Black Heart: Wild On

by TW Gallier

  It didn't look good. Damn it.

  We cruised Deep Ellum and the surrounding neighborhoods until five in the morning, then headed home. He went back to his house, and I headed north to Kale's house. Kale was the fang whore I was living with. Kale would be heading out to work, but Desiree and Heidi would be there to help me lick the wounds to my pride.

  For the first time, Gabe didn't even ask me to go home with him. He was angry and dejected at losing Ben. Knowing Gabe, he'd get a few hours sleep and then spend the rest of the day scouring the area for any clue to where Ben went. Gabe was a very tenacious hunter.

  Chapter 4

  I was out the door the moment it was safe for the undead. Lubner, Schram, Bricker, and Kanady Accounting occupied the entire third and fourth floor of a ten story office building in Addison, a North Dallas suburb. The building was on the North Dallas Toll Road.

  Arriving at five thirty-five, I strode into the main lobby like I owned the place. People got out of my way, and they didn't even know I was a vampire. I liked it. I think it was the expensive suit I was wearing — red wool jacket over white silk blouse and black wool skirt. The suit was beautifully tailored and made me look perfectly professional. I paid seven hundred dollars for it. I even carried a briefcase.

  The elevators were busy, but I was the only one going up. It didn't take long to reach the third floor, which the Directory in the lobby listed as the main reception for the private CPA firm.

  "Hello," I said to the receptionist. The ID badge clipped to her lapel named her Opal Campbell. "Who does Timothy Saxon work for?"

  "You are?" Opal said. She was well dressed, maybe early fifties, with short ash blonde dyed hair and no nonsense eyes. She didn't look the least bit impressed with me.

  "Sable Hart," I said, wondering if she'd recognize the name. I had been in the news way too much for comfort of late. My name didn't faze her, and I must admit to some disappointment.

  "I'm sorry, Ms Hart, but that is privileged information. Is there someone specifically you have an appointment with at this late hour?"

  Her tone and expression said she didn't believe there was, and implied that perhaps I had made a mistake. It was irritating, but beneath my concern at that time. I was not one to bristle needlessly. But her attitude grated.

  "Is Timothy Saxon in right now?"

  "No."

  "Did he come in today?"

  "I'm sorry, but that is privileged information," Opal said. Her professional expression showed just a hint of pleasure. Her aura showed her irritation and pleasure, as well. "Is there anything else I can help you with, Ms Hart?"

  "Yes," I said, and caught her gaze. I turned on the vampiric power, and Opal let out the tiniest of gasps. Her snooty games were wasting time. Barely keeping the grimace off my face, for I didn't mesmerize anyone lightly, I continued, "Once again, who is Timothy Saxon's boss?"

  "Mr. Saxon works for Mr. Bricker."

  "Is he in?"

  "Yes, ma'am."

  "Where can I find him, Opal?"

  Opal gave me detailed directions through the maze of cubicles, straight to William Bricker's corner office. Only about a third of the cubicles had anyone in them, and they looked to be finishing up their day. I didn't rate a second look from any more than three or four people. Mr. Bricker's secretary was already gone when I arrived.

  William Bricker looked late sixties, but my research said he was sixty-one. His silver hair was thinning, but the hair line looked to be holding its own. He had a pear-shaped body, dour face, and reading glasses perched on the end of a prominent nose. The gaze he cut at me when I entered his office was one of cool annoyance.

  "Do I know you, Miss?"

  "No, but you know my friend," I said. I pulled the door closed behind me. That got his attention. He removed his reading glasses and sat up straight. I sat in one of the two chairs set before his large mahogany desk. Crossing my legs, I smiled tightly. "My friend is Timothy Saxon, an employee of yours."

  "About to be an ex-employee," Mr. Bricker said. He eyed me narrowly. "Are you a lawyer? Are you representing him?"

  "No," I said. "I'm investigating his disappearance."

  His light blue eyes widened just a bit.

  "That explains why he didn't show up for work today, or call in," he said. He sat back and laid his hands atop his pronounced belly. "You are investigating? Are you a cop?"

  "What I am is of no consequence," I said. "I'm here to find out which accounts Timmy worked on."

  "That is privileged information, Miss...?"

