Dark Pact

by Lisa Manifold

  “You can use the slow down, and the fire bags,” Daniella continued. “Most vampires aren’t magic, although some, like Jessamine, and maybe your friend’s girlfriend, dabble in it. Actually, Jessamine was a skilled scryer.”

  “You mean like seeing stuff in water?”

  “Exactly that, and she was usually right. If she read for you, you paid attention.”

  “Did you ever meet her?”

  “No,” Daniella said. “She had a husband, mate is what they call it in vampire world, and they are older than we are. They never came through here.”

  If Jessamine and her man hadn’t come through Deadwood, my aunts would not have met them. They were witches, and they were immortal, but they only retained their power and their immortality if they stayed within Deadwood. That would make me crazy, but then, I’d never left the house I grew up in here in Venice, and I never wanted to leave the Los Angeles area. I had enjoyed Deadwood more than I thought I would, and not just for family connections. There was a peace I hadn’t expected to find there.

  “Thanks, Daniella. Tell me the truth. How are things going?”

  “Challenging, but nothing the Nightingales have to do is ever easy,” she sighed. “And we can’t keep enough bacon in stock for Beeval.”

  Beeval was their resident house demon. Who was the best of friends with Evil, their resident house chicken. I laughed.

  Daniella continued, “These are, however, first world witch problems, and we’re fine. Don’t worry about us, Deana. Just take care of yourself, and never, ever trust the vampires to back you up against one of their own. Got it?” Her voice was low and serious.

  “Got it.”

  “And know that they don’t do anything for free. If Zachary gives you his time, he will expect some of yours.”

  “Shit. Like, in what way?”

  “He’ll want a favor. Vampires are very into favors. If he asks, which he will, only agree to something that can be done within the week. Do not---I repeat, do not—allow him to talk you into owing him something at a later date.”

  “You’re scaring me.”

  “Good,” Daniella said. “Fear’s a good guide.”

  “Thanks, I think,” I said.

  “Hey, you’re a bad ass. You have nothing to worry about. I’m giving you a heads up on the rules so they don’t try to pull on over on you.”

  I felt better with her reassurance. “Thanks, Daniella.”

  “Let me know if Zachary doesn’t get back to you. I’ll give him a nudge. Love you,” she said.

  “Love you, too. Tell everyone.”

  “I will.” Daniella hung up.

  I felt better after making that small connection with my family. The house was lonely without Mom and Gran, even as I knew they needed to be there, working on breaking the family curse. I opened my email and sent an email to the vampire she’d given me info for, and then settled in to wait. I’d added my phone number, in case he wanted to call, but it was hours before dark, so I had some time to kill.

  After an uneventful lunch, the chime on the door rang. I looked up, and an older man, tall, lanky and with a face that was wrinkled from the sun came in. He was neatly dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt, and he carried a beat up looking brown paper bag under his arm. He looked to be of Native American ancestry, with dark eyes that were lively, and as he turned a little to close the door behind him, I could see he had a long, neat braid down his back.

  “Can I help you?” I wasn’t sure what to make of him. There was something about him that made my witchy sense tingle. I slid a hand into the pocket of my jeans where I had the fire tea bags. Fire would hold off most of the things that went bump in the night, even if they walked around during the day.

  “I’m looking for Deana Holliday,” he said, his voice deep, with an accent I couldn’t place. It was as though English wasn’t his first language.

  “I’m Deana,” I said, standing, and extending my right hand, keeping the tea bag clutched in my left down by my leg.

  He appraised me slowly, looking me over from head to toe. Even though he couldn’t see my toes, I felt the intensity of his scrutiny. “So you are,” he said. “I think I’d like to hire you.”

  “You’re not sure?”

  “Well, I’d like to speak with you to be sure,” he said.

  “Please have a seat, then,” I said, gesturing toward my desk.

  He sat down carefully, still holding the bag. He saw me looking at it and slid it under the chair near his feet.

  “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “Water, please,” the man said.

  Neither of us spoke while I got him a bottle. Handing it to him, I sat down across from him. Part of me was anxious to get to work on checking to see if there was an email from Zachary, seeing if he had any online presence, but you can’t turn down business when it walks in the door. The other part of me felt like this was about to be something big. I slid the fire bag I’d been holding into my pocket, but at the top in case I needed to get to it in a hurry.

  The man looked around. “This is neat, and tidy. Like yourself.”

  Okay. “Thank you,” I said.

  “But you need some food.”

  “I’m sorry, I only have beverages,” I said. Too bad I’d let the pie walk out the door earlier. Something told me this guy would have appreciated it.

  He nodded as he opened his water bottle. “It’ll do. Now you are able to find someone?”

  “It depends on who you’re looking for, but that is my job,” I said.

  He nodded. “Makes sense. I’m looking for someone that I think might be my daughter.”

  “What are your plans if she is?”

  “Is that your business?” His dark eyes bored into me.

  “Well, no, but it’s part of my ethics. I’m not going to stalk someone for you,” I said before I realized it. And while I hadn’t thought about it, this was part of my ethics. Good to know. Might have been nice to know this before I opened a business. But my gut told me I needed to say this.

