by Carly Fall
He wanted to tell her about Operation Underworld, Dedou, Gads, and the knife, but knew he couldn’t. She’d been very honest with him, and he couldn’t be with her, but he did need to answer her.
“I’m here in the same capacity as you—trying to figure out why people are disappearing. As for the knife, I have a friend who practices Voodoo. The spirits have blessed the knife.”
“Voodoo? You don’t seem like the type to believe in that stuff.”
He shrugged. “That guy went away with his skin boiling off his face, so yeah, I’m a believer.”
“Who are you with? The military? You seem like military or something like that.”
As he stared at her pretty features, he really, really hated that he had to lie. “Yeah.”
She sat back against the cushions on the couch and sighed.
It wasn’t a total lie, because once a marine, always a marine. He just wasn’t active and hadn’t been sent here by his government.
“How come I can’t see your fangs?” he asked before she could toss any more questions at him. Dodge and deflect.
Looking over at him, she opened her mouth and pulled back her lips. Two long, white fangs descended from her gums. For good measure, she hissed at him.
Instinct told him to get up and get the hell out of there, but he forced himself to stay right where he was. If she had wanted to sample his goods, she had more than ample opportunity to do so. He had to trust her to keep her teeth out of him.
“Nice.”
As she laughed, the fangs ascended.
They sat in silence for a long time.
“You know, I could use some help on this,” she said. “And it seems like you could, too. Maybe we should work together.”
He searched his mind for a reason to say no, but couldn’t come up with one. It was what he wanted, and they could help each other. With her knowledge of vampires and with Operation Underworld behind him, they’d be stronger together than apart.
He did, however, wonder how they would approach the situation.
“We’ve been made, though. They’ve seen us.”
She batted her long eyelashes at him. “Disguises, my friend. I am the master of disguise.”
Sitting up, she brought her face within inches of his, her eyes grazing over his every feature. Reaching out, she placed her palm on the side of his cheek and rubbed her hand on his whiskers. He knew she didn’t mean it in a sexual way, but the energy that jolted his body surprised him. As he stared at her full lips, the urge to kiss her railed within him, but the fact she was a vampire tampered that need pretty quickly.
“You grow out your beard a little bit, we’ll put some highlights in your hair, get you some tinted glasses and a new wardrobe, and you’ll look like George Michael.”
He furrowed his brow. “He’s dead, you know. I’m not sure I want to look like that.”
She smiled. “I meant the younger version. They won’t recognize you at all.”
As she stood and he sat back and listened to her plans, he certainly didn’t like the idea of coloring his hair and wearing tinted glasses, but Sami worked for the entity that policed her kind, so he’d follow her lead because they were in her field of play now. He imagined there had to be a lot of backup ready to go at Sami’s request, and it only made him feel more confident that they’d nail this case shut sooner rather than later.
He’d complete this mission for Operation Underworld, and he’d do it with Sami’s help. As far as he was concerned, she could take all the accolades. He didn’t want, nor did he need them. The further he stayed under the radar, the better off it would be for him, as well as Operation Underworld. Charlie had made it pretty clear that no one was to know about the organization.
“Do you have a partner?” he asked.
She shook her head.
That seemed odd to him. “Why is that?”
Her gaze danced around the room, then came back to him. “Just like human police stations, we’re short-staffed.”
She immediately began talking again about her plans for catching the vampires.
The heaviness in his chest returned. It was the same feeling he’d had when she’d lied to him last night, but he pushed it aside, chalking it up to him being overly suspicious over her. There was no need for her to lie anymore. He already knew she was a vampire, and that seemed to be the biggest secret she had wanted to hide.
Even though he wasn’t too excited about the highlights and shopping for clothes, he supposed everything would be okay.
She retrieved one paper from her lap and unfolded it. He quickly realized it was a map of the greater Los Angeles area.
He noticed a few red dots and tried to place what they signified, but it had been a few years since he had lived in L.A., and his geography had become a bit rusty.
“What are these?” he asked as he pointed to one.
“These are known nightclubs where humans have disappeared.”
He counted six.
“So, all of these are verified?”
“Yes. I’ve been through the missing persons’ reports. These clubs were the last places the victims were seen. I coordinated the reports to the map.”
“So, you’ve been staking them out?”
She nodded.
“Any pattern?”
“Yes. They seem to like the clubs with the really plush VIP sections, but from what I’ve seen, they only venture out a couple of times per week.”
“Do you think they’ll be out tonight since they were last night?”
“Yes. They’re very active on the weekends. My guess is they’ll be at this one.”
Her slim, delicate finger landed on top of a red dot.
“Well, then I guess that’s where we need to go.”
“I agree,” she said with a grin. “But first, we need our disguises.”
13
Shopping. The mall. As a general rule, he hated it. He disliked the crowds, all the choices, and lacked the patience to follow someone around who did like to shop. He happened to be one of those people who knew exactly what he wanted—which in most cases was jeans and T-shirts—and went in and got out in record time.
