“I’d mentioned that too,” Marcus says. “But I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. The elder vampire made it clear that he doesn’t want Finn to have anything to do with the VRC. And the attack on the bus fed into that idea. We haven’t found any other connection between them and the VRC.”
I nod, excited that it seems like we’re finally getting somewhere. “It’s a high possibility he turned them. I mean, he’s had hundreds of years to make himself his own little mini army, but this means they’ll know what his face looks like. We could have something.”
“Then we should go about things legally, arrest him, and question him,” Brooks says.
“Who invited him?” I say as I turn my body so just Karsyn, Marcus, and I are squished together and Brooks has been shoved into the corner. “So, Karsyn, could you watch him while at work and let us know when he leaves?”
“Sure. For a price.” He gives me an evil grin, showing plenty of fangs. “You have to go on a date with Claude.”
I stare at the traitorous man. “You know you’re my closest friend, right? And I understand that you don’t really comprehend the importance of comedic timing with jokes, but that joke was just awful.”
He narrows his eyes. “But it’s fine for me to go?”
“So?”
“Fine,” he grumbles.
“Please be careful, though. Please don’t stand out, and no matter what you do, don’t risk anything for any of this. I don’t want you hurt.”
Brooks sighs loudly, like he needs to make sure we all hear it. “I’ll keep an eye on him too. Are you guys planning on following him or something?”
“That’s the plan,” Marcus says, letting Brooks back into the circle. “Do you have a better idea?”
“Just be careful that you’re not being watched. If he knows you’re on to him, it might not end well,” Brooks says.
“That’s the issue, though, isn’t it?” I ask. “If we’re careful enough to never get caught, we’re never going to catch him. But I don’t want to put any of you in danger. He clearly doesn’t plan on killing me, so what if you guys just stayed back? Watched from the sidelines and let me handle it? Marcus, you too.”
Marcus folds his arms over his chest and narrows his eyes. “Is this a joke?”
“No. Just think about it. If he wanted to kill me, he’d kill me. He’s obsessed with me. I’m safest alone. All of you know that. I couldn’t live with myself if he killed one of you,” I say.
“I know, but we’re also here to protect you and to keep anything from happening to you,” Marcus says. “They’ll be careful here, but I will do what it takes to end this and nothing you say will stop me.”
I nod, even though I don’t want to. I want to tell him that he needs to just sit in a bubble with everyone else. “Please, please, everyone, be careful.”
“We will, moj zanuda.”
“There’s someone heading this way, we can continue talking about this later,” Marcus whispers.
I nod and decide to change the subject. “Karsyn, you always have such a wonderful name of love for me. I need a new name for you.”
“You can call me by my real name unlike everyone else.”
“Ooh, your first name?”
“No, my real last name. Karsynov.”
“No, it’s too long and hard.”
“There are literally two extra letters to it.”
“It’s too confusing.”
He sighs.
“Can I call you by your first name?” I ask eagerly.
Karsyn sighs again. “If that’s truly what you want.”
“It is. Alexei! It kind of feels weird…”
Marcus thinks about it for a moment before saying, “It’s because you’re not saying it with enough flourish. It needs more E in it or something. Alexei!” Marcus says in a horrible Russian accent.
Karsyn just stares at us, clearly not impressed about the butchering of his name. Then he opens the door and we all spill out into the hallway where DeGray had been walking. He cocks his head and glances at the bathroom.
“It wasn’t an orgy, don’t get jealous,” I assure him.
DeGray instantly starts laughing. “Thanks. I think my boyfriend would be a bit jealous if I was invited,” he says before heading off.
Boyfriend?
I try to nonchalantly turn to Karsyn to see if he’s in the process of a mental breakdown as DeGray continues on his way. Marcus and Brooks are too busy talking as I notice Karsyn doesn’t seem too affected. “I’m sorry,” I say.
His eyebrows knit. “That you’re going to start the rumor that I was having an orgy in the closet with the three of you? Thanks. I feel sorry for myself as well.”
I nod at DeGray, although I’m positive he knows why I’m apologizing. “You know…”
He shrugs. “That? They’ve been together for like four years.”
“Oh… I didn’t know that.”
“What’s it matter? I don’t like him. I’ve…” He sighs as he looks over at DeGray. “I just… I don’t want anyone anyway.”
“We’ll find you someone better,” I assure him. “Like… Tell me your ideal man!”
“No.”
“Come on, Alexei. Tell me, tell me.”
“Someone that is nothing like you,” he says.
“Wow, that sounds awful. Are you sure? Wait… I might have the perfect fit for you. What about… Claude?”
We stare at each other, then Karsyn starts laughing. “I used to think you weren’t funny, but that right there was top-notch humor.”
“Thank you, thank you, I try. What about…”
“Your dad’s kind of sexy,” he says, and I cringe back.
“What? Ew. No. I don’t want to have to call you Papa.”
Karsyn smirks. “I knew that’d shut you up.”
I shudder. “I can’t stop thinking about you and Orin boning. Oh god, no. Why did you ruin my day like that?”
Karsyn gives me a huge grin that’s just filled with all kinds of nasty things that make me feel disgusted. How dare he just up and ruin my morning like this?