  "Hart. Sable Hart," I said. That got a flicker of recognition on his face. More telling, his heart rate ramped up and his aura wavered a tad. A man with secrets? Or was he just afraid of my bad reputation? "I believe Timmy was kidnapped last night. The kidnappers might be interested in what he knows about one of your clients’ accounts."

  Mr. Bricker put on a pretty good poker face. That revelation got no outward reaction. His aura showed a whole nother story.

  "I need to know what accounts Timmy worked on," I said.

  "Once again, Miss Hart, you are asking for privileged information that I cannot give you," he said. I was starting to develop an attitude towards that expression, "privileged information." I frowned at him, wondering what I'd have to do short of mesmerizing him. Putting the receptionist under my power was bad enough, but doing the same to Timmy's boss would probably cost him his job. So he'd be free of the vampires, but unemployed. Of course, his next job might be safer. Then Mr. Bricker got my attention by leaning forward and hitting me with a demanding stare. "Now, do you have any idea what kind of information they would want from Mr. Saxon?"

  Okay, I admit. My first reaction was to tell him, "Fuck off and die." Why should I help him if he refuses to help me? But by cooperating, maybe I could gain his trust and get some cooperation.

  "Yes," I said, locking eyes with him. He didn't flinch or avert his eyes. He wasn't afraid of vampires, which made me think he wasn't the brightest monkey in the tree. A healthy fear of vampires would keep him alive a lot longer. "They might want privileged information about any vampire accounts he is working on." I showed him my fangs. "You know who I am. You know what I am, but I assure you I am not interested in knowing anything about any of the accounts. I just want to figure out why he was kidnapped, and hope that leads me to who took him."

  "Once again, Miss Hart, that is — "

  My anger got the best of me. He had no intention of helping me in the least. So I caught his eyes, and he belonged to me. I didn't want to mesmerize him, but he left me no choice. His only external reaction was to briefly stiffen. His aura changed dramatically, showing he completely relaxed under my power.

  "Which vampire accounts did Timmy work on?" I asked.

  "Mr. Saxon's accounts were LaRue Entertainment, Inc. for Antoinette LaRue, and Big Sky Properties for Jeff Howell," Mr. Bricker said. "He also was part of the team that worked the Nightside Investment Partnership, own by Vanessa Mancera, Tara Voorhies, Jeff Howell, and Antoinette LaRue."

  "Any others?"

  "No. Well...he helped some with the Trudeau Trusts, but not full time."

  I sat there a long moment. Timmy worked on some of the most powerful and scariest vampires' accounts. Topping the list was the Trudeau Family and Antoinette. The Trudeaus were vampire mafia, and would just as soon kill you as talk to you. And Antoinette was probably the single most powerful vampire in Dallas.

  "Did Timmy know he was working on vampire accounts?"

  "Of course," he said.

  "Did he actually meet with any of them?"

  "On a regular basis," he said. "Though I was the lead and he just spoke when spoken to."

  Sounded like Timmy. He wasn't an out-front kinda guy. Timmy was a dedicated follower, but he worked hard for you.

  "Was there anything illegal going on with the accounts?" I asked. "And did Timmy know about it?"

  "Other than some of them involving money earned through illegal acts, like prostitution or drug sal
es, no," he said. "And Mr. Saxon knew exactly where all the monies came from."

  "Did he know anything about his clients that others could use to hurt them? Maybe steal away their money?"

  Fear spiked in Mr. Bricker, despite being mesmerized.

  "Maybe. All knowledge is power," he said. "Mr. Saxon knew bank account numbers, though not the passwords. He could transfer moneys between some accounts, too."

  Since Antoinette's businesses were mostly illegal, or barely legal, the police or government might be interested in investigating her. Same with the Trudeaus. I wasn't aware of any illegal activities with Tara, Jeff, or Vanessa. I suspected they had their greedy undead fingers in numerous illegal activities. So, could the government be responsible for Timmy's disappearance? But why would the government ask him to join them?

  "Could...," I said, and stopped myself. Should I even put such a thought in Timmy's boss's head? "Could Timmy be siphoning money off his clients' accounts?"

  Mr. Bricker frowned, looking very unhappy.

