by Lexi Blake
“It would be my pleasure,” Marcus said. “Come along, Kelsey.”
I was tired and I’d gotten everything I was going to get out of tonight. I had four of five girls ID’d and an invitation to get into the club. It was probably time to call it a night.
“Do I get to ride in the Bentley?” That was one sweet car.
“If that is your preference, then certainly.” He led me out of the lounge.
It was getting late and the crowd was starting to thin out. I wondered if Gray had already gone to bed, if he’d already forgotten about me. Maybe he’d called up an old girlfriend.
“You are thinking of the demon?” Marcus’s face was a polite mask once more.
“No,” I lied. “I was thinking about the case. Maybe Quinn is wrong and I should talk openly about it. Maybe if the wolves knew it couldn’t be a vampire they would back off.”
“I doubt it,” the vampire replied, patting my arm. “That small faction of wolves wouldn’t be swayed by your evidence. If they discovered there had been murders and they had been conducted during daylight hours they would simply accuse me or the king himself.”
I thought about what I hadn’t told the vampire. Maybe it was time for full disclosure. “What if they knew the murders were being committed by a copycat?”
Marcus stopped. “Who is the murderer copying?”
“This is so cliché,” I said with a sigh. “He could try being a little more original. He seems to like his murders old school, this guy. He’s gone back to the original, if you know what I mean. He’s pretending to be Jack the Ripper.”
Any color Marcus had drained quickly.
“That’s bad?”
“Oh, Kelsey,” Marcus said with a shake of his head. “That’s bad for all of us. I doubt he is performing the killings himself since some have been in daylight, but if he isn’t involved it will be a miracle.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“His name is Alexander Sharpe.”
“Joanne met with an Alexander on a couple of occasions.” I got that thrill that came with knowing I was on the right track.
“I’m sure she did.”
“Why are you so sure he’s involved?”
“Because Alexander Sharpe was Jack the Ripper,” Marcus replied simply. “Now, he is a vampire. He might also be the one who brings down the king.”
Chapter Ten
“Seriously?” I stopped almost in the middle of the dance floor. “Jack the Ripper is a vampire?”
Marcus gave me a stern look and pulled me along. “Keep your voice down, Kelsey. There are always ears listening here. We can talk about this in the car. Wait for me at the bar. I must go and retrieve my keys. Try not to cause trouble.”
“I didn’t try to cause trouble before,” I said, aware of the grumpiness in my attitude.
The vampire ran his index finger along the curve of my cheek. “You don’t have to try, bella. I’m certain that trouble simply follows you.”
“Well, I hid from it for about ten years, so maybe it’s making up for lost time¸” I replied with a sad smile.
Marcus ordered the bartender to attend me with an imperious wave of his hand. “Give my bella ragazza anything she would like. I will return shortly.”
I managed to hop up on the barstool with minimum effort. I’d practiced the move a lot. “How about a cup of coffee?”
What can I say? I was trying to do what the vampire wanted of me. I was trying to be good. Something about Marcus Vorenus calmed me. I wanted my head perfectly clear for our ride home and not because I worried he would try something. I enjoyed talking to him. He seemed to accept that I was a hot mess and perversely it made me less of one.
The bartender poured a cup and I let the smell wash over me as I tugged off my heels. I let my poor toes breathe for the first time in hours.
“Hello.” A deep voice caught my attention. I looked up as a man slid onto the stool beside me.
I took a quick sip of coffee. The new guy sent a smile my way. The bartender didn’t even try to offer him anything. I wondered if we were getting close to last call. “Hi.”
“I’m Michael.”
“Good for you.” I pulled out my phone. It was almost 3:00 a.m. No wonder I was tired.
“I haven’t seen you around here before.” His voice was all kinds of dark chocolate deep, and I sensed his infinite patience. “A pretty girl like you, I would have noticed. Are you from out of town?”
“I’m from suburbia.” I was a little shocked by the growing revelation that I was getting hit on. When it rained it poured. I turned to the newcomer and took him in. He appeared to be roughly twenty-five, with naturally wholesome good looks. His hair was a medium brown and his eyes green. He was pretty and if I hadn’t been surrounded by manly men like Gray and Marcus, I likely would have been totally taken in. “Vampire?”
