Thin Ice

by Renée Jaggér

  A cellphone dinged somewhere in the room. “Excuse me.” Ronan got up and retrieved his phone from where he’d left it on the piano, absently moving his thumbs over the screen. He frowned at whatever notification he’d just received. “I’m afraid I’m going to need an answer sooner rather than later, Callie.”

  “Another applicant for the position?”

  “Not exactly. My family has just heard about what happened last night. If I don’t have someone signed on to the position by the end of the day, my mother is threatening to come stay with me.” He sighed. “I’d rather avoid that. If you’re willing and can start tomorrow, I’d be happy to pay you a sign-on bonus to avoid it.”

  “You must not like your mother very much.”

  “When you meet her, you’ll understand,” Ronan said dryly and put the phone back down to pick up a stack of papers lying on the piano bench. He placed them on top of the instrument and clicked a pen. “So, do we have an agreement?”

  “Say I take the job and decide it’s not for me. Then what?”

  Ronan lowered the pen, his frown deepening. “Then you walk away. No obligation to either party. It’s all in the paperwork. I’ll be disappointed, but I’ll get over it. After what happened last night, you’ll never work in security again without a strong recommendation. EEG is going to let you go, and that’s the sort of black mark that will be difficult to get rid of. The world of corporate security cares more about following rules and pinching pennies than protecting people. They don’t deserve someone as talented as you.”

  “And you do?”

  “It’s not about what I deserve. You deserve better. I hire the best. It’s just business.”

  He was right. After all the training I’d had, everything I’d seen and been through, I was more experienced than half the staff at EEG put together. I’d only taken the job there to tide me over until something better came along, and here it was, staring me in the face. This was my “something better.”

  I pushed up from the chair and took the pen from him. “How much of an advance?”

  Ronan’s frown flipped back into one of his confident smirks. “I’m open to negotiations.”

  “You must really not want your mom crashing your space.” I signed next to the big X and initialed a few more pages.

  After filling out all the other boring paperwork, I clicked the pen closed and flexed my aching hand. He hadn’t been kidding when he’d said it was a whole packet of paperwork.

  Ronan offered me his hand. “Welcome to the team, Callie.”

  Chapter Seven

  Sam was waiting for me when I came through the door, sipping tea from a coffee cup. They’d put on a baggy OSU shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Guess Sam had decided to skip class, not that it’d hurt their grades any. They were a straight-A student with a big art scholarship.

  “So?” Sam asked, eyes big. “Did you get the job?”

  I decided to let them sweat it for a minute and went straight to the fridge in search of something that wasn’t coffee or beer to drink. We still had a few sodas in the back.

  “Callie, come on! I’m dying here. Did you get it, or didn’t you?”

  I popped the top and chugged down half the soda before turning around with a big grin. “Of course I did.”

  Sam screeched with joy and put aside their cup to hug me. “I knew it! Tell me more! How much does it pay? What was his house like? Does he have a dog? He looked like a dog person. God, I wish we could get a dog.”

  I produced the folder from inside my coat and showed them the page with the salary information. Sam’s eyes practically bulged out of their head.

  “And he gave me a sign-on bonus.” I waved the check in front of her. “What do you say we cash it and go celebrate?”

  Sam grabbed the check and made a face. “Damn. What the hell am I doing in college? I should drop out and go into security.”

  I pulled the check away from them and stuck my tongue out. “Yeah, right. I can see you on your first day. You’d be falling all over yourself, going gaga over the paintings on the wall. He had a ton of them. Real artsy type guy. You’d like him.”

  “You can tell me all about it over lunch.” Sam hopped excitedly up and down before skipping toward their room. “And we’re going shopping at Easton to get you some new clothes, girl! Be ready in ten!”

  I frowned down at my wrinkled blouse. “What’s wrong with my clothes?”

  Sam didn’t answer. They were too busy throwing on clothes of their own. I sighed and trudged back to the bedroom to change.

