by S. L. Gavyn
I drove up to the house and went inside before opening my package. When I lifted the lid off of the box there was a note lying on top of something wrapped in tissue paper. I picked up the note and read it.
Sunny,
I’m sorry I didn’t have time to force you to go bridesmaid shopping with me. I’m sure you will get over it though. When I saw this dress I envisioned you in it. Hope it fits as well as I know it will. Can’t wait to see you Saturday. I’ve attached directions.
Much love,
K
I put down the note and moved the tissue paper aside. There was a charcoal gray dress inside. I lifted it out and saw there wasn’t much to it. It was strapless and would probably only come to mid-thigh. I did love the color. Much better than the pink dress I had to wear when my sister had gotten married. Of course that was over sixty years ago. Style had changed quite a bit since then and if I have to wear a dress I’m glad it’s not that big, poufy, ruffled, hot pink thing I was drowning in all so long ago. I shuttered just thinking about it.
I held the dress up in front of me in the mirror. I was right. It did only come to mid-thigh and a second look in the box showed a pair of silver four inch heels. Hopefully I wouldn’t look like I belonged on a street corner in this getup. Nothing I could do about it now so I took it upstairs and hung the dress in my closet and placed the shoes on the floor beneath. They looked out of place among my t-shirts and jeans. Just the thought made me dread this upcoming event.
After a shower and quick meal I headed back to Eternal Darkness. I really want to press Roman to let me see Tristan but I know that newly made Vampere need to rest and come to terms with their new selves. And I know Roman won’t want me to see Tristan until he thinks he’s ready. I’ll wait for now and concentrate solely on finding the asshole that did this to him. A smile crossed my face as I thought about what I would do to that Vamp. I can promise his fortune cookie will be blank.
“Oh, it’s you.”
“Aw. Such a heartfelt welcome. Thanks Carly. I love you too.”
She rolled her eyes and started down the hall leaving me to close the door behind me. And here I thought we had a real connection last night. Guess that was just the booze talking. She turned around halfway down the hall and I about ran into her.
“Roman told me the new plan. If you hurt him again, I will kill you. I tried to talk him out of this stupid idea but he won’t listen to reason when it comes to you.”
“Jealousy is such an ugly emotion. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Her eyes narrowed. “You don’t think I can kill you? I can make your karma so horrible you’ll be dead in a week.”
“You wouldn’t do that unless you’re stupid. Any rookie knows better than to mess with fate. If you aren’t woman enough to put a blade in me then you aren’t worth my time.”
I pushed past her and walked through the door that led to the main club. Roman was there talking to Charles and another Vamp. I walked up and gave him a kiss on the cheek before wrapping my arm around him and standing at his side. I don’t know if he told all of his security about the arrangement but I figure it’s better to play it out for everyone. Besides, other than Charles I don’t know any of the security. They could be the killer for all I know.
“Hey Romy.” The nickname would serve two purposes. First, it sounded endearing and second, I knew Roman would hate it.
He looked at me with a sly smile. “Hello Sunshine. Did you manage to get any sleep while you were away?”
I smiled back realizing what he was implying. “I got a couple of hours.”
“I suppose that will have to sustain you.” He turned back to the other Vamps. “You know your places. Charles, I’ll leave it to you to tell the others.”
“Yes sir.” He nodded to Roman then to me. When his head came back up he winked with a smile while I rolled my eyes in return. The other Vamp nodded as well then they both left the club area.
I stayed in my position with Roman and whispered in his ear. “Do they know the truth?”
He smiled and shook his head slightly. “My, you are insatiable. I’m sure you can wait until after the show.”
I looked around. There were several servers and a couple of bouncers nearby getting everything ready for tonight’s opening. Great. Now everyone in the immediate area thinks I was asking him for sex and got shot down. I stuck my tongue out at him and walked over to the stage where the guys were practicing.
“Hey fellas.”
They all looked at me warily.
“Oh come on. We were cool two days ago. Sure I acted like a freak last night but my kid got stolen. How would you act if your child was kidnapped?”
“Your kid was taken? I didn’t even know you had a kid. Do you know who took him?” Dan asked.
“Not yet but like I said last night, whoever did it is a dead man.”
“No wonder you went all The Shining on us.”
“Really? That’s what you compare me to? Jack Nicholson in The Shining.”
“What? No, I was referring to that creepy kid that kept saying ‘red rum red rum’. You were totally putting out the crazy death foreteller vibes last night.”
“Thanks Dan. That’s just what I was going for.”
“You’re totally good at it.”
Apparently he doesn’t know what sarcasm is.
“Are we going to practice or what?”
“As long as you’re not going to freak out and kill the crowd I don’t think we need to practice. We’re already warmed up and since I’m not singing I’m good.”
“No promises. Do you think anyone will even show tonight after what happened?”
“I got a boat load of calls today from peeps asking if you were singing tonight,” Keith said.
“What did you tell them?”
“I told them they would just have to come to the club and find out.”
“Do you think they wanted to know because they didn’t want to come if I was going to be here or because they wanted me to be here?”
He shrugged his shoulders. I looked at Dan who looked just as uncertain. Well, we would find out in a few minutes.
