Bonfire of the Vampires

by Bonfire Of The Vampires (lit)

  “What you mean is, some crazy vampire will kill him and spare the rest of us the trouble.” Jake rose and leaned on the wooden block. He seemed to tower over Abby and for a moment he swore she shrank back from him. She was afraid of him now. He’d never wanted that. Ever.

  “Sounds like a solid plan.” Gideon’s eyes were bright.

  “Set a human up to be murdered by vampires?” Jake stared at them both. How had his world gotten so out of control?

  “Do you have a better plan? Do you want to run from this guy forever?”

  Jake lowered himself back to his seat. “Fine. Let’s bring what we have to Gregori. His people have more resources than we do.”

  Gideon nodded. “This stuff in the packet, if it was left by him, is probably completely untraceable. Abby, do you have anything from him that we can use?”

  “I have his letters and his phone number and pager number.”

  “How does he pay you?”

  “Bank drafts.”

  “Do you have any stubs?”

  “Yes.”

  “Let’s get them and bring them with us.”

  Jake watched the exchange between Abby and Gideon not sure whether to be impressed or jealous at how quickly they began plotting together.

  “Hold on, we can’t just walk into Gregori’s with a vampire killer. Abby wouldn’t be safe there,” he said.

  Gideon’s smile widened. “She won’t be safer anywhere else. Gregori believes in keeping his enemies close. He’ll welcome her with open arms. Trust me.”

  Chapter Five

  Gideon hesitated at the door of Abby’s apartment and she turned a startled glance at him. He’d insisted on driving her home to get whatever items she had that might help them trace the client.

  For once, she was grateful for his company. The chasm between her and Jake was bottomless. She felt poised to jump into the abyss and Gideon’s presence calmed her for some reason.

  “Oh ... you need to be invited in.”

  He laughed and took a single step over the threshold. “You’re a vampire killer and you don’t know that’s just a myth? We can’t enter a home that’s been magically sealed against us. I expected some talismans--that’s why I held back.”

  “Oh.” She turned away, too numb to feel chastised. She’d never sealed the place against vampires mostly because she didn’t put too much faith in potions and candles and circles of salt. Her client had explained the scientific nature of vampirism to her and while there was certainly a supernatural component to the virus that transformed humans into the living dead, there was more cold, hard biology at work than people realized. The other reason she’d never bothered with a talisman or spell was because her targets never saw her coming and none had ever survived to come looking for her. Human authorities never investigated vampire deaths and no criminal psychologists wrote tip sheets on how to understand the mind of a vampire killer. There were times, Abby thought, that she wished one of them would.

  “I keep everything in one place,” she said. “In the bedroom. I’ll get it.”

  Gideon nodded. He sloughed off his coat and laid it on the chair by the door. As Abby headed toward the bedroom he took a casual turn around the living room eyeing her possessions with polite curiosity.

  “Nice place,” he called while she rooted under the bed for the strong box where she kept her unmentionables. “This clock in the kitchen--is it...?”

  “It’s a reproduction,” she answered.

  “Damn shame. An original would be worth a few grand.”

  “I know. I’ve had customers at Treasure Trove asking for similar items. If I could lay my hands on one--” Abby stopped, her thumb poised over the last number of the box’s combination lock.

  She thought of her little shop and how hard she’d worked for it. She’d probably lose it now. If her client didn’t ruin her, the lack of extra funds from her ‘jobs’ would. The store had been just about breaking even for months now. Overhead expenses were high and with insurance costs, taxes, Eleanor’s full time salary and the two part timers who worked weekends and evenings, there was barely enough left over for Abby to pay her own rent.

  She hadn’t told Jake because he had such faith in her. He’d have given her a loan, brainstormed with Gideon for a new financial plan, insisted on bankrolling an expansion or change of inventory and she didn’t want to be further in his debt. The truth was, she didn’t want to need him half as much as she did.

