I felt the woo woo wash over me for a moment, and then it was gone. He was all business again. “Jessamine was staying with her mate in a house near the beach. They spend most of their time in the dust bowl of the desert, so Levi arranged to take a house to allow her to be near the water. She was very involved, as she always is, in scrying, and working her magic. She was happy to be a vampire with Levi, but witchcraft was her passion.” He sighed. “She was the most amazing vampire I’ve ever known.”
“Really?” I asked. It almost sounded as though he cared for her.
“Yes. I would have taken her into my clan, my harem,” he winked at me, “In a flash, if she wished it. But she loved that crusted old man, that cowboy. And there was never another for her. So I merely flirted enough to annoy her mate, and admired her from afar.”
“How do we know you’re telling the truth?” Tuesday asked.
“You don’t. But I find that I like the boldness of Deana, and have nothing to lose by being honest.”
They stared at one another. I was going to get that story out of Tuesday if it killed me. You know, because I’m all about taking risks with vampires. I stifled a laugh to myself.
Delgado’s head whipped to me. “Yes?”
“I’m sorry, Alfonso. I’m a little giddy at my own ballsyness. I knew I was walking into a den of predators, and yet, there’s knowing, and then… knowing,” I said, putting emphasis on the last word. “It’s getting to me.”
“Deana, you are lovely. You are also welcome here. As long as you mind your manners, and do not bother my guests. You may even bring your friend Tuesday. But you will not interfere in my business again. Is that understood?”
“Absolutely. One last thing, Alfonso,” I smiled, just a small one, not gushing or anything. “Is it possible to talk to Lavina?”
Oh, shit. Now I’d done it. The silence around me suggested I’d gone too far. In for a penny, in for a pound. I smiled a bit more and waited.
“You have accused me of turning on the woo woo, but I think it’s you who have the woo woo,” Delgado said. “Or else I’m going insane. Yes, you may speak with Lavina. Take her,” he said to one of the hovering males. “And Tuesday. They can have five minutes with Lavina, and then I’d suggest heading home for the evening.” He stared to make sure his meaning was clear.
“Of course,” I inclined my head, feeling like I was finally making some progress. “You are too kind.”
“I am. Don’t forget it,” he said shortly as he stood and walked away. One of the males turned to walk with him, and the other waited for us.
As we got up and followed the second male into the back of the bar, I wondered how we were going to be leaving.
Hopefully upright and under our own steam.
Chapter Seven
“I’m not sure if you’re stupid or a genius,” Tuesday hissed.
I opened my mouth to respond and she made a shushing motion, gesturing at Delgado’s guy in front of us. Nodding, I shut my mouth. There would be plenty of time to talk later. Like when we made it out of here safely. I wasn’t fooled by Delgado’s show of tolerance and amusement. He’d kill us the moment it became to his advantage.
But right now, I was trying to keep Kel alive. I’d deal with Delgado looking for a favor in return later.
The guy in front of us led us down a small hallway at the back of the bar. He pushed open a door, and stood to the side, waiting for us to enter. “You have five minutes,” his voice was deep.
I started to walk in but an iron bar in the form of Tuesday’s arm stopped me. “I’ll go first,” she said. She pushed past me, and I followed, a little unnerved.
A sudden movement had Tuesday pushing me back out the door. I heard her hiss something and I stepped back into the shadow of the hallway.
More hissing and then I heard Tuesday again. “You can come in, Deana.”
Stepping in cautiously, I saw that Tuesday had her arm around another blond woman. But where Tuesday looked like a fairy tale come to life, this woman was Barbie on steroids. She had long, wavy blond hair, and her eyes were fierce.
At the moment, she wasn’t smiling.
“I’m Deana Holliday,” I said.
“You’re a friend of Kel’s.”
“We were friends,” I said.
“He was a dick to you after Derek died,” she said. “He told me about it, and I told him he was wrong.”
“He was,” I said shortly. I wasn’t going to get into this now. “Listen, we only have a few minutes. Then we’re going to have to leave. What happened with you and Jessamine?”
Her lips pursed together. “I don’t—”
“I don’t care what your issue is,” I got closer to her. “If you care about Kel at all, you need to tell me what you know.”
“I went to see Jessamine to get some herbs from her. She’s—she was—really great at drying them so that they are still effective when you’re ready to use them.”
“You’re a witch?” I asked.
“No. There are just certain herbs I use. For my own personal use.” Her face took on a mulish expression.
“I don’t care why you use them. What I’m trying to understand is why you were there, and what happened to Jessamine.”
“She was alive when I left.”
“Why did you argue?”
“Because she was scrying when I came in, and we argued over what she saw. She was still in the middle of her reading, and I overheard it. I told her she needed to come clean, to tell someone what she saw. She refused, said it wasn’t her place to get involved.”
“Involved in what?” Tuesday asked.
Lavina’s lips pursed together again.
“Kel is going to die if you don’t tell me what is going on,” I said.
“Better than both of us dying. If I tell what I heard now, it won’t do a damn thing for me.”
“But it’s all cool if Kel dies?” I asked angrily.
