by Tina Folsom
Tessa started to chuckle, and he smiled back at her.
“Thank you, Hamish. I needed that.”
Smirking he said, “I meant it!” Then he released her hand and switched off the engine, blocking in the two cars in the driveway. “Now let’s go in there and get this over with. We don’t have to stay long. I can come up with an excuse so we can leave early. How does that sound?”
She gifted him with a genuine smile, one that made his heart beat excitedly. “That sounds wonderful. You’re the best.”
“I should hope so,” he joked. “After all you should be getting your money’s worth.”
“Can I even afford you?”
“No, but I’ll give you a discount.”
He couldn’t believe he was actually bantering with Tessa, and she was playing along. And he liked it. In fact, he liked it very much, because she was finally smiling and laughing genuinely, and it made her look even more beautiful. Gods, he was so screwed. Keeping his hands off Tessa would be a struggle for as long as he was assigned to her.
As they walked past the two parked cars in the driveway, the front door was already opening.
“Guess somebody saw us coming,” Hamish murmured to Tessa, who was walking next to him.
She waved at the man now emerging from the doorway. “Dad!”
They met halfway and embraced.
“Hey, honey, you made it!” the older man said.
“You didn’t tell me this was going to be a big party.”
Tessa’s father shrugged. “Would you have come if I’d told you?”
When Tessa grimaced, he added, “See, that’s exactly why I didn’t. Besides, you seem to have forgotten what today’s date is. I’m surprised you didn’t guess that there would be a big to-do.”
Something flickered in Tessa’s eyes, as if her father’s words had triggered a memory. “Oh.”
Her father shifted his gaze and extended his hand toward Hamish. “I’m Philip Wallace.”
Hamish shook his hand. “Hamish MacGregor. Pleasure to meet you, sir.”
Wallace had a surprisingly firm grip. His body looked trim and toned, indicating that he took care of himself and probably worked out regularly. His dark blond hair was graying at the temples, but showed no bald spots. His eyes were of a vibrant blue, lending him authority. He was a handsome man for his age, but Tessa had not inherited any of his features.
“I wish I could say my daughter told me much about you, but I’m afraid she’s been a little tight-lipped.”
“Well, we haven’t been dating for very long,” Hamish said quickly and reached for Tessa’s hand to demonstrate that they were indeed together.
“Hmm. I only found out about you when I heard you saved her life last night.”
Hamish smiled. “I was at the right place at the right time.”
“I’d say! Quite some speed you’ve got, young man! Can’t say I’ve ever seen anybody react that fast.”
Hamish shrugged. So Wallace had checked out the video clips online, no surprise. But there wasn’t enough footage to really piece together how quickly Hamish had actually been moving, so he wasn’t worried.
Instead he grinned and brought Tessa’s hand to his lips, planting a chaste kiss on her knuckles. “Couldn’t let anything happen to your beautiful daughter. She’s too precious.”
“That’s what I like to hear. Thank you, Hamish. I may call you Hamish, may I not?”
Wallace graced him with a benevolent nod and smile. Just the reaction he’d expect from a concerned father. It had taken all of two minutes to secure Wallace’s good opinion. The man wouldn’t question Hamish’s devotion to his daughter. One down, more to go.
“Of course, sir, call me Hamish.”
“Now, let’s go inside, everybody is curious to meet you,” Wallace said and turned in the direction of the front door.
Behind his back Hamish exchanged a quick look with Tessa.
She leaned closer and whispered to him, “You’re good.”
He smirked. “I know.” He glanced down at their joined hands, while they followed her father into the house.
The house was a large colonial with a white staircase leading to the second floor, and an expansive entrance hall that opened up into a sitting room, which connected with a dining room. As always when on protective detail, Hamish made a quick assessment of the premises to identify any security risks.
