Kiss Me When the Sun Goes Down (22 page)

“Exactly the same place as where we started.  Zilch, zip, and nada is what we know,

Carter muttered in disgust.  “Who should we start with next?  Any of Bakareh’s people?”

“No, I can’t believe Amunet or any of his own staff would be involved.  He was one of the hardest hit.”

“I’d consider poisoning him if he was my boss,” Carter snorted, and I couldn’t help but smile.  He had a point. 

“Maybe the blood just went off?”

“Oh, come on, tell me you don’t actually believe that.”

“It could happen,” I shrugged.  “There doesn’t have to be a plot afoot.”

“I still say we should keep questioning anyone who had something to gain.”

“That’s just it, I can’t figure out what
anyone
had to gain.  No one got sick enough to die, and nobody pushed the blood at me in particular.  It seems like there’d be an easier way to ruin the party if that’s what they were after.”

“But it sure got your attention.”

“That’s true.”  Was that all it was?  A bid for my attention?  Or was it to keep me distracted while something else went on in my territory?

“Did you really mean that stuff about not wanting to join the Houses?” Carter asked, bringing me out of me reverie.  “It seems like a good way to bring the East away from the dark side.”

“Of course I did.  I meant it when I said nobody should have that much power alone.”

“Did you say something about joining Houses?”  Felix came out from around the corner, his face alight with enthusiasm.  “That’s a fantastic idea!  I think you might be on to something.  I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.”

Uh oh.
  I recognized that look of excitement. 

“N
o, it’s not my idea, it was Jennike’s.”

“That is one sharp lady.  She knows she could never swing something that big, but the two of you together...”

“Yes, but there is no together for us,” I cut him off.  “Jennike only wanted me to front it to gain the approval of the other Houses.  Then I would’ve gotten a discreet stake in the back and she would’ve seized power.”

Felix’s brow furrowed at the thought, but he quickly dismissed it.  “I don’t think she’d go that far.  Sure, she’s always been power hungry, but she knows how to play with others.”

I couldn’t get into how I knew it was a fact without revealing my ability to compel other vampires.  “Like I said, I’m not sure any one person should be in power over the entire nation.”

“It works for the president,” Felix pointed out.

“Only because there are checks and balances.  Do you seriously want to start in on duplicating American bureaucracy?”  God knew our country had enough problems of its own.  “Besides, you’d end up demoted in the bargain.”

“I wouldn’t care about that.  Any position in a House that strong would be worth having,” he dismissed that thought.  “The council would have to be brought in to talk about it, of course.”

“Felix, don’t you dare!”  I wagged a finger at him, prepared to compel him if that’s what it took to make him drop the idea.  “I told you, I’m not doing it.  I can’t trust Jennike any farther than I can throw her.”

“You can probably throw her pretty far, boss,” Felix started to say, but he backed off, his hands coming up in supplication.  “Okay, if you say so.  I still think it’s an exciting possibility for the future though.  If not with Jennike, then maybe with her successor some day.”

“Fine, then we can talk about it in another fifty years, or so.  Deal?”  I proposed to get him off my back.  The idea of actually still being Elder in another fifty years made me feel tired, but maybe that was the late hour. 

“Deal,” he grinned.  “Listen, have you seen Bridget around?  I lost track of her at the party.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see her.”  I looked to Carter, but he just shrugged. 

Felix scratched at his chin.  “She gets in her moods sometimes, but it ain’t like her to stay gone for so long.”

“I can have security see if they can track down her last movements if you like?”

“Nah, it’s fine.” He waved the suggestion away.  “She’ll come back when she’s done being pissy.”

“Did the two of you have a fight?”  I knew their relationship had its ups and downs, but he shook his head.

“I didn’t think so, but I must’ve done something to rub her the wrong way.  Women, huh?”

“I’ll keep an eye out for her, and so will Carter,” I promised. 

Carter looked up, only barely paying attention to the conversation.  “Huh?  Oh, yeah.  Sure I will,” he saluted.  “Hey, reviewing the security tapes isn’t a half bad idea.  I’m gonna go do some poking around and see if I can turn anything up with our saboteur.”

“Okay, catch you later.”