“No!” she burst out. “No! I don’t want him to die. But I can’t save him—why do you think they have me locked up in here? Because I’d find him and run away and tell all these assholes,” she raised her voice, no doubt to let the guy in the hallway hear her, “To piss off!” She glared at the doorway.
No one came in, so I guessed they were used to hearing her cuss them out. I just stared at her. All this anger was well and good, but it wasn’t getting us any—
Lavina gestured to me, beckoning me closer. “Listen, Jessamine wrote it down. If you can get her diary, she has what she saw written down. I thought she was crazy, but she just might be the genius that saves me and Kel. Go to her house and look in the room she was using as a workroom. The diary will be in there.” She spoked in a hurried whisper.
“Unless her mate has already cleared her things,” Tuesday said.
“This soon? Please,” Lavina rolled her eyes to show her thoughts on the mate taking such an action. “It has to be found and shared by someone other than me. No one will believe me, and all it will get me is being left in the sun somewhere the minute it comes out. You know,” she looked at Tuesday. “You know that Jessamine usually got it right when she scried. I have no reason to think she’d break the streak now.”
“Do you have any idea who killed her?” I asked. This was all very interesting, but it wasn’t helping Kel.
“If her scrying that night was known, yes, I would think who killed her would be obvious. I don’t think it is, though, so I really don’t have any idea.”
Delgado’s man opened the door. “Your time is up.”
“Tell Kel I love him,” said Lavina. She sounded like she meant it.
“I will,” I said.
The man showed us to a door, and when we walked outside, slammed it shut behind us with force.
“Let’s get out of here,” Tuesday muttered.
We found my bike and headed home, neither of us speaking. Once we’d gotten safely inside the house, Tuesday sat down in the kitchen and looked at me. “You’re very lucky,” she said.
; “What? Because of Delgado? He’s the kind of guy who thinks of us like pets, doesn’t he?”
She looked surprised, and then approving. “Yes, he is. Most humans don’t figure that out until it’s too late.”
I rolled my eyes. “His kind are a dime a dozen.”
“That is where you are wrong. He may seem charming in the worst sort of sleazy way, but he is dangerous. You are on his radar now. He likes the idea of you, finds you intriguing. He will not forget you, and he’s the kind of person you want to forget you.”
I sat down, sighing. “Life was a lot simpler, a lot less deadly, before I knew I was a witch.”
“You didn’t know?”
“My great grannie left Deadwood and didn’t speak of it fondly. She never went back. We had no idea how witchy,” I didn’t have a better word, “Their lives are. And I didn’t know that everyone and their monster brother knew them.”
Tuesday laughed. “They are very serious about their mission.”
“Don’t I know it. But even as easy as it is to trade on the family name, I figure there’s a cost involved.”
“There is.” The laughter was gone from Tuesday’s face.
“Yeah, well, one more thing to worry about later. It’s not like I can change who my family is. And it’s not like I can change the past, which everyone always seems aware of,” I was referring to the recent dustup with the demon in Deadwood.
“Better to use it for your advantage.”
“What happened with your partner? Sasha?” I asked.
She looked at me, and then looked away. “She argued with Delgado. Told him that we didn’t have a king, so he could quit pretending. Three nights later, I found her body.”
“Oh, no,” I said.
“Not her head. Just her body. With her jewelry, and all the things that I knew were hers. He killed her, but he did it in a way where there is no absolute proof that she’s actually dead, and that he is not tied to in any way.”
“I believe you,” I said.
“That’s kind. No one else does. Or rather, they are taking the easy way out Delgado offered them. No head, no positive ID, and therefore, no one has to make him answer for anything.” Her voice was bitter.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“I miss her and will until the day I meet the final death,” Tuesday said. “But that doesn’t solve our concern at the moment.”
“How the hell are we going to get Jessamine’s diary?” I asked.
“IF Lavina is telling the truth.”
“Did she seem like she was lying to you?”
Tuesday looked at me like I’d grown another head. “Really?”
“That was a serious question. I couldn’t tell if she was lying. She seemed sincere, in that ‘I’ve resigned myself to my fate as long as I don’t die,’ sort of way.”
Tuesday smiled. “She does seem rather self-absorbed, doesn’t she?”
“Why wouldn’t she just tell the truth about what Jessamine saw?”
Tuesday shrugged. “That, I don’t know.”
“We have to get that diary.”
“That will be far easier said than done. Her mate will be on high alert, and he’s going to attack first, then ask questions. That’s if he’s in the mood to talk at all.” Her voice was dark.
“Do you have a better idea?” I asked.
She looked away, and then sighed. “No.”
“Then let’s find a way to get him out of the house so we can run in and grab the diary.”
“What’s the we business? You think you’re going with me? You’re as slow as a drunken elephant, and just as noisy,” Tuesday was scathing.
“I can drive the getaway bike, then,” I said. There was no way I was being left out on this one. Or anything. This was my case, and I would be there for all things connected. Good or ill.
She sighed again. “You are really very persistent. It makes things difficult.”
“I work for my clients. Why can’t we just call him, talk, be out in the open? Or is that not how vampires work?” I asked.
