by Strider, Jez
I believed him. I did. There was still no way I was letting him close to me. “I don’t understand. Why were you leaving if you didn’t kill her?”
“Sanuto was a tyrant. Antonio seems a welcome change as leader of the vampires in this area. And you? Well, you are a victim of circumstance. I see no threat to humanity, nor does the Coalition Against Vampire Extremists. Or CAVE as we’re often called. I had been summoned to return to our headquarters to report my findings.”
It was all mindboggling. The more I thought I had things figured out, the more I realized I knew nothing. “You used my friend to gain access into my life. You may not be a murderer, if what you say is true, but you’re still scum. She cared about you.”
Roger flinched. Good. My words had stung. “I cared for her, too. My lifestyle would never have been good enough for her. You don’t leave CAVE. I wish it could have been different.”
“Why did you join the organization?” I didn’t know if we’d ever meet again, so I began to pry whatever information I could.
“I became privy to the existence of vampires during my college years. We are not out to stop all vampires. I would not be racist against your kind. I’m no stranger to the pains of such treatment.” He spoke as if he’d given this speech before. “There are good and bad in all races. Black, white, and everything in between. Vampires are no different except they are prone to corruption because of their innate power.”
“Power corrupts.” I said softly. It was true.
He smiled. “I want to help make sure no one gains absolute power. Forgive me. I must go. Once again, I deeply regret your pain and the loss of Ashley. CAVE does not suspect any vampires at this time. As I said, humans can be as evil as vampires.”
I wanted to know more, but he had opened the door and left without another word. A sharp pain shot through my side and I slumped down onto the arm of the nearby sofa. Stress was not doing me or the baby any good. I worked my way around to sit on the couch. Beads of sweat dotted my forehead. After the pain subsided, I planned to find my phone and call Marc. I never got around to it.
When I heard the front door opening, my eyes opened wide. Frantically, I reached for the gun on the coffee table.
“Evelina, it’s us.” Antonio moved in front of Fate, shielding her in case I fired the weapon. The movement was so fast it was almost imperceptible. It shouldn’t have been to me, another vampire.
I lay the gun on the table, burying my face in my hands for a moment then ruffled my hair in frustration. “Jesus. I’m sorry.”
“Did something happen?” Fate pushed past Antonio without fear and slid into the spot beside me on the couch. She gave me a side hug, putting her head on my shoulder.
“Roger…he came by the house after Marcus left for work.” I said.
“What?” Both of my friends called out. Antonio looked outside, surveying the perimeter before shutting the door and walking over to us.
The gun was still in my view and my frown deepened. “I don’t think he did it. He was telling me about some group called CAVE. Have you heard of that, Antonio?”
His brown eyes opened wide. “Pazzo. I should have known.”
“I don’t know. What he was saying about the group seemed to make sense.” I gave a small shrug.
“Of course he would make it sound like it was a good thing. The truth is they need to stay out of vampire business.” He eyed me intently. “It is unlikely he committed the crime against your friend, though. I don’t see how their organization would gain anything by harming her.” I watched him pacing. “Unless there was some motive we don’t know about.”
Fate had a bewildered expression on her face and we both waited for her reaction. “I told you something was weird about him months ago. I don’t know why a group of people would live in a cave. What’s a pazzo?”
“A crazy person, amore.” Antonio told her. The slight sting in my heart when I heard him refer to her affectionately caught me by surprise. He looked at me until I broke eye contact. “Why don’t you go pack up your things?”
“Oh, right. Antonio asked me to join him on his business trip!” She had a skip to her step as she ran to her room. I hadn’t seen her so excited in a while.
Up until that point, I’d resisted confronting Antonio about his relationship with Fate. “Do you think it’s a good idea to get her hopes up so high?”
“What do you mean?” The irritation in his voice was evident.
“She’s barely an adult. You know she’s falling in love with you.” I kept my voice low and he came closer. It wasn’t like he couldn’t hear me from where he was before.