We retired back stage while the club opened and everyone got ready for the night’s performance. A look at the crowd showed it was just as big as the other night and Dan said there were even more people outside waiting than before. He also told me that Roman had setup a sort of outside party area in the event of another large crowd. Apparently the empty lot next to the club is also owned by Roman. He had it cleared and added some lighting. A couple of big screen TVs and a portable bar completed the area. It was open for those that were waiting to get inside. That way even though they couldn’t see me live they could still experience the show and he would make a boatload of money off the drinks he sells.
It doesn’t really surprise me that Roman thought of that. He has always been really good when it comes to making money. I remember the first time I visited his home in Las Vegas. My jaw had road rash from dragging on the driveway leading up to the estate. I asked him how a psychologist could afford such an enormous home and he told me he came from old money. Now I know that the money was old and so was he. One can accumulate quite the savings when they’ve been around a thousand years.
Roman came backstage just as we were about to begin. He walked up to me and put his hand to my face softly then rubbed his thumb across my bottom lip.
“I will be walking you out tonight, Sunshine.”
“Uh, okay. Why?”
He just smiled at me before turning to the other members. “Are you ready?”
There were a round of yes’s and Roman motioned for me to precede him. When I walked out on the stage everyone stopped and watched me. I can honestly say that I don’t think I will ever get used to that.
Roman grabbed the mic off the stand. “Thank you all for coming. Both those inside the club and those joining us outside. I am happy to say that our beautiful, little Thief has decided to join us again and will be staying for some time
. The reason for her outburst last night was due to someone making an attack on one that she considered hers. I can assure you this attack will not be tolerated. Together we will find them and together we will make them pay. Until then I have persuaded her to stay here with me and I can also assure you my powers of persuasion are quite exemplary. Now without any more posturing. I give you the lovely and incredibly talented, Sunny Dubois.”
I stepped forward and everyone went crazy. That’s the only way I know to explain it. They were clapping and screaming and jumping up and down. Crazy. Roman handed me the mic as he gave me a quick kiss. When he turned to walk away he gave me a pat on the rump. I turned and narrowed my eyes as his retreating backside. Two can play at that game. Just not now. Now I have a room full of people watching me intently. Not to mention the ones outside that I couldn’t see.
“Uh, thanks for coming. I hope not to disappoint.”
Again with the craziness. I motioned for the other band members to save me and they quickly got into position.
We played through our first set and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. When we took our break midway through the night Roman was waiting for me. I rushed into his arms as though I couldn’t wait. As he engulfed me in a hug I reached down and pinched his ass none too lightly. Roman released me and when I looked up at him adoringly he had a smirk on his face.
“Lover, always with the foreplay.”
“What can I say? Sometimes I’m uncontrollable.”
His eyes were smoldering. “I can attest to that.”
“Roman, aren’t you going to introduce us to your new plaything?”
I raised a brow and he shot me a warning look. He turned with a smile to the two women and man standing behind him.
“Sunshine, I would like you to meet a few of the local business owners. This is Marie Deluca, she owns a local floral shop, Emily Bowers, she owns an apothecary, and David Michaels, and he owns the grocery store down the street. Everyone this is Sunny Dubois.”
WTF? Why is he introducing me to these people? What is this, bridge night?
“Um, nice to meet you all.”
Marie, who was a buxom blonde and obviously Vamp, turned her nose up at me while Emily, a shifter if I had to guess, practically clung to her skirt tails. David, definitely elf and judging by his magic he was of the dark variety, was eying me curiously. In the end it was he who broke the ice.
“The pleasure is all mine, Sunny,” he said as he reached forward to shake my hand.
I stuck mine out but he seemed to realize what that meant and pulled his back before I could make contact. I smiled at him. At least he thought about shaking my hand. That either made him friendly or stupid. Not sure which yet. Marie looked down her nose at me and sniffed.
“The Thief. Roman could do better.”
“You mean you? I’m fairly certain he’s been there done that and from what I heard, he found you lacking.”
I’ve never even heard of this chick before but if she wants to talk trash she just found her opponent.
“Now, now love. No need for bad mouthing,” Roman chided me.
I looked at him wide eyed. That bitch started it and he’s telling me not to talk smack? If he doesn’t watch it, I’ll be doing more than talking.
“Well, I think I’ll talk with the fellas for a minute before we start back. If you’ll excuse me.” I gave Roman a peck on the cheek and walked away as fast as I could.
The guys liked to hang out in the employee lounge during break and I seldom join them but if it’ll get me away from Miss Clairol back there then I’m their new best friend. As I reached the door to the lounge a hand shot forward and opened it for me. I looked over to find the Vamp Charles and Roman had been talking to earlier. He opened the door for me and I stepped through. I expected him to have a seat or fix a cup of coffee or do something else that a normal person does in a break room but he just went to a corner and stood there. Huh? Why would he be guarding the break room? Of course I knew it wasn’t the break room itself rather the certain girlfriend of the boss that was now in the break room. I decided to ignore him.
“Hey guys.”
“Well look who’s slumming. What, tired of all your adoring fans already?” Dan said.
“It’s hard to be a rockstar,” Keith said with a sigh.
