Blood Bath & Beyond

by Michelle Rowen

  “I’m aware of what YouTube is, Sarah. Actually, I’m researching the woman Victoria told us about to see if I can find any clues pointing to her current whereabouts.”

  “I was just kidding, anyway. You’re not a stupid-pet-tricks kind of guy.” I approached the desk slowly. “Any luck?”

  “I’ve found some information, but it all stops around forty years ago. It’s very likely she’s dead, which is why Victoria hasn’t heard from her in so many years.”

  My heels clicked against the marble floor as I made my way over to the window and pulled back the curtain to look outside. The view of the fountains from the thirty-second floor was absolutely stunning. The suite was gorgeous—I’d never stayed anywhere so luxurious. It was bigger than some of the places I’d lived. Scratch that, the bathroom was bigger than some of the places I’d lived.

  “Everything all right?” Thierry asked after a stretch of silence. “You’re much quieter than normal.”

  That could have been an observation or a compliment. I wasn’t sure which.

  I crossed my arms, turned around, and regarded him. “I want to know what you and Bernard were arguing about last night.”

  He leaned back in his chair and closed the lid of the computer. “It’s not important.”

  “Whatever he said upset you. So that makes it important to me.”

  “It was a disagreement, that’s all.”

  “What was the disagreement about?”

  He watched me carefully. “Why do you suddenly want to know this?”

  “Why are you suddenly evading my questions?”

  “I didn’t realize I was stepping foot onto such dangerous ground when I asked why you were being quiet.”

  I hissed out a breath. “It’s not dangerous ground. No land mines, promise. I just…I—I guess I just thought we’d gotten over this.”

  “Over what?”

  “You holding back from me. You keeping things secret.” I swallowed past the thick lump in my throat that had been growing ever since I’d left the blood bank earlier.

  “Sarah.” He drew closer and pulled my hands out from their crossed position and held them in his. “Please don’t be angry with me.”

  “I’m not angry, I’m just…” I sighed. “I don’t know. It’s more evidence that you’ve lived more than a dozen lifetimes to my single one.”

  “Which means what?”

  “There’s no possible way I could ever wrap my head around everything you’ve been through. I know a lot of it has been lousy and I get that you want to keep that to yourself. But I want to know more about you, and when there’s the opportunity to share…I can handle it, Thierry. Even the really bad stuff.”

  His grip on me tightened. “Who have you been speaking with?”

  I chewed my bottom lip. “Who do you think?”

  “Bernard.” It wasn’t a question.

  I looked up into his gray eyes. “The one and only.”

  “What did he tell you our argument was about?” His expression was unreadable. He had his poker face perfectly in place. Maybe he should head down to the tables later and try it out for real.

  I inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. “That the both of you massacred a houseful of hunters once upon a time, stole diamonds from them, and put the diamonds in a safe place. Now he wants your key so he can donate them to charity to make the world a happier place and you’re being Mr. Anger Mismanagement about everything.”

  Surprise flickered in his gaze before Thierry finally let go of me and stepped backward. He crossed his arms over his chest. “What a pleasant conversation that must have been.”

  “It was fairly vivid.”

  “And what did you think of what he told you?”

  I glared at him. “Just be straight with me, Thierry. Is that possible for you? Was what he told me true or not?”

  “Did you believe him?”

  My glare intensified. “Can’t you just answer a question when I ask it of you? God, you’re so unbelievably infuriating sometimes.”

  His lips twitched almost imperceptibly. He sometimes found it amusing when I lost my temper with him. “I apologize.”

  “Don’t apologize. Just answer my question.”

  He walked to the other side of the suite before turning around to face me. His poker face had slipped just a little and he now wore a pensive expression—as if he was gauging how I’d react to every word he spoke. “You want to know if it’s true that I once helped murder a group of hunters with Bernard and then stole from them.” He was silent for a moment, but his gaze didn’t waver from mine. “Yes, it’s true.”

  “Oh.” My stomach sank. A large part of me had really hoped it had all been a lie.

  “I’d like very much to tell you that I’ve always done the right thing, that I’ve always tried my best to protect humans from any threat. But that would be a lie. I’ve killed—and more than just the men Bernard told you about. I’ve given hunters full reason to try to end my life over the years, and I’ve simply been lucky enough to avoid them long enough as I sought redemption for the sins of my past.”

  I drew closer to him. “They were hunters. They weren’t nice, innocent people.”

  His jaw tightened and his gaze had a faraway look to it. “It doesn’t matter who they were; I know it was excessive. I knew things had to change. I eventually went about organizing those who would govern the Ring and bring some sort of regulation to vampire behavior so there would be penalties for stepping too far outside the boundaries of acceptable behavior. At the time, I thought it was an excellent idea.”

  “It is an excellent idea.”

  “Debatable. But when I finally distanced myself from the Ring, I never would have guessed a hundred years later I’d be working with them again.”

  “And yet here we are.”

  “We,” he repeated.

  My hands were on my hips. “What?”

  He searched my face. “You said ‘here we are.’ Is it still we?”