“Only if you like vampires, honey,” came his sure reply. “Why don’t you let me buy you a drink and we can discuss the situation.”
Yep, he was a vampire all right. I was all about the vamp tonight. “I’m pretty sure my escort would have a problem with that.”
“Escort, huh? You’re definitely new here,” Michael said with a satisfied smile. “As I happen to know no one’s managed to get through the approval process lately, you’re fair game.” I felt a warm rush across my skin. “Let’s go back to my place. I’ll take good care of you. You’ll like me, honey.”
I could hear his voice inside my head. It whispered to me and told me all the ways he would care for me. Surprisingly, sex was only a part of it. He wanted to take care of me, to see to my needs and ensure my happiness. I wouldn’t have to do anything but allow him to make me happy. His magic was warm and soothing and I wasn’t having it. Remembering how I’d shoved the guy out of my head before, I mentally threw a wall up and the whispering stopped.
Michael jerked back. “How did you do that?”
Before I could answer, Michael was out of his barstool and being tossed across two sets of tables. Luckily the place was close to empty and Michael hit the ground yards from where he’d started. Marcus bore down on him like a hawk after a bunny.
“You think to take what I’ve claimed? Figlio di puttana!”
Michael had the good sense to try to placate the enraged vampire. His hands were out defensively as he got to his feet. “I’m so sorry, Marcus. I didn’t know you had taken a lover.”
“And my Kelsey did not mention this fact to you?” His tightly controlled body turned to me and I was really glad I could answer him with complete honesty.
“I told him my escort would be mad.” I didn’t bother getting out of my chair. Marcus had this one handled.
The vampire shook his head like I’d explained something. “You’ll have to excuse my mistress. She’s new and has not had time to fully understand our ways. I will, of course, tutor her.”
“What did I do wrong?” I asked, curious because Marcus’s rage was deflating.
“An escort is merely a date.” Marcus smoothed out the lines of suit. He walked over to me and helped me down. Without my heels, I was significantly shorter than the vampire. With the shoes we’d been almost evenly matched, but now he looked down on me and I got the feeling he liked being taller. “The proper word to explain my relationship to you is master.”
I couldn’t help it. I snorted. It was not an attractive sound. “As if.”
Marcus’s lips curled up in what I took for a sign of his amusement. “It’s a euphemism, of course. Everyone knows who the true master in the relationship is.”
Michael had picked himself up and looked like a kicked puppy. “Sorry. I thought…”
“You thought she was alone,” Marcus allowed. “You thought she was soft and beautiful and if she was here and alone then she was looking.”
“I thought I’d hit the jackpot,” Michael said with a sad shrug. “Guess I’ll go to the club for dinner. I hate that damn club. What do I have to do, Marcus? I’ve tried three times to get women approved and
I get turned down. I’m sick of being alone.”
Marcus looked at the younger vampire, compassion in his dark eyes. “I understand. I’ll talk to the king tomorrow. I have several females in my employ back home in Venice. They would love to have a vampire for a lover. Their families served me for centuries. Would you like to meet one of them?”
Michael perked up fast. “Seriously, you would do that for me?”
“I would, if only to keep your eyes off my lovely Kelsey,” Marcus said with a slight bow.
Michael grinned and nodded my way. “Well, I can look at her all I like, but I promise I won’t try persuasion on her anymore. She kicked me out of her head faster than I could start my proposal. What is she? Is she a witch? She’s damn powerful.”
“Yes, she is,” Marcus murmured and he quickly assured Michael he would get back to him about the woman and led me off.
He strode toward the door of the club, sweeping me along in my bare feet. The doorman nodded as Marcus hurried through. I jogged to keep up with him.
“Are you upset with me?” He was suddenly in a big hurry to end our evening. I pulled back. Maybe he’d figured out how bad traffic could be and he didn’t want to drive thirty to forty-five minutes to take me home. “Look, Vorenus, I’ll call a cab if it’s too much trouble.”