Those who stopped at every rack, fingered every piece of clothing, and slowly moved hangers around drove him crazy. And right now, he wanted to strangle Sami with the sleeves of the shirt she held up to his chest.
“Blue looks good on you,” she murmured, oblivious to his utter boredom and annoyance.
She hung the shirt back on the rack, and he sighed. They’d been at it an hour, and he felt as if he’d died a thousand deaths.
“Let’s check out the jeans,” she said, walking away.
He followed, feeling like a puppy obeying his master. Only this puppy was about to bite.
She stopped at the jeans counter and ran her hand over a pair that had silver stuff on the back of them.
“I’m not wearing sparkly shit on my ass, Sami.”
“This is Los Angeles. You need to fit in. Everyone wears sparkly shit on their asses, Connor.”
For him, this was an absolute no. “There’s nothing wrong with a pair of Levi’s. No one’s going to be looking at my ass, anyway.”
She glanced at him, then shook her head. “Everyone looks at it.”
“Why in the world do you say that?”
“Because it looks nice. Women want to grab it, and men probably think about doing more squats when they see it.”
Heat burned in his cheeks, and he found himself slightly embarrassed at her comment. Her bluntness caught him off guard, but he did have to admit, he liked the fact that she’d noticed his butt. For a brief second, he wondered if there could more than just a work partnership between them. He found her attractive, and she seemed to reciprocate. Even though he hated this shopping crap, he did like spending time with Sami.
He squashed the idea. She was a damn vampire, and he didn’t want to get mixed up with one of those. He’d seen the destruction first hand that they could cause.
&nb
sp; As he trailed after her, he stared at her backside, which, he had to admit, looked like two round globes he could grab, but which would spill nicely over his palms. She seemed so normal, so … human. He thought of all the vampire action he’d seen, and he had to remind himself that most of what he’d witnessed hadn’t been derogatory. Just a species going about their lives while those around them remained unaware of their true existence. Those doctors and nurses in the hospital saved lives; they didn’t take them. The policemen he’d seen walking down the strip in Vegas—they helped humans.
The way Sami had described her role made it sound like her job was to specifically keep the evil vampires away from the humans; in essence, protecting his kind. Sami didn’t resemble the corrupt in her race. He had to remind himself they were both on the same side, and she only had a little bit of vampire in her. In a way, he almost wished it was more, because then, she couldn’t be out during the day, and he wouldn’t be stuck in this mall with her.
She suddenly came to a halt in front of a rack of shirts, and he almost ran into the back of her. “Okay, so we won’t go for the super-suave-George-Michael-look, but maybe the hang-out-on-the-weekend-with-friends-George-Michael-look.”
“How do you know what George Michael wore on the weekends?”
“I don’t,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I’m guessing, but that’s what I’m calling your wardrobe upgrade.”
He waited patiently as she picked out a couple of shirts for him to try on and admired the way her slim fingers touched and caressed the material beneath them. What would they feel like skimming over his skin?
Yeah, he better stop with the carnal thoughts. That wouldn’t be happening, anytime, anywhere.
“What’s your fascination with George Michael?” he asked, trying to get his mind off her body.
“I’ve just been thinking about him a lot lately,” she said with a shrug. “He was my favorite singer, and he seemed to have the world at his fingertips. I was devastated when he died.”
He tended to look at death a little differently than everyone else, probably because he’d witnessed it a few times, and he’d been the one to deliver it, as well. It was something that happened to every living thing, and it couldn’t be avoided.
“We all have our time,” he murmured.
She sighed and met his gaze. “I know, but it just makes me wonder. You have a dirtbag like Charles Manson who’s been in jail for most of his life and he keeps on living out his miserable existence. Then you have someone like George Michael, who brought such happiness to so many millions of people, and he just drops dead one day. It’s not fair.”
“No, it isn’t, and it will never be.”
“You just have to make the best of today, because you don’t know if there will be tomorrow.”
He nodded. “You’re right.”
“Especially when you’re hunting and hanging out with vampires,” she whispered at him with a grin. “You never know when one will grab you and want to suck you dry.”
Her words settled around him uncomfortably, but he chuckled anyway. He didn’t want her to think he feared her, or that he didn’t trust her.
“Here, try these on,” she said, handing him the shirts. “Then let’s get your hair highlighted and grab a bite to eat. I’m starving.”
He couldn’t help wonder for what—blood or food?
* * *
After a quick trip to the salon, they spent the rest of the afternoon and the early evening together. He found himself doing most of the talking as she peppered him with questions over enchiladas, tacos, and margaritas while tucked away in a quiet booth at a restaurant in the mall.
He didn’t know why, but he thought it amusing that a vampire would inhale Mexican food the way Sami did. She put away an enchilada and two tacos without so much as a groan or burp. The girl liked to eat, and he appreciated that, especially in a town where his experience had taught him that most women barfed up just about everything that passed through their lips. He almost expected her to excuse herself to the restroom, but it never came. Instead, she inhaled more tortilla chips.
