Drop Dead Gorgeous (10 page)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Clara waited on the sofa, wondering what exactly she would say to Derek. He hadn’t shown up the night before and never called. She knew he didn’t have a cell phone, but thought surely there was a phone in the house where he lived. The last time he stood her up was the night he’d disappeared – most likely the night he’d been killed. She really wasn’t up for any more nights like that, and intended to let him know.

She watched the door unlock and sat up, trying to force a smile as he came to her. He kissed her on the lips and knelt on the floor in front of her, apparently with something important to say as well.

“How much money exactly, do you need to live on? What’s your rent here?”

“What? Where were you last night?”

“I was at home. It doesn’t matter. Could you live on fifteen percent of the Mercedes residuals? At least for a while? Until we could figure out something else?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. What’s this about?”

“We need to take you out of the equation. Madeline doesn’t like your getting fifteen percent of the money. We need to take her focus off of you.”

“You’re firing me?”

“Technically. She doesn’t want me to have a manager, and we don’t want her snooping around, pissed about you. This is just until we figure out something else. You’ll still get fifteen percent of everything I’ve shot so far. That should buy us some time.”

“You have to be at the Diesel shoot in half an hour. Do you want me to take you?”

“Sure, sweetie, that’d be great. We’ll talk about this some more later.”

She drove Derek to the photo studio on Melrose. When she pulled to the curb to drop him off, he stopped and held still as if listening for something. When she asked what was wrong, he just shook it off and gave her a kiss before getting out of the car.

She had plans to meet Monica for dinner up on Sunset Plaza. Since Derek had come back into her life, she hadn’t seen much of Monica and wanted to make more of an effort to spend time with her.

She turned and checked for traffic behind her before pulling away from the curb. When it was clear, she started to pull out, but as she faced forward, suddenly a woman was standing in front of the car. Clara slammed on the brakes, barely missing her. She looked around – where had she come from? And when she looked back, no one was there.

Clara’s heart raced, and she palmed her chest. Was she losing her mind? A car horn blew, reminding her she was still half into a lane of traffic. She waved an apology, and started out again – this time, hyper-aware of her surroundings.

She’d calmed down by the time she parked in the public lot off of Sunset Plaza Drive and walked around to the entrance of Café Med on Sunset. After all, nothing had really happened. She was sleep-deprived, distracted by her worrying about Derek. She took a deep breath, and told herself to enjoy the rest of the evening.

Monica was waiting for her at a table on the patio wearing a very somber expression.

“Who died?” Clara joked as she sat down. When Monica didn’t answer, her smile faded. “What is it?” she asked.

“Jeffrey’s dead.”

“My Jeffrey?” Of course, he wasn’t hers any more. And now it seemed, he was no one’s. “What happened?”

“An overdose.”

Clara took a moment to process the words, but they made no sense. “Of drugs? That’s not possible.”

“That’s the rumor.”

“He’s a health nut. He wouldn’t do drugs.”

“I’m just telling you what I heard. And his mother’s missing.”

“Missing? How bizarre. So she doesn’t know?”

Monica shrugged.

They sat in silence for a moment. Clara wasn’t sure what to say, didn’t know what to think. She looked at Monica and said, “You got a haircut. It looks good.”

Monica smiled in understanding, and seemed relieved to change the subject as well.

They talked about haircuts and fashion shows and mutual friends, avoiding any further mention of Jeffrey. Clara felt a little guilty that she wasn’t more upset. She hadn’t felt anything more than resentment towards Jeffrey for a long time, but still, she didn’t wish him dead. She was curious about the false drug rumors, but figured the truth would surface eventually. It was hard to imagine he was gone, and harder that he’d killed himself, even accidentally.

His mother’s disappearance seemed almost as strange. She was a sweet quiet woman who worked at a clothing store in Beverly Hills. Jeffrey was her only child. Clara considered how the news of Jeffrey’s death would devastate her.

When Monica asked how Adonis was, Clara responded, “I’m no longer managing him.”

Monica’s eyes grew wide. “What? When did this happen?”

“Tonight.”

“Did he break up with you?”

“No, it’s nothing like that. He just doesn’t need a manager.”

“But you have a contract. You can sue him, you know.”

“Oh, no. I would never do that. I’m just going to let him go. It’s fine. He really doesn’t need me.”

“But you brought him to me. He does owe you.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll find something else.”

“Well, I think you should keep managing. Find some more models. Does he have any brothers?” she teased.

As a matter of fact, he does.

“I could use a few more just like him,” Monica added.

“Keep your ears open for me. It looks like I’m looking for a job again.”

“There’s an opening at Beacon,” Monica said soberly.