  Another cold truth was, she’d long suspected her client had a hand in her success. While many of her customers were locals who came in to browse her exotic inventory and always managed to find something they couldn’t live without, she had a suspicion that many of the special orders that garnered her most of her profits were for customers sent to her by him. He’d never mentioned a connection of course, but the suspicion was there. Any new, unusual item she acquired always managed to find a buyer within a week or so. Shortly thereafter someone always came in having heard of the rare find and wanting a similar item, willing to pay top dollar for it. With the economy taking a nose dive and the average person turning to cheaper venues for their gift and novelty needs, it stood to reason Treasure Trove’s profits would begin to decline.

  Abby feared it was the client keeping her afloat, like a leaky lifeboat. She’d teetered with her head above water for too long and now she was sure to sink.

  She pushed thoughts of bankruptcy out of her mind. That should be the least of her worries. The client was capable of much faster and bloodier forms of torture than a slow financial demise.

  With the strong box finally open, she scooped out the contents and slammed the lid shut. When she looked up, Gideon stood in the doorway. He wore an expression she was sure she’d never seen on him before. Sympathy.

  “Are you all right?” he asked as she rose. With his hands jammed in the pockets of his jeans and his Old Miss T-shirt untucked, he looked like a college boy. What happened to the buttoned up desk jockey who usually regarded her with a faintly disdainful smirk?

  She climbed to her feet and handed him the bundle of papers, all neatly folded and secured with a rubber band. “I’m fine. As long as Jake is all right.”

  “You two had a rough time this morning, didn’t you?”

  “If I had known--” She cut herself off. No excuses. She couldn’t blame Jake for being angry, but didn’t she have the right to be angry, too? They’d both lied. In fact, it seemed like their entire relationship was based on lies. She had to wonder how much of what she remembered over the last three years had been manipulated by him to keep his secret. How many times had she almost discovered the truth about him, only to have him skillfully manipulate her perception and make her forget? All she had done was omit the truth. She’d never obliterated it from his mind.

  “He’ll get over it, Abby. He cares about you.”

  “Don’t, Gideon. Don’t try to make me feel better. I don’t harbor any illusions that Jake will forgive me. I killed Igor Danislo. They were friends.”

  Gideon made a disparaging sound. “No they weren’t. They were both candidates. That’s all. Igor didn’t much care for Jake. None of the other candidates do because he’s so young. I’m surprised no one’s tried to kill him sooner.”

  Abby nodded and bit her lower lip as Gideon backed himself out of the bedroom and headed back toward the living room.

  “Why is he a candidate? What makes him special to Gregori?” Abby regretted the question. She shouldn’t have asked Gideon, but she was desperate to know.

  “Gregori turned Jake personally. He doesn’t do that very often, in fact he likes to punish vampires who turn too many humans. He has very high standards about who gets into the club, so to speak.”

  “Why Jake? Not that he isn’t special...”

  “I think it was because he asked. He didn’t just goad a vampire into doing it. A lot of men pick females and offer to let them feed. Females are ... easy. They like to turn their mates and keep them around a long time. Jake didn’
t go that route. He went right to the top. Strolled into Gregori’s office downtown one night and just asked.”

  “Because he wanted to live forever?”

  “No.” Gideon shook his head. He looked surprised by Abby’s ignorance of the situation. “It was because he didn’t want to die.”

  “What’s the difference?”

  Gideon gave her an odd look and for a moment she saw those coppery highlights in his mossy brown irises. “Come on, Abby. Do you want to live forever?”

  That was an easy question to answer. “No.”

  “Do you want to die right now?”

  “I ... no. You mean Jake was dying?”

  Gideon nodded. “Brain tumor. They found it about two months before he got mugged. He’d been getting dizzy spells and blurry vision. Turns out he had an inoperable mass next to his right trigeminal nerve. I forget the all the medical mumbo jumbo but the fact is, his life was going to drain away in a matter of months and he didn’t want that. Who would? I don’t blame him one bit. I’d have done the same thing. But Jake had something else going for him that Gregori admired. He couldn’t be enthralled.”

