Bound by Blood (Vampire Romance)

by Tara Manderino

  Louis glanced between the two of them before looking questioningly at Alex.

  “It’s Carlos, just as we thought. Can you help me find him?”

  Shrugging his shoulders, Louis sat further back in his seat, crossing his hands over his middle and extending his legs. The picture of relaxation. “The answer rests on why.”

  “Why would Carlos have her? I have no idea.” Alex made a slight noise that sounded like an exasperated breath.

  “That is one why. But why would you involve this poor girl?” He pointed his chin in Lisa’s direction.

  Lisa looked from one to the other. “Excuse me,” she said, “I am here. There’s no need to talk as if I wasn’t.”

  “You can do nothing,” Louis told her.

  “I realize that,” Lisa said. “But I feel responsible. If I’m at least here, or with Detective Aguilar I will know what is going on. I can pass the information to the Morgans.”

  Alex shifted in his seat, but Louis merely studied her. She wasn’t sure if he had even blinked. “Is there some reason I shouldn’t be here?” She didn’t know how the detectives operated, but maybe there was some protocol. She looked from one man to the other.

  “There is every reason you should not be here,” Louis told her. “Alessandro knows this, which is why I am surprised to see you.”

  “I wanted her to meet you,” Alex said, his voice clipped. “Perhaps you could explain the need for her to remain uninvolved in the case; how dangerous this man could be.”

  Louis gave her a slow smile, one she didn’t care for at all. “His name is Carlos, but that much you know. He is very dangerous. So dangerous that I question Alessandro looking for him alone.”

  “I didn’t plan to do it alone.”

  “Of course not. You have the department behind you.”

  His tone was not reassuring to Lisa in the least. He made it should as if an entire police force was nothing to be considered; not to be taken into account. Alex must have felt the same way, because she saw him stiffen.

  “What did you hope to gain by this meeting?”

  Alex studied the painting on the wall opposite. “I don’t know,” he finally admitted, slowly turning his head to look at his friend.

  She didn’t know what to think. Was he saying it was a mistake to bring her along? At first she thought so too, but now, now she realized what she had seen could be of value to the detective, and detrimental to her. She felt much safer with Alex than on her own, and that’s what she told him.

  “You are not safer,” Louis snapped before Alex could answer. “If anything, he has put you in more danger. Now the abductor will know for certain you have seen something,”

  “You think he’s watching me?”

  Alex gave a brief nod. “You, the Morgans, me…” He let the list trail off.

  Lisa wrapped her arms around herself. “I didn’t think of that.” Her voice was a mere whisper, but the men seemed to have no trouble hearing it. Her gaze flicked from one to the other. “Could someone fill me in on this person? Will he harm Sandy? How can we fight him, and get the little girl back safely?” She raised a shaky hand to her eyes. Just talking about it made her tremble. It had to have been her fault. The Morgans were right.

  “I never took my eyes off of her,” she said, more to reassure herself than in any consideration they would hear her.

  They had. It can happen, they assured her, only there was nothing reassuring in their words or voice.

  Alex reached out his hand, touched her leg, then withdrew it, catching her attention. “There are some things beyond your control.”

  Numbly, she nodded. All she wanted to do was get back to her own room. She would love to go somewhere away from the Morgrans. She didn’t want to have to look at them. Even Mr. Morgan, who seemed to consider her innocent – she knew that deep down he had to think her responsible; negligent in her duties. He was much too nice a man to say otherwise, but it was human nature.

  “I... I really need to leave,” she said. She didn’t want to look at either man, instead focusing on the small table set between the seating arrangement. It held an odd assortment of items for a coffee table. She blinked, her attention momentarily diverted by the knife set there, two small swords actually.

  “I’ll take you home, “Alex said, as he suddenly stood.

  She blinked, bringing her attention back to the man in front of her. He really was large. An aura of energy emanated from him even as he simply stood.

  She didn’t say anything until they were seated in the car. It took her that long to decide what to do. She did not want to face the Morgans; she couldn’t. Going to a hotel for the night, even the least expensive would probably tax her credit limit, but she could do it. She told him her plan as he started the car. “If you could drop me off at one of the hotels in town, I think it would be a better arrangement for the night.”

  He gave her a sharp look. “You can’t dwell on this. It wasn’t your fault.”

  ~*~

  It wasn’t. If anything, it could be traced to him, more than her. But how could he explain to her, a mortal, she never had a chance. Not against a vampire. She might not have even stood a chance against Carlos in a human form. He had been quick then. Being a vampire only enhanced his nature as far as Alex could tell.

  “It might not have been.” She shrugged before meeting his gaze. “But the fact remains I was the one caring for her. The Morgans must hate me. I just don’t think I can face seeing them tonight.”

  “You have your own room there.”

  “But it’s their house. I would see them. I would see Sandy’s things. They would too, and they would hate me even more seeing I was there and not their daughter.”

  He reached out and grasped the back of her neck, forcing her to look at him. She hadn’t moved in fear, rather there was resignation in her gaze. It pained him to see it because it truly had not been her fault. He didn’t want to consider that it gave him pain. He was just doing his job.