“Ha, ha. Is it comedy hour and no one told me?”
“We’re full of good humor as long as you’re not going to go loco on us,” Curt, the bass guitarist added.
“Baby, I was born loco. It’s just that some people bring out my evil side.”
“Remind me not to get on that list,” Dan said.
“What’s with the beef in the corner?” Keith asked.
I glanced at my new guard. “I guess that’s courtesy of my new bf.”
“Whoa. You’re hittin’ it with the big guy? No wonder you’re so popular around here,” Dan said.
“Yep, you figured it out. Everyone’s here because Roman paid them to come and make me feel like I was a good singer.”
Dan nodded. “Makes sense to me.”
I rolled my eyes.
“So how long has this been going on with you and the boss? Not that it’s really any of my business. I just wonder because last night you were all angel of vengeance with a sword to his throat. That was completely badass by the way,” Keith said.
“Why thank you, Keith. It was all for my fans.”
“You’re telling me you faked it? No way am I buying that.”
I just winked at him. “Let’s just say that we kissed and made up.”
“Okay, that’s all the info I need.”
“Wait a minute. You can go into more detail if you’d like. I wouldn’t even mind a demonstration myself,” Dan threw in.
“You will not talk to the Thief in such a manner.”
I turned to look at beefcakes in the corner. So he does talk after all.
“You don’t tell my friends how to talk to me.”
“I am ordered to not allow anyone to hit on you.”
“He’s my friend and he was only joking. And if he wasn’t joking I’m quite capable of telling him off myself.”
He shrugged. “Just doing my job, Thief.”
“It’s Sunny to you.”
He shrugged again but said no more. That was kind of childish to refuse to allow him to call me a nickname that I didn’t even choose but ignorance makes me childish.
We talked a few more minutes until our break was over and our friend in the corner didn’t say anything else. Roman was waiting for me before I went on stage. He bent and kissed my neck then whispered in my ear.
“I thought you were here to find a killer. I introduce you to the top players in the Fort Worth underworld and you snarl at one before leaving us.”
My eyes had to have been as big as quarters. They led the area’s illegal activity?! No wonder Miss Clairol was such a rancid bitch.
“Uh, sorry Romy. I’ll try to be better next time.”
He pulled back then clucked my chin. “See that you do. I’ll be waiting for you after the show.”
I winked at him and started onstage. He tried to swat me again but I managed to dodge. When I looked back he had a smirk on his face.
After the show I was led straight to VIP and I couldn’t believe it took five guards to hold back the party goers so I could make it there. Roman was standing next to a booth waiting for me and Miss Clairol and David Whatever-his-name-was were already sitting in the opposite seat. I pretended to be happy to be there, kissed Roman on the cheek and slid on in. There was a server nearby and I tipped my head to him. He was like a heat seeking missile headed straight for our booth.
“Whiskey please, the Scottish kind.”
“Double that,” Roman added.
He nodded then glanced at the other’s full drinks before rushing off to fill our orders. Roman slid closer and began playing with my hair in his hand while breathing it in.
“So, you’re the local crime lords. Guess I should show yo
u more respect. Or less. Depends on how you look at it. David, you’re the grocery store owner. Let me see if I can guess. Drugs? No, that seems to cliché. Human trafficking? Nah.” I took another look at him. He was slender to the point of being scrawny and he had a hawk nose with sunken eyes. He didn’t look like a typical crimelord. No, my guess he had a bunch of goons handle his light weight. He probably relies on his brains. I snapped my fingers. “Bookie. That’s got to be it. You run the bets in the back of your store? Or maybe a warehouse?”
His eyes narrowed and I took that to be a yes. I could feel Roman tense beside me but I wasn’t worried. He wanted me to meet these peeps and he knows how unsocial I am so he should have expected an awkward conversation. I turned to the blonde.
“Now for you, Miss Clairol. Roman said you run a florist shop. Hm. Now that will take some thought. What would a two-bit slut run out of her flower shop?” And then the light bulb lit up. “What else would a ho sell but booty? Ding, ding, ding. I’ll take call girls for three hundred, Alex.” If looks could kill I would once again be a puddle of goo on the floor but I wasn’t done yet. “Wow. All that in under thirty seconds. Damn I’m good.”
The server brought our drinks and I took a sip.
“Do you think you could go for a little discretion?” Mr. Bookie said.
“Why? No one listens to me anyway. Unless I’m on stage. Any other time I might as well be speaking Hungarian.”
“Still. I wouldn’t want the wrong person to hear.”
“Oh, you mean like someone from the council? Maybe one of their agents?” I looked at them meaningfully. There was no sense in pretending they didn’t know exactly who I was and what I did for a living. “I can assure you the council doesn’t give a rat’s ass about a bookie and a prostitute. They have much bigger fish to fry. Unless you’re the one’s killing Vamps and leaving a trail of dead bodies between here and Dallas?”
They both looked at me as innocently as possible.
“No. I didn’t think so. Then you’re in the clear. Except for you Miss Clairol. You might want to have something done about those roots. They’re righteously bad. So, do either of you know anything about any Vampere being stolen? Or have any possible leads for me?”