Dozens of people were milling about, all dressed in casual or business casual clothes. Through the large windows in the back of the property, Hamish could see the beautiful yard, where more people mingled with glasses in their hands. A small pool with a Jacuzzi took over a third of the backyard. To one side of it stood a small shed, though it didn’t look like a garden shed. Maybe a home office or a little pool house. Grass grew on the other side of the pool, and a large wooden deck provided space for a massive barbeque, as well as ample seating.
Professional catering staff circulated with trays of food and drinks. This was no party planned at the last minute, which made him curious. What exactly were Tessa’s parents celebrating?
With Tessa by his side, Hamish followed her father into the large, open-plan kitchen.
“Diane,” Wallace called out to a woman giving directions to the catering staff.
She didn’t turn, but replied in a tight voice, “Can’t you see that I’m busy?”
Next to him, Tessa stiffened. Wallace tossed them an apologetic look, then addressed his wife again, “Tessa and her boyfriend are here.”
Diane Wallace whirled around. “Why didn’t you say so immediately?” Quickly, she pasted a smile on her face and hurried toward them, arms spread wide. “Tessa, sweetheart, you’re finally here.”
Mrs. Wallace threw her arms around Tessa, though Hamish couldn’t help but notice that Tessa didn’t return the overly exuberant hug.
“Mother,” was all Tessa pressed out, before she eased back from the embrace. “I see you’ve outdone yourself again.”
Mrs. Wallace didn’t comment. Instead she stared at Hamish. “Well, since nobody’s introducing us, I guess I’ll have to do it myself.” She extended her hand. “I’m Diane, Tessa’s mother.”
Hamish shook her hand. “Hamish. Nice to meet you, and thanks for the invitation. I wish I’d known about it earlier, so I could have changed my plans and we could stay longer.” It was a lie, of course, but considering how uncomfortable Tessa seemed to feel in her presence, it was best to line up their exit strategy right now.
“You have other plans?” she asked, her voice sounding almost accusatory.
He tried his most charming smile, and added, “Yes, I’m so sorry, but Tessa has agreed to accompany me to a work event later tonight.”
“A work event? Well, if you must.”
She turned away, back to the catering personnel in the kitchen, and he caught Tessa and her father exchange knowing glances. Tossing a look back at Mrs. Wallace, who’d moved to the other end of the noisy kitchen, Hamish stepped closer to Tessa and her father.
“You have to forgive her, Tessa,” Wallace murmured.
“Do I?” Tessa said in an icy voice.
“The doctor has given her different meds, and I don’t think we’ve got the dosage right yet,” he explained, then met Hamish’s look. “My wife is bipolar, Hamish. She has a hard time controlling her moods.” He gave Tessa a sad smile. “At least we know what it is now, and can treat it. She’ll never get as bad again as she once was.”
Tessa’s lips were pressed into a thin line and she looked away. “Will you excuse me for a moment? I need to wash my hands before I eat.”
She rushed out of the room, before either Hamish or her father could respond.
Wallace put a hand on Hamish’s shoulder. “How about a drink?”
As much as he could use a stiff drink after all this family drama, he had something more important to do. “I’d love one later. I should wash my hands first too, though.”
Wallace pointed to the corridor that led back
to the front door. “The door underneath the stairs.”
“Thank you.”
Hamish walked to it and entered. As soon as he was inside and had locked the door, he cloaked himself and dematerialized, so he could pass through the door and return to the corridor and start his exploration.
He went through the usual routine. First, he went upstairs to check the bedrooms and bathrooms for anything unusual, and to get a sense of what the family was like. Photos, mementos, medications lying around, they all told him a story. He already knew that Tessa was an only child, though the file he’d gotten on her hadn’t said much about her parents. He was filling in those blanks now.
The father had a home office, and even on his nightstand there were files with contracts and other notes. Workaholic, no doubt. His wife’s closet was filled with designer clothes. Jewelry was strewn around on her nightstand haphazardly, as if the priceless pieces were a dime a dozen. In the drawers he found pills consistent with her husband’s claim. As well as miniature bottles of hard liquor. Was she chasing down the pills with booze? Bad combination. Was she the neglected wife who had turned to alcohol for comfort?
