Blood Wyne (17 page)
“Call me after you talk to Stevens. I will be waiting.” Roman hung up abruptly.
I slowly put my phone away, thinking that the night just kept getting stranger and stranger. Chase lightly touched my arm.
“Well?”
“Roman told me who to call in, but leave it to me. From what little he told me, you aren’t going to want to meet the person . . . or creature. I’ll get in touch with her tomorrow night and we’ll come clear out the area. I need ten pounds prime-grade steak for this—and it better not be cheap meat. No cutting corners on this.”
“Steak? Ten pounds of steak? What the hell are you getting yourself into?” Chase looked skeptical.
I gazed up at him, not smiling. “Don’t ask. You don’t want to know.”
He inclined his head. “I believe you. I guess we just mark this a crime scene and post guards to keep people out. The crowd down the block has dwindled, but this isn’t the last we’re going to hear out of them.”
That was the truth. I could feel it in my gut.
After Camille and the men headed for home, I took off for the bar. Not only did I have to check on Erin, but Wade was—hopefully—still waiting for me. I hustled through the door, noticing that the gate had been installed as I’d asked. At least we’d have some measure of protection from vandals during the off-hours.
Stripping off my jacket—I wore it only for the fashion, I didn’t need it for the cold—I lightly jumped over the counter to land behind the bar. Derrick was adeptly filling orders. He gave me a two-fingered salute without missing a beat, catching the bottle he’d sent flying into the air before it could spill a drop.
“How’s it going?” I gave him the once-over. He looked at ease, comfortable, like he’d been here for months instead of just a couple of days.
“I like it. Much more my style than working an FBH bar. People here all are quirky—or out to see quirky.” With a soft smile, he quickly maneuvered five drinks onto Chrysandra’s tray and called, “Order up, Chryssie.”
She hustled over and picked up the tray, stopping to point toward one of the back booths. “Wade. He’s still here.”
I nodded, thinking I should clean up a little. I was covered with dust and cobwebs from the basement jaunt down the Hallway of Hell. But vanity took second place to thinking that if I didn’t get over there, Wade wouldn’t get Roman’s message and might just end up on the wrong side of a stake.
He was sitting in the booth, reading a book, wearing black leather pants, only this time they were real leather—not PVC. And the glasses were gone, but they’d been for show only. His shirt was a neat button-down crimson number, and his hair was shocking platinum and feathered in an edgy cut. Kind of reminded me of Delilah’s new do, actually, except hers was back to golden instead of white-gold.
“Wade.” I stood beside the booth for a moment as he jerked his nose out of the book and stared at me. I couldn’t tell whether he was scowling or whether it was bewilderment. Either way, I couldn’t just stand here all night. I slid into the booth and leaned back, gauging his reaction.
He dog-eared the corner of the book, folding it precisely, before he closed the paperback and slid it back into his bag. “What do you need, Menolly?” His voice was smooth, no longer the happy-go-lucky vampire—if any vamp can be called that—I’d first met at Vampires Anonymous.
“I’ve got a message for you. I wouldn’t bother you—I know what your opinion of me is right now—but this is important. Bear in mind, I could have ignored it. I could have just walked away and let nature take its course.” I propped my elbows on the table, resting my chin on my hands.
“Okay, you’ve made your point. You’re doing me a favor. What is it?”
“If you don’t withdraw from the elections, there’ll be a big red bull’s-eye painted on your heart and a stake following through to dust you.”
All sound fell away as Wade’s eyes grew red and his fangs began to descend. “Are you threatening me?”
I shook my head, the beads in my hair making a faint clicking sound, like bones rattling. “Get real. I haven’t got the time or the desire to start a personal little war. And I’m not involved in the elections anymore, am I? Thanks to you, I have no place in the current race. No, Wade, this comes from higher up than me. From higher up than you.”
With a sullen look, he asked, “Are you working for Terrance?”
The question hit me like gasoline on flame. “Are you a
fucking idiot
? I’m the one who wanted you to take Terrance down, to dust him. But no . . . you refused. Or you couldn’t. Believe me, I want to see Terrance out of the gene pool, too, and he will be if things work out right. But if you stay in the race, I guarantee that you’re going to meet the sharp end of a long stick and I won’t be able to help you then. It will be out of my hands. I’ve been given a chance to warn you. I didn’t have to do it.”
fucking idiot
? I’m the one who wanted you to take Terrance down, to dust him. But no . . . you refused. Or you couldn’t. Believe me, I want to see Terrance out of the gene pool, too, and he will be if things work out right. But if you stay in the race, I guarantee that you’re going to meet the sharp end of a long stick and I won’t be able to help you then. It will be out of my hands. I’ve been given a chance to warn you. I didn’t have to do it.”