  Sam and I hit the shops hard and had most of Ronan’s sign-on bonus spent by two in the afternoon. I hadn’t been clothes-shopping in over a year, and Sam insisted that I buy designer threads. “You’re working for a fashion model,” they’d said, piling my arms high with dresses and skirts. “You’ve got to look the part!”

  I shifted the pile as they dropped a pair of bright red heels on it. “I have to dress for functionality, Sam. I’m going to be on my feet all day. Not to mention, I have to be able to carry a gun.”

  “You can get one of those sexy thigh holsters. Or, what about those tiny one-shot pistols the Old West saloon girls used to carry in their corsets?”

  With a grunt, I dropped the pile onto a bench outside the fitting room area and shook out my arms, which had gone numb under the weight. “I don’t think they even make derringers anymore.” I remembered the vampire from last night. No matter how many bullets I’d put in him, he hadn’t stopped coming. “Besides, sometimes you need more than one shot to take down the bad guys.”

  “Just go try some stuff on, would you?” Sam shoved me toward one of the fitting rooms. “We’re burning daylight, and we haven’t even gotten to the best part of the day: the afterparty!”

  In the end, I settled on a couple of nice white shirts and blazers in a few different colors and styles. Sam didn’t approve of my choices and talked me into trading out a few pairs of dress pants for skirts. It took some doing, but I finally talked them out of anything bright or striped with rainbow colors. In addition to the work clothes I bought, I added a single dress, but only because I didn’t own anything nice enough to go out in. I wanted the black one, but Sam swapped it out at the last minute for the light blue version, saying it was my color.

  After shopping, I was exhausted, but Sam wanted to go out. It’d been a long time since I’d done anything for fun, especially dancing and drinking, so I decided to indulge them. I put on the blue dress, did my hair, and even put on a little makeup.

  Next thing I knew, we were seated at a table in the wings of a crowded dance club with flashing lights all around, and I was passing a beer to Sam. Upbeat pop music pounded in my ears—not my first choice in music, but at least it wasn’t country.

  Sam bounced in their seat. Rather than put on a dress, Sam had chosen a rainbow-striped shirt and skinny jeans. I thought the sparkly silver blazer was a bit much, but it was getting them plenty of looks. Several people had stopped by our table to tell Sam they liked it, and they seemed happy with the attention. Typical Sam.

  Sam grabbed my arm and flashed a big grin. “See, Callie? This isn’t so bad, is it?”

  I scanned the crowd and tried not to think about all the ways things could go wrong with so many people packed in that tight. Drunk people, loud music, crowds… It was a recipe for disaster in there.

  “Hey.” Sam grabbed my face with both hands and forced me to look at them. “You okay in there?”

  “Yeah. Of course I am.” I picked up the beer and drained it. “Why wouldn’t I be? Having the time of my life.”

  “Well, you don’t look like it. You look like someone stole your puppy. Come on, Callie! We’re supposed to be celebrating.”

  “Right. I’m going to go get us some more drinks.” As soon as I stood, the song ended and a familiar tune began, one I must’ve heard Sam play a thousand times in our apartment. I knew I was done for as soon as it came on.

  Sam jumped to their feet, a big smile on t
heir face. “Forget the beers! This is my song, Callie!” Sam grabbed me before I could get away and practically dragged me onto the dance floor. Their fingers slid out of mine, and they left me standing awkwardly in the middle of everyone.

  “Sam,” I shouted above the thumping music, “I don’t know how to dance!”

  “Of course you do. Everyone knows. You just move.” They did some kind of dance move that should’ve been impossible with functioning joints.

  I cringed.

  “Come on, girl. You can do it! Try!”

  Against my better judgment, I did. Fit as I was, my knees did not like the odd movement, but I managed to convince them to do it. For the next four minutes, Sam continued to give me pointers. I almost had the hang of it when the song ended and another started. With the change in beat, it felt like I had to learn all over again. After a few more minutes, I was soaked in sweat, and certain I looked anything but sexy. There was a reason I became a soldier and not a ballerina.

