Black Heart: Wild On (3 page)

            My halter top was black latex, thin and displayed my boobs spectacularly. One strap encircled my back and another went up and around my neck. There were buckles on each strap, and between the two cups. It was fetish wear, after all. Sexy and easily removed.

            Boney tried to remove it.

            "You are so bad, and predictable," I groaned when he released my lips to kiss his way down my neck. I looked around, spotting five men in the parking lot watching us. We were under a light, after all. Kinda hard to miss us. I was about to complain, and he licked my neck right above the jugular vein. "Oh...jeeze. No."

            I pushed him away, and pulled the trail duster back over my shoulders. Leveling narrowed sapphire eyes on the voyeurs, I sent them hurrying away.

            Boney reached for me again. If nothing else he was persistent.

            "Stop it," I said. He didn't stop, forcing me to step back out of his reach. "I'll bite you in a bad way, pig."

            "Pig?"

            "Yeah, you're trying to
pork
me in a parking lot. Pig," I said. I grabbed the strap of my top. "This stuff comes off a lot easier that it goes back on."

            "Would you like to go somewhere more private?"

            Yes. Vampire. Duh. There was nothing I'd love more that to be taken care of properly.

            "I can't. I'm busy," I said. Of course, my mind was immediately trying to find excuses why I should go with him. Boney might be a stinking pimp, but he was the best lover ever. He brought it all to bed — passion, talent and many decades of experience in pleasing women. That bastard made my body
sing
in bed. Did I mention he was hung to make a horse do a double take? "I have a job."

            "You have a real job? Why?" he said. "Did you lose all of your money again?" He brightened up. "Did you get that job at Hooters you always talk about?"

            I laughed. "No. I didn't lose all my money again," I said. "It's not that kind of job. I've taken on the task of finding a childhood friend that was kidnapped by vampires earlier this evening. I'm not being paid."

            "Kidnapped? Why would vampires kidnap someone?"

            "To drink his blood," I said. I managed to avoid the implied "duh." "But this doesn't appear to be the case here. It seems they are trying to recruit him."

            Boney looked at me like I was crazy. "Recruit?"

            I shrugged. It all seemed bizarre to me, too. So I gave him a rundown of what I knew. He listened politely, as he always did, and just frowned.

            "Are you sure this Charlotte is not delusional?" he said.

            "I don't think so, but she is terribly traumatized," I said. "I'm thinking the vamps want something else. What, I don't know."

            "What does he do?" Boney said. "Anything that would interest vampires?"

            "No, he's pretty white bread and bland," I said. "I mean, he's an accountant."

            "Is he working for a vampire owned business?"

            "I don't think so," I said. That hadn't occurred to me. "He works for a private accounting firm, called Lubner, Schram, Bricker, and Kanady Accounting."

            Boney stiffened. I was instantly alert.

            "What?"

            "Are you sure he works for Lubner, Schram, Bricker, and Kanady?" he said.

            "Yes."

            "Interesting," he said. "That firm has quite a few major players in the vamp community as clients. Including at least four council members that I know about."

            "Antoinette?" I said. He nodded. Antoinette LaRue was Boney's mistress, and she kept him on a tight leash most of the time. Since she Changed him into a vampire the beautiful French vampire had near absolute control over him. She was the one that forced the former Baptist preacher into becoming a pimp. "Who else?"

            "Vanessa Mancera. Jeff Howell. Tara Voorhies," Boney said. "I think the Trudeau Family uses them, too."

            Trudeau Family? It was scary enough to think of Timmy caught up in vampire council politics, but I didn't even want to contemplate him being involved with the vampire mafia. Was Timmy that foolish? Or was it possible to work on a vampire’s account and not know what your client was? Vampires were masters of hiding in plain view.

            "Anyone else?" I said.

            "Me," Boney said. "My CPA works for them, too."

            "Do you know Timmy Saxon?"

            "No. Never heard of him," he said. "But there are a lot of people up there."

            "Could he have learned anything that might make a vampire want to hurt or recruit him?"