“Are you proud of yourself?” I ask.
“Extremely.”
“Go away,” I say as I push open the door and nearly run face-first into Miller. “Hey, Miller. Would you be disgusted if Karsyn said he was going to bone your dad?”
Miller looks surprised as Karsyn stares at me with death in his eyes.
“Um… it’d be a bit creepy since my dad’s long since dead,” Miller says.
“Ah, yeah, how old are we talking?” I say, trying to make it sound like a joke.
He hesitates. “Umm… he died about seventy years ago.”
I wonder if he’s telling the truth. If he is, he’s probably around a hundred years old. “Ah, might be right up Karsyn’s alley,” I tease as I nudge Karsyn.
“Yes, yes, I love it when you make me sound like a stuck-up creep. But now, you’re making me sound like a perverted creep.”
“So… like your normal self?” I ask like I’m confused. “What about you, Miller? Have a love in your life?”
Miller shrugs. “Nah. Just been focused on work lately.”
“Yeah, especially with what’s been going on. I know it’s been hard on everyone,” I say.
He nods as he gets a forlorn look on his face. “It really has been with losing Perez and everything. It was hard on all of us, but fuck, I’ve been with him for years.”
I wonder if he really is upset about it. Did the elder vampire make him go along with it? Was he not given a choice? But if that monster told me right now that I had to kill Karsyn or I’d die, I couldn’t do it, and I haven’t even known Karsyn a fraction of how long Miller knew Perez. Now if it was someone like Wren, I’d have the stake out and ready before even listening to the rules. I’d stab first, listen later.
“Well, we’d better get home. Marcus just wanted to drop some stuff off and I was tired of being at home and wanted to stretch my legs for a few,” I say. “Keep
your head up, Miller. What happened to Perez wasn’t your fault. You did everything you could.”
And I see a slight twitch to his face. It could just be the twitch of a grieving man or it could be the twitch of an asshole who feels slightly bad about being involved with the murder of his partner.
“Thank you,” he says.
After Marcus makes a pit stop, we head out to our car. As he’s walking, he drops his keys next to Miller’s car. When he stoops down, he puts a GPS tracking device on his car while I come over to pretend like I’m helping in case we’re being watched. I scoop up the keys he drops and walk over to him just as he’s finishing up. By the time I reach the car, Karsyn has sent me everything on Miller from birth records to family history. But what I find most interesting of all is that Miller applied to join the VRC one week after I joined homicide. He couldn’t join homicide, so this is probably the closest he could get to me.
“Well, that sure as hell doesn’t look like a coincidence,” I say.
“If this is true, he’s been watching over you for years. He might have even had someone in homicide watching you.”
“Wonderful,” I say sarcastically. “Is there going to be any way to figure out how true any of this is?”
“Claude’s favorite thing to do is dig into people’s history, so go ahead and send it to him,” Marcus says as he heads toward home.
“He is oddly intelligent.”
“Don’t ever say that again.”
“You know he’s one of those smart people who are extremely intelligent in some areas while being stupid as fuck in others, right?”
“Sadly, I’m aware,” Marcus says.
“Do you mind if we swing by Watson’s on the way home?”
“For?” Marcus asks.
“I… was having him look into some type of sleeping aid or something… I’ve just been having trouble sleeping with these godawful nightmares.”
He looks over at me in concern. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
I shrug. “You’re already dealing with a lot of shit, and it’s just a little something to make me sleep better.”
Marcus sets his hand on my leg and gives it a gentle squeeze. “I know, but I’m sorry you’re going through this.”
“It’ll make me feel better if you wear those chaps you promised me you’d wear when we got home.”
Marcus quickly retracts his hand. “Nope.”
“Please.”
“Vampires aren’t cowboys. Have you ever heard of a cowboy vampire? Nope! It’s not a real thing.”
I stare at him for a few moments because I’m quite positive that it’s gonna be a real thing as soon as I find a pair of chaps to squeeze him into.
“To Watson’s it is!”
“Don’t change the subject,” I say. “What color do you want?”
“Invisible, please.”
“I think black might work better.”
“I’d like the invisible cowboy hat as well, if I have to pick.”
I snort. “Nope.”
He drives to Watson’s and insists on going in with me because I’m not even allowed to make the trek from the car to the front door alone.
I knock once before letting myself in. Watson always says to just come on in, but I’m worried that’s rude. It was different when I was coming in almost every week for adjustments or therapy at a specific time, but as I got older it felt strange to just barge in whenever I wanted.
Watson pulls the door open and smiles at me. “Hey, Finn. Hey, Marcus! Come in. You didn’t bring the dogs?” he asks as he glances out at the car.
“No, we stopped at work for Marcus to drop something off and I tagged along so he could bring me here when we were done. So no pups this time. I can bring them next time and maybe you’ll forget to yell at me about putting my limbs in danger.”
He very briefly seems to consider it. “No, I’ll still yell at you. It’s my favorite pastime. I literally lie awake at night and try to think of new ways to yell at you.”
“Oh my god. Me too,” Marcus says. “We need to talk more.”