Going back to Beacon was out of the question. The idea turned her stomach, with or without Jeffrey in the picture. She wanted to move forward, not back.

After dinner, Clara decided to walk the block to kill some time and think about Jeffrey without Monica’s sympathy focused on her. Derek wouldn’t be through with his shoot for probably a couple of hours yet.

She passed the diners at the sidewalk tables and found the shop window that displayed Derek’s sunglasses ad and stood and looked at it for a while. She was thinking again about what had been taken from him when he’d been killed. And now, Jeffrey had also lost his life at a very young age. She started to feel the familiar sadness – to grieve for Jeffrey, now that she was alone and could process her feelings in private – when her thoughts were interrupted by a woman’s voice behind her.

“Derek’s a handsome devil, isn’t he?”

She turned around to see a beautiful young woman with dark red hair and bright red lipstick. The pallor of her green eyes gave away what she was immediately.  Clara also realized in an instant that this was the woman she’d nearly hit with her car earlier. She didn’t answer, feeling the hair on her arms stand up.

“He’s a friend of mine, too,” the redhead said. She was smiling, seemed friendly.

“I see.”

“I thought you might. You’re Clara Devereux?”

“Yes.”

“Derek’s told me all about you.”

“Has he?” Clara didn’t see much point in denying she knew Derek – the new, undead Derek. This woman was obviously in the know, speaking of Derek in the present tense. Maybe she was a nestmate?

“Yes. Has he told you anything about Madeline?”

“Not much. I mean. I know who she is. She’s very beautiful. I’ve seen her in paintings. I guess you’re all very beautiful.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

Clara wondered if she were in any danger. The woman seemed cordial, not threatening, but she still felt uneasy. She was a vampire, after all. Derek hadn’t mentioned there were other women in the nest besides Madeline. She wondered what else Derek had kept from her.

“You know he’s fucking her, don’t you?” She was still smiling.

“Excuse me?” Clara felt her stomach clench.

“Madeline. He’s fucking her. I thought you should know.”

“I don’t believe you.” Clara hated how quiet her voice sounded.

“Yes, you do. It probably crossed your mind last night. You were probably waiting for him while he was with her.”

“I think you’re mistaken.”

“No, you don’t. Look, I’m just telling you this because I know he won’t. He needs you for food. And I’m sure he cares about you, but you’re like a pet to him now. She’s his equal. It’s not your fault. You can’t compete.”

Clara felt like she might vomit and put her hand to her mouth. She didn’t know what to say, and feared if she opened her mouth again, she might lose her dinner.

“You’re not managing him any more, are you?”

Clara shook her head.

“Good. You seem like a sweet girl. I just thought you should know where you stand.”

She placed a cold fingertip on Clara’s forehead, saying, “You know I could erase this whole conversation from your little mind, don’t you?”

Clara nodded, keeping her hand over her mouth.

“Know why I won’t?” she asked, leaning in closer.

Clara stayed still, watching the red-lipped mouth inches away from her face.

“Because I want you to remember this: he’s fucking her.” She revealed her fangs to punctuate the last three words.

Then she turned and walked away.

Clara watched her go, trembling and fighting the tears, and finally, when the beautiful redhead was out of sight, she took off for her car.

Once inside with the doors locked, she let the tears flow. Aside from instilling a fair amount of terror in her, this woman had also confirmed her worst fears about Derek and Madeline. Clara thought of how beautiful Madeline was in the paintings with her long flowing blonde hair and lightly freckled skin. She pictured Derek in her embrace and knew the redheaded woman was right. She couldn’t compete with Madeline. And Derek had been with her just last night.

When she got home, she lay across the bed and finished her cry. Then she pulled herself together and thought about what she wanted to do. She decided she’d just confront Derek and see what he said. She wondered if she’d be able to tell if he lied to her.

He’d obviously been with Madeline the previous night even if only for a conversation. That’s what had led him to fire her. She thought of how Jeffrey had fired her and then had immediately started dating her replacement. Was Derek’s firing her just the first step to ending everything between them? Was he planning to leave her for Madeline? To keep her for food? A shiver ran down her spine.

The thought of the end of their relationship was enormously upsetting, but the practical side of her knew it made sense. Maybe Derek should be with his own kind. Madeline would never grow old. Clara certainly would. Maybe Derek’s new nature made it impossible to resist his own kind. Madeline could no doubt give him things Clara couldn’t even imagine – didn’t want to imagine.

When she heard the click of the lock, she went into the living room and stood facing the door. Derek came in with a smile on his face, but it faltered when he saw her expression.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, stopping just in front of her.

“Have you had sex with Madeline?”

He put his hands to his head and pressed his temples, closing his eyes.
Do vampires get headaches?
“Clara….”

