by Мишель Роуэн
Then again, he was very good at keeping secrets.
I put a hand on my hip and looked around. “Does that cake really say ‘Happy Birthday Snookums’?”
“So what if it does?”
“Why didn’t you tell me about the party?”
“Because it’s asurprise party.”
“Yeah. And?”
He rolled his eyes. “You would have told Amy. And you better not tell her now or it will ruin everything.”
“I wouldn’t have told her.”
He gave me a look that clearly stated that he didn’t believe me.
I managed to look aghast. “Do you think I’m a gossip, or something?”
He shrugged.
I nervously tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “Well, I’m not. I can keep a secret.”
Barry’s eyes shifted to my neck and narrowed. “Is that what I think it is?”
I grimaced and touched the bite marks self-consciously. “Barbecue-prong incident.”
He stared at me.
After a moment I started to feel uncomfortable. “What?”
“Did the master do that to you?”
I forced an awkward smile to my face. “You know . . . in the heat of passion and all that. Amy told me you guys are into a little bite-play.”
Mental picture. Bile rising. Inner shudder.
Barry had the decency to blush a little. “That’s different.”
“Is it?”
“Yes . . . I . . . ” He pressed his lips together. “I’m much younger than the master.”
“So?” I did remember Nicolai mentioning that only vamps over five hundred would have this little issue.
So glad to have it confirmed by Barry.
He shook his head. “You shouldn’t encourage this sort of thing.”
“It’s really none of your business.”
“You’d be surprised.”
“Oh, would I?”
He nodded gravely. “Has this ever happened before?”
“No.”
“It must never happen again.”
I swallowed hard. “Look, I don’t mean to sound rude, but what Thierry and I do is really none of your business.”
Any friendliness in his face dropped away. “You selfish little bitch,” he snarled at me. “How dare you be so flippant about such an important matter?”
I felt a flame of anger ignite in my chest at his tone. “You are really asking for this cake to be thrown all over your floor, aren’t you?”
He stared at me for a moment, seething with rage. What the hell did I say to set him off?
“I think I’m going to go.” I turned to leave.
“Don’t you take another goddamned step until I’ve had my say.”
I turned around, heat rising in my cheeks, and this time it definitely wasn’t from embarrassment.
“I was worried about this,” Barry said. “From the moment you showed up and the master didn’t send you immediately on your way. I was so worried that this would happen.”
“Thatwhat would happen?”
He nodded at me, at my neck. “That. Where is the master now?”
“I . . . I have no idea.” My mouth felt dry.
“I must find him. Did he . . . lose control of himself when you forced yourself on him?”
My eyebrows shot up. “Forced myself on him? I am going to put my foot so far up your little ass you’ll need a tiny crowbar to remove it.”
He waved off my protests. “I need to know what happened. It’s important.”
I crossed my arms. “Fine. He started to take too much blood. I tried to make him stop but he wouldn’t.
Or couldn’t. Finally, he stopped and looked really distraught. Then he apologized and ran away and I haven’t seen him since.” I touched the mark absently. “I don’t know why it hasn’t healed yet.”
“When an old vampire drinks, the wound is slow to heal. It may take days. I’m glad that you admitted what happened instead of trying to deny it. I respect that, Sarah.”
I nodded. “Well, good. I guess.”
He rubbed his chin. Then nodded firmly and met my gaze. “You must never see him again. Ever.”
My eyebrows shot up. “And why is that?”
He glowered. “The master has not lost control like this for a hundred years. That event ended in tragedy.”
“Nicolai’s wife. I know.”
“You knownothing .” He looked at me sharply, scanned me from head to foot, then shook his head with obvious disapproval. “I must go find him and make sure he’s okay.”
“Yeah, you do that,” I said. “And just as a reminder,I’m the one who got bit and nearly drained yesterday. Why aren’t you concerned at all about me? I could be dead right now.”
He glowered at me. “Sarah, get over yourself. Some things are more important.” He moved to the phone on the wall and picked it up, pecking at a couple of numbers. “You can leave now.”
Then he turned his back on me.
I turned and walked out of the kitchen and out to the sidewalk where Lenny and Janie were in the car waiting patiently for me. I got in the backseat so stunned that I couldn’t talk for a couple of minutes. Janie eyed me curiously but didn’t pry.
I pulled my cell phone out of my purse and dialed Thierry’s number by heart. It went through to voice mail.
“Thierry . . . ” I began. “It’s me . . . Sarah. Listen, I’m really worried about you. Please call me when you get this message. I . . . we should talk about . . . things. I’ll be at the club tonight, okay? I’ll . . . I’ll see you then.”
I flipped the phone closed. No matter how much he’d scared me, I knew he hadn’t meant to hurt me. I needed to talk to him. Tell him I loved him. That everything was going to be okay.
Stupid Barry. He didn’t know me at all. I wasn’t that selfish, was I?
“Tequila sunrise,” I told the waiter at Cafe Mirage. “Actually, make it a double.”
I’d picked a table that would allow me to keep my back against the wall of the small restaurant. In the corner. So I could keep an eye on anybody who looked at me a little shifty. Which, when you’ve become totally paranoid like me, was pretty much everybody.