  “Then go to a friend’s house. Any place would be safer than a hotel.”

  She shook her head at that. “I don’t have any friends like that.”

  He blinked, not understanding what she was saying. She was vibrant young woman. Something he did not want to think about. He didn’t like that he could constantly catch her scent, that the blood in her veins beckoned him. “You have friends?”

  She shrugged in response. “People I see when I take Sandy out, that’s it.”

  She seemed to think about it another moment, not struggling to move from his hold. The hold had gentled as he let his hand slide beneath her hair to rest on the warmth of her skin. He shouldn’t be doing this for all kinds of reasons. He removed his hand, letting his fingers trail against her skin as long as he could. He didn’t want to break the contact. She didn’t seem to notice anything amiss. He moved his hand to squeeze the point at the bridge of his nose, and wished he hadn’t. Her scent was still strong in the car and even more so on his hand. He closed his eyes trying to banish the scent, banish her. Another mistake. He quickly opened his eyes.

  “I can find a place for you.”

  “No, I do want to be alone. I need to be.”

  He shifted in his seat and put the car into gear before speaking again. He waited until he was on the road. “Then consider coming to my place.”

  Her head whipped in his direction as he spoke.

  He chuckled. “It sounds worse than it is. I have to work tonight, so I will be at headquarters or on the road. You can have the place to yourself.”

  He heard her release a whoosh of air. That certainly put him in his place, he thought wryly. Just because he was attracted to her in a way he hadn’t been to anyone in decades didn’t mean she felt the same. It was obvious she did not. It was safer that way, he assured himself.

  “If it’s not a trouble, I will accept your offer. It will save me the fee.”

  He fished his phone out of his pocket and tossed it to her. “Call the Morgans and let them
know you will be safe. Tell them you were assisting me this evening.”

  She looked at the phone blankly, as if unsure of what to do with it. He took it back from her, hating the fact that he even noticed how cold her fingers were. He punched in the number of the house when she told it to him.

  Mr. Morgan answered and Alex briefly explained Lisa would be with him.

  “She doesn’t have to do that,” his response came over the phone. “The nanny can stay here.”

  “Perhaps tomorrow,” Alex told him. “I want to keep this line open,” he said abruptly before disconnecting. It irked him the other man referred to her as the nanny. He knew that was her position, but she was Lisa.

  Once the call was complete and he slipped the phone back in his pocket, she seemed to calm down; she gave him a small smile.

  “Relax,” he told her. “It will be a little time before we get to my house.”

  This time of night, it took less time than normal. She had fallen into a gentle sleep and her head lolled against the back of the seat, exposing her face from the tumble of curls. He couldn’t help himself; he reached out and touched the curls where they lay against the headrest. She really was exquisite. But even as he thought it, he knew it was more than that. Over his years he had certainly seen his share of beautiful women. He didn’t know what it was, but it called him on a level he didn’t want to consider.

  He flicked her hair back, and let his gaze travel down the length of her – small and compact and certainly never the way he thought he liked his women. Katherine had been tall and slim, almost boyish. No one would ever mistake Lisa for a male.

  He slipped out of the car, careful not to close the door too loudly. Then came around to her side, opened her door and leaned in. She still had not wakened. Good. He unfastened her seatbelt, but didn’t immediately move away. Her scent surrounded him, pulled to him. He was going to have to get away soon, but not just yet. Instead, he leaned his head closer to hers as he straightened, turning his head fractionally, he stopped himself from burying his nose into the warmth of her neck, where her pulse beat, where her blood pounded. From the way it coursed through her veins now, the way he could hear it, he knew she was close to waking. He stepped back and rested one arm against the roof of the car. With the other, he gently touched her shoulder. He resisted the urge to run his hand down her arm.

  She awakened with a start and looked around, disoriented momentarily, but then seeming to quickly grasp her bearings.

  “I didn’t mean to completely zonk out like that,” she said as she stepped out of the car.

  He stepped back, allowing her the space to move, and closed the door behind her.

  As she looked about, he noted her taking in the neatly kept lawn, the house, not much smaller than the Morgans, yet vastly different.

  He never cared for overly ornate things. Quality, definitely, but he had always preferred to have only his favorite items around. Even as a mortal.

  Putting his hand on the back of her waist, he guided her across the driveway. He quickly punched in his code on the keyless entry and they were inside.

  He gave her a moment to acclimate herself while he turned on several lamps. The one in the foyer was on a timer, so was always on, but the rest of the house was dark. He led the way to the kitchen.

  “First, you need something warm,” he told her. All the while wondering if he even had fresh coffee about. He never had guests. At least not the kind that cared what he had in his kitchen.

  “I’m fine,” she told him. “I don’t want any caffeine anyway.”

  “Then have some wine, it will relax you.” He knew that was something he did have. Going to the refrigerator he knew it was just a matter of finding the right bottle. As he moved the unlabeled bottles aside, for the first time, he wondered if he had done the right thing in bringing her here. He pushed away the misgivings along with the bottles.

  Snagging a glass from the hanging rack near the kitchen island, he deftly uncorked the bottle and poured her a generous measure.