“Just yes or no.”

“Yes, but it’s very complicated. I hate her.” He took her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. “I
hate
her.”

“Then it is complicated.”

“I’m sorry. She has nothing to do with us. I love
you
. I want
you
.”

“I love you, too. But, I can’t do this.” She felt her throat tighten, but she was determined not to cry.

“Don’t. Please don’t, sweetie.”

She removed his hands from her shoulders. “It’s not your fault – what you are. But we’re different now. I understand you must need to be with her.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Well, whatever it’s like, I’m not going to do this anymore.”

She walked past him and opened the door. When he approached her, she said, “Don’t forget, you have a nine o’clock call at Hollywood and Highland tomorrow night for Mercedes.”

“Clara.…” His eyes were pleading.

She felt her lip quiver. “Don’t come back.” Her voice sounded firm.

She stepped aside and gave him a little push out the door and closed it behind him, turning the lock and laughing a little through her new tears at how silly it was to lock it.

She turned out her lights and crawled back into bed feeling more alone than she’d ever felt in her life, but determined to move on and put Derek behind her. No matter how much they loved each other, he couldn’t help what he was, and Clara knew she’d never be able to share him with anyone. She had to let her vampire go.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Derek was torn up inside when he left Clara’s apartment. He knew she was hurting from the knowledge that he’d had sex with Madeline and he couldn’t blame her. He was surprised Clara had suspected anything as it had been so long since he’d been with Madeline, and he certainly had no warm fuzzy feelings for her that Clara could have picked up on.    

He wondered how long he could reject Madeline’s advances. She was clearly intent on teaching him who was in charge. It was obviously Madeline. So, in a way, Clara was right to end it. He could never promise her he would always be faithful to her when Madeline held such power over him. He couldn’t spend every night curled up in a ball of pain. He wished he had an answer to this mess, but he was in over his head.

He didn’t know how long Madeline had been a vampire, but he was brand spanking new and knew absolutely nothing. And how could he protect Clara when he was so in the dark about it all?

As he cut through the park and came to his street, he was surprised to see a police car and an ambulance parked in front of one of the houses. The houses were dark, of course, and there were no people in sight. He could feel the brothers nearby. A few were missing. Madeline was home.

When he entered his house, Terence and Raymond were in the living room. He sat on the sofa and Terence looked up from the book he’d been reading by the fire.

“Did you see the police car and ambulance out front?” Derek asked.

“Yes, I saw them. Bradley and Samuel rented them. They’re prop cars,” Terence replied.

“What do you mean?”

“Rented. Props. Bradley used to be in film production. He can get his hands on just about anything.”

“Why would he rent them?”

“I’m not sure. We might be getting a new brother. They use them for that sort of thing. But I really don’t know.”

Raymond was silent, painting at his easel.

“So, did you talk to Clara? Tell her she couldn’t manage you anymore?” Terence asked.

“Yes, and she broke up with me.”

Both men gave him looks of concern.

Raymond said, “Maybe it’s for the best. For her safety, I mean. I can imagine it’s very painful for you both.”

“You’re right. I need to let her go. I could never live with myself if anything happened to her.” He ached at the thought that he really was letting her go. She had given meaning to his new existence. He expected he’d soon be joining Billy in his depression.

“Madeline should be satisfied that Clara’s no longer managing you, and she was unaware of the other part of your relationship. So she should leave her alone. She’ll be safe now,” Raymond said.

“I know it hurts, and I’m sorry about that,” Terence added.

Derek stood to leave, but first took a moment to study Raymond’s painting. “That’s really amazing, Raymond. I love it.”

“Thank you. That means a lot to me. This might be one of my last paintings. How many could a twenty-five year old have possibly painted?”

“You’re right. I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe you can start over as someone new, like I have.”

“Maybe. I could try new techniques, modern media. It could be a good thing. A fresh start.”

Derek looked at Raymond’s table of 1960s art supplies, wondering if he felt stifled stuck in an era. His eyes fell on the sketch pad.

“I love that pencil sketch of me,” Derek said. “Actually, I think I love it even more than the painting. Will you sell that as well?”

“I don’t know. It’s up to Madeline.”

What isn’t?

The following night, Derek woke surprised to find the lights on in his room. He always turned them out before going into his daytime rest. He immediately felt Madeline and sat up to find her sitting rigidly in the chair by his bed, watching him. Her red lips were pursed into a stern thin line. He knew she rose before he did because she was older, but it creeped him out that she was sitting and waiting for him to rise, and he didn’t like the look on her face.

“What’s going on?” he asked casually.

“You’ve been a very bad boy.”

He said nothing but waited for her to continue, worried where this was going.

