Chapter 5
Five
Ethan arrived on the Varik doorstep at five minutes before ten the next morning with a heavy duffle bag slung over his shoulder.
He felt a little awkward in his jeans and plain black T-shirt after seeing how sharply Marcus was dressed, but Janice had reassured him that casual attire was appropriate, considering the kind of work he was going to be doing.
He’d actually arrived downtown more than an hour ago but hung out in a coffee shop waiting until it was closer to his assigned start time. No reason to be obnoxiously early on his first day.
He lifted his hand to ring the doorbell when his eye caught on a small piece of notepaper taped just above eye level.
Mr. Cline,
Come inside. Lock the door.
Meet me in the front blue parlor.
~M
Ethan pulled the note off the door and stared at it for a moment, taking in Marcus’s bold handwriting.
The instructions were concise and gruff, easily matching the manner of the man he’d met the day before.
They also made sense since Ethan was sure that Marcus Varik was a vampire.
He couldn’t risk answering the door and exposing himself to the sunlight.
Slipping the note into his pocket, Ethan took a deep breath and wrapped his fingers around the cool brass door handle.
He was willingly walking into the vampire’s lair.
He was going to work for this vampire. Uncover his secrets.
And when he had all the information he needed, he planned to hand Marcus and the rest of his murderous family over to the Humans Protecting Humans League so that they could be exterminated like the dangerous predators they were.
With his carefree mask in place, Ethan stepped inside the massive town house and locked the door behind him.
Turning toward the main foyer, he blinked several times, willing his eyes to adjust to the dimmer lighting.
His heart sped up during his temporary blindness as his imagination took over, conjuring up blood-coated vampires with fangs exposed bearing down on him.
But when his vision finally cleared, Ethan found that he was alone in the foyer with his back pressed to the front door. Everything looked the same as the day before. Priceless rugs, vases, and paintings in massive frames covered nearly every surface. Yet, he was alone.
Adjusting his bag on his shoulder, Ethan strolled down the hall, poking his head into one doorway and then another until he came to a large room with a delicate couch that Ethan was somewhat sure was called a settee and an equally delicate-looking coffee table.
The walls were painted a pale blue and lacy white curtains hung over tall windows.
But it was the heavy blinds over the windows that blocked out the sun.
He paused just past the threshold, looking over the room in wonder.
From the paintings to the little ceramic figures on the white mantle to the flowered area rugs on the thick white carpet, nothing in this room looked as if it fit Marcus Varik.
But it did look like it had been ripped out of another time period.
Like he’d stepped into a museum or fallen through a hole in time and woken in Victorian London.
But then, maybe Marcus felt at home here. Maybe he was so old that this decor was something he was familiar with.
And what was it like for him to exist now, in a time of flat-screen TVs, internet, digital personal assistants, and streaming entertainment? Everything was sleek, liquid crystal, touch-screen, and interactive.
Standing in the middle of the room, Ethan slowly turned, taking in his surprising surroundings as his vision finally adjusted to a shadowy corner where he spotted Marcus sitting perfectly still in a chair, a newspaper clutched in both hands as if he’d just lowered it.
“Holy shit!” Ethan exclaimed before he could stop himself. He jumped back and clapped a hand over his mouth.
Marcus rose quickly, one hand extended toward Ethan as Ethan lowered the one covering his lips to apologize.
“I’m sorry,” Marcus said, beating Ethan to the punch. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Surprised me,” Ethan corrected. “I didn’t see you there.” He forced a smile while trying to get his heart rate to slow to normal.
“When you walked in, you appeared…engrossed. I didn’t want to disturb your…” Marcus waved his hand at their surroundings, “your perusal of the room.”
“Oh, yeah. It’s amazing. It was like stepping back in time or into a museum,” Ethan said. “I guess I wasn’t expecting something like this.”
Marcus nodded stiffly and turned his attention to the newspaper still clutched tightly in one hand.
He made a great deal of noise folding the paper up, and Ethan could feel a smile tugging at his lips.
Not only was he standing in a room lost to time, but he was facing a man who still read a physical newspaper.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen that besides at the corner table meeting of old men at the nearby McDonald’s.