  As time ground on, I noticed three guys circling us. They weren’t dancing or going to any particular destination, yet every time I looked up, they were in different locations, watching us with their creepy smiles. When I turned toward where I knew one of them was, I found him gone. Maybe he’d never been there, and I was imagining things.

  You’re being paranoid, I told myself. It was Ronan’s fault. He’d gotten me all wound up, telling me that the vampires might be out to get me if they found out I’d killed one of them. I should’ve known better than to go out.

  “Hey, you okay?” Sam grabbed my arm as the song changed to something slower.

  “Yeah. I just need a drink is all. I think I’m going to sit this one out if you don’t mind.”

  “Then I’ll come with you.”

  “No,” I said a little too quickly. “You should enjoy yourself. I’m very awkward out here. I’m more used to carrying heavy gear and shooting things than dancing.”

  Sam frowned. “Okay, if you’re sure.”

  “I’m sure.”

  Navigating my way back to the table through all the other bodies was difficult. I was disoriented from dancing and the flashing lights, but I finally made it back and sat down with a huff, wincing as my feet reminded me I hadn’t worn heels in far too long. I never should’ve let Sam talk me into them.

  It wasn’t long before Sam came running up to the table with two guys they’d met on the dance floor. They tossed the car keys to me and told me not to wait up. Again, typical Sam. Sometimes I envied their free spirit. I wouldn’t feel sorry for them when they were hung over the next day, though. I owed Sam one for making me dance like an idiot.

  “You sure you’ll be okay?” they asked.

  I flashed a confident grin. “Yeah, I’m fine. Go have fun.”

  “Okay, Callie.” They leaned over to give me a hug.

  I squeezed them back. “Be safe. Text me later to let me know you’re okay.”

  “You too.”

  Sam and I parted ways. In a flash, the trio was gone and I was alone at my table, wondering what to do with myself the rest of the night.

  A waitress appeared and put a Bloody Mary on the table in front of me.

  “Oh, I didn’t order anything.” I tried to hand it back to her.

  She shook her head and pointed to a table one level up. “Gentleman in the suit paid for it. Said you’d know what it meant.”

  I followed her finger to where she’d pointed. A man sat at a table by himself, too well dressed to fit in with the rest of the club clientele. I’d never seen him before, but something about him sent a chill down my spine. Whoever he was, I wasn’t going to let him get to me.

  I thanked the server, picked up the drink, and climbed the stairs to put it on his table. “I think this was delivered to me by mistake.”

  “No mistake,” he said and smiled.

  That was when I saw the fangs. I guess it’s only paranoia if you don’t turn out to be right.

  I picked up the drink and splashed the contents in his face. I don’t care if you’re a vampire, a human, or any other sentient being, a bloody Mary to the eyes burns. The vampire let out a pained growl and reached up to clear the drink from his eyes. I grabbed his chair and tipped it back, and he landed on his back with a loud thump. Then I dropped the glass on his chest. “Follow me, and you’ll wind up like your friend, creep.”

  Everyone in the area was staring at me, and I spied Security heading my way. It was as good a time as any to call it a night, so I grabbed my purse and hurried toward the nearest exit.

  The parking garage was strangely cold, even for November in Ohio. I chalked it up to the dress since I wasn’t used to wearing them. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong and picked up the pace. The sound of my heels clicking on the pavement echoed through the parking area, the only sound other than the buzz of the overhead lights.

  I swept the area visually for threats, eyes darting from one parked car to another, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There was a white van parked near my car with a logo for a security company I’d never heard of, which seemed a little odd, but I was probably making something of nothing. It made sense that a club would have contracted security. If not the club, there were plenty of other buildings around that needed security overnight. Yeah, that had to be it.

  My car waited at the end of the row. I’d nearly reached it when two men stepped out from behind the van, blocking my way. I stopped, turned, and almost walked right into two more. One of them was the guy I’d just dumped the bloody Mary on.