He searched on, systematically going through all the rooms. He skipped one: a bathroom. He knew who was inside: Tessa. Only a family member would come upstairs to use the bathroom here instead of the guest bath downstairs.
Knowing he didn’t have much time before other guests would find it odd that the guest bathroom was still occupied, he hurried downstairs and continued his quick assessment. But he was already out of time. An impatient woman was knocking at the bathroom door.
“Anybody in there?”
A man walked up to her from the other side. “Maybe it’s empty and somebody accidentally locked it.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “Let me help you. I know how to open that kind of lock from the outside.”
Ah, crap, so much for snooping around unseen.
Hamish charged toward the bathroom, passed through the wall next to it, since the couple was blocking the door, then uncloaked himself inside. Fully visible again, he unlocked the door, and opened it.
“Oh, I’m sorry, were you waiting?” he asked with a smile. “It’s all yours.”
~ ~ ~
Tessa came down the stairs just as Hamish stepped out of the guest bathroom. Glad she didn’t have to walk back into the fray of the party on her own, she called out to him.
“Hamish!”
He turned, smiling, and waited until she’d reached him.
She hooked her arm under his. “Let’s go back into the lion’s den, shall we?” she said.
He led the way back into the living room. A waiter passed them, offering champagne, and she snatched a glass from the tray. Hamish did likewise.
When they reached the living room, she caught her father’s eye on her. He’d been waiting for her to return. He smiled at her from across the room, then tapped a fork against his champagne glass to call for silence.
“Thank you all for coming,” her father started, her mother standing next to him, “and helping us celebrate a milestone in our lives.”
Hamish leaned closer. “Wedding anniversary?”
Tessa shook her head.
“Thirty-five years ago today we were blessed with our little girl.” Philip Wallace lifted his glass toward Tessa, forcing her to reciprocate. “When we finally brought her home with us and were able to call her our own, give her our name, and care for her, our lives became so much richer for it. You, Tessa, have given us so much joy over the years and shown us that although nature denied us the chance to become parents, fate made it possible.” He raised his glass again. “Happy adoption day, honey!”
Tears in her eyes, Tessa lifted her glass and locked eyes with her father. The guests repeated the well-wishes. Her gaze drifted to her mother, but she had left her husband’s side and snuck out to the kitchen, where one of the waiters was arranging more cocktails on a tray.
“I didn’t know you were adopted,” Hamish said next to her.
She turned her head. “It makes no difference.”
“I didn’t mean to imply that it did. I guess that explains why you don’t look like your parents at all.”
She forced a smile and sipped from her glass. No, she wasn’t anything like her mother. And she never wanted to be.
“Your father seems to adore you,” Hamish remarked. “That was quite a moving speech.”
“He loves me.” Maybe too much. Perhaps that had always been the root of her problems.
“I lost my father a long time ago,” Hamish said. “You should cherish his love for as long as you can.”
“I do,” she admitted. Despite everything.
Hamish said, “You don’t get along with your mother.”
She didn’t look at him when she replied, “It’s complicated.”
Very complicated.
Tessa emptied her glass and let her eyes roam, searching for the waiter. If she was going to get through this evening, she was going to need another drink.
16
The vortex, the swirling mass of dark fog and wind he’d used to transport into the human world, closed behind him and vanished without a trace. Zoltan glanced around, making sure nobody had witnessed his entrance, but the bushes and trees in the residential neighborhood had hidden him well.
He’d donned a beard, brown contact lenses, and dark blond hair that reached over his ears and curled at his nape, the facial hair helping him blend in with the fashions young humans seemed to favor these days. He’d drawn the line at the man-bun though. How any self-respecting man could wear such an emasculating hairdo was beyond him, and he certainly wasn’t going to sink that low.