He continued on, not looking back at me and I’d had enough. I planted both feet and ceased moving. The vampire turned, his eyes flaring with anger. I pulled my hand out of his.
“What did I do?” Where had I gone wrong this time? At least I’d understood how I pissed Gray off. Was Marcus that upset that I’d gotten some words wrong? It didn’t seem like that would make him mad, but I didn’t understand protocol.
“I’m not an idiot, Ms. Atwood.” The vampire’s eyes seemed to rake over me, and there was no admiration in them. “Perhaps I am since I spent the evening mooning over a piccola puttana. Tell Devinshea his plan did not work.”
“What does that mean?” I pulled away from the man I’d been becoming friends with. I should have walked away, but I wanted to know what he’d called me. I had a sneaking suspicion and it made my heart hurt. Stupid that I’d gotten so close to him in the course of a few hours. “If you want to insult me at least do it in a language I understand. Be a man. What did you call me?”
“Little whore.”
I’d wanted to see what he was like when his guard was down and I was getting it in full measure now.
I reached out and slapped him full on across the face, enjoying the satisfying crack of flesh against flesh. I pulled myself up to my full height and really wished I’d worn something other than a stupid dress. I’d have felt less vulnerable if I’d worn jeans and a T-shirt. I would have been myself and I would have remembered to not trust people. I’d stared at myself in the mirror at Gray’s place and thought that looking pretty made me pretty, but it didn’t. I was still my father’s daughter and I still couldn’t find someone to accept me as I was.
“Fuck you, vampire,” I said with all the anger I could manage through the hurt. When the hell was I going to learn? I tried to stalk past him. I would get to the garage with as much dignity as I had left and I would call a cab. I hoped I had enough cash. I doubted they would take my IOU until I could cash the faery’s check.
“Tell me you’re not working for the prince.” Marcus grabbed my arm.
“I’m not telling you anything except good-bye.”
“You seriously expect me to believe that you are innocent? That you aren’t working with him?”
“I don’t give a shit what you believe. Let me go.” I managed to get my arm out of his hold.
“You’re a witch with the power to avoid persuasion,” the vampire accused. “Persuasion is my talent, but you know that. You’re the perfect person to send to me. You can tell your boss that until I hear the words from the king, I won’t leave. If the king wants me gone then I’ll go, but Devinshea can’t trick me into doing something to get me banished. He’ll have to try something else.”
“I’m not a witch, asshole.” I pulled off the little anklet charm Liv had made for me. I held it up, pointing it Marcus’s way. “I’m a piddling human who has no idea what you mean by avoiding persuasion. If you mean I won’t let some fucker in my head tell me what to do, then I guess I’m guilty. If you don’t mind, I’ll get the fuck out of your line of fire.”
I started toward the elevator.
“Merda,” I heard the vampire curse. I might not know what it meant, but I knew a dirty word when I heard it.
I didn’t turn around. I kept walking. I made it to the elevator and pushed the button. The doors opened and I got inside. I stared blankly at the keypad and remembered Liv had pushed a bunch of numbers in like a code. I didn’t remember the damn code. I’d been looking up at Gray, thinking how handsome he was in his suit. I hated men so much in that moment. I was going to have to go through the indignity of getting back off the elevator, walking past the pretended-to-be-a-nice-guy vampire and back into the club. I so wasn’t doing that. I pushed a single number, thinking I’d get out of here and call Liv and maybe she could talk me through it. I pushed the buttons randomly, but the doors wouldn’t close.
“You have to know the code,” Marcus said quietly, standing in the doorway.
“I’ll figure it out.” I let the chill I felt climb into my voice. Cold. Cold was better than hot. Hot brought tears. Cold was much more dignified.
“Tell me you are what you say you are.” There was a slight pleading in his voice. “I…no longer know what to believe. Per favore. Please.”
