B R Kingsolver - [Rosie O'Grady's Paranormal Bar and Grill 02] - Night Stalker

by Kingsolver

  Trevor laughed, grabbing me into a hug and swinging me around so that my feet flew out from under me. Then he set me back on the ground and kissed me.

  “Sounds like a plan to me.”

  On our way back to the city, Trevor asked, “So, what is it that Frankie Jones wants you to do?”

  “I told her no.”

  He didn’t say anything. After a couple of minutes, I said, “She wants me to go undercover to find out who’s buying heads. She offered me a lot of money.” More money than I would be able to save in a year. More than I had ever had. Enough that I could afford a phone.

  “Well, if you decide to take her up on it, I’ll cover your back. Josh also.”

  That took me by surprise. “You think I should?”

  “If Roisin gave me that kind of advice, I would have to seriously consider it. Look, I don’t know what your life was like before you came to Westport, and I don’t need to know, but there’s a cloud I can see in your eyes. If she thinks you can purge your past, then maybe you should think about it.”

  “Frankie’s last undercover guy got killed.”

  Trevor licked his lips. “Hell, the way things are going in this town, we’ll all be dead in a couple of months. If we can stop what’s going on, or at least slow things down, I’m willing to chance it.”

  I called Frankie that night. When she answered, I said, “I’ll do it, but I need more money. I’m supplying my own backup, and I can’t ask them to risk their lives for free.”

  “I’ll see what I can do. I’ll call you tomorrow,” she said.

  CHAPTER 14

  “Frankie’s dad and his friends have thrown twenty thousand into a pot if we can stop the bounty hunting,” I said.

  I had asked Trevor to invite his business partners, Josh and Jolene, over to his house. I laid out the plan I had formulated, and then asked if they would help.

  “And how do we split the money?” Josh asked.

  “Evenly. Four ways.”

  They all nodded.

  I grinned. “I get a bonus, though. I talked Frankie into buying me a phone.”

  “About damned time,” Jolene said. “You’ve got your priorities all wrong, girl. Buying food instead of a phone.”

  “When do we start this operation?” Josh asked.

  “As soon as I make sure we don’t get ambushed by any of the people who should be our allies,” I said. “Barclay’s just plain crazy, so who knows what he might do. But I want to let Flynn, Montgomery, and Michaela Gallagher know what we’re doing so they don’t think we’ve really turned into bounty hunters.”

  “And Sam,” Trevor said. “You need to tell him what you’re doing.”

  Sam was the one I was most concerned about. I really liked my job, and I didn’t want him feeling that I didn’t trust him. Other people might suspect things about my past, but Sam was the only one I had told about my working for the Illuminati.

  I went into Rosie’s that afternoon and found Sam in his office. I shut the door and sat down. He watched me, and waited.

  “Is it possible for me to take a week off?” I asked.

  He raised an eyebrow. “Of course. What week do you want?”

  “Uh, this week?”

  “Rather short notice. You going somewhere?”

  “No. Frankie Jones offered me a boatload of money to go undercover and catch whoever is offering bounties on vamps and shifters.”

  “Oh. Of course you can have the time off. Why would I need a bartender who has lost her bloody fucking mind?” His voice started in a normal conversational tone and built into a deafening bellow by the end.

  “I kinda thought you’d see it that way,” I said. “Can I explain before you have me hauled off to the loony bin?”

  “Sure. I’ve been tending bar in this place for a hundred years, but I’m constantly surprised at what kind of lunatic explanations come out of people’s mouths. I’m betting this is a doozy.”

  I told him what Roisin had said. I could repeat it verbatim, because it was branded on my brain. Not since I killed William Strickland had anything affected me so powerfully.

  When I finished, Sam asked quietly, “Do you think she’s right? Do you think doing this will purge your demons?”