He only had to walk two blocks to reach the house in question. The many cars parked on the curb on both sides of the street, as well as in the driveway, indicated that the homeowners had guests. Lots of them. But he wasn’t going to let that stop him from doing what he’d come to do. He was sure there was a way in without being noticed.
A whiff of cigarette smoke blew in his direction. He looked around for its origin and saw a young man standing next to a bush, smoking. He wore the outfit of a catering company, a white shirt, black slacks, and a red bowtie. Perfect.
Zoltan walked casually as he approached the young man, who couldn’t be older than twenty-five.
“Evening,” Zoltan greeted him with a grin, then motioned to the house behind him. “No smoking inside, huh?”
The kid made a motion to extinguish his cigarette, but Zoltan stopped him. “No, don’t put it out for my sake. Actually I was hoping I could bum one off you.” He jerked his thumb to the house. “Before I join the party.”
The young man grinned and dug into his pocket, pulling out a pack. Zoltan reached for it and helped himself to a cigarette. But he didn’t light it immediately.
“What’s your name?”
“Kevin.”
“I’m Harry, nice to meet you,” he lied. Lying was second nature to him. As was the use of force. “Must be hard working these parties. Hope you’re not short-staffed. These people can be like piranhas, working you guys to the bone.”
Kevin gave a long suffering sigh. “Right? Well, at least they hired five of us. So it’s not too bad.”
Zoltan lit his cigarette and took a drag from the disgusting thing. “That’s cool. When I used to work in catering, I found it a great way to meet people. You know? Every party was a different crew. I rarely worked with the same colleagues more than once.”
“Same here,” Kevin agreed. “I don’t know the other four. The boss just schedules us, you know. You can’t really choose who you work with.”
Zoltan nodded as if he cared. “Yeah, true. So, what company do you work for?” He glanced around. “I don’t see a catering truck.”
Kevin motioned to the house. “Oh, we parked in the alley behind the property. Didn’t wanna occupy any parking spots meant for the guests.”
“Yeah, makes sense.” Though the kid still hadn’t answered his que
stion. “So what company was that again?”
“A Class of its Own Catering.”
“What a coincidence! Is John still running the joint?”
“John?” Kevin furrowed his forehead. “I don’t know a John in management. Bruce does the scheduling.”
“Oh, Bruce, right,” Zoltan said, slapping his hand against his forehead, pretending to know who Kevin was talking about. “John is in accounting. Of course you wouldn’t know him.”
He took another drag from his cigarette, then threw it to the ground and extinguished it with his shoe. “Well then, off to the party.”
“Have fun.”
Zoltan faked a motion to the opposite side, then wrapped his arms around Kevin’s neck and jerked him back, before the kid even realized what was happening to him. He started to struggle, but Zoltan was many times stronger and dragged him behind the bushes.
“Now tell me, how bad are you, huh? Ever stolen anything? Ever beaten somebody up?” Zoltan whispered into his captive’s ear, hoping he was right about the kid. “Yeah, you’re no choirboy, are you?”
Kevin fought, his fear rising with every second. Perfect. Underneath it was something else. Kevin wasn’t innocent. He’d committed crimes, petty crimes, but that would do. Zoltan tossed his victim to the ground and pinned him there, one hand around his throat so he couldn’t scream. Savoring the moment, Zoltan bent closer and opened his mouth, sucking in a deep breath, then another. A light mist started escaping through Kevin’s nostrils. Zoltan sucked harder and slowly eased up on his grip around his victim’s throat. More mist rose, turning a darker shade, first gray, then black.
Yes, that’s what he needed. This would be a good feeding, a rich one. The young man at his mercy had done bad things, and now Zoltan reaped the benefits. With every breath, he sucked in more fear and evil from his victim, and felt his own strength growing. His cells replenished, filled with power. In the last few months he’d come across many rich feasts like this. There was more and more evil in the world, and it tasted good.