His face was only a few inches from mine. “It hurts, doesn’t it? Very painful to see someone you love with another person.”
Yes. I swallowed hard. My mouth was dry. Was he trying to hurt me by dating Fate?
“I like her, Evelina. Let me have that much. Everything else I care for has been taken away.”
“Do you think I need my hoodie?” Fate asked as she came back into the room. “What’s going on?” She asked when she saw the two of us so close.
Antonio placed his hand on my stomach lightly. “The baby kicked and she wanted me to feel.” More lies. His hand lingered for a moment and he smiled faintly.
At least it was a little white lie, but they do tend to grow out of control before they can be stopped.
“Oh, my gosh. I want to feel.” Great…. Fate placed her hands on me as well. Her lip pooched out into a pout after a few moments when she didn’t feel any movements. “Oh well.”
“And yes, bring your jacket. You may get cold on the plane.” Antonio told her. She nodded at her boyfriend and headed back to her room.
It wasn’t any less than I deserved and I certainly had no right or reason to be jealous. My mind could tell me these things as much as it wanted. It didn’t make my heart ache any less. There was nothing left to say, or so I thought.
Antonio bent down and kissed my lips. “We’ll always have Venice.” He left the room with a stoic grace to join his new love.
For a brief moment, his words were romantic. Bittersweet. Then, I found myself wondering how many times he’d seduced a woman with lines from popular films, music, books, or poetry. I mean, really, altering a line from a classic?
“Hopeless.” I said to myself. Fate didn’t stand a chance against his charm.
That night, Marcus and I were lying quietly in bed. He’d been mad at me most of the evening for opening the door when Roger had stopped by.
“Are you asleep?” I whispered softly.
After a moment, he grumbled sleepily, “No.”
The question was weighing on my mind. “Have you ever seen Casablanca?”
“I don’t know what that is. If you’re going to make me watch it, it better not be anything like the time you made me sit through Phantom of the Opera.” He slid his arm over me and I could tell he was drifting off again.
I smiled to myself and relaxed. Sometimes we liked the same things and it was great. Other times, I was the most content when he was the yin to my yang.
The double date I had been dreading was finally upon us. There was a honk outside and I looked at Marcus in exasperation before turning back to the mirror and tugging on my dress. He was sitting with his back against the headboard watching me.
“I’m not going. They want us to go out to a fancy, expensive restaurant and won’t even come to the door. I mean, teenagers honk the horn. Not mature adults.” In all honestly, I had no desire whatsoever to go to dinner with Taya and her date even before the rude greeting. Marc had insisted that I needed to get out. Didn’t he realize that I looked like Shamu? Was he blind? I wondered, almost out loud, but I resisted the temptation.
My husband let out a long sigh. “You’re hot. Stop worrying so much.” He was wearing nice jeans, not his usual grease stained ones full of holes. A dark sport jacket was over his button up shirt. “Look at me. I dressed up just for you. You have to go.”
I looked him over
and I couldn’t argue. “I just wish this dress fit better. How much weight have I gained in the past week since I bought it?” Marcus laughed, not maliciously, but with simple amusement. “Fine, let’s go.” I told him as I gave one last tug at the red silken fabric.
The pregnancy was moving forward and I was at about eight months. Fate still lived with us when she wasn’t jaunting across the globe with Antonio. There’d been no sign of Roger or arrests in Ashley’s murder. We all continued forward because we had no other choice. Life went on.
Taya had called and invited us out to dinner at a recently opened restaurant called Chez Christophe’s Amour. It wasn’t an invitation we could readily turn down since she’d already made the reservations.
Marc opened the door of the sleek Lexus for me and helped me sit down in the back. I didn’t know a whole lot about cars, but it appeared to be pricey.
When Marcus climbed in his side of the car, he let out an admiring whistle. “Nice car, man.”
Taya leaned around, grinning at us. “Christophe, this is Evelyn and Marcus.” She ran her hand along her date’s leg, giving a small squeeze. “This is Chris Girard. He owns the restaurant. How else do you think I got reservations?” She laughed.