  I shook my head. “No, not all of them. But I think it’s a start. I don’t think Roisin meant that I could simply help Frankie this one time and I’d suddenly feel like Miss Merry Sunshine. I’ve been thinking about it, and I don’t think redemption is a place, but rather a road. I can hide behind the bar and pretend I’m not part of the world. But, I mean, I’m not sure there are gods, or the Fae’s Goddess, but doesn’t there have to be some kind of reason for the world? Is it just some kind of cosmic accident that I have this much power? Or was I given it for a reason?”

  I felt a tear slip, and wiped it away. “Sam, I know I’m capable of evil. Can’t I at least try to do something good?”

  He stood up and walked around the desk. Pulling me to my feet, he drew me into a hug.

  “Yeah, I have to admit, this is one lunatic explanation I haven’t heard before,” he said. “But I’ve never met anyone at all like you, Erin McLane, so I shouldn’t be surprised.” He put his hands on my shoulders and held me at arm’s length. “Be careful, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Put my number on speed dial on that new phone, okay?”

  I nodded, too choked up to speak. Finally, I managed, “Lizzy said she’d set it up for me and teach me how to use it.”

  “You don’t know how to use a phone?”

  “Not one of those smartphones. I had a flip phone once, and the Hunters carried private-frequency satellite phones.”

  He shook his head. “Get out of here, and be damned careful, you hear me?”

  “Thanks, Sam.”

  Eileen Montgomery was the only one of the vampire community I knew how to contact, so I went to my apartment, dressed in my Hunter’s clothing, and took the bus to Necropolis. Since I did all of that during the daytime, I wasn’t too worried about being followed by Barclay’s men. I had dinner in a diner nearby and waited until after dark.

  The bouncer at the door licked his lips when he let me in. If he knew I was carrying a spelled sword that could take his head, I bet he wouldn’t have been so eager to get me alone and taste my blood.

  I climbed the stairs to the mezzanine and Eileen’s table.

  “Well, Miss McLane. This is a surprise. I heard you were hiding in Rosie’s and didn’t go out at night.”

  “It’s primarily for the safety of the vampire population,” I said and watched the grin slide off her face. “I would hate for any unsuspecting bloodsuckers to target me by mistake. May I sit down?”

  She motioned to the chair across the table from her.

  “You may already know this,” I said, “but there’s a dhampir from out of town who is paying a bounty for vampire and werewolf heads. Supposedly, a group of wealthy paranormals is bankrolling the operation.”

  “A dhampir?”

  “So I’m told. I haven’t had the pleasure, but my source is convinced. Anyway, I’ve contracted to shut the whole thing down.”

  Eileen studied me for some time. “Why are you telling me this?”

  “Because I don’t want you thinking that I, or any of my associates, have decided to join in the hunt. Stay out of our way, and we’ll leave your people alone.”

  “I wondered when you would come out of the closet,” she said.

  “Pardon me?”

  Eileen grinned. “I had a Hunter lover once. Oh, probably ninety or a hundred years ago. You move the same way she did.”

  “I don’t swing that way,” I said.

  “No, you probably don’t. I’m not sure she did, either. Unfortunately, she didn’t make it until dawn. I used the stake on her instead.”

  “You know what they say. Picking up strange people in bars is risky.”

  “Who else are you warning, or am I special?”

  I grinned. “You are very special. You may be my favorite v
ampire. I want to warn George and Michaela as well. Like I said, I try to stay neutral in this sort of thing. None of you have given me any reason to consider you an enemy. But I have a bit of a problem I was hoping you could help me with. I don’t know how to contact Michaela, and when I tried the number I had for Flynn, it’s been disconnected.”

  She pulled out a business card, turned it over, and wrote on it.

  “These are private numbers. Considering the circumstances, I don’t think they’ll mind my giving them to you.” She passed me the card. “In exchange, perhaps you wouldn’t mind answering a question for me. How did you manage to escape the Illuminati?”

  I took a deep breath, considering how to answer that. “While there are still people who were members of the Illuminati, and the Hunters’ Guild, they are scattered and unorganized. The main Order has been destroyed. As far as I know, no one knows I’m alive, therefore no one has any reason to look for me. Plus, all of the other survivors probably have their own problems to worry about.”