  "Unlikely, but possible," he admitted.

  "Thank you, Mr. Bricker," I said, standing. I released him from my power. "You've been very helpful."

  He just looked at me in horror. I don’t think he'd ever been mesmerized before. That might be the first inkling he had of what vampires were truly capable of doing, and what he could be forced to do.

  "You...you made me...," he whispered, eyes huge. He reeked of fear now.

  "What I did was nothing compared to what I could've done, Mr. Bricker," I said. "Imagine what one of your undead clients could do if they even thought you or one of your employees were cheating them? By dealing with vampires you've endangered your life and the lives of your employees." I shook my head woefully. "You are an idiot."

  Chapter 5

  The weather decided to take a turn for the worse while I was visiting with Mr. Bricker. It was already cold, around thirty-eight at sunset, so the threat of snow and ice was a real possibility before the night was out. At least it was only raining. Of course my car wasn't under cover.

  A nice elderly gentleman escorted me to my car under his umbrella. I didn't even mesmerize him, or bat my eyelashes at him or anything. He just offered. Ah, chivalry!

  I thanked him sweetly, then fired up the Mustang. Then I sat there for five minutes while she warmed up, and I could turn on the defroster. The windshield was all fogged up. But it gave me time to contemplate my next move. Actually, I tried to figure out a next move.

  "I need help," I said.

  I had friends more than willing to help me. Dane and Gabe were vampire hunters and would love to stake a major vamp or three. Heidi, my former rival for Dane's romantic attentions, was a vampire under my power, so would do what she was told. And truth was she kept telling me she wanted to help. Kale and Desiree were fang whores, more interested to getting into my panties that hunting down bad guys. Then there was Sabrina, who desperately wanted to be a vampire hunter like her big sister.

  So I sent out text messages to Dane, Gabe, and Heidi, "Meet me at Kale's house ASAP."

  Heidi responded, "LOL we r all here alredy."

  I lifted a brow at that, then texted back, "Learn to spell. On my way."

  Kale's house was not that far away. It was a four bedroom, three and a half bath, two car garage home in North Dallas, on Royal Lane. The kind of house I expected to find on Royal Lane, too. Large, but not ostentatious.

  Okay, the house wasn't right on Royal Lane, it was in those little cul-de-sac side streets with only four houses lining it. They all had huge old oaks and elms, with wonderfully landscaped yards. Kale's three neighbors were all older couples, where the children had already moved out. Kale had bought the brown brick, single-story home at auction, after the previous owner went bankrupt and lost it. He then renovated it to attract a vampire lover, putting the master bedroom dead center and with no windows or even an outside wall.

  Kale's occupation was framing contractor, building custom homes. He also liked to buy homes, renovate them, and sell them for a profit. I knew of two other homes he owned, and was spending some time to renovate.

  When I pulled up the rain intensified. Of course. The driveway held four cars, two by two. Desiree's red Charger was there, in front of Gabe's new Jeep Eagle, with Sabrina's new blue Miata in front of Dane's forest green Jeep. I could only assume Kale's pickup was in the garage, next to his silver Lexus.

  "Great. I get to park on the street again," I said. I pulled in behind Heidi's silver BMW SUV. All the people who didn't live there got to park in the driveway. "It figures."

  With the briefcase over my head, I made a dash up the sidewalk to the front door. Thankfully, there was a deep porch in front of the door. I was wiping rainwater off my briefcase when Desiree opened the door. Her lovely brown eyes lit up when she saw me.

  "Sable!" she cried, and threw her arms around me. She hugged me fiercely, then gave me a big wet kiss. "I thought I heard out you here."

  I was pleased to see she wasn't in her hooker apparel. Desiree was wearing the most normal clothes I'd ever seen her in — short baby-blue leather jacket over a red V-neck t-shirt, faded black jeans and ankle boots. She hugged me again, then took my briefcase and led me into the house.

  "Sable's home," she said.

  They were split between the kitchen and the living room. Kale and Sabrina were washing the dinner dishes. And standing awful close to each other, I might add. Was my little sister falling for one of my friends with benefits? Could prove awkward. Kale was still in his dirty construction work clothes, while Sabrina looked very sassy and sexy in red leather mini dress and matching calf boots, with black fishnets.

