by Deanna Chase
She looks surprised. ‘Oh, I was already signed up. I want to do this. I specifically want to be part of the Montserrat Family. I did my research and I’d have waited another ten years to apply if that’s what it took. But I promised your grandfather I wouldn’t drink until either you did, or we made it to the end of the month. He gave me the powder to help.’ She gives a short laugh. ‘You’ve no idea how many smegging times I tried to sneak it into your water. Except I never got close enough to manage it without getting caught. There was one occasion when I managed to get into your room and then Nicky came in after me. I think she was looking for you. I came up with the most appalling excuse to explain why I was there.’
I rub my forehead. My bloody meddling grandfather. I should have known; he’d accepted my entry into the Montserrat Family far too easily. And the amount of energy I’d expended thinking that Beth was one of the traitors… I sigh. ‘What a sodding mess.’
Beth gives me a sympathetic glance. ‘He’s only trying to help you.’
‘He could have told me about the powder. He didn’t need to be so underhanded.’
‘He seemed to think you wouldn’t accept his help.’
I think about that. I can be bloody minded at times and, yes, if I can avoid his assistance, I will. But I went to him for help with O’Shea. And when it comes down to the difference between ending up as Sanguine and ending up as a fully blown vampire – hell, I’d crawl on my knees through broken glass to ask for help with that.
‘You’re quite alike, you know,’ she comments.
I snarl quietly. Beth merely grins.
‘Do the vampires know about this powder?’
‘I have no idea.’
I wrinkle my nose. I’d like to think that if Arzo and Michael Montserrat knew about it, they’d have given it to me but I can’t be sure. Either way, it doesn’t change my next move. ‘You can consider yourself absolved of any further obligation,’ I tell her.
‘My agreement is with your grandfather, not you.’
I look at her sternly, underlining the fact that I’m not going to brook any argument on this. ‘You’ve done what you needed to do. Besides, I owe you now because I thought you were one of the Montserrat traitors.’
‘Traitors?’ She looks shocked. Obviously she knew no more about my real motives than I knew about hers.
‘I’ll make sure he knows you’ve fulfilled your oath,’ I promise. ‘You’re free to drink if you really want to.’
‘Thank you.’ Her voice is quiet. She digs into the pocket of her jumpsuit and pulls out the little envelope. ‘You only need a couple of grains every day mixed with water. Mr Blackman – I mean, your grandfather – was very clear about not taking more.’
Considering the side effects of O’Shea’s spell, goodness knows what might happen if you overdose on this stuff. Perhaps ignorance is bliss. I take the envelope then lean over the fountain, trailing my fingers in the water.
‘Actually, Beth, there is one more thing I need you to do.’
‘Name it.’
‘I have to get out of here so I can go where I need to be.’
The expression in her eyes says it all. ‘After last time?’ she shrieks, then claps her hand over her mouth when she realises how loud she’s been.
‘It’ll be okay,’ I reassure her. ‘I won’t be near any human blood.’
‘Why? Where are you planning to go?’
I smile humourlessly. ‘It’s time to pay the Bancroft Family a little visit.’
Chapter Twenty-Three: Spa Treatment
I’m not a complete fool. Even without Beth’s comment about the increased number of guards around the Montserrat complex, I know there is little chance of me sneaking out a second time. No doubt the Montserrat PR machine is still working at full throttle; they’re not about to let any more thirsty new recruits onto the streets again. I imagine heads are still rolling because we managed it once. I suppose I’ll have to seek out Lord Montserrat. I have to admit I’m surprised when he appears suddenly on the path as Beth and I head back inside. His figure is shrouded in shadow, but there’s no mistaking his broad shoulders and aggressive stance.
‘What are you doing?’
I smile disarmingly. ‘Out for a little stroll, my Lord. It’s such a wonderfully balmy evening, don’t you think?’
Beth inhales sharply at my disrespectful tone. I have no idea how Michael Montserrat feels about it, as his face remains hidden by the darkness. Irksome.
‘Beth, if you’d be so kind?’