  She stared at me for a long moment, then jerked her head in a nod. “Fair enough, and a lot more information than I would have expected. I’ve noticed that you have a habit of telling people the truth, don’t you?”

  I grinned at her. “It’s a lot easier to keep my stories straight, and it gives me the right to expect truth in return. But I would ask you to please keep that information to yourself. I really don’t need any more speculation about my past.”

  “I rarely divulge my sources,” she said, “and I don’t see as how the Order of the Illuminati has any bearing on our current situation, do you? They certainly aren’t anyone I plan to do business with.”

  “None whatsoever. Thank you, Ms. Montgomery.”

  “Call me Eileen. Have a good night, Erin, and be careful. It’s a jungle out there.”

  I trekked back to the diner and used the payphone in their entranceway. First, I called Michaela.

  “Hello?”

  “Michaela, this is Erin McLane. We need to meet. Lunch tomorrow?”

  Silence. “How did you get this number?”

  “Eileen Montgomery. She thought you should hear what I have to say.”

  I heard a deep intake of breath, then, “Where?”

  “Do you remember where you had lunch the day your father died?” I asked.

  “You were there?”

  “I was leaving as you arrived. Someone I was with knew who you were.”

  More silence, then, “Yes, that is a good spot. Eleven-thirty.” There was a click, and the line went dead.

  Next, I called George Flynn.

  “Yes?”

  “George, it’s Erin McLane. I need to see you.”

  “Be still my heart.”

  I laughed. “Come on. You always knew I couldn’t stay away.”

  He joined in the laughter.

  “Seriously, I have a lead on the vampire hunters.”

  Silence, then he said, “Not at Rosie’s. Barclay has that place covered like a blanket.”

  “My apartment, too. Name a place. I don’t have a car, but anyplace close to a bus or train line.”

  “Can you make it to The Dorchester?”

  “Where is it?” I had never heard of the place.

  “Downtown, near the courthouse.”

  “Yeah, give me an hour,” I said.

  “Tell them at the door that you’re with Guy Carleton’s party.”

  I grabbed a bus to the nearest train station, then rode the train into downtown. After asking a couple of people, I found The Dorchester. It turned out to be an upscale steakhouse. Very upscale. The maître d’ gave me the fisheye. Evidently my all-black, skin-tight attire wasn’t what he considered appropriate.

  “I’m with Guy Carleton’s party,” I said.

  His eyebrows went up almost to his non-existent hairline. Then he smirked, pulled out a menu, and said, “Right this way, Miss.”

  I wondered if the smirk meant that he thought Flynn had placed me on his menu. I followed him through the dining room, noting that all the men were dressed in suits, or at least a sports coat and tie, and the women were dolled up in their finest. I wondered if I could afford water if I ever decided to eat there. Black leather upholstery complimented the black-with-white-trim walls. The pictures were all night scenes.

  We passed through another, smaller dining room, and then my tour guide opened a door at the back and stood aside so I could enter. I briefly wondered if I would be in the alley when I passed through the door, but instead I found myself in a room with a single table. George Flynn, another male vampire, and a female vampire sat there. The maître d’ pulled out the single empty chair for me and set the menu in front of me.

  “Did you have any problem finding the place?” George asked.

  “I had to ask directions, but it wasn’t difficult.”

  “These are my children,” he said. “Edward and Matilda. I asked them to join us. They were curious to meet you.”

  Both of the other vampires were considerably younger than Flynn, but I judged them to have probably passed their century mark. The man had been turned in his mid-thirties, the woman probably in her late twenties. Both were beautiful.

  Edward and George were dressed in black suits, while Matilda wore a sapphire-blue satin evening dress that I wanted to rip off her body and take home with me. It would have fit, too. Considering her black hair, pale complexion, green eyes, and the contours of her face, I suddenly realized that Flynn’s attraction to me might be real. Matilda could be my older sister, or at least a close cousin.

