by Rose Pressey
I looked to Jennifer and her face drained of color. Not what we’d wanted to hear, but exactly what I’d expected to hear. How would we deal with this situation since he appeared to be so much worse than Jack? And why was he worse? I needed answers and had no idea where to find them.
“Stephen you need to get in the car,” Jennifer pleaded.
“I’ll be fine,” he said. “I’m feeling much better now.”
“You just attacked a woman, you psycho. You are not fine.”
“He’s not a psycho,” Jennifer fumed.
“Ladies, this is no time to argue,” I said.
“I’m taking him to the hospital.” Jennifer practically shoved Stephen in the passenger seat. I hoped he was able to calm himself down before he got to the hospital, because if he didn’t change his behavior, they might put him in a straight-jacket. Jennifer would really freak out then. And I couldn’t help her. I had to find Jack. I was the worst best friend in the history of best friends.
I watched as they drove off with Stephen. What a surreal scene. After Jennifer and Lily left with Stephen, I made a dash for Jennifer’s car. As I moved down the sidewalk, I felt a presence behind me. People moved about on the sidewalks, so I knew I wasn’t alone, but this presence was specifically after me. I sensed it. I glanced over my shoulder.
Oh crap.
Chapter Twenty-Five
How to Date a Vampire, Rule #25:
Be nice to your date and there’ll be no need to worry about your personal safety.
It was Quinton. He was hard to forget. He wore dark pants and a crisp blue shirt. His strong jaw and sharp green eyes made him good-looking, I guess, if you went for the handsome vampire type. Quinton would be none too happy with me for taking off with Jack last night. I should have known he’d come back to my apartment looking for me. I was sick of running from vampires. If only I could reach the car and get away from him. It looked as if I was going to have to fight whether I wanted to or not. I picked up my pace without acknowledging his presence. Maybe he’d go away if I ignored him.
“We seemed to have lost you last night,” he said from over my shoulder. “Where are you going?”
I walked faster, but I couldn’t break into an all-out sprint just yet. There was nowhere for me to run from him at the moment. “What business is that of yours? I can fight vampires, so don’t think I’m some fragile little thing who can’t defend herself.” I smirked as I stomped down the sidewalk.
Maybe if I told myself that often enough it would be true.
“You want to stop walking and talk to me?” he asked.
“No, not particularly. What’s the matter? You can’t walk and talk at the same time?”
“You’re very stubborn, I see.”
“I’m not in the mood for chitchat, if you don’t mind.” I stared straight ahead, not looking over at him.
“I can help you,” he said as he walked beside me.
Again with the help? Why did everyone use that line? Obviously, no one really wanted to help me. If they did, they’d leave me and Jack alone.
“I hardly believe that. I’ve heard that line before. You guys think I’m stupid?”
“I know you’re not stupid.”
“You don’t know me.” I picked up my speed. I’d run soon if he didn’t beat it. “As for helping me, well, I think you've helped enough already. You and your vampire pals.”
“Hey, don’t blame me. I wasn't around when he was bitten. If I had been there, I wouldn't have let something like this happen. I don't let things happen like this on my watch.”
“Well, that’s reassuring. Then why weren't you there?” I huffed.
“I don’t get involved at those type of interactions. If the vampires had money to collect, it was all them. Besides, I can't be at all of these events.”
“Event? Is that what you call it?”
“Yes, that’s what I call it. What do you think I should call it?”
“An act of violence carried out by vampires. A crime?”
“Okay, I see your point. I think the vampires were just trying to scare your uncle into paying this debt.”
“So you're a bunch of gangsters. Great. Either way, what you all did was wrong. My parents and I had nothing to do with what my uncle did. And Jack is an innocent victim.”
“I know that,” he said as he followed me out around the corner and into the alley.
“They could have handled this differently, but no, they decided to be violent.” I was losing my temper. Just thinking about what had happened made me furious.
“Will you tell me where you're going? Please.”
“I am going to look for Jack. I think your wonderful friend Sophie took him away. But I’m sure you knew that already.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“I mean she came and took him away.” I let out a deep breath. “At least I think it was her. Apparently, he gladly went with her for some strange reason because how else would she get a grown man to leave with her. Wait. Would she use some kind of mind control? Would she have those powers?”
“Well, yes she does possess some form of mind-controlling power, but I’ve never known her to be very good at it, so I doubt this is what happened.”
“Great. So he did go with her on purpose. And how did I not know that he left? We were in bed together—” I cut my words off and glanced at him.
He grinned widely but didn’t say a word. Lucky for him.
“Well, whatever,” I said. “I have no idea what came over him or why he would leave with her. I just want what is wrong with him to be reversed.”
“Sophie can be very persuasive. I’m sorry to tell you there is no reversing it. Once it's done, it's done.”
“I don't want to hear that.” I waved my hands, praying the motion would make him disappear.
“You may not want to hear it, but it’s the truth. Hey, slow down, would you?” He picked up his pace.
“What’s the matter? The big strong vampire can’t keep up?” I winked.
Thank goodness I had Jennifer's car. It would save me much-needed time. Sure I'd look ridiculous saving the day in a pink Bug, but what could I do? It would have to work.