“And I’ve got some work to do before the sun comes up,” Felix said, pausing outside his door.  “No rest for the wicked,” he grinned.

“Goodnight, Felix.  I’m sorry the night didn’t turn out as planned.”

“Eh, you win some, you lose some.  The real test will be how Bakareh takes it.  We might want to make sure we’ve got all our security on standby tomorrow.”

“Good idea, I’ll go stop in and mention something to Gunnar.”

“’Night, boss.”

I ran into Lee outside the security office, with an empty coffee cup in hand.  “Hey, I’m surprised you’re still up and around,” I smiled.

“I’ll stick around ’til the sun comes up and make sure they’re all buttoned away for the night, safe and sound.  Long as I can get me another cup of coffee leastways.”

“Thanks, Lee, I appreciate that.”

“Sorry to hear Jennike didn’t pan out as a suspect.”

He caught me by surprise there.  “You heard about that?  Did Carter say something to you?” 

“Naw, I just saw him in passin’.  But he’s got this place rigged up tighter than a frog’s ass, if you’ll pardon my French.  You might want to be careful what you talk about in the open around here.”

Ugh
, Carter and his damn audio surveillance.  “I’ll have to remember that.”  Suddenly, I wondered how
much
he’d heard.  Did he know about my ability to compel other vampires?  “Then you heard the, um... interrogation?”

Lee’s lips pressed together as he gave a somber nod.  “I heard what you can do, and you got no worries with me.  I ain’t no blabbermouth.”

“I know you’re not.  But I would appreciate your discretion.  I’d hate for it to get out that I can...”

“Understood,” he nodded again.  “And if I might offer a bit of unsolicited advice?”

“Always.”

“I think you’re on the right track sayin’ no to Jennike’s proposal.  Just because a body can do somethin’, don’t mean they should.  Even goin’ into a venture like that with the purest of intentions can go sour in a heartbeat, and I’d sure hate to see you with an even bigger target painted on your back.”

“You and me both.” 

Gunnar appeared, his suit looking more rumpled, but thankfully, not blood stained.  “You are ready for me to drive you home?”

“Sure, if you’re ready to leave.”  Most of the house had shut down for the night, the security staff the only ones walking the grounds. 

“Carter has things in good hands.”

“Okay then, goodnight, Lee.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”  I leaned up to kiss his cheek, his moustache tickling as he repaid the gesture. 

I wasn’t super sleepy yet, but my mind churned with too much information, my fingers itching to get it compiled into neat lists to help sort it out.  Gunnar didn’t say much in the car either, until I remembered to mention the extra security that Felix had suggested. 

“We’ll want to make sure we have plenty of security on hand tomorrow, okay?  The last thing we need is another incident while we’ve got such high profile guests in the house.”

“Sure, boss.  I will have them there nice and early,” he smiled.

“You seem like you’re in a pretty good mood for such a weird night.”

“It was a good party.”

I laughed when I saw he was absolutely serious.  “How can you say that?”

“There was good music, it ended early, and there was much entertainment.”

“You have strange ideas about entertainment.  They’re going to be scrubbing that ballroom down for a week.”

“Yes, but it was nice to have something to do again, boss.”

I hadn’t thought of it that way.  “Are you bored working for me, Gunnar?”

“No,” he answered too quickly, searching for the right words before he spoke again.  “I’m glad you are safe, but I miss the old days a small bit.”

“The days when someone was trying to kill me every time I left the house?”

“It keep a guy on his toes,” he grinned, and I smiled in response.

“That’s true, I suppose.”

“Bishop will live with us soon?”  He asked after a few turns through the darkened city streets. 

“Ah... what makes you ask that?”

“The way he look at you.”

“How does he look at me?”

“Like he never want to let you go.”

I had to smile at that.  “I feel the same way about him.”

“So he will live with us soon?”

I let out a long breath.  “I don’t know, we haven’t talked about it.”

“It will not be so different to have another man around the house, I think.  Not once Maggie and Tucker leave.”

“Maggie and Tucker are leaving?” I gaped at him, and his eyes widened in horror.

“You did not know this?”

“I knew they were engaged.  I guess, I always thought it was a possibility, but I didn’t know they’d made actual plans or anything.  They’re definitely moving out?”