  “Pleased to meet you,” I said, minding my manners. I glanced down at the menu and noted that it didn’t have any prices.

  “We haven’t dined yet this evening,” George said. “I would be pleased if you joined us, but if our diet offends you, then we can wait until later.”

  I took a deep breath. “Are you eating prepared dishes?” I meant previously-prepared. Blood had already been drained from either humans or animals. Fresh dishes would have had the thralls actually at the table for the vampires to munch on at their leisure.

  All three gave me smiles. It was disconcerting to have that many fangs glittering at me.

  “Prepared,” George said. “Have you dined with vampires before?”

  “Not exactly. I worked in a restaurant that served prepared dinners and drinks. I have catered a fresh banquet, but I must admit, it was a bit unnerving.”

  “I have always thought you knew a lot more about us than is common,” he said.

  “We have an excellent chef,” Matilda said.

  The restaurant I had worked in served raw blood as a drink, but also dishes—some actually cooked, or maybe I should say warmed—made with blood. Blood puddings of various types and flavors, blood sausage, blood pies, and a host of other things that the vamps could eat like regular people and enjoy nostalgic memories of when they were alive.

  George motioned to the menu. “Please.”

  I read down the menu. It had been about four hours since my meal at the diner, and the smell of cooked steaks when I walked through the dining room had made my mouth water. Figuring I would probably never be able to afford the place, I ordered the filet mignon, medium rare, to the disappointment of my hosts, with sides and a tomato juice Bloody Mary.

  “Is this one of your holdings?” I asked.

  “Yes,” George said, “although not widely known. I’ve always used The Devil’s Den as my public face. Actually, you’re the first outsider I’ve ever invited here.”

  I dipped my head. “I’m honored.”

  “Are you really a renegade Hunter?” Matilda suddenly blurted out.

  I chuckled. “There isn’t such a thing. There are live Hunters, and dead Hunters. And since I am not a member of the Order of the Illuminati, and I am still breathing, that would be a no. I am just a bartender who has known a lot of interesting people. You know how it is. It’s amazing what people will confide in their bartender.”

  “And what kind of a
mazing information have you gleaned about the vampire hunters?” Edward asked.

  “I am informed that a group of wealthy and influential men here in town have contracted with a dhampir to offer bounties. Two thousand for vampires and five hundred for shifters,” I replied.

  They all glanced at each other, shifting in their seats. The news was obviously something they hadn’t heard.

  “Any clue as to the identity of the dhampir?” George asked.

  I shook my head. “Supposedly someone new in town. Frankie Jones has contracted me to find out, as well as finding out who the money men behind her are.”

  “And you want our help?”

  “I want you to stay out of my way. Leave me and the people working with me alone. Pass the word to your minions that I am not harvesting heads. Frankie has assured me that she already has more than enough on hand to provide me with a cover story.”

  “You’re awfully confident,” Matilda said, her expression stopping just short of a sneer.

  I smiled at her. “Yes, I am.”

  “How much is she paying you?” George asked.

  “Enough that I can take time off from work for a few days. George, if money was my motivation, Barclay offered me a million dollars to take you out, and I told him no.”

  “As if you could,” Edward said, gracing me with a full-blown patrician sneer.

  “I could take all three of you out between the main course and dessert,” I said, invoking my shield. “Try to touch me.”

  He reached out, but his hand stopped six inches away from me.

  “I don’t have to be stronger, faster, or harder to kill if you can’t lay a hand on me,” I said. “I’m sure all of you are smarter and far wiser than I am, but I have magic that you can’t equal.”

  George gave me a lop-sided grin. “Atonement?”

  I met his eyes. “Perhaps. One must start somewhere. Do vampires ever think about atonement?”

  He nodded. “I think some of us do.”

  After dinner—which was incredible, the steak cut with a butter knife—George led me to the basement and then through a tunnel to a building on another street.