  He looked at me for a moment, and then nodded. “I can appreciate that, Deana Holliday.”

  “Why are you trying to find her?”

  “I was in a relationship with her mother years ago, and I’ve only been made aware of the existence of the child—well, woman now—recently,” the man said.

  “What’s your name?” I asked.

  “Caleb Baker.”

  “Mr. Baker, why don’t you give me the details about this woman, and her mother, as you know them?”

  He leaned back, and I opened a file on my laptop for him. It seemed straightforward, and honestly, I didn’t get creeptastic vibes from him. I did, however, feel I needed to warn him of my boundaries. He was pleasant, and easy to talk with, so I didn’t think he minded.

  At the end of an hour, he stood up, pulling the paper bag from under his chair. “I think I shall hire you, Deana Holliday. You have my contact information, so please let me know what you find at the end of the week.”

  He’d just now decided to hire me? What had we been doing for the last hour when I could have been composing the perfect response or explanation email to a vampire? Not that I’d heard from him yet, but I would. And I was worrying over what to say, how to proceed. “Um, okay. We haven’t discussed my fee.”

  Caleb pulled a wallet from his back pocket and took out a stack of bills. “There is five thousand there.” He set it on my desk. “That should cover your expenses.”

  “Well, yes, but—”

  “I shall expect to hear from you by week’s end,” Caleb said, and walked out of the office.

  I leaned back, pulling the money toward me. When I’d talked with other PIs, this was not the norm. In fact, not being paid was the norm, and so far, I hadn’t had to chase anyone for payment.

  There was something other about Caleb Baker. Maybe he was part of the new community that I found myself part of? I shook my head. Since coming home from Deadwood, I was seeing the boogeyman everywhe
re I looked, and while I did think that the supernatural world was larger than I’d realized, I didn’t think it was a bad guy around every corner.

  I took the time to finish my notes, and then closed Caleb’s file for the time being. I needed to get to the Motor Vehicles department before it closed. My need to worry about all my latest clients would have to wait.

  Chapter Three

  After I’d finished making the Chief legally mine at Motor Vehicles, which had gone more smoothly than any other time I’d been there ever, I spent the rest of the afternoon running down information based on what Caleb had given me. The email to Zachary was sent, and all there was to do was wait. At seven, I locked up, and headed back to our house on the canal. I kept checking my email, but even after the sun set, there was nothing.

  Well, nothing that I wanted to see.

  I’d added my phone number, so maybe he’d just call. At ten after ten, my cell rang. “Hello?”

  “Deana Holliday?” A male voice I didn’t recognize asked.

  “Speaking.”

  “This is Zachary Ennis. I received your email inquiry today.”

  “Thank you for getting back to me so quickly,” I said. “I appreciate it.”

  “You have, on the strength of my connection to your aunts, asked a favor of my time. I’m a busy man.”

  “I realize that,” I said.

  Before I could say more, Zachary continued. “I have great affection for the Nightingales, so I shall be able to meet you for half an hour this evening.”

  “Great. Where?”

  He named a bar just north of me. “You’re in Venice?”

  “No, but you are,” he said. “In an hour, please.” The line went dead.

  Whoa. He knew where I lived. I didn’t know how I felt about that. I’d decide when I met him.

  Since I’d gotten ready for bed, I had to get myself together again. I chose my favorite leather jacket, even though such a thing is almost silly in California, but I was riding the Chief—now sporting a new license plate and title—and the jacket was a necessity.

  The Venice Ale House was dimly lit, and not all that busy as I pulled into the parking lot. I wondered how I’d know Zachary.

  That wondering lasted all of thirty seconds once I walked in the door. At a table toward the back sat a blond man, tale, pale, and flanked by two muscle guys, also tall and pale.

  “Don’t even need a name tag,” I muttered.

  The man at the table stood up and nodded at me from across the room. As I walked over, I could feel the eyes of all three men on me.

  “No, you don’t need a name tag. You look a great deal like your Nightingale relations,” the man said. “I am Zachary Ennis. Please join me.”

  As I slid into the booth, he said, “Would you care for something to drink?”

  “A water, please.”

  He nodded at one of the muscle guys, who moved to the bar. It was like watching ballet in action. I’d never met any vampires, and Kel’s fascination with his girlfriend made sense.

  “I appreciate the discretion you showed in your email, Miss Holliday,” Zachary said.

  Jerking my attention from the guy at the bar, I looked at Zachary. “Please call me Deana. Miss Holliday feels like my grandmother is here.”

  He smiled, and the smile changed his face entirely. He was handsome, in a very angular way. Sharp cheekbones, sharp straight nose—and the smile eased the planes of his face. “Of course. So now that we are here, because I value your Nightingale relatives, how can I help you?”

  “It is, as I mentioned, a matter of some delicacy,” I started. I’d been practicing this one for a while in my head, ever since I’d sent the email. “I would like to know what it is that has convinced your leadership that Kel Worthington ended the life of Jessamine Cassidy.”

  I’d decided in the end that polite honesty was my best approach.