I hoped this would be a quick lunch.
Janie glanced at her menu. “I’ll have a cheeseburger with fries, and a Diet Coke.”
Yeah. Those were the good old days. Solid food. Now a distant, fading memory.
“You don’t mind if I eat like a pig in front of you, do you?” she asked, handing the waiter her menu.
I waved my hand. “Nah. I’m strong. I can take it. You don’t mind if I drink like a fish in front of you, do you?”
“Have at it. Hey, are you okay?”
I glanced out of the window. Lenny was waiting outside with the car. He’d wanted to come inside, but
Janie insisted that he “monitor the exterior.” It was easy to tell who wore the pants in their bodyguard partnership. And it wasn’t the one with the bigger muscles.
I sighed. “Let’s just say I’m really looking forward to those self-defense lessons I’m forcing you to give me to let out some of my pent-up frustrations.”
“Yeah, it must be tough to be a wanted woman. But just chill. We have it under control. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“It’s not just that.” I shrugged. “Let’s just say I’m having personal problems.”
She leaned back in her seat. “Oh, I see. The cell phone call in the car, right? Trouble with your love life?”
“Is it that obvious?”
The drinks arrived and she took a sip of her Diet Coke. “The double tequila sunrise gave you away. So what’s the problem? Maybe I can give you some sage advice. Or maybe I’m just being nosy. You decide.”
I smiled at that. “Well, let’s see. First off, my boyfriend—the guy who hired you—is much older than me.”
“How much older?”
I pressed my lips together for a moment. “Let’s just saysignificantly and leave it at
that.”
She nodded. “Okay. So, a little age difference doesn’t mean anything.”
“He’s also married.”
Her eyebrows went up at that. “Hmm. That could be a problem.”
“The wife is fine with our relationship.”
“Well, that’s . . .friendly . Okay, what else?”
I chewed my bottom lip for a second. “I think he might have a little substance abuse problem. When he drinks too much he gets a little crazy.”
She nodded. “That is an issue. I had a boyfriend back in high school who smoked up every day. He wasn’t abusive or anything, just really lazy.”
I stared at her for a second. “This is a little different than that.”
“Okay, so you have a much older, married boyfriend who has a drinking problem.” Her lips twitched.
“Sounds like a catch.”
I looked at her sharply. “It’s not funny.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t help it. Just when I think my life sucks, I find somebody who has it worse. Though, frankly, I’m still not convinced.”
I thought about it. “Thanks to the hunters blowing up my apartment the other night, I’m currently homeless and living with a friend, since my boyfriend Thierry didn’t invite me to stay with him.”
“You’re aiming for the blue ribbon in sucky life, aren’t you? Well, I’m still in the running.”
I watched a man take his toddler son to the bathroom. They looked fairly harmless, but you never could tell. “Your life is so bad? Go ahead and compare notes with me.”
She played with her drink, absently pushing the ice cubes down with the end of her straw. “First of all, I have a boss from hell.”
“Who, Thierry?”
She shook her head. “I haven’t even met him face to face yet, so no. I have lots of jobs, lots of bosses,
I’m afraid. A girl has to make ends meet somehow.”
I played with the rim of my glass. “I’ve had lousy bosses, too.”
“Yeah. Lousy. That’s one way to describe him. Anyhow, I’m sort of in debt to this boss so it’s not like I can just quit, but he makes me do things I really hate. And my jobs are taking up so much of my time I can’t have a personal life. Which sucks. Plus, I have personal issues up the yin-yang, too. Family issues
I’m dealing with as we speak.”
I nodded. “You mentioned your brother who taught you self-defense.”
“Yeah.” She took another sip of her Diet Coke.
I grinned, not afraid to show off my fangs anymore since she already knew I was a vampire. “You know, maybe if things don’t work out with me and my boyfriend, you can hook me up with your brother. And I’m only half joking.”
She smiled, but it looked forced. “Sorry, but . . . he’s dead.”
I closed my big mouth and felt a chill go down me. “Shit. I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, me, too.” She took another shaky sip of her drink. “You have no idea. He was murdered.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Nobody usually does. But I’m dealing the only way I know how.”
“Was the guy who did it caught?”
She shook her head. “Not yet. But I’ve been following up on some leads. His killer will get what’s coming to them, that’s for damn sure.”
Her lunch arrived and she started absently chewing on a french fry.
I waited for the little black rain cloud that seemed to have set up house above our table to move away before I spoke again.
“This is fun, huh?”
She glanced up at me from her plate. “So, tell me, other than your mixed-up boyfriend, any other love prospects to distract you from your dangerous life as the Slayer of Slayers?”
I immediately thought about Quinn. I knew I shouldn’t, but I couldn’t help it. “Well there’s one guy.
He’s pretty much everything that my boyfriend isn’t. He’s closer to my age, single, and no drinking problem. Well, notyet , anyhow.”
“So what’s the problem? Dump bachelor number one’s ass and go on to him.”
“It’s not that easy. Number two is great, really, but I’m still crazy about number one. Even though he’s not really a bachelor.”
“Sounds like you might just be crazy.”