  I opened my purse and pulled out my phone. “One more move and I call the police.”

  “You don’t need them,” the Bloody Mary vampire said, stepping forward. “You will come with us.”

  “Like hell, I will.”

  A fifth guy I hadn’t seen rolled open the side door of the van.

  The vampire grinned. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist, Ms. Hart. It’s for your own good.” He grabbed my arm and yanked me toward the van.

  What took place next happened on automatic. I tried to pull away and shouted for help, my brain racing in a panic. All I wanted was for him to stop. Something inside me screamed to life and lashed out in a bright arc of glowing power. It slammed into the vampire dragging me toward the van.

  He let me go, looking at the back his hand in horror. “What the hell?”

  Frost spread over his fingers, up the sides of his face, and over his hair. He tried to reach for me again, but he froze solid before he could close his fingers around me.

  The others, who I assumed were also vampires, backed away, thinking better of attacking me while I stared at my hand. What had I done?

  I didn’t have time to process it before the boom of a gunshot rang through the parking garage and the vampire shattered into a thousand pieces like a glass dropped from a high rise. Tires squealed and a black SUV tore out of its parking spot, moving so fast it almost tipped over when it rounded the corner. The vampires yelped and ran to their van, pulling out after the other vehicle.

  In the space of a few seconds, I was alone in the parking garage with the shattered remains of another dead vampire. What the hell had just happened? Had I frozen him? And who’d fired the shot that saved my ass?

  Police sirens screamed nearby and jerked me back to the moment. I couldn’t be caught standing over another destroyed body, not so soon after the incident at Kloud9. I needed to get out of there. Everything else I could deal with later.

  I backed away from the vampire pieces on the ground—which were melting and turning to dust—rushed to my car, and unlocked it with shaky hands. I didn’t pull out of the parking garage as quickly as the other two, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get out of there as fast as I could.

  Chapter Eight

  My hands shook as I gripped the steering wheel. I didn’t even remember driving back to the loft, but there I was, parked in my designated space. The windshield had fogged from my breath. How long had I been sit
ting there in the cold?

  I just kept going back over the incident in my mind, playing the scene in slow motion as if I could find some hole in the logic of it. It couldn’t be real. People didn’t just freeze solid. Then again, he hadn’t exactly been a person. He was a vampire. Still, I had done that. Whatever power had snapped out and washed over him, turning him into a block of ice, it had come out of me.

  I pried my fingers off the steering wheel and stared at them, trembling in the cold. They looked like normal fingers, normal hands. Where the hell had that come from?

  Then there was the shooter. I was sure I’d heard a gunshot. The shot had hit the vampire, shattering him like glass. Or had it just been his head that had shattered? I was getting the details mixed up. My head was swimming from the stress, the drinks, and the loud music. How much had I imagined, and how much was real? Maybe none of it was.

  Get it together, Callie. I blew out a deep breath and counted to three. Whatever happened, sitting out here in the cold isn’t going to change it. You’re not safe here. My eyes snapped open. I had to get somewhere safe behind locked doors. Shit, maybe I should call Sam and warn them. If the vampires were at the club, they saw us together. Sam could be in danger too.

  I threw open the car door and stepped out, scanning the dark parking lot. A single streetlight leaned over the back lot, not quite bright enough to illuminate everything. There were plenty of corners and deep shadows where a vampire could hide. I tried to ignore them as I hurried to the door.

  My pace didn’t slow until I’d reached the loft and slipped inside, slamming the door closed behind me. I made sure to lock the door, then went around checking all the windows, even the ones in Sam’s room. They wouldn’t mind. Once I was sure all the entrances were secure, I checked them one more time, just in case. This was one of those times I wished I still carried a gun.

  Now what? I stared at the deadbolt. Could a vampire break down a deadbolted door? Probably. Maybe it’s like in the movies and they need permission to enter. I hoped that was true, but hoping it didn’t make me feel any safer.