  I frowned. “Do you think that just because I find out without any doubt that you’re a mass murderer, I’m calling off our engagement? I knew you weren’t an angel from the very beginning, Thierry.”

  He managed a genuine smile at that. “I’m definitely not that.”

  I moved closer so I stood right in front of him and pressed my hands up against his chest. “If there’s enough good in someone, it helps to balance the bad. And there’s heaps of good in you. I know that without any doubt. But can you please, please do me a favor?”

  He was quiet for a moment. “What?”

  “Be straight with me. Tell me what’s going on. Don’t think that just because it’s something bad that I won’t be able to handle it. Because I can handle it. And when you decide to threaten an old buddy’s life in public because he wants to get his hands on some stolen gems…” I frowned. “What’s the deal with the diamonds, anyway? Why won’t you get rid of them?”

  “Because they’re cursed,” he said simply. “And they need to stay right where they are or any human who touches them again will die a horrible death—something a couple of those hunters found out the hard way when they stole them from their original victims. Bernard doesn’t understand that. He only understands cold, hard currency. By opening that Pandora’s box he’d be putting the lives of many people at risk.”

  I just stared at him. “Well, that makes perfect sense to me. Death curses are definitely something to avoid at all costs.”

  His brows drew together. “No one must ever find those diamonds again. And Bernard and I are the only ones who know where they are.”

  I blew out a long breath. “Don’t you feel much better about getting all of this off your chest?”

  He laughed then, low in his throat. “So much.”

  “I’m here to help. And, quite honestly, the ‘greedy jerk’ accusation bothered me more than the ‘death to nasty hunters’ one.”

  “It was two centuries ago. The past is best left in the past.”

  “
Agreed.” I tried to put my thoughts in order again. That had been a lot to take in all at once, but I did feel a bit better, all things considered. “Bernard wanted me to tell you something…. Maybe I should have said it after I came back from the blood bank earlier, but I was mad at you.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “You’re not mad any longer?”

  I shrugged. “It’s still simmering, but I’m getting over it.”

  “What did he want you to tell me?”

  “The Ring has sent an enforcer to investigate the murders here. He says if we just steer clear of him, we shouldn’t have a problem.”

  His expression turned grim again. “When does this enforcer arrive?”

  “Bernard said today. He might already be here.” I looked around nervously as if the Ring’s assassin might be hiding under the king-sized bed in the other room.

  “For once I’ll have to agree with Bernard. We’ll avoid the enforcer to the best of our ability. I’d rather you never have to meet one face-to-face. They look at everyone with suspicion and the only friend they trust is the silver stake the Ring assigns them when they sign on to the job. Quite frankly, they make me look like the life of the party.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Wow. Scary.”

  He smiled. “Since we weren’t in Vegas when the murders began, at least we won’t be included on the list of potential suspects.”

  My stomach twisted into knots again. “A bright side. Good stuff.”

  “So, if we can leave any misunderstandings behind us, I’d like to take you out for dinner—or, rather, drinks. Then we’re going to have to attend the Little Miss Platinum Vegas pageant to make sure Ms. Corday behaves herself.”

  “And then?”

  “And then I want to have another talk with her about not doing any more of these pageants in the future. She shouldn’t even be doing this one. Once she learns there is an enforcer in the general vicinity, I feel she will be much more receptive to my suggestion tonight.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” I glanced off in the direction of the closet, where I’d neatly hung everything I’d hastily thrown into my suitcase yesterday. “So should I wear something frilly or sexy for such an occasion?”

  He leaned closer, then hesitated for a second as if he half expected me to pull away from him. When I didn’t, he brushed his lips against mine. “I’m very confident that you managed to pack something that is both frilly and sexy.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “You know me so well.”

  “I think I do.”

  That made one of us who knew the other extremely well. But I figured a little progress on that front was better than none at all.

  After dinner, we took a walk though the casino on our way to the theater where the pageant was going to be held. A tall man walked toward us, his attention fixed on Thierry. He looked to be in his early fifties. He wore a black leather jacket, black pants, and a gray T-shirt. His dark hair was silver at the temples and cropped short. Dark stubble speckled his jawline.

  Thierry stopped walking, and his hand curled around my left wrist to have me do the same.

  This could be the enforcer we were supposed to avoid speaking to. Cold fear slithered through me at the thought. The heels I’d chosen to wear tonight were way too high to run in without twisting an ankle.

  The man smiled then, an expression I wouldn’t have expected an assassin to wear. I didn’t see fangs, which also surprised me.

  “Good evening, Thierry,” he said.

  “Duncan. Is there a problem?”

  “No problem. What we spoke about earlier is still a work in progress.”

  Thierry’s gray eyes scanned the casino floor. “Is there a reason you’re telling me this in public? You could have called me with any updates.”

  Duncan’s smile held. “I saw you and thought I’d simply speak to you personally. Hope that isn’t a problem for you.”

  “No, it’s fine.”

  The man’s gaze moved to me. “And who is this lovely lady?”

  Thierry’s grip on my wrist grew tighter. It was the only way I could tell that he was anything but calm and collected. “Sarah, this is Duncan Keller, a local hunter.”