Christophe…. I had barely put two and two together when he gave me a glance and I finally saw his face. He shifted the luxury car into gear before speaking with his heavy French accent. “Pleasure to meet you, Monsieur and Mademoiselle Hart. I do hope you will enjoy the evening at my restaurant.”
“Likewise. It’s not usually my kind of place, but Evey deserves a fancy night out.” Marcus said as he reached out to take my hand.
I still hadn’t said anything. Taya gave a small smirk before turning to face the front. Christophe. My Christophe was dead. I’d seen him die at Versailles. I rolled down my window and drew in a deep breath.
“Are you alright?” Taya asked from the front. Smug bitch. I thought to myself. There was no way it was coincidence that she was dating one of my former lovers. She apparently had a taste for my men.
Marc’s expression was troubled. That was all he needed. Another man I’d slept with in our lives. I mustered up a smile. “I’m fine.” I forced myself to relax. “So how did you and Taya meet?”
The venom of my thoughts didn’t translate into my spoken words, thankfully.
“Through a mutual friend at Le Bourget Airport in Paris a couple of years ago.” Christophe said simply. “It was a brief encounter, but I believe it stayed with both of us.”
“I’d like to say I was instantly attracted to his personality, but it was really just how sexy he is, especially with that accent.” Taya laughed happily and Christophe grinned.
She was right, though. He was attractive. His dirty blonde hair was cut conservatively and he had a small mustache that suited him well. I hoped we’d have a moment alone to discuss how he survived the attack and fire. He had to be a vampire, but I couldn’t discern it myself. One thing was certain. He wasn’t as shocked to see me as I was to see him.
Marcus was oblivious to anything out of the ordinary. He was too busy examining every aspect of the interior of the car.
We arrived at the restaurant and a valet parked the vehicle. Christophe slipped his arm around Taya. As we entered the building, I was able to get the full view of my friend. I mean, I guess she was my friend. What would be more appropriated? Accomplice? Anyway, I was green with envy. Her silver dress hung on every curve perfectly. A mid-thigh slit was on the right side. To put it bluntly, I was pissed off. I wasn’t used to being second best.
“Please tell me this place doesn’t have like thirty different pieces of silverware.” Marc grumbled into my ear. He didn’t seem to be admiring Taya’s figure as he had when they first met. Smart man.
I smiled, hiding my inner turmoil. “I’ll help you. Don’t worry.” The brief rundown I gave him of what each utensil was for only made him that more distraught.
He shook his head. “What the hell did I get myself into?”
The maître d’ seated us quickly. In fact, everyone seemed a little nervous to have their boss dining in the restaurant. It reminded me of Gordon Ramsay visiting his own place, but with less cursing involved. I couldn’t picture Christophe going on a tirade like Gordon, but then again, I hadn’t seen him a long time.
“We’ll have a bottle of the Romanée Conti.” Christophe closed the wine menu without even looking it over.
The waiter gave a small bow. “Very fine choice, sir.” His gaze drifted over to me. “What would you like, my lady?”
The night and my mood were not improving. A three thousand dollar bottle of wine and I couldn’t even have any.
“Badoit will be fine, thank you.” I told the waiter, ordering a bottle of French mineral water.
“May I get anyone anything else?” The waiter asked before being dismissed with a wave from his boss. So far the service was great and the interior of the restaurant was beautiful. I had never been able to enjoy France when I’d been a prisoner there.
Christophe smiled warmly at me. “Do not worry, dear Evelina. I’ll send you a bottle when you’re no longer with child.”
Hearing me referred to as Evelina caught Marc’s interest. Now that he was no longer distracted by the vehicle, he was paying attention. “Christophe…” Marcus said softly as he appeared to be thinking. “You’re the guy that saved Evelyn in Ver…sails.” That’s exactly how he mispronounced it, too. I thought it was cute. No one corrected the mistake.