She walks off so quickly that her stilettos spray up gravel in her wake. I raise my eyebrows. ‘I’m impressed, my Lord. I didn’t think Beth was scared of anyone. Congratulations.’
He takes a step towards me, moving into the moonlight so his dark scowl becomes visible. ‘Tell me exactly what you thought you were doing,’ he growls.
I blink, a picture of innocence. ‘I told you. We came out for a walk.’
His hands ball up into fists although they remain by his sides. I’ve never before seen someone so genuinely intimidating. I’m going to stand my ground though, no matter what.
‘Bo, you know what I’m referring to. Your little jaunt into town. You know, the one where you almost killed someone and destroyed yourself?’
I shrug and inspect my fingernails. ‘Considering the last conversation we had involved you telling me my name was top on the list for execution, I hardly thought you’d care.’
‘I had my reasons for that.’
‘And I had my reasons for going out.’
He takes another step towards me. ‘We have never, ever, had any recruits sneak out in the middle of the goddamn night before.’ He’s not shouting, but he doesn’t need to. His voice is so dangerously quiet it’s making me shiver.
‘What you mean is that you never caught any recruits sneaking out before.’ I’m dancing with death by taunting him but the perverse part of me that’s still glad to alive – and human – can’t help it.
‘You almost killed someone.’
‘Are you pissed off about that or that we pulled the wool over your eyes?’
‘You assured me several times that you didn’t want to be a vampire. How stupid can you be to think that you could go outside and not be tempted?’
‘I had to do something!’ I’m starting to lose my temper. ‘This is my life on the line. You stopped talking to me, like we were bloody schoolgirls having a spat. How else was I supposed to continue investigating? You didn’t tell me anything about Tommy Glass. I was out of the loop on freaking everything! I gave up my life for this, my Lord.’ I enunciate the last two words as clearly as I can. I might understand his position but I also want him to appreciate the disdain I feel for him right now.
‘Do you think this is all about you? There are five Families, Bo. That’s two thousand five hundred lives to consider. Not to mention what will happen to all the humans if we are destroyed. The universe doesn’t revolve around you.’
‘You came to me,’ I remind him. ‘You begged me to help you.’
His dark eyes flash. ‘Only because you had nothing left to lose. You were convenient.’
I feel a tug of something inexplicable as I glare into his eyes. For once I’m glad that I’m not taller because the tie that was created between us because of the way he turned me is affecting my baser instincts. I can smell his deep musky aftershave and my stomach flutters. I glare harder to dampen my traitorous emotions. It doesn’t work. He, however, seems to sense my capitulation because he relaxes slightly.
‘You had bloodfever. You were screaming for hours on end and we were about to force feed you. How did you recover, Bo?’
Because my sneaky grandfather blackmailed someone into giving me a secret powder that helped stop the urges. I can hardly tell him that; I have a feeling he won’t take too kindly to Arbuthnot Blackman knowing how to curtail bloodlust when the Families don’t.
‘Just lucky, I guess,’ I say softly.
He rolls his eyes disbelievingly. ‘
Luck appears to be a bankable commodity when you’re around.’
‘If it helps, I don’t feel particularly fortunate right now.’
His fists uncurl and for a brief moment he appears almost vulnerable. ‘I’m sorry.’ He says it quietly.
‘Excuse me?’ My voice is much louder in return. ‘I didn’t quite catch that.’
The vulnerability vanishes. ‘You heard me the first time.’
I stick a finger in my ear and wiggle it around. ‘No, no, I’m not sure I did.’
He sighs. ‘Fine.’ He steps up to my ear and bends his head. ‘I’m sorry,’ he whispers into it. ‘I should not have jumped to conclusions about you.’
‘I’m sure you can do better than that,’ I murmur.
‘Don’t push your luck.’ It’s a low growl. The fluttering in my stomach intensifies and I finally move away.
‘Okay,’ I shrug, aiming for insouciance. I’ll fake it until it’s true. ‘Tell me what else I’ve missed.’
If he’s surprised by my sudden volte-face, he doesn’t show it. Instead he gets down to business. ‘Arzo told you about the Bancroft vampire.’
