She stepped to the side and Lance appeared in the doorway. Randi’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Dad!” She rushed to him, and they hugged tightly.
“Honey, I’m so sorry about everything,” cried Lance. “There’s a reason why I behaved the way I did. There’s a reason why I never contacted you again. I can explain everything.”
Randi smiled as blood tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked at him and said, “You don’t have to explain anything because I know why. It’s because you’re a vampire. I know the truth. I know now that’s why you left, and I understand. The only thing I don’t understand is how did you know where to find me?”
He pointed to Nadia and said, “Your friend hunted me down and explained it all.”
Randi’s jaw dropped, and her eyes widened drifting to her friend. “Nadia?”
“You couldn’t ask for a better friend,” said Lance.
“I know. She’s the best. But Nadia, how did you find him? How did you know where to find him?”
Nadia shrugged and said, “I didn’t. It happened by accident. We just happened to be in the same place at the same time.”
“Don’t let her kid you,” said Lance. “She lit a fire under me that led me here tonight. Honey, I’m so sorry. I just didn’t know any other way.”
“Don’t worry,” said Quinn, rising from his chair. “You’re not alone. I did the same thing. It’s not like we had a choice.” He extended his hand and said, “I’m Quinn, Randi’s husband.”
He shook Quinn’s hand and said, “Nadia told me you married my daughter. I have to admit I was a bit surprised considering you’re closer to my age.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t seem to matter in the vampire world, does it?” said Quinn.
“No, I guess not,” agreed Lance thinking Sebastien is half his age.
“Nadia and I are going to leave you two alone to talk. We’ll be outside.” He and Nadia stepped out of the office and closed the door.
“I hope you don’t hate me too much,” said Lance, facing his daughter with his hands in his pockets.
Randi looked at him and said, “I don’t hate you at all, but we were so close before you left. I was daddy’s little girl. Then, one day, you were gone. All the Christmases and birthdays I waited for you to call, but you never did. Not even a card. I just couldn’t understand why you never contacted me until I saw you at Mom’s wake. Then I knew. How did you become a vampire?”
Lance sighed covering his face with his hand. “I’m sure you know, I’m gay.”
Randi nodded and said, “Yes, I’m aware of that. I don’t care about that. You have to be who you are, and I’m fine with it.”
He shook his head and frowned. “Your mother wasn’t. Things started falling apart between us right after you were born after her brother, Jacob, died. That’s when she began to drink heavily, and she got involved with that insane religion. It was at that time that I discovered who I was.
“When it reached a point where I couldn’t live with the lie anymore, I told her. She couldn’t deal with it and wanted to end our marriage. She ordered me to leave and told me she was filing for divorce. She called me a deviant and a pervert. She said she didn’t want me around her daughter at all, she was going to petition for full custody with no visitation, and I would be damned to hell for my sins.
“I tried to convince her to think about the family. I asked her to please consider keeping things as they were for your sake. We didn’t even have to sleep in the same room.
“She said she didn’t want her daughter around a pervert like me, I was an unfit parent, and she would never let me see you. I told her the courts would decide that. I knew the best thing I could have done that night was to leave and try to reason with her again after everything simmered.
“I called my friend; a vampire, and told him what happened. He invited me to stay at his place in the quarter until things settled down.
“A few days later, when he and I were walking on Bourbon Street, I got caught in the crossfire in some senseless shooting. The last thing I remember was blacking out. The next thing I remember is waking up in his bed a vampire. I lived with him for the next five years. Doomed to live in secret and in no position to fight my wife in court, I gave Lilly what she wanted; full custody with no visitation.”
“So you didn’t leave town?”
He ran his hand over his face and said, “No. That was just part of the cover. It was your mother’s idea of an explanation for me not to come around, so that’s what she told you.”
“I get it. It doesn’t make it any easier, but, after all this time, it feels good to finally know the truth. You don’t have to hide anymore. Dad, you can be a part of my life now.”
