Bloodlust (16 page)

“Luke’s been eyeballing Scott the entire time I was gone,” Jason told him. “You think he’s suspicious too?”

Adam shrugged. “Could be. He may not suspect Scott’s a vampire, but Scott did try to shift the blame for Carrie’s death onto Luke. Maybe Luke heard about that and wants to make sure Scott gets taken downtown.”

“Yeah. Or maybe he’s seen Scott here before,” Jason said grimly. “Maybe he’s seen him pick up other girls—or hurt them.”

Luke suddenly turned away and headed toward the back of the club.

“I’m going to follow him,” Jason said. “Maybe he can tell us something useful.”

“You’re not going to say anything about vampires, are you?” Adam asked anxiously.

“No, I’ll just see if I can get him talking about Scott,” Jason said. “If he’s suspicious of the guy, he might mention something we don’t know.”

“Sounds good. I’ll stay here and keep an eye on that girl. And the vampire she’s sitting with.” Adam took a swig of his beer and settled into his seat.

Jason headed toward the back of the club again, peering through the bodies for any sign of Luke. How could he lose sight of such a big guy? But Luke was gone. Jason glanced out onto the deck. No sign of him. He wasn’t near the pool table, either. The only other place was the men’s room. Jason pushed open the swing door and went in.

It was even darker in here—two out of three lights were broken—but it only took Jason a few moments to realize that the room was empty, except for Scott Challon.

Jason was so surprised to see Scott that he just stared.

“Hey,” Scott said, catching his eye in the mirror.

Jason recovered quickly. “Hey,” he said, making sure to sound bored. He ambled over to the sinks, where Scott was checking his hair in the mirror. Jason turned on the water, splashed some on his face, then ran his hand through his own hair. He glanced at the stalls, just to see if Luke had gone into one of them, but no one was there.

He gave Scott a nod and went back out into the club. Immediately, he scanned the crowd for Adam, expecting him to have followed Scott over. He noticed a thin, sandy-haired guy playing darts, but when he turned toward the dim lights, Jason could see it wasn’t his friend. Where was Adam?

A sudden fear struck him: What if Scott had jumped Adam? It would’ve been easy enough for Scott to spot Adam watching him.

How long does it take a vampire to kill someone?
Jason wondered frantically. Sienna hadn’t told him that. He shoved his way through the crowd, desperate to get back to his table. If Adam wasn’t there…

But Adam
was
there. Converse sneakers up on the neighboring chair, drinking his beer as if nothing was wrong. Jason let out a sigh of relief and dropped into his chair.

Adam gave him a once-over. “You look like crap, my friend,” he commented.

“Why are you still here?” Jason asked. “You were supposed to be following Scott.”

“I
am
following Scott.” Adam raised his beer toward the corner booth. “He hasn’t moved.”

“What?” Jason squinted across the room at Scott Challon, who remained sitting exactly where he’d been when Jason left. Scott’s arm was still around the redhead, and now they were kissing.

“So far, it’s been pretty tame,” Adam said. “He hasn’t gone anywhere near her neck. Or arm. Or looked like biting her at all. The second he does, I figure I’ll hurl my beer bottle at him. That should get everyone’s attention.”

“But…” Jason stopped, baffled. “Are you sure he didn’t get up at all?”

“Of course I’m sure,” Adam said. “I never took my eyes off him.”

J
ason had begun to wonder if he was losing his mind. He’d just been in the bathroom with Scott, not Luke. He was certain of it. And yet, here was Scott, sitting where he’d been sitting all evening and Adam said he hadn’t moved! Jason glanced across to see that Luke had returned to working the door. So confusing.

Dani said Scott and Luke look alike,
he reminded himself.
Guess she was right.

“Here we go,” Adam said. “Scott’s getting up.”

Jason spun back toward the corner booth. Scott was inching his way along the bench to get up. His friends were already standing, waiting for him. The redhead slid along the bench behind him.

“We’ve got to follow them,” Adam said, moving to get up too.

“Wait a sec. I don’t think the girl’s going with them,” Jason replied. “Look.” The red-haired girl was writing on Scott’s hand with a ballpoint pen.
Probably giving him her number,
Jason thought. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Scott, then wandered off into the crowd.