I nod.
He pulls out a smartphone and flips through a few screens, then holds it up. I squint. It’s a very bloody looking vampire with short blond hair and fear in his eyes.
‘He doesn’t look too happy,’ I comment. ‘You do realise that if he was given O’Shea’s adapted spell, it might not be his fault?’
‘A traitor is a traitor.’
I shake my head. ‘The world is not black and white, my Lord.’
‘Michael,’ he tells me.
I give him a look. I’m not quite ready to go back there just yet.
‘Do you recognise him?’ he asks.
‘He’s the one from the train station.’
‘That’s what we thought.’ He puts the phone away.
‘You know, it might have been helpful if I could have spoken to him before Bancroft killed him.’
‘It wasn’t my decision to make.’
I eye him. No, it wasn’t but I bet he could have encouraged the Bancroft Head to hold off if he’d really wanted to. ‘Did you talk to him?’
‘It was a Bancroft matter.’
‘So he was only dealt with in-house? Why wouldn’t you or the other Heads question him too? You’re all threatened by what’s going on here.’
He scowls. ‘It’s not the way we do things.’
I let it go for now. ‘Is there anything else I should know?’
‘We can’t find the Dire Straits attacker. No one in the Families can find evidence that anyone else is involved. But twelve more vampires from across all the Families have turned up dead.’
‘And little Tommy Glass,’ I point out.
He runs a hand through his hair. ‘Unfortunately he’s not the only human. He’s just the only one we didn’t manage to get to before the press.’
‘How many others?’ I ask quietly and for a long moment he doesn’t answer. Then he sighs.
‘Too many. Things are falling apart, Bo. I don’t know how long we have left before everything collapses. Someone is behind this but we don’t know who and we don’t know what they’re waiting for.’
I watch him carefully. Fatigue and frustration are etched into his features. I put a hand out as if to pat his shoulder, then think better of it. ‘I wasn’t getting out of here on a jolly. There was a lawyer…’
‘D’Argneau.’ At my look, he explains. ‘We thought it might be worthwhile to know what was so important that you had to venture away from the safety of the Family.’ His jaw tightens. ‘He told me how you met.’
‘Did you find anything else?’ I ask awkwardly. ‘It seemed too strange to be a coincidence that I bumped into him and he turned out to be the one who hired us to investigate O’Shea.’
‘I had people check it out,’ he says distantly. ‘I agree the coincidence part appears unlikely but we could find nothing to suggest otherwise.’
I nibble a fingernail. D’Argneau has served his purpose and I’m desperate to change the subject. ‘I need to speak to the Bancroft Head.’
He jerks in surprise. ‘Tell me what you need to know and I’ll talk to her.’
‘No.’ I’m adamant about this. ‘I need to see her in person and I need to do it alone. If you’re there, she’ll react differently.’
‘Bo,’ he begins.
I reach out again with my hand and place it on his arm. ‘Please, my Lord. Just trust me. I have to talk to her and it’s better if I do it alone.’
‘Absolutely not.’
‘My Lord.’ I try again. ‘Michael. The spell only affects male vampires. It’s better if you stay away.’
His eyes narrow. ‘The rest of us aren’t idiots, Bo. We checked her out. It’s the first thing we did. You can’t pin the blame on her just because she’s not a man. Bancroft doesn’t want to upset the status quo any more than the rest of us.’
No, I think. You just don’t want to believe that Bancroft would do that. Plus, she’s covered her tracks well. After all, I checked her out myself by telephoning that spa. What I didn’t consider at the time is that she very cleverly set herself up with an alibi. Until D’Argneau’s information that she was the one who’d set him onto O’Shea, that is. Add that to the fact that the blond prick who killed Charity Weathers was conveniently executed by her within a few days of his treachery being discovered – and before he could be questioned by anyone else. She was the obvious suspect from the beginning. Maybe that’s why she’s gotten away with it for so long; she was so obvious that it seemed ridiculous that it could be her. She sets up false rumours of a new Family to cover her tracks and, hey presto, everyone’s running around going crazy while she laughs from the sidelines and puts her plans of vampire domination into action. I’m not going to say anything to Montserrat until I have absolute proof but I’m fairly certain I know how to get it. I haven’t spent years being manipulated by my grandfather without learning a thing or two about the process.