Wade’s eyes lingered on my face. “I believe you. You wouldn’t work for Terrance. And you don’t want to run for the office yourself. Who’s pulling your strings? It’s got to be somebody higher up.”
“I can’t tell you, but I am telling you that if you want to save your fucking life, you’ll withdraw from the election. Believe me, what you think you’re fighting for isn’t what you’re really fighting for. Honestly.” I leaned back in the booth and crossed my arms. The ball was in his court.
Wade wasn’t stupid. He cocked his head to one side. “It wasn’t Sassy that put you up to this. It has to be someone with power. Someone with enough power to make you jump. Who could that be . . .” He began to run over names in his head—I could see the wheels turning—and then stopped. “No. Not
him
.”
him
.”
I kept my mouth shut. Roman hadn’t given me permission to drop his name. And name-dropping with vampires wasn’t just tacky, it could be deadly. “I promise you, Terrance won’t gain the position.”
Pulling a couple packets of sugar from the tray on the table, Wade played with them, snapping them together as if he were going to pour them in a cup of coffee. After another moment, he said, “I’ll let you know. I’ll call you tomorrow night with my answer. Now, you said we have a vampire serial killer on the loose? I saw the reports on the news. Bad scene, if it’s real.”
“Oh, it’s real all right. I’ve seen the victims, and I found one of them. Hey”—I pointed to his hand—“put the sugar down unless you’re planning on eating it, and since I know just how sick you’d get, please don’t. I don’t need you vomiting blood all over my bar.”
He tossed the packets at me. “This is bad. For all of us. What are the details?”
“He—and it
is
a
he
—targets young women, FBHs, under thirty-five, with long brown hair. They’re all average build, a little curvy, and average height. Hair is straight, bone structure delicate. The victims could be related by looks. All exsanguinated. Raped. I found a cross drawn on the forehead in water on one of them. We’re thinking he’s a newly coined vampire, either that or something triggered him off a couple weeks ago.”
is
a
he
—targets young women, FBHs, under thirty-five, with long brown hair. They’re all average build, a little curvy, and average height. Hair is straight, bone structure delicate. The victims could be related by looks. All exsanguinated. Raped. I found a cross drawn on the forehead in water on one of them. We’re thinking he’s a newly coined vampire, either that or something triggered him off a couple weeks ago.”
As I ticked off the salient points, it occurred to me that Wade had lived in Seattle all his life. “What do you know about the Greenbelt Park District?”
“Stay away from there. Bad energy. Lots of reported hauntings. When I was around twelve, I rode my bike too far from home and ended up near there. It was late afternoon and rainy. I ducked into one of the abandoned buildings for cover and was hiding from the rain until I saw a shadow move against the opposite wall. There was nothing to make the shadow—that I could see clearly enough—and it was coming toward me. I ran out of there so fast I tripped and broke a tooth. My mother found out where I’d been and freaked. She’d heard the stories.”
I suppressed a grin. His mother was a piece of work and one of the main reasons I’d given up on dating him. She was also a vampire, and she hung around his neck like an albatross. Think George Costanza’s mother off
Seinfeld
combined with Fran’s mother off
The Nanny
, and you have Belinda Stevens. Oh yeah, she was a piece of work, all right.
Seinfeld
combined with Fran’s mother off
The Nanny
, and you have Belinda Stevens. Oh yeah, she was a piece of work, all right.
“How
is
your mother?” I couldn’t help it. The words just slipped out.
is
your mother?” I couldn’t help it. The words just slipped out.
He arched one eyebrow and then broke into a short laugh. “Luckily, she’s currently obsessed with putting together a moonlight garden club, no less, of matronly vampire women. Not many takers, especially since it’s winter, but she’s managed to find a few members. They currently play bridge every Thursday night and cultivate night-blooming indoor plants, I guess.”
Snorting, I gave him a shrug. Things almost felt back to normal between us. “At least it’s a hobby.”
