Six
Baz
“Easy. Easy!” I grab the oh shit handle above the car door as CJ whips around another corner. “A couple hundred years just flashed before my eyes.”
CJ insisted on driving her new car home, but pretty much the second she put the car in drive, I regretted it.
“Don’t be so dramatic.” She passes a car making a turn and nearly swipes the mailbox next to us. “I’m an excellent driver. You should see me make a three-point turn. I can do it in two.”
“Yeah, let’s talk about something other than driving, huh? So someone killed the spin instructor? That seems more relaxing. Let’s talk about that. Are they sure it wasn’t a jealous wife somewhere?”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean? Are you implying that you think I did it?”
I brace my hands against the dash as we come to an abrupt stop at the light before the St. Phillippe bridge.
“I’m implying that she was probably sleeping with a few husbands, not just yours.”
“Ew. I never really thought about that. Well, according to the news and that cop, it was a vampire.”
“You’d be surprised how often they are wrong. When they have nothing to go on, it’s easy to incite a witch hunt. Or a vampire hunt.”
“Well, witches aren’t real and vampires tend to leave a mark, so they’re probably sure.”
I narrow my eyes at her and wait for her to catch up.
She glances over at me. “Shut the fuck up. Witches are real?”
This might be the wrong time to tell her that Wes is half witch, so I decide against that extra tidbit of information and stick with simplicity.
“Yup.”
“That’s it. I give up. A high school diploma. A bachelor’s degree. Countless hours doing research. And I know nothing about the world we live in.”
The light turns green. She presses down on the gas and we start our way across the long bridge at warp speed.
“Don’t feel bad about it. Most humans don’t.”
“Well, it wasn’t me that killed her, and it wasn’t you. Who else does that leave? Just a few thousand people in St. Phillippe.”
“I know that you didn’t kill her, Duchess, but the reality is that this might have more to do with you than you realize.”
“What do you mean?”
“If it was a vampire that killed her, and that’s a big if, then whoever it is didn’t check in with us, and they should have.”
“Like, asked your permission?”
I shrug. “We’re kind of a big deal.”
“I haven’t forgotten. You’re kings. You should’ve seen my curtsy this morning. I fucking nailed it.”
I smile at her. “I’m sure you did. You’ll have to show me later. But my point is, if there are vampires out killing in plain sight, that means you’re in danger. And they started with someone you knew. That’s probably a warning.”
“Awesome. But, I fail to see the connection. Someone disses you and that blows back on me? Feels more like it might have to do with you.”
“Did you just say diss?”
“Focus, Baz.”
“Tough with that vocabulary. Is your book the newest edition of the Urban Dictionary? Anyways, if one of our vampire subjects takes it upon themselves to kill so publicly without checking with us, it’s either stupidity—highly unlikely—or a warning.
As a general rule, vampires aren’t really stupid.
Obnoxious—yes. Callous—sure… but not stupid.
Andre, Wes, and I will reach out to our counts and dukes and investigate it. ”
“Counts and dukes?”
“That’s what I said, Duchess. If it was coincidence, it’ll end there. If not, whoever did it will probably kill Elliot next.”
“What?!” Her hands white-knuckle the wheel. “We have to warn him.”
“That piece of shit? Hard no, thank you.”
“Fine, I’ll do it myself.”
“Why would you go and do that?”
“Because he’s my husband.” She shakes her head. “Was my husband.”
I turn and look at her, letting myself into her head. She’s genuinely concerned for him. It makes my lip curl.
“Listen, I’m not going back to him or anything, but I don't want him dead.”
“You sure?” I ask.
“Yes!”
“Why not?”
“Because I don't want anyone dead.”
“You humans are so complex. There are a great many people I want dead.” I look over the edge of the bridge and into the waters below, thinking of a few choice options.
“Well, I don’t want Elliot dead. Maybe I wouldn’t mind seeing him with a gnarly case of cholera, but not dead. I’ll drop you at Belladonna Hollow, then I’ll go to Elliot’s work to warn him.”
“You’re not going to see him alone.”
“You’re not in charge of me.”
I could be in charge of her. It would be easy enough to subdue her. But I don’t want that. I like fighting with CJ.
“I’ll sit in the car and wait for you. To make sure that you are safe. I’ll be on my best behavior.” I drag my pointer finger in an X across where my heart once was.
She reaches the end of the bridge, makes a U-turn, and gets back on, heading in the direction we just came from.
“If you’re lying to me, if I find out that you had some hand in all this, I will rip your eyeballs out.”
“Jeez, Duchess. The douchebag ex gets off easy with cholera and I lose my eyes.”
“Baz, I’m serious.”
I put my hand on her leg. “I am not lying to you about this.”
She takes a deep breath and finally seems to relax a little. “Wes told me this morning that a vampire could fight you for your position. Could this be that?”
“Hard to tell. The dukes will have more information.”
“How does one become a vampire du—” Something runs in front of the car and the brakes auto-engage.
The wheel spins and CJ fights against it, but it’s no use.
The tires screech as they drag over the pavement.
The car veers too far to one side, and rolls.
I wrap my arms over CJ’s head—the soft-top offering no protection as the car flips on its side, breaks the barrier, and goes over the side of the bridge.