He looked at his daughter, and, for a moment, he saw the face of the five-year-old he left. He remembered the way he used to pick up his little girl and swing her around making her laugh.
He found himself looking into the eyes of the young woman standing in front of him bringing a tear to his eye. He reached up and wiped it away. “I’ve always wanted to be a part of your life, Randi. I just didn’t know how. I remember when you were a little girl. You used to love for me to read you a bedtime story. Every night, it was our time. Do you remember that?”
She smiled and said, “Yeah. It was special. I missed that so much after you left. I cried myself to sleep for weeks. You took care of me and loved me, and I missed you so much.
“All Mom cared about was vodka. I was five and fending for myself. After you left, I lived on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches because I could make them myself. Sometimes I ate them three times a day when she was too drunk to cook. Miss Inez used to bring us food a lot because she knew my mom hardly ever cooked. She could barely take care of herself, so how could she take care of a child.
“As I got older, I got up a lot of mornings on my own, got dressed, fixed my own cereal, and got myself off to school while she was still passed out on her bed. I often wondered, and I could never understand why you would leave me with her knowing how she was, but now I get it.”
Lance buried his face in his hands and said, “Honey, I’m so sorry. I’m not making any excuses. I wronged you. I just didn’t know any other way.”
Randi smiled and said, “It’s okay, Dad. I know that now, so you can stop apologizing and beating yourself up. You don’t have to say anything else. But, for the record, I have a confession. There was another way, and maybe if I had talked to you about it before things happened, things might have played out differently. You didn’t have to hide from me all those years because I knew about vampires then.”
He raised his eyebrows and asked, “What. How could you know?”
“My room was next to the living room. I used to hear you talking to him sometimes when you thought I was sleeping. I used to talk to Nadia about it when we were kids, but she never believed my stories were real. Not until the night she came to Vampyr and discovered the truth about her father. I’ve been vampire friendly for a long time, so there was no need for you to hide all these years. I would have kept your secret.”
“Honey, I had no idea. If I had known, I would have brought you to live with me. It would have made a difference.”
“You didn’t know. It’s okay,” she said wiping away a tear.
“When did you meet Nadia?”
“The first day of kindergarten. We connected and became friends right away. I spent a lot of time with her growing up. We spent almost every weekend together at her house. Her mother was like a second mom to me. Now, awkwardly enough, I’m married to her mom’s ex-husband.”
He scoffed and asked, “How did that happen?”
“After my first marriage blew up, I came back to New Orleans. I needed a job, and Quinn needed a PA. Nadia introduced us; he hired me, and we ended up falling in love.”
“As long as you’re happy, but, honey, I’m still in shock over you being a vampire. How did it happen? Did Quinn turn you?”
“Actually no. I was still mortal
when I married Quinn. It was a situation similar to yours. There was an accident, and I was going to die. His ex-girlfriend turned me.”
Lance shook his head and sighed. “We have a lot to talk about, but we have the rest of our immortal lives to catch up.”
She smiled and took his hand. “Dad, we’re not exactly immortal, but we do live a lot longer than mortals. When I saw you at Mom’s funeral, I wanted to talk to you, but you got away so fast. We’ve been trying to find you since then. I was so afraid we would never find you. I’m thankful for Nadia, and I’m glad you came here tonight.”
“Me too.” He looked lovingly at his daughter and asked, “Do you think I could get a hug?”
She smiled and tightened her grip on his hand. “On one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“That you stay in my life this time.”
He wrapped his arms around her and said, “I promise I’ll always be a part of your life. Tonight is going to be a new beginning for us.”
THE SERVER TAPPED NADIA on her shoulder. “Someone is asking for you,” she said pointing to a handsome young man with dark chin-length hair.
Nadia’s eyes did a double take. She almost didn’t recognize Sebastien without the weird makeup with his hair groomed sitting at a table alone sipping on a beer. She approached him and pulled out a chair. She looked him over and smiled. “Sebastien, I didn’t realize how hot you are. You look so much different without your Halloween makeup, and I like your pretty brown eyes much better than those weird yellow eyes.”