“I know you’re worried about your human friend. I'll drive you to there,” he said as he grabbed my arm.
With his fingers wrapped around my arm, I couldn’t help but notice they were warm, not like Jack's slightly cool touch. The book had said a vampire’s temperature would return to the warmth of a human’s after a while. When I looked at Quinton, I wondered how long he’d been a vampire. How had he been turned? Who had turned him? Did he enjoy the vampire life? Would Jack grow to like it? The less I knew about him the better off I'd be. I didn't want any personal information about him.
I snatched my arm away. “I am perfectly capable of driving myself. Where did you all take Jack?”
“I didn’t take him anywhere. But if Sophie took him, she probably took him back to the French Market. I can get you in there. You'll never be able to get past the guards without me.”
I smelled a rat. A big vampire rat.
“What’s at the French Market, anyway?”
“I know Sophie has a meeting there today. She gets involved with some shady people. They’re meeting there. That’s why the vampire leader ordered guards to follow her there. Needless to say, I highly doubt you’ll get past the guards.”
I scoffed. “Ha. You don’t know me. I have my ways.”
A hint of a smile twisted his lips. “Whatever you say. You don't know that you can trust me, but I’ve done nothing to make you not trust me.”
“You just tried to kidnap me last night, that’s all.” No biggie.
I turned and looked at him. He smiled. All I needed was a good-looking cocky vampire hanging around. He thought he was so great. I had enough paranormals hanging around, I didn't need any more.
“Maybe I should dump you right here before we even get to the French Market,” I said.
“P
lease, you need me to go with you. Come on, what have you got to lose?” he pleaded.
“What have I got to lose? No offense, but that is a stupid question. Do you always ask stupid questions?” I reached Jennifer’s car.
“I try to make it a rule to ask at least one stupid question a day. But sometimes, if it’s a good day, I get in two or three stupid questions.” He winked and gave a lopsided grin.
“You think you're so charming, don't you?”
“Am I not?” he asked without cracking a smile.
“It's not so cute. Your little smile.” I wiggled my finger at him.
I knew I shouldn't trust him. Every warning signal in my mind told me as such. I was probably getting myself into a mess that I wouldn't be able to handle. So why did I nod and say, "Okay, I’ll go with you. But let me tell you, there are a lot of werewolves who will be looking for me if anything happens. You may scoff and think you can take on the werewolves, but I come from a long line of crazy werewolves, trust me. You do not want to deal with these werewolves.”
“Duly noted. I won't mess with your crazy werewolf friends.” He held his hands up in surrender.
“Family members. The crazy werewolves are my family,” I corrected. Why did I say that like it was a good thing?
“Family members,” he repeated my words. “I hope you'll learn to trust me soon.” He didn’t crack a smile. He stared at me with an intense seriousness.
“Well, I don't know about that. I don’t know you and it’s hard to trust someone whom I don’t know. Especially when said person is involved with people who tried, wait, correction, people who are trying to hurt my friends, my family, and me. So, no offense if I don’t trust you right away. Now, with that said, hop in.” I pointed at the pink car.
He stopped in his tracks. “Whoa.” He waved his hands. “There is no way in hell I can be seen in a pink car. I'm a vampire. I have a reputation to uphold.”
“Oh, I forgot you can't be a badass in this car. Excuse me. I am not going unless I drive, so either get in the little pink car, or forget it.” I placed my hands on my hips.
He frowned and looked at me, then looked at the car and back to me.
“Okay, don't go. I'm getting in the little pink car now. See ya.” I waved and opened the door, then jumped in.
“All right, fine. I'll go in the Barbie-mobile. I swear if anyone sees me in this I'll never live it down. If the other vampires see me, I'll be kicked out of my vampire family.”
Vampire family? Whatever that meant. I guess they had vampire families and we had packs.
“Aw, they won't let you play anymore? What a shame.” The Bug purred to life and backed out of the parking space.
“You think I'm joking, don't you?” he asked. “But I’m being dead serious.”
“Is that a joke? Dead serious?” I chuckled. “Get it? You’re a vampire. Dead.”
Silence filled the car. Tough crowd. If I didn’t have my humor, what was left? Cut me some slack.
He didn’t answer. Instead, he said, “I think there are rules somewhere about pink cars.”
“It’s a lovely shade of pink, I think. You could always hide your head. Scoot down in the seat.” I grinned.
I'd have loved to see Quinton slipping down in the seat, hiding like some twelve-year-old who was embarrassed about his mom's mini-van. I should have played some embarrassing music. He did look ridiculous sitting there, his tall frame stuffed into that small space.
“So you want to tell me why you're offering to take me to Jack? It's some kind of setup, isn't it? You have no reason to help me. You don’t know me.”
“Look, I already told you it isn’t a ‘setup’, as you call it. Random acts of kindness and all that. Can’t I do something nice for someone? You're very paranoid. What's with that?”
“Well, when you deal with as many paranormals as I do, you tend to not trust them. They can be crazy. Love makes them do some pretty crazy things.”
“You don't say?”
“I just got rid of a crazy client who thought he was in love with me and tried to kill me. That’s enough to make anyone suspicious.”