  “You mean vampires couldn’t control him?”

  “Nope. Lord knows I tried a few times.”

  Abby hovered by the couch hoping she wouldn’t faint. Jake would be dead now, if he hadn’t turned. Wait a minute ... he was dead. He’d have been ... gone.

  “Funny thing. Vampires had no affect on him, but you did. You could have made him do anything for you. You realize that, don’t you?”

  “Is that why you’ve been so aloof with me all these years? I’ve always wondered why you were so formal with me. I thought I had it figured out when you kissed me.” Again Abby regretted opening her mouth. Gideon stepped closer.

  “Oh? What conclusion did you come to?”

  “That you were jealous. That you wanted to take me away from Jake.” God, that sounded so pompous.

  “Maybe I do.”

  “Gideon--” Abby felt that same magnetic pull she had the night before. The look Gideon gave her could have melted lead.

  “Do you deny there’s a spark?” he asked. His eyes were on her lips. She wanted to deny it so badly.

  “We need to go.” Abby brushed past Gideon and grabbed her coat. The brief contact felt good and bad at the same time. She felt like she had betrayed Jake by not instantly denying her attraction to Gideon. It hurt that it probably didn’t matter to Jake anymore.

  Gideon picked up his coat, tucked the papers in the inside pocket as he put it on. Abby followed him out the door and turned for one last look at her place.

  If she were smart, she wouldn’t even attempt to come back. But she realized if she were truly wise, she would never have needed to leave.

  * * * *

  It was only 7:00 p.m. but it seemed much later when Jake’s SUV turned off Route 7 onto a little used service road that lead up into the hills. The night was moonless and still heavily overcast. Four hours north of Haverston the snow had lasted most of the day and huge mounds of it gave the landscape a surreal appearance.

  The narrow lane that led up from the main road to Gregori Nachevik’s well-hidden estate was overhung with snow-heavy branches. Some of them actually brushed the roof as the vehicle passed, dumping their loads like bales of cotton in its wake.

  Both inside and outside the vehicle, there was complete silence.

  Abby watched the scenery go by in awe. She had no idea where they were, only what their destination would be. She had agreed to allow Jake to cloud her mind during the trip so that she wouldn’t remember the way. According to Gideon, no human would be granted entrance to the estate if they knew too much about the place.

  A well-plowed driveway arched around a huge marble fountain where frozen cascades glistened in blue-tinted spotlights. The mansion rose up behind the fountain in gothic splendor, a collection of parapets and widow’s walks all topped with sharp, wrought iron grillwork.

  Abby couldn’t have imagined it any better. It was the perfect haunt for a powerful vampire and somehow that surprised her. Given the human population’s general disdain for their kind, she expected something low-key.

  Arched windows glowed with a cozy, amber light and figures moved sedately within. Abby shivered. She wondered if she would be the only human inside.

  Gideon offered his hand to help her out of the car and she caught Jake’s disdainful look. Before they reached the front steps, the door opened and a uniformed man came out. He moved unhurriedly but with determination, tipping his cap to Jake as he approached.

  “Can I help you?” he asked.

  “Jake Beaumont and Gideon Price,” Jake said. The man nodded, obviously familiar with their names.

  “I will have the valet park your vehicle, sirs. Please go right in and enjoy your stay.”

  “We have luggage,” Gideon added as Jake handed the man his keys.

  “Of course, sir.” The man walked around and opened the back to retrieve their bags. Abby noted Jake’s look of discomfort. He didn’t like anyone rummaging through his car.

  Gideon led her up the stairs and inside the front door and Jake followed a moment later. Abby heard the SUV’s engine start up and wondered how easy it would be to get it back if they decided they didn’t want to stay.

  The entry hall was cavernous. Rich mahogany paneling covered the walls of the octagonal-shaped room. Lit by a multi-tiered chandelier that hung above a curving staircase, the place looked more like the lobby of a hotel than a private residence.