‘Well, if you’re so sure it’s not her, then you’ve got nothing to worry about, have you? Let me do this. It’s going to be easier with your permission than without.’
He gives a short laugh, his dimple appearing momentarily. ‘I’m clearly being punished for something I’ve done in a former life.’
I smile sweetly. I know I’ve won.
‘Fine. I’ll set it up,’ he tells me.
‘Thank you. But I need a car to get me there so I can avoid any untoward encounters with bleeding humans or ultraviolet rays along the way. I’ll set up the meeting with her on my own. And some kind of recorder or listening device, if you have one.’
‘She’s a Family Head, Bo. She deserves your respect. As far as she’s concerned you’re nothing more than a human.’
I grin. ‘Hey, as far as I’m concerned I’m nothing more than a human either.’
I skip happily along the corridor, looking for Beth. I feel slightly guilty about receiving more of her help, especially after being convinced she was betraying her new Family. Let’s face it, I treated her no differently to how Lord Montserrat treated me – although I wouldn’t have threatened to execute her, of course. However, I can think of no one who’ll be able to pull off my plan with more aplomb than her. The worst thing is that it’s still only Monday. Ms Bancroft won’t be back sampling the joys of Spa De Loti for another two days. Even more troublesome is that she’ll be there during the day and sunlight is definitely not my friend. Without Montserrat’s help, I’ll never get there.
I’m at the foot of the main staircase when I spot Peter shuffling along. I bounce up to him. ‘Hey,’ I say, slapping him on the back, ‘how’s things?’
He looks at me bleakly. ‘You were half dead this time yesterday, Bo. Why are you so chipper suddenly?’
‘Because I was half dead this time yesterday.’ I beam at him. ‘There’s nothing like almost dying to make you feel good.’ Not to mention solving the greatest vampire murder mystery of thi
s century, I think breezily.
‘Technically, if you’d drunk a bit of blood, you wouldn’t be dead either,’ he points out. ‘Vampires aren’t any more dead than humans.’
I pay him more attention. ‘Then why are you still blood free? It’s a damn long time to hold out.’
‘They’re taking bets on which one of us will last the longest,’ he says glumly.
I frown. ‘Who?’
‘Everyone. They’ve never had four recruits hold out for this length of time.’ His lip curls. ‘My odds are long apparently.’
Frankly, I’m not surprised; he’s starting to look more dead than alive. There’s a faint sheen of sweat on his brow and an odd sour smell coming off his body. My heart goes out to him. ‘You don’t care about being powerful and you don’t want to be Sanguine. Why don’t you drink? You can’t keep putting yourself through this, Peter. Believe me, I know how bad it gets.’ I’d give him some of Beth’s powdered stuff if I thought he’d want it. The trouble is, I’m not sure he knows what he wants.
‘I deserve to suffer.’
My eyes widen in alarm. This kind of self-flagellation is not healthy. ‘Peter, nobody deserves to suffer.’
‘Yeah?’ he scoffs. ‘What about your boss? The one you were in love with? Don’t the vampires who killed him deserve to suffer?’
I’d forgotten all about that little story I’d spun. ‘Er…’
Nicky appears from behind me. ‘Bo! You were in love with your boss and a vampire killed him? No way! That’s so awful.’
For once, I’m irritated by her abrupt appearance as well as the line of questioning. Before D’Argneau’s revelations, I’d have milked this conversation for all it’s worth. After all, it was my plan to gain the others’ confidence and encourage them to tell me if they’d been approached by any vampires looking to organise a mass-scale betrayal. Now I know that Bancroft is behind it all, I’m less interested in possible minions who might emerge from the woodwork. I don’t need the followers when I can nab the leader and achieve my goal.
‘I don’t really want to talk about it.’ I shift uncomfortably.