Angel: Private Eye Book One (25 page)

The woman shot me a suspicious look, but
didn't snap at me with her fangs and hiss at me to get back.

Before I really knew what I was doing, I
shoved a hand at her. “Lizzie Luck, private investigator.”

I saw Sarah flash me a seriously impressed
look from the kitchen as she bustled around making cups of tea.

The vampire stared at my hand for a wary
second before she grabbed it and shook it. Though the woman's
fingers were slender and delicate, her grip was just as strong as a
vice.

I barely made a face as it felt like she
crushed my hand to dust.

“You wanted to see me?” I questioned.

The vampire swiveled her gaze to Sarah. “Get
the human out of the room.”

Sarah bristled at her tone.

A couple of days ago, I would have bristled,
too, but I'd seen and heard worse. Vampires were spiky on the best
of occasions.

I brought up a hand and waved Sarah off. “Do
you think you can go into my old room and pack up a couple of my
things?” I asked lightly.

Sarah stiffened and shot me a worried look,
swiveling that same worried glance obviously between me and the
vampire on the couch. “You sure?”

I nodded.

Reluctantly Sarah moved away, shooting the
vampire a hard, warning stare.

I was more than surprised when the vampire
barely noticed.

In fact, as soon as Sarah was out of the
room, the woman practically jumped on me. She shifted forward until
our knees touched, and her eyes widened to the point of popping.
“You have to save me. You have to protect me from him.”

“Save you? Protect you from whom?” I said,
shocked at her sudden violent outburst.

“Theodore,” the woman hissed.

Cold pressure swarmed through my belly and
plunged deep into my heart. For a fraction of a second my thoughts
became hazy as this morning's terrifying ordeal struck me like a
blow to my skull.

“I heard what you did. News spreads. You
killed his favorite pet. You’re some kind of great sorceress. And I
need your help. You have to help me. Keep me safe. I’ll give you
what you want.”

“What… what I want?” My voice shook.

The vampire leaned back, arching her long
elegant neck. “You're investigating Susan Smith's death. I can tell
you who killed her. If,” the vampire locked a hand on the couch
right next to my knees, “If you help me,” she spat around each
word. “You have to agree to keep me safe from Theodore. Sign a
contract.” The vampire reached a hand into her elegant jacket and
pulled out a small rolled up piece of parchment.

I was so taken aback I made a strange
whining noise. What the hell was it with vampires and contracts?
They never let you get away with a verbal agreement. Hell, they
probably contracted you into going down the shops and getting them
a cup of coffee.

Then again, I really doubted there was that
much trust in the vampire world. They probably learned the hard way
that it was best to get someone to write it down than trust them.
But I balked at the site of the contract as she unfurled it and
practically slammed it down into my lap. She grabbed a pen out from
somewhere and shoved it into my hand.

I had no idea what to do. On the one hand,
the woman was promising to solve the Smith case for me. On the
other hand, who was I kidding? I could hardly keep her safe from
Theodore – I couldn't keep myself safe from the man. And as for
killing his pet, it had been an accident. And even if it hadn't
been an accident – I doubted I'd be able to replicate the
results.

All that new found courage that had seen me
make it across town to my apartment fluttered away in a moment of
panic.

The vampire lurched forward, locked my hand
around the pen, and squeezed my fingers against it so hard I was
sure she was going to break my bones. “You've got to help me,” she
hissed. “Theodore doesn't abide by traitors. He's going to get me
killed.”

…
There was no denying the
fear pulsing through her gaze.

What's more, there was no denying how human
it felt. That's right, human. As I stared at the scared vampire, I
kind of forgot about the fact she was a vampire. Instead, all I saw
was the terror pulsing through her clear blue eyes and shaking down
her pretty shoulders.

Before I knew what I was doing, I grabbed
the pen and signed the contract.

…
I signed the frigging
contract. A contract I couldn't uphold.

Once the moment of pure insanity was over, I
couldn't even begin to believe what I’d just done.

The vampire pretty much collapsed in
relief.