“Yeah, I guess. So what do you need to catch this freak?”
“Any information you have on vampires around the Greenbelt Park District. Any info on new vamps to the area. Or someone in the life who had a traumatic event happen a couple weeks ago that could have triggered their behavior.” Suddenly feeling conciliatory, I reached out one hand. “Wade, I miss you as a friend. I miss the VA. I’m still terribly hurt by what you did.”
He stared at my hand then slowly took it, his skin cool against my own. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’ve wanted this so much—the Regency. But if you’re telling me the truth—and I believe you are—then there’s no way I’ll live to ascend to the position. I just don’t want Terrance to win. He would hurt our standing with the breathers so badly.”
“I know he would, but he isn’t going to make it. Trust me. I’m . . . I’m involved in making sure he doesn’t.” That was as much as I could say, but Wade squeezed my hand and then softly let go.
“As I said, I need to think about it, but I’ll have an answer for you tomorrow.” He paused, then asked, “Are you happy? Do you have . . . someone?”
I broke out in a wide grin. “The best girlfriend I ever could have. See?” Holding up my hand, I flashed the gold promise ring. “We’re bound. And . . . it looks like I’ve got another playmate on the side, but I can’t talk about that right now.”
Wade nodded. “I know who you’re talking about. I won’t ask.” He was sliding out of the booth, about to head toward the door, when it occurred to me I should talk to him about Sassy.
“One more thing. We have a problem with Sassy.” I quickly ran down what Erin had told me.
Wade’s soft smile turned to a dark frown. “Oh no, not Sassy. But it doesn’t surprise me. She quit the VA, you know, when I kicked you out. But even before then, I was starting to sense an edge to her. I’m afraid we’ve lost her.”
“She made me promise that if she ever slipped into her predator . . .” I left the thought unfinished, but Wade picked up the thread.
Bloody tears formed at the corners of his eyes and he squeezed them shut. “Oh, Menolly. Did you promise?”
I nodded.
“Then you have to follow through. Sassy wouldn’t like her memory to be sullied with the blood of the innocent. If she were in her right mind . . .” He said no more, but his look told me all I needed to know. I pressed my lips together, raised one hand in farewell, and watched him walk out of the bar.
It was too late to call Ivana, so I made sure Erin was doing okay—she was busy dusting and mopping floors and seemed bright-eyed and happy—and then decided it was time to face Sassy.
Seeking out Chrysandra, I told her, “I’ll be back in a while, but probably not before we close. I’ve got one other pressing errand to run. Keep an eye on things and if you need help, Tavah’s in the basement.”
As I dashed out to my Jag, it occurred to me that I missed spending more time behind the counter of the bar. It suited me, and I felt at home serving customers and listening to sad tales, even though most of the time I was rolling my eyes when they couldn’t see me. But right now, I had darker matters to attend to. I pulled out of my parking space and headed over to Sassy’s house, trying not to think about the coming confrontation.
Sassy Branson. Socialite. Old money inherited from her beloved husband’s death. Out-of-the-closet lesbian. Vampire. And until recently, a staunch supporter of Vampires Anonymous.
Oh, we all had our own version of what
innocent victim
meant, but until recently, Sassy had fed exclusively on volunteers and blood bank blood. Now, she’d crossed the line.
innocent victim
meant, but until recently, Sassy had fed exclusively on volunteers and blood bank blood. Now, she’d crossed the line.
A memory flashed through my mind, of a conversation from some months back when I was sitting in her living room, talking with her.
“Why haven’t you gone hunting?”
Sassy cleared her throat. I looked up at her. She held my gaze.
“I’ve started to enjoy it too much. I’m slipping. Just a little, Menolly, but it scares me silly. That’s why Erin’s good for me. She reminds me of how important training is. Helping her helps me.” She hesitated, then continued. “I want you to promise me something. I don’t have any family, so consider it payment for helping Erin. Down the line.”
I knew what she was going to ask, because I’d made Camille promise me the same thing. “If the time comes, I promise you. I’ll be quick. You won’t suffer, and you won’t make anybody else suffer.”
Shutting out the memory of my promise, I swung into the driveway, stopping at the gated entrance. Sassy’s mansion was in the Green Lake area—far from the shadowy Greenbelt Park District—and it was truly a mansion.
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