Scott and his buddies headed for the door.

“Still, we have to go after him,” Adam insisted. “He might go pick up another girl somewhere else.”

Jason nodded slowly. True enough. But his confusion between Scott and Luke bothered him. “You go ahead,” he told Adam. “I’m going to stay here. I want to keep an eye on Luke.”

“Luke?” Adam repeated. “Why? He’s not a suspect. He’s not even a vampire!”

“I know, but there’s something strange going on,” Jason said. “I can’t explain it.”

“If anything, Luke’s on our side,” Adam pointed out. “He seems to suspect Scott too.”

“You’re going to lose Scott if you don’t go now,” Jason said.

“Okay.” Adam gave him one last, confused look. “You sure you want to stay here?”

“Yeah. Call me if anything bad happens.”

Adam nodded and went off after Scott. Jason saw him slap hands with Luke on the way out. Luke looked perfectly relaxed.

Jason went over to the bar and found a seat. He ordered another beer and settled down to watch Luke, feeling like an idiot. Adam was right: Luke had always seemed like a pretty normal guy, and Jason had no reason to suspect him of anything. In fact, he didn’t even know what he
did
suspect. But he had an uneasy feeling in his stomach, and it had something to do with Luke.

“When’s last call?” he asked the pigtailed bartender.

“Two,” she answered. “Why? You in it for the long haul?”

“I think so,” he replied, glancing at his watch. It was only midnight, and Luke probably had to work the door until closing.

Jason turned on his stool to look out over the whole club. The redhead who’d been with Scott was now dancing with a group of girls on the dance floor. Luke leaned against the door frame, taking money and checking IDs. Jason sighed and took a sip of beer. It was going to be a long night.

At one thirty, the red-haired girl brushed past him, heading for the door. Jason watched her go, hoping she didn’t plan to meet up with Scott. He pulled out his cell and checked for messages. Nothing. No word from Adam since he’d left.

When he looked up again, Luke was gone.

Jason leaped off his stool and rushed over to the door. Just outside, he could see Luke talking to the other bouncer. The other guy nodded, then they banged fists in farewell and Luke took off toward the parking lot.

Surprised, Jason followed him.
How am I supposed to trail him without a car?
he wondered. Jason smiled wryly. He wasn’t so hot at this detective stuff. Guess he’d never grow up to be a private eye. But he could at least see what direction Luke drove off in.

He kept back twenty feet or more, not wanting Luke to notice he was being followed. Luke walked all the way to the edge of the parking lot, where there were no lights, and faded into the darkness behind a huge H2.

Jason broke into a jog, trying to catch up. When he reached the SUV, he stopped and inched his way around it, using it for cover.

There! Luke was leaning against a Toyota—who knew they allowed Toyotas in Malibu?—five feet away. But he wasn’t alone. The redhead from the club was with him, keys dangling from her hand as she laughed at something Luke said.

The Toyota must be her car,
Jason thought.
But what is she doing with Luke?

Their voices were low, so he couldn’t make out the words, but the tone was clearly flirtatious. Jason shook his head. So
this
was why Luke had been watching Scott—Scott was hitting on the girl he liked. It didn’t explain the men’s room confusion, of course, but then it
had
been dark in there. Jason decided he’d just made a mistake—and he felt like kicking himself. He’d wasted all night here watching a guy who was just jealous.

He almost felt like laughing. Between Sienna telling him about the vampires and Adam getting so caught up in his investigation of Scott, he’d seriously started imagining things. Like Luke turning into Scott Challon in the bathroom.

I’m going to call a cab to go home,
he decided.
Enough Van Helsing for one night.

“Come on,” Luke’s voice broke into his thoughts. “The view is great from there.”

Jason plastered himself against the H2, hoping they wouldn’t see him. He didn’t want to have to explain to Luke why he was hanging out in the middle of a deserted parking lot.

“From the alley?” the girl sounded skeptical.

“No. The entrance is in the alley,” Luke said. “There’s a gate that leads to the beach.”