Sebastian grinned and said, “Thank you, Nadia. It’s just theatrics. It’s my costume. Nothing personal, my darling, but that’s what the tourists pay to see.”
“I know. I get it. What brings you here tonight?”
His eyes sparkled as he began to fill her in on the latest news. “The other night, after you left The Purple Dragon, Lance came over and sat by me. We had a long talk. He asked me how I knew you. I told him we’d just met, and you seemed cool. He told me all about his daughter and how you convinced him to see her. I knew he had a kid, but he never opened up to me about his situation before. For the first time, he asked my opinion, and I suggested he take your advice. To answer your question, why am I here? I’m meeting Lance. We decided to try and work shit out.”
Nadia smiled and said, “That’s fantastic, Sebastien. Good luck with that. I hope it works out for you this time. Hey, who would have thought we’d end up friends?”
He smiled and said, “You did turn out to be cool, Nadia.”
“Yeah. You too, Sebastien.”
Nadia noticed Lance and Randi approaching their table. She smiled touching Sebastien’s arm and said, “It appears all went well with a particular reunion.”
Sebastien looked at Nadia crossing his fingers. “I hope you’re right.”
Lance and Randi joined them at the table. Sebastien’s face lit up when Lance introduced him as his special friend.
Nadia glanced at her watch. “Damn, it’s later than I thought. It’s almost time for me to get ready to go onstage. Are you guys staying for the show?”
Sebastien smiled and said, “I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Fantastic,” said Nadia. “I’ll let the server know your drinks are on the house.”
“Thank you,” said Sebastien. “That’s very kind of you.”
“That’s what friends are for,” said Nadia.
Lance took Nadia’s hand. “Thank you again, Nadia. Thanks to you, I’m looking forward to getting to know my daughter.”
Nadia squeezed his hand. “I’m glad I could help.”
JEFF, LAURIE, AND RILEY ventured into Vampyr for the show. During the break, Laurie and Riley left the table in pursuit of the restroom and to say hello to Nadia. Quinn joined Jeff at the table.
Quinn had been giving a lot of thought to Riley’s painting, The Vampires Kiss. Their friendship was just getting started again, and Quinn didn’t want there to be any secrets or lies between them.
Jeff sipped his vodka and tonic and set his glass on the table. “Quinn, I’m glad this mystery is finally solved, and we’re friends again.”
“Yeah, me too, Jeff. But there’s one thing I think you should know now just to make sure nothing comes up later on,” said Quinn maintaining eye contact.
“You seem serious?” said Jeff.
Quinn sighed. “It’s about Riley’s masterpiece; the painting she unveiled at the grand opening.” He shrugged and said, “The truth is, sometimes art imitates life.”
Jeff snickered and said, “I know, Quinn. I sorta had that one figured out, but I appreciate you being straight with me.”
“Jeff, I had no idea who she was at the time or that she had any connection to you.”
“Quinn, it’s all right. My daughter is a grown woman. She’s twenty-five years old and capable of making her own choices. Since she became sexually active at fifteen, you may have been one of her better choices. You did turn out to be a friend to her, and you were there for her when she needed you.”
Quinn smiled and said, “I’ll be honest with you, Jeff. If I didn’t have a wife, Tristan would have to fight me for her. She’s a lovely young woman, and I think very highly of her. She and my daughter have become friends.”
“Yeah. That surprised me when I heard Tristan is Nadia’s ex-boyfriend. I thought Nadia was married to her son’s father? Didn’t Jackson just turn thirteen?”
“He did, and she is. Chad is his father. They were teenagers when Jackson was born. They didn’t see each other for years, but when Jackson got curious about his dad, she located him, and they rekindled their romance.
“When she first came back into my life, she was nineteen, promiscuous, and she wasn’t making the best decisions. Then she met Tristan. I wasn’t happy when she fell in love with a vampire, but it did seem to calm her down. I have to admit; I didn’t worry about her half as much.”
