved in the world of vampires, mainly because I’d been sworn to silence about the existence of them.
Back then, she was still human, so it had been a frustrating time for me, carrying around such a big secret that I couldn’t even share with my best friend.
Now that Liz was a vampire herself, our bond was stronger than ever.
I went to the fridge to get her some blood. Reading the labels on the sides of the bottles, I said over my shoulder, “I’ve got a thirty-something runner or a twenty-something ballerina.”
Vampires bought blood the same way humans bought different roasts of coffee. No two mortals tasted the same, according to Robert.
“Whatever you’ve got is fine,” she said, waving a hand. “You’re killing me! Sit down and tell me what’s happening.”
To sober up, I eschewed pouring more wine for myself and grabbed an energy drink from the human fridge. Some couples had his and her bathrooms; Robert and I had human and vampire refrigerators.
I poured Liz some of the ballerina and then joined her at the table.
I took several gulps of the energy drink, the caffeine cutting through my buzz like a meat cleaver.
Before Liz lost her mind with impatience, I outlined all that had happened, starting with Nick’s bloodbath at the fountain and ending with Robert’s disappearance.
Liz was usually an unshakable individual. Now, she gawked at me with her mouth hanging open like she was trying to catch flies.
“Okay, wow,” she said. “Wow.”
I nodded. “What a shitshow, right?”
“That’s a lot to process.” She took a sip of blood. “Let’s start with Nick. Are you sure he’s dead?”
“Yes, I’m sure,” I said with strained patience. “I saw them pull his head out of a goddamn fountain!”
“I’m not glad he’s dead, but would it make me a terrible vamp if I said I’m happy Nick finally got what was coming to him?” she asked, sucking on her bottom lip.
I could hardly blame her for holding a grudge. The break-in he’d participated in with the VGO thugs had resulted in her husband being hospitalized. Liz had never been a fan of Nick. After that, though, she’d hated him.
On the same note, she also loathed the VGO, though she knew better than to entertain any thoughts of retaliation. She also understood why I’d struck a deal with them, since the alternative would have resulted in my death. Vampires, if nothing else, were pragmatic.
“Who do you think did it?” Before I could answer she added, “So you know, it wasn’t me. I would have liked to kill Nick, but I didn’t. You can ask Marlena; I was doing hair all night.”
“It didn’t even cross my mind, Liz.” I reached over and patted her hand. “What was the event?” Though I had no interest in returning to Dignitary to work as a decoy, I did occasionally miss the excitement and glamour that came with the job.
“Dignitary was overseeing a charity auction to benefit the preservation of gorillas in Congo. It was fun.”
Vampires carried a soft spot in their lifeless hearts for endangered creatures, perhaps because they were rare themselves. They were forever putting on galas to raise money for conservation and awareness. Robert and I had been to a couple—for Sumatran rhinos and red pandas.
“What did they auction off?” I asked.
“Themselves. It was for dates with bachelors and bachelorettes. Not, like, in a creepy or sexual way. It was innocent stuff, like going to the theatre or on a midnight cruise. They strutted down the runway hissing and shaking their asses while other vamps, and even a few humans, called out bids. It was pretty hilarious, actually, and they raised lots of money for a good cause.”
“Aw, I wish I could have been there to see that . . .” I shook my head, exasperated. “What are we doing? We need to focus! What am I going to do about Robert?”
Liz rubbed her cold hand along my back when I started crying in frustration. “It’s okay. We’ll sort it out,” she soothed.
I could smell the blood on her breath. The scent was comforting in an odd sort of way, since it reminded me of Robert. Many of the kisses he and I shared tasted coppery. Shocking initially, though I hardly noticed it anymore.
I sniffed. “How, though? I have no idea what to do. Do you?”
“I don’t know what the protocol is for immortal kidnappings,” she admitted. “But I bet Marlena does.”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to get her involved just yet.” I got up to get Liz a refill of blood just to have something to do. The energy drink had sobered me, but now I was jumpier than ever.
She said, “Before we get all panicky, are we sure Robert has even been kidnapped?”
“I can’t think of what else it could be, Liz. It’s not just his phone and his car here. His wallet was left behind, too. He wouldn’t go anywhere without it.”
“I think you should reconsider calling Marlena. She might—”
“Shh! Do you hear that?”
“What?”
“Robert’s phone. Quick! Where did I put it?” I screeched.
“There! On the counter!”
I must have broken a few Olympic track records as I raced to answer Robert’s phone before it clicked over to voicemail. Okay, ow. I also might have broken my big toe, which I’d stubbed on the chair in my haste.
I grabbed the phone on its third ring. The caller ID revealed no name, only PRIVATE NUMBER.
“Hello! Robert?” It was ludicrous to think that Robert might be calling his own phone after vanishing but hope springs eternal.
“Try again, sweetheart.”
My heart sank. I’d only met the bitch once, but I recognized the sultry French accent immediately.
Not that I was going to let her know that.
“I’m sorry, who’s speaking?” I asked curtly. On the bright side, my aggravation was taking my mind off my throbbing big toe. “You’ve reached Robert Bramson’s phone.”
“I know whose phone this is, little girl. It’s Serena Aucoin.”
More notably, Serena Aucoin from the VGO. The same Serena who’d eye-fucked Robert so hard during our trip to their headquarters that she might have gotten pregnant, if that was how such things worked.
Serena with the icy blonde hair, sapphire eyes, mile-long legs, and nasty attitude about humans.
Serena, who’d voted to kill me when other VGO members had wanted to give me a chance to prove myself.
I’m sorry, that doesn’t ring a bell, but you sure do sound like a skank, I nearly said. Thankfully, my good sense stepped in.
“Oh, yes, Serena. What can I do for you?” I asked pleasantly.
Skank or not, Serena was still a member of the VGO. She was by no means their leader, but she was important enough to hold a place at their prestigious high table. Getting lippy with her would cause more grief than it was worth. I already had too much to deal with as it was.
“It’s not what you can do for me,” she said with a cutting laugh that turned my blood to ice. “It’s what I’m going to do for you.”