I smiled wistfully. “That’s what he said once.”
“Maybe you should start listening to what people tell you.”
I looked at her sharply. “Thank you, Ann Landers.”
A cell phone rang. I grabbed mine and glanced at the screen hoping it was Thierry. But no, it was blank.
Janie grabbed her phone and flipped it open. “Yeah?” I watched her face change from lunchtime pleasant, to hard and cold. “Okay, I’ll take care of it.” She hung up, jaw tense, and then looked at me.
“You said you wanted to learn how to protect yourself, didn’t you?”
“That’s right.”
“You can learn by example. You’re coming with me and Lenny on our next assignment.”
“What kind of assignment?”
She grabbed her purse, threw a couple of bills on the table to pay for lunch. I noticed something else in her purse. A handgun. My eyes bugged.
“Why don’t I just wait here?” I suggested.
She glanced down at the gun. “This is for my assignment. Don’t worry. Come on, a fun time will be had by all. Trust me.”
She stood up and grabbed my arm, literally pulling me along after her as she hurried out of the restaurant.
I didn’t even have a chance to finish my drink first.
Chapter 10
Outside the restaurant, Janie tapped her left ear. “Lenny, where are you? We’re out front. Come get us.”
There was a squealing of tires and the black sedan screeched to a halt in front of us. The back door swung open. Janie pulled me into the car next to her.
“Paragon Theater. And step on it,” she barked.
Lenny turned around to look at us. “Um. Do you have an address? I don’t really know Toronto too well. And the GPS is broken.”
I waved my hand. “I’ve heard of that theater before, I think. It’s about ten minutes from here. Take a left at the lights up there.”
Lenny nodded. “Cool. Thanks.”
The car pulled away from the curb and began to move much faster than the speed limit suggested.
A huge headache had just announced its presence in the front portion of my brain with a throbbing hello.
“Listen, Janie, like I said, I haven’t been having the best of weeks. I don’t need any additional drama.
Can you just drop me off somewhere? I’ll wait till you’re finished.”
“You said you wanted to learn self-defense, right? You can watch me in action. This won’t take long.
Just one more check mark on my long to-do list.” She sighed heavily. “Iso need a vacation.”
Lenny glanced over his shoulder. “Where are we going?”
“What?”
“On vacation.”
“I kind of meant my vacationalone ,” she said. “No offense.”
He pouted. “Didn’t you get my note?”
“What note?”
“The one I left in your coat pocket.”
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded, lined piece of paper.
O beautiful Janie with your straw-colored hair
I would follow you anywhere
One so beautiful I will never meet again
And you’re also much stronger than most other men
Which is hot, by the way
And I’m not intimidated by that at all
She blinked. “That’s . . . nice, Lenny. Uh . . . are we almost at the theater?”
“We could go on a cruise. Somewhere tropical. It would be nice.”
“Let me think about it.” She glanced at me with a grimace.
I couldn’t help but smile. Talk aboutsmitten .
My cell phone rang. I fished it out of my purse and looke
d at the display, hoping it was Thierry.
It wasn’t.
I flipped it open and held it up to my ear. “Hi, Amy.”
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Oh, you know,” I glanced at Janie, who was checking the ammo in her gun. “Just a boring afternoon.
Same old, same old.”
“So?”
“So what?”
“Did you investigate Barry? You said you were going to check things out.”
“Oh. Um. Yeah,” I switched the phone to my other ear. “Right. About that. I really don’t think you need to worry about it. Barry . . . he doesn’t strike me as the cheating type, you know?”
“But—”
“But nothing. Listen, Amy. He might have some stuff on his mind, but cheating? Nah. I don’t think so.”
“We’re here,” Janie announced as Lenny pulled up in back of a boarded-up, abandoned theater.
“Who’s that?” Amy asked.
“Oh,” I glanced at Janie as she got out of the car, holstering her gun under her red jacket, which I noticed still had the rip under the arm from her tussle with the hunter yesterday. “That’s just Janie.”
I heard Amy start to sob. “Oh, my God! You’re . . . cheating on . . . me . . . too! You’re seeing another friend I don’t know about behind my back!”
“Amy, you’re talking crazy. Janice’s one of my bodyguards. Just . . . just have fun at the spa and I’ll talk to you later. Okay?”
She sniffed. “Okay.”
I ended the call and put the phone away. Then I got out of the car. Lenny did, too.
“This isn’t going to take long, is it?” I asked.
Janie shook her head. “Should be just a quick retrieval. He’s supposed to meet us inside.”
“Then what’s with the gun?” I glanced at it nervously.
“Just a standard precaution.” She looked at the theater.
Lenny leaned against the car and shrugged. “What do you want me to do?”
She looked at him. “Just stay out here. Make sure he doesn’t leave out the back until we get what we came here for.”
“You don’t want me inside?”
“Just stay here.” She looked at the back door. “But can you take care of this?”
He walked over to it and kicked the door in. I heard the old wood splinter as it met his left Doc Martens boot.
Inside it was very dark. Janie fished in her jacket pocket and pulled out a small flashlight that helped to light our way down a hallway. Old paintings hung on the walls, heavy with dust and age.