“Now he’s Riley’s boyfriend. Unbelievable,” said Jeff shaking his head.
Quinn shrugged one shoulder and said, “If your daughter has to fall in love with a vampire, I can’t think of a better one than Tristan. He’s trustworthy, honest, reliable, hard-working, handsome; everything a girl could want.”
“And over two-hundred years old,” said Jeff.
“Yeah, well, you gain a lot of wisdom in two-hundred years. He’ll be good for her.”
Jeff rubbed his brow and said, “Quinn, what about Lenny? You know you can trust him, and it would help for him to have some closure. He’s been just as concerned about you as I have. Can’t we tell him the truth?”
Quinn nodded in agreement and said, “You’re right. Now that you know, I don’t see a problem. He does have a need to know, but only Lenny. Nobody else. Just make sure he understands that.”
“You know Lenny is better at keeping secrets than both of us put together,” said Jeff.
“That’s true. Hey, tell him to get his ass down here for the release party.”
Jeff sipped his drink and said, “It’s short notice, but I’ll try, Quinn.”
12
TO MISS NEW ORLEANS
After an eventful two weeks, Friday night found Jeff and Laurie ready for a night alone. Riley planned to be out, so they had the suite all to themselves. After a romantic dinner for two in the dining room, they made their way into the living room with a bottle of wine. Jeff poured the wine into their glasses. He handed Laurie hers and picked up the remote. They settled in next to each other with his arm around her shoulder ready to enjoy a movie.
Their evening was interrupted by Riley sliding her key card. They looked at each other wondering what she was doing home so early. She entered with Tristan smiling. “Dad. Mom. We need to talk to you.”
“This sounds serious,” said Jeff, nervously switching off the television wondering what news they were getting ready to share.
Riley and Tristan sat down next to each other and joined hands. She was excited about her news, but her stomach was churning at the thought
of how her parents were going to take it. Just come out with it. In one breath, she anxiously blurted, “Tristan and I have decided to live together, so I’m staying in New Orleans.”
“What?” cried Jeff. “Are you out of your fucking mind? You’ve only known him for two weeks.”
“This is a surprise,” said Laurie, attempting to remain calm. “I, I don’t know what to say.”
Riley tightened her grip on Tristan’s hand. “Dad, Mom, it’s enough. I’m a big girl now. I’m capable of making those decisions. I’ve chosen to be with Tristan, and I’m staying.”
Laurie took Jeff’s hand and gently squeezed it. She looked into his eyes and said, “She’s right, honey. Our daughter knows what she wants, and we have no right to keep her from being happy.”
Jeff looked at Riley and asked, “What about your studio? What about your work?”
“I’m an artist, Dad. I can work from anywhere. Tristan has an extra room in his apartment that I’m going to use for a studio for now. Tristan and I have fallen in love. I hoped you would be happy for me.”
Jeff shook his head and sneered. “Tristan, if I may ask, exactly how old are you?”
Having been down this road before, Tristan was not too unnerved by his question. A direct question calls for a direct answer. He smiled and said, “I was born in 1791, so we can say I’ve been around awhile.”
Jeff scoffed. “1791? What was life like in 1791?”
Tristan shrugged and said, “Not much different from what it is today, but without the electronics.”
Jeff laughed and said, “I’m not sure that’s such a bad thing. Tell me about your family.”
Tristan nodded and said, “Well, my father was the son of a French cotton plantation owner and my mother was the daughter of an African slave and a French slavemaster. My mother is still with us. You met her at the grand opening of the gallery. Giselle is her name.”
“Giselle?” said Laurie, surprised. “I didn't realize Giselle is a vampire too. Oh my gosh, Giselle is your mother. “She’s absolutely gorgeous, but she looks so young to be your mother.”
Sex, Blood, Rock 'N' Roll, and Vampyr (The Bloodline Series Book 1) Page 15