Ethan had seen them there several times, with their coffee, newspapers, and gossip.
If he wasn’t sure Marcus was somehow involved in the murder of his family, the man might actually be adorable.
“This is the only room in the house like this. My mother describes it as inviting.” Marcus paused, a frown deepening the lines on his face.
“The other rooms are…normal.” Marcus cleared his throat and tossed his paper down on the chair he’d just vacated.
His shoulders straightened and it was like watching him fit himself into a character or a role.
“Thank you for showing up on time. After today, you will be here promptly at noon and leave at exactly eight p.m. Is that understood?” The no-nonsense boss was in charge again.
Ethan nodded. “Yes.”
“Janice will be here at two. She will have paperwork for you as well as a key to the house and other things you’ll need to fulfill your duties.”
Marcus started to lead the way out of the “inviting” room but stopped suddenly and looked at Ethan, his brow heavily lined. Ethan’s heart skipped a beat and he took a step backward, his hands tightening on the strap on his shoulder.
“Why do you have a bag?” Marcus asked, pointing toward the large duffel.
“Oh,” Ethan replied on a relieved sigh. He gave a little chuckle while mentally chastising himself that he needed to pull his shit together if he was going to get through this job.
“Janice said that she’d have a key for my new apartment this afternoon.
I thought I’d just bring all the stuff I needed now and move in after work. ”
Confusion still carved lines in Marcus’s face as he continued to look at the bag on Ethan’s shoulder as if the thing didn’t make sense.
“Should I have not brought it? I thought I could just shove it in a closet until the end of the day,” Ethan said.
Marcus shook his head as if he was trying to clear his thoughts. “No, it’s fine. I was just wondering if it was magic. How do you fit all your possessions in that bag?”
A loud bubble of laughter broke free from Ethan, and he rocked back half a step. “It’s not quite everything I own. The temporary apartment is furnished, so I mostly just need clothes and toiletries.”
“Yes, that makes sense,” Marcus murmured. He looked a bit confused still and a little flustered, but he continued to walk toward the hall.
Ethan hid a smile as he followed Marcus to the same office he’d been interviewed in the day before.
He dropped his bag off there and was handed a thick folder that contained all the information regarding the move that had been completed so far.
He was also given a brand-new tablet and electronic pen he could use to take his notes.
For the next hour, Marcus led him on an abbreviated tour of the house, giving Ethan instructions on where to find things, what rooms he was allowed to pack, and in what order.
Some of the rooms were locked and would remain that way until it was closer to the move.
Ethan could only guess those were Marcus’s more private quarters such as his bedroom.
But if that was where Marcus slept during the day, why was he up on the third floor?
Wouldn’t it be safer for him down in the basement where there was no chance of sunlight reaching him?
Was Marcus not really a vampire?
Just the fact that Marcus was up and walking around now confounded Ethan. He’d thought vampires were locked in their coffins during the day. Not only to protect them from the sun, but that they were just rendered unconscious during the daylight hours. This didn’t make any sense.
Except before he entered each room, he slowly opened the door, peering inside just through a crack. Ethan was pretty sure that he was checking that the room was properly guarded against the sun before taking a step inside.
Once on the second floor, he paused in what looked to be a portrait gallery.
The long, heavy curtains over one window were half-parted, allowing in a wide shaft of brilliant golden sunlight.
Marcus had stared at it for a moment, seeming to watch as the dust particles danced through the light.
And then he was looking uncomfortably at Ethan, asking him to go inside and close the curtain.
The strange thing was that even after the darkness had been restored, Marcus didn’t enter the room. He called Ethan back and they continued on to the next room, as if the sunlight had contaminated the area somehow. Marcus seemed to even draw into himself a little more, his words growing clipped.
Marcus was very clear about the ground rules.
Ethan started work each day at noon and was gone by eight p.m. He was never to stay later in the house unless he first received approval from Marcus.
He was not to seek out or otherwise disturb Marcus unless it was absolutely necessary.
Any questions regarding moving could be directed to Janice.