There was no mask left on Marcus’s face. He looked tired and sad and I couldn’t help but respond. I felt as tired as he looked. “I’m just a girl, Vorenus. I met Devinshea Quinn a couple of hours ago. I kind of thought he was an asshole, but not nearly as big an asshole as I think you are. Please let me go home. I want to go home.”
The vampire said nothing as he stepped into the elevator and pressed the series of numbers that started it moving. I held myself as far from him as possible.
“Take the car, Kelsey.” He held his keys out.
“I’ll call a cab.”
“Please,” he begged. “I’ve made a complete ass of myself. Just take the car. I’ll send someone to retrieve it tomorrow. I would prefer if you would allow me to drive you, but I understand if you do not wish to be with me.”
“I just want to do my job, Vorenus.” I felt stupid holding my shoes, but I couldn’t force myself back into them.
“Of course,” he said evenly. “I’ll make certain everything is ready for you tomorrow. It would be best if you allowed me to go with you. By now everyone believes you’re my mistress. If I make arrangements for another vampire to escort you, it would be…confusing. I swear to you that I’ll be on my best behavior. I will not hurt you again.”
I smiled as casually as I could. Everything that came out of my mouth was a total lie. “You can’t hurt me. It’s fine. You and the faery have some sort of war going. Leave me out of it. I want to close my case and then you never have to deal with me again. I’ll be professional if you will.”
“I will be whatever you want me to be, Kelsey. I would do anything to take back the last ten minutes. We were becoming friends.”
“Yeah, well, I’m sure a councilman has enough friends. He doesn’t need a two-bit PI hanging around.” The elevator stopped.
“You would be so wrong, cara mia,” Marcus said so achingly I turned to him.
I was about to ask him what he meant when I saw Gray’s truck sitting right in front of the elevator and it seemed like all the air in the world fled. My breath caught almost painfully in my chest at the sight of him. I wondered if I would ever get used to how beautiful he was.
“Kelsey?” Gray said as his head came up. He was sitting in the cab with the door open.
“You came back for me?” I got out of the elevator.
His previously pristine suit coat was tossed aside and his tie was gone. His shoulders were
slumped as he got out of the truck. “I never left, baby. I just waited. I’m so sorry. I was wrong. I was a bastard. Please, please forgive me.” He came to stand right in front of me and lowered his forehead to mine. “Please, baby. Please forgive me.”
My shoes fell to the concrete floor as my arms wound around his waist and I leaned into his warmth. I knew I should tell both men to go to hell and sink back into the shell I’d spent years perfecting, but I wanted what Gray had to offer so much. He’d lost his temper. It wasn’t like I hadn’t done that before. I got pissed off and said things I didn’t mean all the time. I let my head rest against his chest and felt the strong beat of his heart as his arms tightened around me.
“Thank you for taking care of her,” I heard Gray saying. At least he was trying to be polite.
“It was an honor, Mr. Sloane. Her work is important. I will help her and you in any way I can. Feel free to call upon me.” When I looked around to say good-bye to the vampire he was already gone.
“Let’s go home, sweetheart,” Gray said, weariness plain in his tone. “Did he behave himself?”
“He was fine.” He had been for the most part and there was a part of me that mourned the fact that he wasn’t still here. “The two of you have a lot in common. You both can’t stand Dev Quinn.”
His handsome face fell and he sighed. “I’m sorry, Kelsey. I let him get the best of me again. I should have called him and explained the situation and asked to be allowed in to investigate. I shouldn’t have tried to sneak in.” He noticed my bare feet and swung me up into his arms. I felt so small and delicate when he carried me. I suppose I was small and delicate compared to Gray. It was nice to feel feminine.
Gray carried me around the truck and settled me into the cab before going back for my shoes. He handed them to me and then got into the driver’s seat. As he drove I filled him in on everything I discovered. I told him about the trouble the Council was having with the wolves and the fact that one of the murders occurred during the day. I discussed the fact that apparently the actual Jack the Ripper was alive and well and living in Dallas. I didn’t mention that Marcus had been sweet and kind and up until he thought I was working with his nemesis, we’d had a real, undeniable chemistry. That was done and probably had been more a figment of my imagination than anything else.