She let out the faintest chuckle as she
brought a sweaty hand up and crammed it over her lips. The move was
so hard that her fingers caught her lipstick and smeared a little
onto her chin. Finally she swiveled her direct gaze back to me. She
straightened up. “I'm a woman of my word, Elizabeth Luck, and I'll
show you who killed Susan Smith. But first—”

“First?” I whispered.

“First you have to deal with Theodore Van
Edgerton.”

Slam. Bam. That was it. The consequences for
being an idiot and signing a contract I couldn't uphold suddenly
powered into me with the force of a rocket.

My mouth kind of shuddered open. “What do
you mean deal with Theodore?”

“Kill him,” the woman shifted her lips
around the word kill with such smooth viciousness, it was clear
she’d forgotten her fear from before. Because hey, she was under
the deluded belief that I could click my fingers and kill the most
powerful vampire in the city.

My heartbeat tripled as my mouth filled
with the tang of iron. “S-s– sorry,” I stuttered. “Kill him? But
he’s one of the most powerful vampires in the city.”

“And you're one of the most powerful
sorceresses. It'll be easy. You killed his favorite pet.” As the
woman spoke, she now languidly folded herself into the couch. She
hooked one leg over the other and began to look under her nails as
if all of her fear from before had drifted away completely.

A couple of minutes ago, I'd felt supremely
sorry for her. Stunned at the fact a vampire could show such
humanlike fear. Now I realized how much of an absolute goddamn
idiot I'd been.

She suddenly stood and stretched, her
shoulders clicking beneath her silk blouse.

She looked pointedly from me to the door.
Her intention was clear. She obviously wanted to know why I wasn't
jumping to it, hopping the nearest bus, and getting ready to kill
an ancient vampire.

I stared at her in stunned amazement. “I
can't kill him—”

“You signed a contract to dispose of
Theodore Van Edgerton,” her lips took on a not entirely pleasant
curl. “My magic will bind you to that contract. And even if it
isn't strong enough, one would hope your conscience will be.” For a
fraction of a second, the vampire’s fear was back. The outright
terror played in her gaze, and that lost, supremely fragile look
smoothed her brow. She pressed forward on the couch, the fabric
groaning under has slight weight. “Please, sorceress,” she hissed,
“Please help me. I haven't lied to you. I know who killed Susan
Smith. I’ll show you. But first you have to kill Theodore Van
Edgerton.”

I sat there, sinking into my couch as
reality sank around me.

Oh God. Oh God. If this morning hadn't been
bad enough, now I was contracted to kill a vampire.

I winced.

I winced as I curled protectively over my
coffee cup and tried but failed not to make eye contact with
Benson.

I'd barely made it two blocks from Sarah's
apartment before he’d called me up on the phone. I tried to fob him
off, God knows I tried to tell him that I was fine and safely
tucked up in Mr Marvelous’ shop, but the brute hadn't believed me.
Literally five minutes later, a swanky Lamborghini sports car had
pulled up beside me, and William bloody Benson III had rolled down
the window to stare at me pointedly.

While any normal girl would have run from
that stare, reluctantly, dejectedly, I'd parked, got out of my car,
and got into his. Then, in virtual silence, he’d driven me to a
cafe.

Now he was sitting there, those big
beautiful shoulders of his relaxed as he stared at me.

And it was a solid stare. It was no passing
glance. As Benson locked his gaze on me, it was absolutely like he
was undressing me and paring back every scrap of flesh.

I let out a soft groan as I hunched even
further over my coffee cup and winced.

“Though I appreciate we don't exactly have a
relationship based on trust, I expect you to tell the truth on
issues of safety,” Benson finally said.

I winced even harder, blinking my eyes
closed only to carefully curl one open and realize that, yes, he
was still sitting there, and yes, he still looked deadly.

“I appreciate the past several days have
been somewhat trying for you, Miss Luck, but trust me when I say
this is not a game. You cannot take Theodore Van Edgerton's
interest in you lightly,” as Benson spoke, his lips darted hard
around each word, his canines glistening as if he was somehow
trying to suck the blood from the conversation.

I gave up on my coffee and wrapped my arms
dejectedly around my middle.