“I suppose you want to do this tonight?”
“Kel is down to less than five days,” I said.
“All right. Let me consider for a bit. I need fifteen minutes.” She strode off to where she was sleeping, leaving me in the kitchen.
All in all, Tuesday was all right. The rest? I shuddered a little, thinking about both Zachary and Alfonso. I decided I’d take my crazy witch family over all this vampire drama any day of the week. At least my aunts just yelled at you when they were not happy.
Although since there was major drama surrounding all the secrets that were coming out about my family, maybe I shouldn’t cast stones, or roll my eyes too hard. I couldn’t complain. Tuesday had been incredibly helpful every step of the way—I had no reason to think she’d change tactics now.
At least, I hoped not.
While I contemplated if I’d make it through to the morning, Tuesday came out. “All right. I’m ready. Let’s go. I’ll tell you what we’re doing when we get there.”
“Why not now? Before we leave, and venture into the dangerous, stressful situation with the vampire whose all mad with grief?”
“Because I don’t want to hear any shit from you about the plan,” Tuesday said, heading for the garage.
I followed her out for the second time that night.
At some point, I needed to take back control of this growing circus. But maybe not right this second.
Chapter Eight
Tuesday had put the address into my phone, and I drove up the Pacific Coast Highway toward Malibu. The address was in a swanky beach community right near Point Dume. Driving the Chief up the highway at night was amazing, and for a moment, I forgot that I was on a quest to play hide and seek with a vampire.
A pissed off, grieving, not-in-the-mood vampire, no doubt. But who’s worrying? I smiled despite the tension, because there is nothing better than winding up the coast on your bike. Nothing.
Nope, not even that.
All too soon, I was turning off the PCH onto the road that led out toward the point. When the map showed that we were there, I drove past the house, and parked further down the street. There really wasn’t anywhere to park, which made me even more glad I’d brought the bike. My Land Cruiser would have stuck out like a sore thumb.
“Be quiet,” Tuesday whispered even though I hadn’t said a word. “I’m going to call him and tell him that I have heard something about Jessamine’s death—that I spoke with Lavina.”
“You’re going to tell him the truth?” I didn’t think this was in the plan.
“Easier. I’ll ask him to meet me, and when he leaves, we’ll go in and find the diary.”
“That’s the big plan?”
“You have a better idea?”
I considered. “No. It gets him out of the house.”
“Exactly. Now be quiet.” She dialed a number into her phone and talked quietly.
Vampires seemed to do everything fast. She talked in a low tone, and she was speaking quickly, so I couldn’t really understand.
“We need to stay out of sight,” Tuesday said.
Together, we crouched down behind the Chief, and waited. We didn’t have to wait long. Within five minutes, a car sped out of the circular driveway in front of the house. When the brake lights disappeared around the turn to the main road, Tuesday stood up. “Let’s go.”
“I get to come in with you now?”
“Better than leaving you out here,” she said over her shoulder.
We hurried to the door, and Tuesday fiddled with the lock. Normally, I would have done this, because hello? Lock pick skills right here, but I was happy to let her take the lead. Within moments, the lock clicked and the door opened.
We stepped in, and Tuesday took a deep breath.
“This way,” she said.
“How can you tell?”
“Lavina said she came here for herbs. That means a stillroom of some kind, and it’s very fragran
t.”
The house wasn’t big, and as we stepped into a room, I flicked on the light. It was like stepping into a medieval movie. There were drying racks with various herbs and flowers hanging off it, and there were lines strung across the room with more bundles of herbs and plants tied together hanging off the line.
It was charming.
“Okay, where would she keep it?” I prowled around, looking at the table of things that Jessamine had left. She wasn’t tidy, but I would bet she’d known where everything was. It was a chaotic kind of order.
I found a small, leather bound book among a stack of papers. “I think this is it,” I said. Flipping it open, I went to the last page where there was writing.
“Shit.” The one word echoed through the room.
“What?”
I looked up. “It’s in code,” I said. “Can you read this?”
Tuesday came over and took the book. She thumbed through the pages, her eyes scanning. “No,” she said as she shook her head. “This must be her own personal code. I don’t understand it.”
“You’re not meant to,” a deep, masculine voice said from behind us.
I stopped, and lowered my hands, one reaching into my pocket for a fire bag. I said the spell in my head a few times, ready to cast it. I couldn’t see what Tuesday was doing because she was off to my side and I was staring straight ahead, barely daring to breathe.
“Set down the journal, and turn around,” the man commanded.
Doing as he asked, I saw that Tuesday put the book back onto the table. We both looked up at the guy who’d caught us, and I took a breath.
Wow.
This really wasn’t the right time, but I couldn’t help but admire him. He had salt-and-pepper gray hair, and his face was tan. He must have been in his forties when he turned, because he didn’t have the overly youthful face of some of the vampires I’d seen so far. He also had a mustache like you read about in an old West novel—big, bushy, and while I wasn’t a fan of mustaches, it looked absolutely fantastic on him.
He was dressed all in black, and all he needed was a cowboy hat and a horse to be ready to ride off into the sunset a hundred years ago.
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