“Billy and I did a little digging on your manager last night.”

He clenched his fists at the mention of Clara.

“Did you know she was a property owner?”

He felt his fangs come down, and fought the anger welling up inside him.

“In fact, she owns a house in Santa Barbara. A house that should be mine.” When she said the word “mine,” he could see her fangs.

The tension was escalating quickly, and Derek knew he had to diffuse the situation. He retracted his fangs, took a beat, and calmly said, “I can fix that.”

He could see she was surprised by his response. He remained composed.

“Oh? So, now you want to be a good little vampire?” she asked.

“Yes, I owed her some money. But it’s paid off now that I’ve been working. It’s no big deal. The house is as good as yours.” He had to protect Clara even if it meant taking the house from her.

“You need to learn your place, Derek.”

“Look, I’m sorry. I know my place.” He shrugged his shoulders and held out his palms to show submission. Inside, he was seething. “I was planning on taking care of this soon. You’ll get the house, and I’m shooting another Mercedes commercial tonight. You’ll be well compensated.”

They both stood. She took a step towards him and stopped.

“I need to get going,” he said. “I have to get to work. Don’t worry about this, okay? I’ll straighten it out.”

She was silent as he turned to leave the room. He would have held his breath had he still needed to breathe, hoping to get out the door before she could stop him. He had no doubt she would win in a physical fight, and he braced himself for the crippling punishment she could inflict.

He walked downstairs and through the living room, careful to seem nonchalant. Terence was building a fire in the fireplace and Derek didn’t say a word as he passed him. Once outside, he began to run. He had to get to Clara to warn her that Madeline knew about the house.

He burst into Clara’s apartment and found her in her bedroom getting dressed. Her hair was wet and she was wearing a black bra and jeans. She looked startled to see him as he grabbed her by the shoulders.

“You have to leave,” he started.

“What?”

“Madeline knows about the house.”

He opened her closet and found a suitcase. He tossed it on the bed, unzipped it, and started opening her drawers and pulling out clothes.

“Do you have someone you can go to? Monica, maybe? Jeffrey?”

“Jeffrey? Jeffrey’s dead. What’s going on?”

Derek stopped packing and looked into her eyes. “Dead, how?”

“Drugs. An overdose. At least that’s what people are saying.”

He looked thoughtful for a moment, but then said, “Madeline knows about you. You’re not safe. You have to leave. Right now.”

“You can’t protect me?”

“No. In fact, I have to stay away from you. She can’t find out what’s been going on.”

He left the suitcase and went into the kitchen, opening the utensil drawer to retrieve the wooden stake Clara had made when she’d first discovered what he was. She followed him and he stopped her and placed it in her bra, wedging it between her breasts. He knew if Clara used it on Madeline, it would be the end of him and his brothers as well, but he also knew he could never live with the knowledge that Madeline had killed Clara. He’d rather be dead. Finally dead.

“Keep this with you all the time. Don’t be afraid to use it. If she comes near you ….” He’d never tell her that killing Madeline would also kill him. “You mustn’t hesitate. Do you understand?”

“Derek, you’re scaring me.”

“You should be scared. Don’t you get it?” He looked into her eyes and felt the weight of the world. “God, I’m so sorry. I put you in the middle of this. I was a fool. A selfish idiot.”

He hugged her to him before going back into the bedroom to continue packing.

She followed him, saying, “You need to get to work, Derek. You’re going to be late. Want me to drive you?”

“Clara, I don’t think you realize ….” Of course, he thought, how could she know? No normal person could imagine what kind of monster Madeline was. “Grab what you need from the bathroom. Don’t go to the Santa Barbara house, okay?”

“Okay.”

She ran into the bathroom while he started pulling her shoes out of the closet and putting them into the suitcase.

When she came back, he took her makeup bag and blow dryer from her, saying, “Put on a top and some shoes.”

He zipped up the bag and rolled it into the dining area to get her laptop. He just yanked the cord from the wall, shut the laptop and stuffed it into the outside pocket of her bag.

“Come on!” he yelled as he headed for the door.

She was right behind him, buttoning her shirt. She grabbed her purse and turned the lights off as they left.

When they got to her car in the parking garage, he put her suitcase in the backseat while she got into the driver’s seat. Before she closed the door, he grabbed her hand and kissed it, saying, “I’ll figure this out, I promise, and make it right. Just be safe.”

“I will. I’ll be at Monica’s. Don’t worry.”

He leaned down and kissed her hard on the lips, saying a last, “I’m so sorry,” before closing her door.

He watched her start the car and drive out to the street before following her out and heading to Hollywood and Highland on foot, satisfied that he’d done his best to protect her.