  Zachary sat very still. “You are correct. This is a matter for delicacy. I must ask, since you are being so open with me, what is your concern in this affair?”

  “Kel Worthington is my friend. He says he had nothing to do with Jessamine other than knowing that his friend Lavina had some sort of disagreement with her.”

  One eyebrow went up across the table from me. Then Zachary looked over. “Ah, Peter, thank you. Perfect timing,” he said.

  Peter set a glass of water in front of me and moved away. This was starting to feel like I was walking on a tightrope. I felt my heartbeat speed up, and a little bit of sweat between my shoulder blades.

  “Friendship aside, I don’t see how it’s your business.”

  Shit. I’d thought about this too. “Well, you have a point. But you all need to get along in this world, and it doesn’t really look good to be killing off humans without absolute proof.”

  “How do you know there is no absolute proof?”

  “Honestly?” I asked.

  He nodded.

  “Well, I’ve had my issues with Kel. I’m saying that because if you look around, you’ll know it. Better to get that out front. But he’s not a killer.”

  “Just a shit who keeps other peoples’ things?” Zachary asked.

  Holy hell. “Wow. I envy your info network,” I said, keeping my tone even.

  “I believe in being prepared. It was easy enough to find,” Zachary shrugged.

  I laughed. “Yeah, I’m sure it was. I was pretty vocal about how angry I was at him. But it should say something that I’m willing to stick my neck out for him. He was a shit to me, but that doesn’t mean he murdered anyone.”

  “That may be, but people will do a lot of things for those they love.”

  “Do you mean me, or Kel?”

  “Both?” Zachary raised both brows this time.

  “Is this information that is available to me? Before whatever punishment is carried out?”

  “That’s right, he is on a deadline, isn’t he?” Zachary leaned back.

  “That’s one way to put it,” I said.

  He smiled briefly and then sat still. Hopefully he was considering how to help me and not how to kill me fast and hide the body.

  “Your point about not making waves in the human community has merit. Who knows how many people he’s told about this?” His eyes met mine, and he rolled them. “I have no issues with vampires getting together with humans, but the humans need some discretion.”

  “Threat of dying kind of loosens the tongue.”

  Zachary smiled, a real one. “That’s true. I’ve seen enough die to know better.” He tapped his finger against his lips.

  I sat and tried not to react to how casually he dismissed human death. I hoped I was keeping my face calm and expressionless. And I waited. It would be bad manners to push. I didn’t know how old Zachary was, but manners never hurt, and I could hear Daniella’s words in my ear.

  He leaned back finally. “Normally, I wouldn’t involve myself in this, but I do think your concern is worth some allowances on our part. If you cannot prove your friend innocent, he will die.” His eyes, dark and cold, met mine.

  I nodded. “I understand that.”

  “Does he? If he runs, we will find him. And Lavina will pay the price as well.”

  “I’ll pass that on to him.”

  “Please do. Now, as for help. I am, as I said, willing to make some allowances, but I cannot have you, even a human such as yourself, to careen around our community, making a fuss.”

  “That’s not really my style,” I said.

  He smiled. “No, it doesn’t seem to be, but one never knows. I’ll send one of my associates to you. Tonight. Do you have somewhere safe for sleeping once the sun rises?”

  Oh, wow. I hadn’t planned on having a vampire in my house. “Um, yes. I do.” We had a room that was originally intended to be a wine cellar. I could drag a bed into there.

  “Excellent. I am trusting you with my associate, and I hope you will appreciate such a trust. You will also listen to their advice as to how to proceed, do you understand?” />
  I nodded.

  “Now, in return, I shall require a favor from you, Deana,” Zachary said, inclining his head toward me.

  “I am happy to do so. I request that you make it something I can do within the week.”

  He stared, and then he burst out laughing. “You’ve been well schooled, I see. I do love your aunts. Very well. I actually do have something I need help with, and my own… associates have not been able to make progress on this matter.”

  “I’ll do all I can,” I said.

  “I am sure you will, Miss Holliday. I believe that the human police may need to be brought in, but I feel certain I can count on your discretion?” His eyebrow went up.

  “Of course.”

  Zachary gave me the particulars of what he wanted me to find for him. Then he told me to expect his associate later tonight, and suggested that I might like to go home now. I took the hint, and hauled ass out of there.

  My home was nice—we’d moved from the cottage my great-grandmother had originally bought when I was still a baby. They all felt that I deserved a nicer place, and this one looked like it had come out of a fairy tale, like a chateau in the French countryside. I loved it. I loved living on one of the canals. So I had nothing to be ashamed of there. But I found that I was nervous, and moved around the house once I’d dragged a bed into the former wine cellar. The only other supernatural people I’d been around had been related to me, and liked me. They weren’t potentially going to kill me.

  A light knock at the door nearly made me jump out of my skin. I hurried to answer it, and when I did, I saw a tall, willowy woman with light hair stood in the doorway.

  “Can I help you?” I asked.

  “I am looking for Deana. Zachary sent me,” she said.

  “I’m Deana.”

  “Can you invite me in? I don’t like being out on the street.”

  I stood back, allowing her room to come in.