  “You’re not having any?” she asked, indicating that there was only one glass on the counter.

  “I’m on duty, remember.”

  ~*~

  She felt herself blush at that. Of course he was, why else would she be here. Men who looked like Alex – Detective Aguilar -- didn’t notice short, plump women, let alone nannies.

  “Are you sure it’s all right for me to be here? It won’t cause any problems with your wife, or girlfriend.”

  He gave her a slow smile. “Are you fishing, Lisa?” There was a hint of humor in his voice. “I’m not married. I have no significant other, no girlfriend. No one will mind.”

  She took a sip of her wine more for something to do to hide her embarrassment than because she wanted it. “Look, I didn’t mean to pry.” She played with the stem of the glass. “I’m just on edge and I don’t feel comfortable anywhere tonight.”

  “Would you rather I have someone come in here to keep you company while I’m gone?”

  She shook her head, then looked at him quizzically. “Why are you doing this? You don’t know me. I could be a thief and when you return everything will be gone. Or, maybe I really killed Sandy and am trying to cover it up.” She put her hand to her mouth. Had she really said those awful things? Things that she would never do. Things he might be obligated to research professionally.

  He reached out and pulled her hand down from her face. “You wouldn’t do any of those things. I’m an excellent judge of human character. You are what you say.”

  “I haven’t said anything much, have I?” she admitted. What could she tell him?

  “Not in words,” he agreed. “But in your concerns and your actions, you have told me a lot.” He stepped away from her, seeming to want to break the contact.

  “I am going to go headquarters for an hour or so. Let me show you where you can sleep.”

  “I’d rather just sit on the couch, if that’s all right,” she said. No way could she actually sleep in a bed; the nap she had in the car probably ruined any chance of sleeping she had.

  Alex studied her face for a moment then seeming to come to some conclusion, he headed away from the hall and turned towards the room beyond the kitchen.

  She released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Thank you.”

  “Not a problem,” he assured her as he led her into a great room. It was an eclectic grouping of furniture, dominated by bookcases in one section of the room. The shelves were packed with books, not knickknacks. He headed to the corner of the room furthest from the windows. There was a small grouping of chairs and a love seat facing a large television hanging on the wall. It was not the largest screen she had ever seen, she thought the Morgans had that, but certainly big enough. She shook her head.

  “What?”

  “Sorry. I was just thinking there was something about boys and their toys,” she said, motioning toward the TV with her chin.

  He gave her a genuine smile. She could tell the difference. This one made his eyes crinkle and his eyes briefly shone with humor.

  “True. But tonight, you get to enjoy it,” he told her. Quickly, he snatched up the remote and turned on the set, then handed it to her. “I’ll be back in a few hours unless something comes up on any of the cases.”

  Nodding her thanks, she sank into the loveseat and pretended to be concerned about what was on the screen.

  “It will be all right,” he assured her before leaving.

  As soon as he left, she relaxed against the cushions of the sofa, feeling totally drained.

  It was better here than at the Morgans, she thought. She closed her eyes trying to recreate the entire scene from the playground in her mind, playing it over and over. She had heard people say things happened in the blink of an eye, but she would have sworn that was exactly the case here. She had blinked and he was gone. Sandy with him. How could that be? Sandy hadn’t even a chance to scream. Hot tears form at the corner of her eyes thinking how frightened the
little girl would be, torn away from everything she knew. She would give the detective and the FBI their chance to find her, but she knew that come tomorrow she would be with them. She couldn’t stand by idle. She had to look for the child herself. Even thinking that, she had a hard time opening her eyes to make some kind of plan, tentative as it might be.

  ~*~

  Alex met Louis at El Lago. No message was necessary. Since their business with Carlos hadn’t been concluded the other night, he knew Louis would be waiting for him and was not disappointed. They sat at one of the tables at the far end of the room, hidden in the shadows and as far from the music as they could get.

  “What was the purpose of dragging her into this?” Louis asked abruptly.

  Alex shrugged. He could only be referring to Lisa. “I wanted to know what you thought; if she could be of any use.”

  Louis chuckled. “You know my thoughts there, Alessandro. They haven’t changed. Even very beautiful women are best used for feeding of one kind or another.”

  Alex gripped his glass of bourbon tighter. He had known Louis’s thinking. It had always been the same over the years. Why had he thought or believed it would be any different with Lisa? Because he saw her differently, he thought to himself. He took a swallow of the liquor.

  It was Louis’s turn to shrug. “That bothers you, I see.” He reached out and clasped Alex’s wrist, grabbing the other’s attention. “Watch what you are about. She is beautiful in an earthy way, and I can see you are attracted. Don’t let her see it too.”

  Alex shook off the other vampire’s grip. “I merely wanted to know if it helped that she was able to identify Carlos. Do you think he’s capable of this?” He ran a hand down his face. “In the years I have known of him, I have never known him to resort to taking a child.”

  “This is different,” Louis agreed. “One has to wonder at the significance.”

  “I do wonder -- which is why I came to you. I can hardly ask the people at headquarters what I need to know.

  “Why do you persist in going the mortal route, Alessandro? You know we can find him much faster. And we will.”