            "Maybe. I know all of Antoinette’s less than legal businesses are handled by them," Boney said. "They are the preferred firm for all the vampire and werewolf movers and shakers in Dallas. They have a reputation of discretion." He frowned a long moment. "It’s possible he is working on an account that someone else wants to know about."

            That got my attention. That played right into my belief the vamps didn’t want to Change Timmy, but wanted something else from him. It was encouraging, too. That would also mean they weren’t Changing him, so he could be recovered safely.

            Above all else, it made sense considering vampires were involved. Many vampires preyed upon other vampires. More specifically, they robbed other vampires of their hard-earned money. The undead kept their money in off-shore accounts, accessed by bank cards, debit cards, and credit cards. And since vampires can't exactly go to the police when robbed, it is as perfect a crime as you can find.

            Like many vampire hunters I also "confiscate" the credit and bank cards of vampires I stake. Sounds a bit unsavory, but it’s a living. A few months ago I accumulated a substantial nest-egg. Shortly after that the Giorgi Sisters waylaid me and took it all. The Giorgi Girls had since been captured and cleaned out by Antoinette, so there was no recovering my lost fortune.

            I was starting over, wiser and far less trusting.

            My cell rang. It was Gabe. Gabriel Preston was one of Dallas’ most successful vampire hunters, and a pretty good friend of mine. Strangely, our friendship seemed to blossom after I died and was reanimated. Of course the wild vampire sex helped. Gabe was a certifiable pig like that, but I liked him.

            "Hello, Gabe, what can I do to you?" I said, grinning. Bet he had all kinds of naughty ideas.

            "Don’t change the subject," he said. I laughed. "I have a really bad vamp in serious need of a stake through his heart, but I just can’t nail him down. I need your help."

            "Wow. That’s a first," I said. Gabe never asked for help. He didn’t like to share the ill-gotten gains.

            "Fifty-fifty," I said.

            "What? I did all the leg work," he said. "Seventy-thirty."

            "Only if I get the seventy," I said, and grinned at his outraged grunt. "You demand an equal share when you help someone, so pony up or find someone else to help."

            Gabe put his hand over the phone, but I could still hear him cursing a blue streak. The fact he asked meant it was a tough job, and the fact he hadn’t rejected my offer meant he was backed into a corner. I was in. A girl could always use a few extra dollars in her account. For shopping binges.

            "Fine," Gabe said. Such disgust in his voice. He was one greedy bastard. Of course, he spent all his hard won money on high-powered vampire hurting weaponry, so he wasn’t all bad. "Come on over and I’ll show you what I got."

            "Does he have a name?"

            "Benjamin Rothschild," he said.

            My blood ran cold. Ben Rothschild was one evil vamp. He’d been terrorizing Fort Worth for a month.

            "You’re working Fort Worth now? The Van Viegens aren’t going to be happy about you poaching on their territory," I said.

            The vampire staking family Van Viegen was scary. They despised vampires with a passion second to none. They would stake me in a heartbeat, even though I also hunt vampires.

            "Naw, they don’t have anything to complain about," Gabe said. "Benny boy moved to Dallas about a week ago. I learned of it from Victor Van Viegen. He called to warn me."

            That was good. The Van Viegen Family was packed with zealots. There were four siblings, all vampire hunters of the most ruthless color. I didn’t care to get onto their radar.

            Boney was frowning at me. His vampiric hearing was as keen as mine, so he heard every word. I think he expected me to go away with him for some hot vampire coffin sex. I wasn’t adverse to the idea. It was after midnight, and I had no leads. There was nothing left for me to check.

            Ben Rothschild was a very old vampire, by Texas standards, at one hundred eight-seven. Since going rogue around Thanksgiving he’d killed some fifteen people. That was a lot, even for a rogue vampire. The idea of him in my city chapped my hide. I would love to stake him.

            "Okay, Gabe. I’m on my way over," I said. "I’ll be there in about twenty."

            "Great," Gabe said. "See you then, Sabe."