  In the center of the marble tiled floor sat an obsidian urn that could have held four people within its convex body. Huge plums of delicate foliage topped with deep purple blossoms spilled over its thick rim. The odd-shaped flowers gave off a sweet scent, like vanilla candy with a touch of orange.

  In spite of her determination to remain aloof and inconspicuous, Abby found herself caressing one of the flowers and eagerly inhaling the calming scent. She caught Gideon’s eyes through the foliage and he smiled at her.

  “What are these?” she asked. The acoustics in the room were so muted that she could barely hear her own voice.

  “One of Gregori’s hybrids. Some kind of orchid, I think.”

  Jake paced around the urn impatiently. “Someone should be here to meet us, don’t you think?” he asked.

  Abby shrugged. As if in response to Jake’s question, a previously invisible door opened in the paneling to their left.

  Two people emerged into the foyer. The first, a man, was dark and dangerous looking. His eyes were utterly cold when he appraised the new arrivals. He was adjusting a sparkling diamond cuff link in the sleeve of his perfect white shirt as he advanced into the room.

  Behind him strolled a woman in stiletto heels and a little black dress that Abby had to admit was to die for. It was backless and the deeply plunging neckline left little to the imagination. She was as blonde as her companion was dark. Her hair was near platinum, long and straight and her pale blue eyes had an ethereal quality to them that made her seem exotic and mysterious.

  Abby would have judged her to be the vampire of the pair and the man to be merely one of her servants, until his soulless gaze swept over her. His black gaze bounced quickly to Jake and he nodded.

  “Mr. Beaumont?”

  “Yes.”

  “And this must be Mr. Price. I’m Claude, Gregori’s personal assistant.”

  “Is he available?” Gideon asked. “We have an urgent matter we’d like to see him about.”

  “Of course.” Claude’s voice was smooth, without a hint of accent, and slightly unctuous. His gaze skimmed over Abby again as she spoke. The woman merely stood silently as though she were awaiting instructions. “I’ll make arrangements for you to speak with him right away.”

  “Thank you, we appreciate it,” Gideon’s tone mirrored Claude’s.

  “Why don’t you gentlemen accompany me inside. Marabel here will see to your guest. To whom does she belong?”

  Abby’s
eyebrows shot up and her mouth opened to form a scathing retort, but Gideon stepped forward immediately, silencing her with a firm hand on her arm.

  “She’s mine,” he said. Abby gaped wider but said nothing. She didn’t trust herself not to cause a scene that would put Gregori’s hideaway right on the map. Resisting the urge to kick Gideon in the shins, Abby finally clamped her mouth shut. She wanted to look at Jake but his silence in the matter of her ‘ownership’ spoke volumes.

  “Very good. Marabel.” Claude snapped his fingers and the woman sprung to life. Her expression animated into a Barbie doll smile and she stepped forward teetering on her heels. She slid one long, slender arm around Abby’s waist.

  “I’ll take you upstairs and show you around. You’ll love it here.”

  Abby shot a questioning glance at Gideon who nodded. Before she could protest, Marabel herded her up the stairs. Jake and Gideon were lost in the crystal glow of the chandelier and any conversation that might have taken place below, faded to silence.

  “He’s a hottie,” Marabel confessed when they reached the top of the stairs.

  “Who?” Abby was still trying to discern exactly what was happening in the foyer below.

  “Price. Won’t it be nice if he wins? You’ll get to live here all the time.”

  This was a conversation Abby did not want to have. She would have loved to pump Marabel for a lot more information on just what was going to happen, but she wasn’t up to trying to explain her relationship with Gideon--or lack thereof. For now, she decided it would be wiser just to nod and smile.

  * * * *

  Claude led Jake and Gideon back through the door he’d come through as Marabel and Abby climbed the stairs.

  Jake tried to catch a glimpse of the women but they’d already made it to the top landing. Gideon held the paneled door open for him and gestured impatiently.

  In the room beyond, a fireplace crackled and candles glowed by the dozens. A fully stocked bar took up most of one wall and windows that looked out over the sloping front lawn took up another.