He leaned in, locked an elbow on the cast
iron table and shifted forward until he was barely a few inches
from my face. The prospect of William Benson's perfect visage was
the only thing that stopped me from whimpering. Instead it saw the
breath catch in my throat.

“Can I ask a question?” Benson suddenly
said.

I winced as I looked up at him. “What?” I
hazarded.

He was still pressed right up close in front
of me. Close enough, that I could see the exact pressured look in
his gaze. “Are you taking this seriously yet, Miss Luck?”

Though I wanted to wince at his repeated,
irritating use of Miss Luck, I didn't. Couldn't. I couldn't look
away from the god-awful serious look crumbling his brow.

“Because if you aren't taking this
seriously, I suggest you begin. Now.” He pretty much stabbed a
finger into the table. It actually shuddered under his light move
as if he'd struck it. That was nothing, however, compared to how
much I crumpled.

“Are you somehow under the impression that
Theodore Van Edgerton is not taking this seriously? Do you for some
reason believe he’s going to wake up tomorrow and suddenly lose
interest in you?”

I grimaced and shuddered.

“No. I assure you, Theodore is taking this
seriously, just as you should be. This may be your first foray into
the world of vampires, Miss Luck, but I assure you unless you stop
acting like an idiot, it will be your last. Now tell me, why did
you leave the shop and what happened?”

I crumpled under his terrifying words and
terrifying gaze. “I accidentally signed a contract with a vampire,”
I crammed a hand over my mouth and whispered through my sweaty
fingers.

Benson frowned. “Accidentally?” he
questioned as he bared his canines at me. “I'll ask how you
accidentally did it in a moment. First tell me what the contract
stipulates.”

I squirmed. Right now, I would welcome a
world ending catastrophe. Maybe a tsunami, maybe an enormous
meteorite squashing the city. Anything to get out of telling Benson
what I'd done.

“Lizzie,” he said in a truly threatening
tone. But nothing, however, was as threatening as the use of my
first name.

I squeaked, just like the mouse he always
accused me of being.

“I signed a contract with another vampire to
kill Theodore Van Edgerton,” I crammed the words out of my mouth,
sucking in several breaths once I was finished as if I’d just saved
myself from drowning.

Which I hadn't.

Because when I was done, William Benson
threw me the kind of look that told me he was going to chuck me in
the river.

He shifted backwards, moving his arms in
front of his chest in a terrifyingly slow move. “You,” he paused,
“Accidentally,” he paused again, “Signed a contract,” another long,
edgy pause, “To kill Theodore Van Edgerton.”

I shoved my elbows onto the table and
collapsed into my palms. “Yes,” I sighed into my hands.

For several seconds he said nothing and did
nothing. It took me a heckuva long time to gather the courage to
peek out from between my fingers.

I didn't even want to begin to describe the
way he was looking at me. Words couldn't do the consternation and
anger crumpling his brow justice.

He pared back his lips and hissed like a
snake warning off a predator. “How exactly did you accidentally
sign this contract?”

I whinnied to myself like a horse who’d just
broken her leg. “A vampire showed up at my apartment, and Sarah
called me. I rushed over, and the vampire begged me to help her.
She was terrified for her life. I felt so sorry for her. And before
I knew what I was agreeing to, I'd already signed the contract.” I
crumpled into my hands again. It was infinitely better than staring
at his hard, terrifying expression.

“You felt sorry for some vampire,” he
repeated, the movements of his lips precise as they shifted around
each word.

I nodded frantically, hair bunching up and
messing over my shoulders.

“It took the threat of prison to get you to
sign a contract with me, Elizabeth Luck. Tell me, what vampire
captured your heart and managed to make you sign your life away?”
he asked through a snarl. Maybe, just maybe there was a hint of
jealousy playing through William Benson’s impossibly cold, steely
blue eyes.

Ah, who was I kidding? It was just more
undiluted anger.

“She didn't capture my heart,” I protested
through a wheeze. “She showed up at my old apartment. My flat mate
called me in tears. I rushed over, and the vampire, she promised to
give me the name of Susan Smith's killer if only I signed a
contract. She seemed scared. Terrified even. I don't know,” I
shrugged a hand over the back of my head and scratched viciously at
my scalp. “I felt sorry for her.”