Gunnar gripped the steering wheel tighter, his face etched with distress over his blunder.  “I only know she talk to the same man who help you buy the new house, to find one of her own.”

“Oh.”  I wondered why she hadn’t said anything to me about it.  Maybe because we’d been so busy getting the party put together?  “Well, I can understand them wanting to be on their own.”

“I like to live with more people.  It’s a friendlier place that way.”

“You do?”

“Yes.  In my family, we have fifteen of us share the same house with aunts and uncles and
bedstefar
.”

“Beds...”

“My grandfather.”

“Fifteen.  Wow, that’s a lot of people.”

He shrugged.  “Not so much.  In my master’s house there are many of us as well.  Isak and me, we share...”  He fell silent, and I suspected it hurt him to think of his disgraced brother.  “We share many things.”

“Do you ever think about going home?”

“Not so much.  I like it here.  Here I am my own person, not anybody’s property.”

“Of course you are!”  It floored me that anyone would think differently.  “Does your Sire really treat you like his property?”

He shrugged again.  “My life belong to him.” 

“I happen to disagree.  If anything, he took your old life.  What you do with your afterlife is up to you,” I said, giving his hand a brief squeeze. 

“This is why I like you, boss,” he replied with a smile.  “You give me much hope.”

“I think that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me,” I smiled back, blinking back tears.  All things considered, it hadn’t been that bad of a night after all.

* * *

M
aggie and Tucker had already gone up to bed, and Gunnar was quick to follow.  There was less than an hour until sunrise, and I enjoyed the quiet in the house as I got ready for bed.  Carter’s escape tunnel project had turned into a big muddy hole with the rains earlier in the week, and I was glad the party was over so he could get back to it soon.  If he didn’t, I was going to order the whole thing filled in with concrete and he could start digging his tunnel from the garage side first.

As I pulled on my pajamas and warm fuzzy socks, my thoughts turned to the evening’s events.  Not so much the spewing of blood and plots I’d uncovered, but more of the stuff that came before that.  The sweeter bits with Bishop, before we got so rudely interrupted.  My only regret was that there hadn’t been time for me to show him what he did to me as well, or for us to spend the rest of the night together.

As if he’d read my mind, my phone rang, Bishop’s profile popping up on the screen. 

“Hi, I was just thinking about you,” I smiled, hoping it was a good call, and not a bad one.”

“Good thoughts, I hope.”

“Very good.  Is this call for business or pleasure?”

“Ah, pure pleasure,” he sighed, and I got the impression he’d just sat down for the first time in a while.  “I don’t have any news from the lab yet, sorry.”

“That’s okay, I don’t mind you calling me just because you want to.  Not at all.”  In fact, I preferred it.  “I’m sorry we ran out of time tonight.” 

“Me too.  I was just getting started making things up to you.”

“I thought you already did.”

“That was only the beginning.”

The promise in his voice made my insides clench, and I sucked in a deep breath, stretching out on the bed.  “I like the sound of that.  Not just for the sexy bits, but the beginning for us.”

“So do I.”  The silence stretched between us, comfortable and drowsy, not at all awkward before he asked, “What are you doing?”

“Lying here, waiting for the sun to come up.” 

“I could come over.”

I heard the longing in his voice, and I felt it too.  But it was late.  “I’d be asleep by the time you got here.”

“I wouldn’t mind.  I’d just like to hold you.”

“You would when you got here and I was too comatose to invite you in.”

Bishop let out a low chuckle.  “Ah, there is that.  Another night then?”

“Absolutely.  I can’t wait.”

“What are you doing tomorrow night?”

Unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple.  “You mean besides trying to avoid an international incident over the fiasco tonight?”

“Ah, I’m guessing your dance card is pretty full then.”

“I’ll know more tomorrow night, but I’ll call you, okay?”

“Okay.”

My eyes grew heavier as the sun rose higher in the sky, but I wasn’t ready to let him go yet.  “I miss you.”

“I miss you too.”

“Bishop?”

“Yeah.”

“Where do you see yourself in five years?”  The question popped out without my thinking too much about it, partially prompted by Gunnar’s talk about shifting households, and the random thought about my interview with Kane.