She stared at him for a moment, then smiled and reached across the table. When she laid her hand on his, he felt the same energy he had last night when he’d led her through the parking lot at his apartment. His body tensed at her touch, and he recognized the sensation—flat-out physical attraction. His heartbeat picked up, and his chest warmed. She continued to study his face for a moment, and just as he was about to ask her what was on her mind, she pulled her hand away.
“Tell me about the explosion,” she asked as she shoved a chip into her mouth.
He hesitated just a moment, his brain trying to catch up to the detour. His thoughts had been traveling down a carnal path once again, and now, she wanted to talk about one of the most horrifying moments in his life, the one second that had changed him. Yet, if it hadn’t happened, he never would be sitting here, and he’d never have met her.
He took a long drink of water, his stomach hollowing despite all he’d eaten. “It was scary. Everything was going fine one minute, and then suddenly, there weren’t any more noises—just this deafening silence. The jungle animals all stopped talking to each other at once, and a second later, the warehouse we were watching was blown sky-high. There was this awful smell, and I couldn’t breathe … I thought for sure I was dead.”
She’d quit eating as she stared at him, as if she couldn’t quite believe his tale.
“Then you woke up in a hospital and you saw people with a red glow around them?” she prodded.
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“Amazing. I don’t have any stories as thrilling that. In fact, my life seems pretty boring compared to yours.”
She was a vampire, for God’s sake. Her life must be ten times as exciting.
“Oh, come on,” he said. “I doubt that.”
She shook her head and dipped another chip in guacamole. “No, seriously. I don’t. Tell me about your parents.”
And just when he thought she’d share a little bit about herself, she focused the conversation back on him. It bothered him, but he didn’t bring it up. Some people just didn’t like to talk about themselves, and that was fine with him. Privacy could be a good thing.
“I never knew them. I was given up for adoption, and grew up in a Catholic orphanage.”
Her eyebrows arched. “With nuns?”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
“How was that?”
He thought of the beatings he’d taken at the hands of the sisters, as well as his fellow orphans. It had been a rough go, but he’d definitely come out of the environment stronger. “I wouldn’t recommend it, but I do have impeccable table manners, thanks to them.”
As nightfall approached, they left the restaurant and agreed that they’d meet at ten at Dragon’s Nightclub. Both felt that the vampires wouldn’t return to the scene of the last night’s crime so soon, and would hunt in other places. Connor and Sami were determined to find them.
“Nightclubs are the easiest pickings for them, because most people are high or drunk, anyway, and not really paying attention to their surroundings. It’s also dark, so that helps, as well. It makes it simpler for the vampires to put their victims in a trance, and they’re pretty much ignored,” Sami said. “There are plenty of places in town that we can look into.”
He nodded as he walked her to her car. “Text me the address, and I’ll see you there about ten.”
She slid into her white Acura. “Sounds good.”
Before he shut the door, he asked, “What are you wearing tonight? Any wigs?”
As she tilted her head, a small smile played on her lips. “I don’t know. I’ll just find you, okay?”
“Okay. See you later.”
He shut the door and watched her drive off, and he couldn’t seem to stop grinning.
Spending time with her had been a good idea. He felt confident in their working relationship, and he found himself liking her more and more. Not only d
id she have it going on in the looks department, but she did something to him. He felt different when he was around her. Even though they discussed vampires and worked the case, his heart felt lighter. It had been a long time since he’d relaxed and enjoyed the company of a woman, especially one he found so attractive. There seemed to definitely be a connection between them that went beyond working partners, and he didn’t know how he felt about that. He’d made it a strict rule not to get involved with the women he worked with in the marines, keeping business right where it belong—outside of the bedroom.
Unfortunately, he could also see himself falling for Sami—hard, if things progressed as they were. However, no matter how he tried to reconcile it in his mind, he couldn’t get past the fact that she was part vampire and her diet did contain blood every now and then.
That simply didn’t work for him. Nope. He was all about the live and let live, and he understood that most vampires didn’t want to harm humans. Just the fact that he knew Sami needed blood was enough for him to stay away from her in any romantic way. He would never put himself in a position to find out what it felt like to have the blood sucked out of him. His blood belonged exactly where it was—in his veins.
14
He parked his motorcycle down the street from the club, a little irritated there wasn’t more parking available. After locking his helmet to his bike, he straightened his black, leather jacket and the button-down shirt Sami had insisted they buy. Thankfully, she hadn’t argued about the jeans, and he wore his Levi’s. He did have to admit he liked his military-style Gucci boots—black leather with the Gucci stripe at the ankle—and he imagined Dedou would have an absolute fit when she got the credit card bill. Reluctantly, he’d come to realize Sami had been right. In his new clothes, he fit in better, and with the highlighted hair and blue-tinted glasses, he barely recognized himself. He looked like just about every other guy in Los Angeles.
Approaching the club, he scanned over the people waiting to get in to see if he could find Sami. People did double-takes as they caught his gaze, and he wondered why. Did he look ridiculous, or were they admiring his style? Whatever the case, he knew he’d feel much more comfortable in his normal clothes.