“Probably not the best time or place to discuss history, hun.” Once again, reading my journal had left him knowledgeable of my past. Marc opened his mouth to protest, but didn’t, returning to looking over the menu. I didn’t think my history with Christophe would bother him quite as much as it did with Antonio. I hadn’t been head over heels for Chris.
The waiter returned to serve the drinks. I was glad for the conversation to be interrupted. We weren’t ready to order, so he was sent away once more.
Marc appeared agitated as he looked over the menu. Everything was in French and there were no pictures. My own fluency in the language was rusty. I never had cause to use it anymore.
“Perhaps you could order for everyone, Christophe.” I said.
Immediately, Marcus was nodding in agreement. “I’m sure you know what’s best to eat here.”
“Yeah, Chris. That’s sounds like a good idea to me, too.” Taya spoke up.
“As you wish.” When the waiter returned, Christophe ordered several delicacies, including chariot de fromage and bouillabaisse to follow. Basically, a fancy cart of cheese and some fish soup. It sounds so much more decadent in French.
Taya grinned mischievously a short time into the meal. “Well, we know a secret about Christophe and Evelyn. Perhaps, Marky and I should tell one.” I did not like the way she was eyeing my husband as she took a bite of cheese. Or the way she called him Marky….
“I don’t have any secrets.” Marcus picked up his glass and took a long drink of the wine.
“We all have secrets.” She gave me a wink. “I’ll go first. Umm, well, I used to be a thief and I was good at it.”
So Antonio had been telling the truth about her. “Really?” I asked. “I thought you worked more along the lines of legitimate business. Weren’t you into being a hair stylist?”
Christophe looked shocked. Marcus indifferent.
“Oh, I was helping my mother out, but stealing just gave me such a thrill. I really…got off on it.” She quivered at the memories and then laughed softly, toying with her choppy hair.
“Remind me not to leave you alone in my home.” Christophe said with a small smile.
Marc spoke up, in joking tone. “You could just tie her to the bed when you leave.”
I exchanged glances with Taya and I knew we were both remembering when Dante had tied me to the bed in his mansion. He’d left me in Taya’s care and she’d turned traitor to help me execute my plans to kill him. If Marcus had known about that, I’m sure he woul
dn’t have made the joke. Then again, he might have. Who knows?
Taya, without missing a beat, gave my husband a sultry gaze. “I didn’t know you were into such adventures, Marky. No wonder Eve married you.”
His eyes met hers for a moment. “Okay. I’ll tell you a secret.”
There was an awkward silence as we waited for my hubby’s big reveal. Christophe seemed to hate our dates’ flirtatious behavior as much as I did.
“Come on. We’re waiting!” Taya called out excitedly. I kept thinking that living in Dante’s bloodbath of a manor must have warped her mind on what constituted appropriate behavior.
“I’ve dated quite a few chicks. No secret there. My wife knows.” He gave me his crooked smirk.
I couldn’t imagine what type of secret he would have been keeping. Horribly, I envisioned him kicking puppies and then imagined him beating his ex-girlfriends. He had a temper. Maybe he’d only recently wrestled it under control after a stay in a mental institution. My thoughts were a bit pessimistic, but rightly so from past experience.
“Well, yeah, you’re a hunk. Obviously you had girlfriends before Evelyn.”
Christophe shook his head at his date after she spoke. “Tay, that’s enough.”
She shrugged and we all turned our attention back to Marcus.
Marc gave Taya a pointed look. “Evelyn is my first love. I knew it the moment I met her and I’d never felt anything like it with anyone else. And…I never will.”
A satisfied smile crept onto my face when Taya slumped back into her chair, looking disappointed. I loved Marcus even more for the remark. It was a smart way to get her to chill without coming out and saying, “Fuck off.”
He’d caught her off guard, but only for a moment. “That is so cute. Though, I am disappointed. I was expecting something more scandalous, like….” She pretended to think hard for a moment and rubbed her hands together like a villain. “Hmm, like someone else is the baby’s daddy.”