            "Guess that leaves me high and dry," Boney said as I ended the call.

            "Sorry," I said. "I can’t allow a rogue to continue his rampage."

            He wagged his eyes at me. "But do you have to start
now
?"

            "Afraid so, Boney," I said. "I might be at a dead end looking for Timmy until I can go in tomorrow evening and talk to his boss, but I still have plenty of dark left to hunt down and stake a killer."

            "Be careful," Boney said. He looked so grim.

            "Don’t worry. I have Ben Rothschild’s number," I said, turning to leave.

            "Ben’s not the vampire you need to worry about," Boney said. I slanted a curious look over my shoulder. He couldn’t look right at me anymore. "Antoinette is not happy about you defying her."

            I narrowed my eyes at him, but managed to not snarl. Boney was Antoinette’s dog, forced to do her bidding. I tried hard to not blame him. It wasn’t easy sometimes, since she liked to use him to get to me.

            "Antoinette is lucky I haven’t staked her," I said through clenched teeth. Truth was, the prospect of staking Antoinette was frightening. She was the most powerful vampire in Dallas, both in vampiric powers and political power. Very rich. Very powerful. She was also the reigning queen of vice in Dallas, and had been for at least a century. "Tell Antoinette to stay away from me."

            "Don’t be an idiot," he said, suddenly angry at me. "You know what she’s like. Don’t antagonize her, Sable."

            "I haven’t done anything to her," I said. Was he defending her? "She’s the one that attacked me. She violated me, Boney. You know. You were there."

            "You antagonize her every time you defy her," he said.

            "Defy her? How am I defying Antoinette?"

            "I told you. Many times," he said. I shrugged, not understanding. "She sets up jobs for you. Remember? She has me tell you when and where to meet them."

            "She’s mad because I refuse to
whore
myself?"

            "Antoinette is not used to being refused," Boney said. He looked ill, then shook his head woefully. "Council
gave
you to her, but she only has six months to bend you to her will, then it’ll be open season on you."

            A cold chill slithered up my spine. I couldn’t breathe. Council gave me to her? Gave? What did "open season" mean?

            "I could have everyone on council after me?" I said.

            "Yes."

            "Trying to kill me?"

            "Some think you’re too dangerous to be left alive, others want to possess you," Boney said. "Your power is growing fast. You’re an Uber Vamp, and some want to control you, use you." He shrugged with a grim smile. "Submit to Antoinette, and the others go away."

            Anger boiled up within me. He wanted me to agree to be her call girl. The filthy pimp didn’t see a problem with that, of course. I had to remind myself that he was firmly under Antoinette’s thumb, and he wasn’t happy about it either.

            "This is not looking good for us," I said. "She’s going to use you to get at me, and it’s going to ruin our friendship."

            "I don’t want that."

            "Neither do I, but I will never be Antoinette’s whore."

            "Other vampires will come after you. I can’t imagine falling under any of their power could be better than being under Antoinette," Boney said.

            "I will not be a whore. Period. Tell Antoinette and council that they mess with me at their own risks."

Chapter 3

            Gabe called as I drove down I-35E. I was approaching downtown, and had to ensure I was in the right lane or I'd end up in the mix-master and heading God only knew where.

            "You timing sucks," I said, eyeing the big green signs above the freeway.

            "Sabe, where are you?" Gabe said. He knew I didn't like it when he called me "Sabe." He liked to rhyme my name with his. I don't know why it amused him.

            "I'm on I-35, heading towards your house," I said. "It takes time to drive all the way across Dallas."

            "Great, I'm in Deep Ellum now," he said.

            "What the — !" I cried.

            "Meet me here ASAP," he said. "Ben Rothschild is here in Deep Ellum."

            "Hold," I said and tossed the phone into the passenger seat.

            I'd already passed Woodall Rogers, which cut across the northern edge of downtown over to Central Expressway, and from there a short hop to Deep Ellum. Now I had to hit the mix-master, and come up to Deep Ellum from the south. I looked all around, then cut across two lanes and headed for the mix-master.