  "Are you going out tonight?" I said, looking her over.

  "No. Why?"

  I lifted an eyebrow, but said nothing. I knew how my sister dressed to impress when she partied. Those were her "tie-me-up-and-spank-me" clothes. Yeah, she was kinky. That was not what she normally wore to visit me. I'd keep an eye on her.

  In the living room it wasn't any better. Heidi was sitting on the couch, between Dane and Gabe. She was being Heidi, too, and teasing both of them outrageously. Okay, maybe she wasn't teasing them. She was a vampire, and rather promiscuous even before being Changed by me. The beautiful blonde probably was trying to lure both of them into her bed, for a hot Heidi sandwich.

  Both Dane and Gabe looked like they came over ready to stake vampires, in jeans and hiking boots. Dane wore a red flannel shirt, and Gabe wore a Cowboys t-shirt under his bomber jacket.

  "I can't leave you people alone for five minutes," I said.

  I went into the master bedroom and changed. I shared it with Kale. Well, he slept there nights and I slept days. Of course the overlap time was the best.

  I'll admit that Heidi's sexy gorgeousness intimidated me. I had to step up my game since she moved in with us. She was sitting out there in a lacy black teddy and black thigh boots. You know, one foot in the bed already. Both men were highly aroused. So I put on a red lace bustier, black leather mini skirt, and my sexiest red-patent, fuck-me pumps. Red satin choker, big silver hoop earrings and matching bangles, and I was ready to compete.

  "Oh baby," Desiree said when I emerged. "You remember you promised to take care of me tonight."

  "I said I'd bite you yesterday, but you never showed up," I said. I was pleased to see Dane and Gabe only had eyes for me, and even Heidi was looking me over with speculation.

  "Not my fault! Boney sent me on a big money job," she cried, suddenly afraid. "It came down from Antoinette, so I couldn't refuse."

  Mention of Antoinette soured my mood. Boney's cryptic word haunted me. I had to find a way to dissuade that woman, or I'd be in a load of trouble. But I had time for that later. It was time to make plans.

  "Hey, everyone in here," I called. "That means you too, Sabrina!"

  "Oh, are we going to stake a vampire?" Sabrina said, her big sapphire eyes lighting up. She'd never actually staked a vampire, and was way too eager to start. "Tonight?" She
looked at my attire and frowned, "Not tonight."

  "Not unless Gabe found Big Benny Rothschild," I said. He shook his head. "Then, I have two things. You want bites or kisses first?"

  "Kisses!" Desiree and Kale both said. No one else said anything, just looked at me curiously.

  "Kisses it is," I said. I grinned at them. "Are we all going to party together on New Years? We haven't all gotten together like this since Christmas Eve. I don't have any plans, so I'm open to suggestion."

  "Damn," Desiree said. She smiled weakly, and shrugged. "I have a date for New Years."

  "Paid date?" I said.

  "Yeah," she said. "I'm sorry, but I've had the same date for the last five years, and he really plans for it. I can't break it."

  "Okay," I said, trying to not frown. Her job bothered me, but she loved it so. I didn't understand, and probably never would. But who was I to judge? I'm an accursed vampire, an abomination in the eyes of the Lord. So I turned to the others, "Well? What about the rest of you?"

  "I can't," Heidi said, looking in pain. "Family thing."

  "You have a lot of family things," Gabe said.

  "Yeah," she said so sadly. Then she cut a look at Dane, "I need a date."

  "Count me out," he said, shaking his head vigorously. "I don't want anything to do with your family."

  "No, it'll be better this time. I promise," she pleaded. "They didn't know you last time. They're always better the second time I bring a boy home."

  Everyone averted their eyes, trying to find anywhere to look but at them. We all heard Dane's horror story of Christmas dinner with Heidi and her family. They treated him like a gold digging gigolo, with barely a civil word sent his way. Besides, they were Catholic and didn't think a Methodist and martial arts teacher was suitable for Heidi.

  While Heidi pleaded with Dane to reconsider, Kale spoke up. "I'm spending New Years with my kids, at my parents' house."

  That was not unexpected. Kale's first priority was his children. Couldn’t blame him for that. So I turned to Gabe.