“Okay. Sounds delicious.” The girl giggled, and Jason heard their footsteps moving away toward the service alley that ran behind the club. He peered around the other side of the SUV, waiting for them to move out of sight so that he could show himself.

The moon had come out from behind a cloud, and it shone down onto the lot. He could see the girl clearly now, see her smile as she adjusted her purse on her shoulder.

And he could see the guy, too—which came as a shock. Because it wasn’t Luke Archer.

It was Scott Challon.

“L
et’s go,” Scott said. He took the girl’s hand and led her toward the alley.

Jason had to remind himself to breathe. What was Scott doing back at the club? Where had he come from? Jason scanned the parking lot, looking for Adam. Surely his friend would have called him to say Scott was heading back to The Dreamhouse.

But it was
Luke
with that girl,
a voice whispered in Jason’s head. He had been certain that it was Luke. How could the girl be with Luke one second and with Scott the next?

She couldn’t be,
Jason thought.
Unless Luke made himself look like Scott!

And, with that thought, Jason yanked out his cell and called Adam, who answered on the first ring.

“Adam, where’s Scott?” Jason demanded. “You still following him?”

“Yeah. He’s at Duke’s Burgers. Been here for more than an hour,” Adam complained. “Just him and his friends. I wish they’d go home if they’re not going to commit any crimes.”

Jason’s heart began to thump so hard that he was surprised Adam couldn’t hear it. “You’re sure he’s there right now?”

“Yes. He’s eating French fries and telling jokes. His boys are laughing. I’m looking right at him.”

“So am I,” Jason murmured. “Scott and that redhead he was with earlier have just disappeared around the side of the club.”

“What?”
Adam cried.

“Just stay on Scott. Don’t let him leave your sight,” Jason said. He hung up the phone and ran toward the alley. He knew what was going on now, and it was very, very bad. If Scott was sitting in a burger bar, then it
was
Luke holding hands with the redhead. And if Luke had made himself look like Scott Challon—he had to be a vampire.

Jason raced around The Dreamhouse and into the dark alley. The two-story building blocked the moon, and there were no lights. The sound of the surf drifted up from the beach behind the alley, but Jason didn’t see any beach access from back here. The alley was filled with Dumpsters for the club and some old rusted barstools. Besides The Dreamhouse, the nearest building was three hundred yards away. There was absolutely no reason for anyone to come into this alley unless they were here to drop off supplies at the service entrance to the club, or to pick up the garbage. Why would anyone bother putting in an access path to the beach?

He’s going to kill her.
Jason knew it with absolute certainty. Soft laughter drifted toward him from somewhere up ahead. He hurried forward, running softly to keep from being heard. Finally he spotted them, up against the concrete wall of the club, making out. Luke’s hands were in her red hair, and his lips were on her neck. He opened his mouth, and Jason saw the moonlight glint off vicious fangs.

Jason shouted, “Hey!” and the vampire looked up.

He still looked like Scott Challon in almost every way. But his eyes met Jason’s. Green eyes shone in the darkness as if lit from within. There was no humanity there, only evil and uncontrolled desire: bloodlust. Just what Sienna had described—pure, pulsating hunger for human blood, an unnatural need. But of one thing Jason was completely certain: They were Luke Archer’s eyes.

Jason actually felt a momentary sense of relief as everything finally added up. It had been Luke all along. He’d been impersonating Scott the whole time—even at Belle’s yacht party—and so Scott had gotten arrested, not Luke. No one had even seen Luke near the dead girl. Well, except Scott, Jason remembered, but nobody had believed him.

Luke stared at Jason now, his fangs still sunk into the flesh of the girl’s neck.

“I think we’ve got some things to discuss,” Jason said firmly. He took a step toward the vampire.

Luke lifted his head and released the girl’s neck. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, black as oil in the darkness. The redhead swooned, falling back against the wall of the club, almost unconscious. She raised her hand to her neck, smearing blood all over herself. But when she saw it on her fingers, she only laughed as if it were the funniest thing she’d ever seen.

“Get out of here!” Jason told her. “Run.
Go!
”

The girl looked up at him, still smiling vaguely as if she’d had too much nitrous oxide at the dentist’s surgery.

“Run!”
Jason yelled.