“Ha. Ha. You two are both evil and mean to me,” I say.
“Do you really wonder why?” Marcus asks.
“I do. Anyway, the drugs? I’ve never done a real drug deal before. How’s this go?”
Watson grins at me. “Let’s talk for a few minutes first, Finn.”
Of course the drug deal isn’t going to go well. “I hate talking, but sure,” I say as I follow him.
“You were on these as a teen but your counselor suggested them. You’re not seeing anyone anymore?” he asks.
“No. It’s just flared up because of this stuff. I think the anxiety and dreams are keeping me awake.”
“I just don’t want you trying to cover up underlying issues with drugs, alright?” he asks.
“Yeah, I’ll be good. It’s just for sleeping. Marcus has his bat eyes on me at all points in the day.”
Watson picks a bottle off the counter before handing it over. “It’s the same stuff you had from when you were younger. Reach out to me if they aren’t working.”
“Okay. Thank you,” I say as I take them and slip them into my pocket.
“Everything else good?”
“Yep.”
“You haven’t tried breaking your arm off or battling things with your leg?” he asks.
“Not yet.”
Watson’s eyes narrow as he shakes his head, but I can tell he’s amused. “Just be good.” He pats the top of my head like I’m a kid or a dog.
“Is Charlie here? I wanted to tell her Artie’s doing well,” I say.
“No, you just missed her.”
“Alright, I’ll send her a text later,” I say. “Thanks, Watson.”
“Of course.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
MARCUS
“Whatcha doing?” Finn asks as he walks into the kitchen.
“Just stalking Miller,” I say as he gives me a gentle push.
I assume it means scoot back, so I push my chair back enough that he flops down on my lap and leans his back against my chest. I wrap my arms around him and point at the screen with my pen.
“I’ve compared the data for the past three days. He leaves home and drives past Orin’s house. That’s not too strange since it’s probably one of the fastest routes from his home. What’s a little more bothersome is when he parks a few miles from the house after work and the car sits there for at least two hours. But during two of the three days, besides work, here, and his home, he’s stopped at this location here,” I say as I circle the air around the stop.
Finn reaches forward and grabs the mouse before highlighting the address and sticking it into Google Maps.
“An abandoned grocery store?” Finn asks.
“Looks like it.”
I hear Orin let someone in and wonder who it would be at this hour. It only takes me a few more seconds until I recognize the familiar footsteps and turn my attention to the doorway a moment before Claude slides in, arms going wide. “Never fear! Claude is here!” he says then laughs to himself like the lunatic he is at heart. Hundreds of years of life made most people smarter but I think it made Claude crazier.
“Did I not tell you to never come back?” I ask. Even though he’s been staying here, we’ve kept the house on lockdown, so one of us has to let him in when he arrives.
“But… all my stuff is here.”
Claude has been staying here since he was hurt and it doesn’t seem like he’s planning on leaving any time soon. It doesn’t help that Orin really seems to like him.
“Look at you two so snuggled and cute. But what Karsyn and I have is leagues above this,” Claude says.
“Karsyn said he rescheduled for the fifth time,” Finn says.
Claude nods slowly. “Anyway!” He sits down across from us. “So while my shattered heart was struggling to heal, I dug into the people who attacked Finn as well as this Miller guy. The people from the bus… I couldn’t get anything good
out of, but Miller is a more interesting case. Supposedly he was born here in the US in 1921, but there are no clear records. Now I know records were hard to keep track of that far back, but we still have lines to follow. While I could track down his whereabouts, there was nothing on his parents or family. There are a few older vampires that were in control of Maine during the time that he supposedly lived there.
“But we have to keep in mind that there was a war going on between the vampires and humans in Europe at the time and Maine was the exact location many of the ships were bringing the vampires into. So I contacted one of the older vampires there and he told me that they were running ships between Europe and North America, pulling the vampires out where the laws were getting increasingly bad for them. He said they transported at least a hundred vampires in a five-year span around the date of Miller’s supposed changing. He didn’t recognize the pictures of Miller but said he’d look into it.”
“What do you honestly think?” I ask.
Claude considers it for a moment. “I think you’re right. A vampire as old as the one attacking Finn will likely have some he changed along the way. I know not everyone changes people. I have only changed a few in all my years and the last I talked to you, Marcus, you’d only changed one.”
Finn looks at me in surprise. “You didn’t tell me that.”
There’s a reason for that. “A story for another day. Let’s focus on one thing at a time. So you think he came from overseas, but what about the vampires who attacked Finn on the bus?”
“I could track down the origin of some, but they were the younger ones. Any of the older ones, I could pinpoint when they moved to the US, but most of the data before that is nonexistent. Their information wasn’t as secretive. Pretty basic and they all claim to have been turned by different people. So no apparent comparisons there, but we also know they enjoy lying to us,” Claude says.
“He’s on the move again,” Finn says as he points at the tracker.
Claude slips around the side to see what we’re looking at. “Is that Miller?”
“Yeah, he’s been frequenting this place here,” I say as I reach around Finn to point. “Not quite sure why.”
How to Elude a Vampire (VRC: Vampire Related Crimes Book 2) Page 23