“So a matchmaking service is scary business, huh?” He smirked.
“You are a smartass, huh? I should have known, I mean I did, but this just confirms it.”
He scoffed. “I don't know what to tell you. I am a nice guy. Ask anyone. They’ll tell you.”
“Okay, nice guy, maybe I’d trust you more if I knew something about you. Do you want to tell me a little about yourself before you drag me off to your dungeon?”
“I don't have a dungeon, per se. It's more of a mini-dungeon. I downsized when I got rid of some of the chains and torture devices.” He stared straight ahead, not acknowledging me when I glanced over at him. He looked as if he was holding back a grin, a glint of mischief in his eyes.
“Funny. You’re a really funny guy. Are you from New Orleans? How long have you been a vampire?”
“Yes, I’m from New Orleans. I’ve lived here all my life. I’m one of the younger vampires. I was turned in 1910.”
“Uh.” I glanced over at him. “How old were you? Thirty?”
“What gave it away? My boyish good looks?”
I glanced at him and chuckled. “Whatever you say.”
“You’re very perceptive,” he said.
“Thank you. It’s one of my better qualities.” I wiggled my eyebrows. “Who turned you?”
“I don’t really like to talk about it.” Quinton stared out the passenger window.
I navigated the Bug around a corner and Quinton slid down more in the seat.
“Well, what do you do? As in, do you have a career, or do you just walk around being a vampire all day?” I snorted. He deserved my snarkiness for being friends with the vampires who turned Jack. I didn’t believe his whole ‘helping me’ spiel.
“Close. I own a little café here in town.” He gestured over his shoulder.
“Really? I’ll make sure to stop by sometime.” Not. See I could be super sweet polite. I’d have to find out the name of the place and avoid it.
“I’ll make you a special meal.”
Yeah, I bet he would.
“Do you know a vampire by the name of Isabella Blackthorne? She was the one who delivered the note instructing Jack to go to the French Market,” I said.
“I know Isabella. She’s a bit of a firecracker.”
“Good to know,” I said dryly. “Apparently, she knows Jack from before he moved here. I guess they went to high school together. She’s a bit wacky, if you ask me.”
“Yes, she is, but I was trying to be polite,” Quinton said with a bit of a smile.
“Right. Well, she dropped in on me and wanted me to fix her up on a date, then she showed up at Jack’s apartment. I don’t trust her. She seems to have a bit of multiple personality disorder or something.”
“She showed up at Jack’s apartment?” Quinton asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah.” I glanced over at him. “Why? Do you think she had anything to do with Jack’s disappearance?”
He paused, measuring his words. “Maybe. It does seem a bit odd.”
“But the man at the hotel desk said Jack left with a blonde-haired woman, that doesn’t fit Isabella’s description.”
“Have you ever heard of a wig? Maybe she was in a disguise.”
“I guess it’s possible.” I let out a deep breath.
“I know where she lives. We should pay her a little visit. I can see right through her. If Jack is there, or if she had anything to do with his disappearance, I’ll know.”
I steered the car around another turn. “And why should I trust you again?”
“I’m in your car and I haven’t done anything, have I?”
“Not yet.”
“We should at least try,” he said.
“If you say so, but what if it’s all for nothing and we’ve wasted time? Jack could be in great danger right now.”
“What if it isn’t all
for nothing? I think we owe it to him to check with her first. I just get a bad feeling from her little visit.”
“Yeah, well, you and Sophie visited Jack as well, and I get a bad feeling from that.”
“Touché. But this is different. I went to check up on Sophie. I’d been following her.”
“You were following her then, but not when she left with Jack?”
“Again, you don’t know if she took Jack. And she hadn’t done anything wrong, so my task of following her was over.” He shifted in the seat.
“How convenient. Just when you stopped following her was when Jack disappeared.”
“Maybe you’re reading too much into that.”
“Am I?” I quirked a brow.
“So are you going to listen to me or not? After all, I am the one who knows the vampires.” He opened his mouth exposing his fangs. “I’m one of them, remember?”
Was he trying to intimidate me? “How could I forget,” I said. “Fine. Tell me where she lives.”
“It’s just over on St. Charles Avenue. Not too far.”
“It’s far enough,” I balked.
As I steered the car toward Isabella’s house, my mind raced. Was I doing the right thing? Listening to a vampire who I didn’t know would more than likely get me in a lot of trouble. But I’d try anything to find Jack. I wanted him back, safe and unharmed.
“It’s that house right there.” He pointed.
We pulled up in front of a little shotgun-style home. It was white with a white picket fence in front. Not the type of home I had expected Isabella to live in. The house was charming. I had expected her to stay in some dark, foreboding place to match her weird personality. Like a cave, perhaps.
“I can do most of the talking,” Quinton said as we walked.
“I bet you can.” I scoffed. “I think I’m capable of asking her some questions.”
“No, it’s just that she’ll talk to me. She knows me and I think she likes me.”
“You’re awfully confident.” I smirked.
“I didn’t mean it that way. She just likes me as a person. That’s something you should try.”
“What, liking you?” I asked as I walked up the sidewalk.
He held the little gate open for me. “Yes.”