  My right hand, which I’d begun to stretch out for a handshake, fell slackly back to my side as my eyes bugged. “Do you mean a hunter that likes to shoot innocent little furry animals and call it a sport? I’m hoping?”

  Duncan laughed and the sharp staccato sound made me tense. It reminded me of a gunshot. “Some are a bit furry. But, no, I think you know what I really hunt.”

  He was a vampire hunter, right here in the center of the Bellagio casino floor. And he was speaking with two vampires as if he and Thierry were old friends.

  “Thierry,” I said under my breath. “What is this?”

  He looked at me. “Nothing to concern yourself with. Duncan has been one of my paid informants in the past. He means us no harm.”

  “It’s true,” Duncan replied. “Money talks.”

  “So you’re not a real hunter?” I asked.

  “Oh, I’m as real as it gets, sweetheart.” His gaze raked me in a predatory manner that made me regret the short, tight dress I’d chosen to wear tonight. “But I can be bought for the right price whether or not you have fangs.”

  “This is not a discussion to have in such a public place,” Thierry said calmly, although his tight grip on my wrist might succeed in separating my hand from the rest of my arm if this conversation went on for much longer.

  “I totally agree,” I managed.

  “Anyway—” Duncan slicked a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. “I have nothing yet to report, Thierry. But I’m on it. You can expect a genuine result very soon.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  “Thierry, Sarah.” He nodded toward each of us. “Have a lovely evening.”

  He walked away, leaving us standing there, surrounded by hundreds of gamblers at roulette and blackjack tables.

  I looked at Thierry. “What was that all about?”

  His grip on me finally loosened. “I’m sorry that he was so bold to approach us like that with no warning. I took the liberty of contacting him earlier today to see if he could be of any assistance in trying to find the local serial killer. He has some important connections both in the hunter and the vampire communities and he has been a valuable contact in the past.”

  I glanced uneasily in the direction in which Duncan had departed. “Seems like a real sweet guy.”

  “He’s an opportunistic bastard with a true love of the hunt. But sometimes qualities like that can be an asset.” Thierry exhaled slowly. “Let’s try our best to forget about him and go to the show.”

  I nodded. “Consider him forgotten.”

  I really did wish it were that simple, but Duncan’s introduction to yours truly had definitely left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

  Mercenary hunters and beauty pageants starring tiny vampires who didn’t take direction well. It didn’t sound like a very good combination to me at all.

  Victoria easily won the title of Ultimate Grand Supreme in the Little Miss Platinum Vegas pageant and the ten-thousand-dollar prize. I couldn’t say I was that shocked by the outcome. She displayed a maturity and level of talent that far surpassed what any of the other kids possessed. Since she wasn’t actually a kid, this wasn’t all that surprising.

  She sang; she danced; she charmed the judges with her innocent yet eloquent answers to their standard beauty-pageant questions.

  “How do you think we can all help to achieve world peace?” a judge had asked.

  “By loving each other,” she chirped in reply. “And singing songs!”

  “Who is the most important person in your life?”

  “My daddy,” her little voice sang out proudly. “And my teddy bear. His name’s Gummi-Boo!”

  The audience aahed at her answers as if they were the most adorable thing ever. I just rolled my eyes.

  At the end, she wore her sparkling sash proudly as she wav
ed and took her victory walk across the stage while the audience cheered for her and her fellow contestants looked on with envy.

  There was a reception afterward outside on the Terrazza di Sogno, a terrace used for special events and weddings with a balcony flanked by two staircases that looked out over Lago di Como—the man-made lake out front that held the dancing fountains—and Thierry and I milled about, glasses of red wine in hand, as we waited for the chance to speak with the tiny, glowing champion, who looked as if she really wanted a cigarette.

  “It would have been better for her not to place at all, let alone win,” Thierry said, his gaze fixed on her as she posed for photos. “She’s drawn too much attention to herself.”

  “Like she said before, it’s her swan song.”

  “I hope it is. I worry that her choosing to ignore my warnings will come back to haunt her. With the enforcer in town—” He stopped talking and swore under his breath.

  The uncharacteristic reaction surprised me. “What is it?”

  “The man over there, the one with the pale blond hair and long black jacket. Do you see him?”

  I followed the direction of his gaze to see the man he referred to steadily making his way down the left side of the staircase to the main terrace. He was hard to miss. He was pale—hair, eyes, and skin. He wore a long black coat. He was handsome, but not in a perfect male-model way. More like in a good-looking grim reaper way.

  “I see him. Who is he?”

  “His name is Markus Reed. He was an acquaintance of mine, a good man who worked in law enforcement before he was sired a hundred years ago. He had a wife whom he adored, and three children, all of whom were murdered by hunters in their attempt to get to him. That tragedy changed him, hardened him, and he was never the same afterward.”

  My stomach twisted with everything he said. “How horrible.”

  “It was. But it turned Markus into the perfect candidate for the Ring to recruit to become their lead enforcer, a position he’s held for well over fifty years now. When it came time for his contract to expire, I was told he signed on for another fifty-year commitment. He has nothing else to fill his life other than his work.”