She took another breath, even shakier this time. I could tell that this bit was going to be even more difficult than the first one.
“Kristoff sells women and girls to human traffickers,” she went on with a hitch in her voice. “To make the most profit, he works with stupid low-level drug dealers who don’t know their asses from their elbows. The dealers kidnap the girls and give them to Kristoff. Kristoff pays them in drugs. The dealers are too stupid to know how much more they’d get from the traffickers; but even if they weren’t, they wouldn’t have the connections to make the sales happen.
“Kristoff does have those connections. But he can’t fit all the girls in his own place at one time, so he keeps some of them at Bloody Teeth. The club has sound-proof dungeons built hundreds of years ago, and that’s where he leaves them until he’s ready to hand them over to the traffickers. I can’t refuse him. I’m under his thrall.”
My stomach clenched in anxiety and disgust. I was a homicide detective in the most dangerous city in the country, and even for me, that story was a whopper.
But all of a sudden, mine and Kent’s visit with the head of the Backstreet Demons (you remember him -- Brady the cokehead) made a lot more sense. When he met with Kristoff, he must have been exchanging girls he’d kidnapped for drugs. Which explained the hefty stash laid out on the metal table when Kent and I arrived.
My blood began to boil. That little fucking piss ant! He’d made a play of acting all innocent and ill-used, when in reality he was the cause of that young girl’s death. Whether he had cut her throat or not, he was just as responsible as the one who’d held the knife.
This line of thinking was going to set me on a steady downward spiral towards genuine homicidal ideation, I could tell. I would have killed the bastard if I could.
So I changed tack, and I took a moment to think about it from Risa’s point of view. I couldn’t imagine having gone through what she had. Becoming someone’s servant to save your lover’s life – and then having her spit in your face by turning around and walking out on you? It sounded to me like Brooke and Kristoff deserved each other, but of course that couldn’t have made Risa feel any better about it.
And how must it have made her feel to know that helpless young girls were being kept prisoner beneath her club? To know that she was powerless to do anything about it? It must have been daily torture.
“Do you believe me, Dani?” she asked in a soft voice. “I hope you know that I’d never hurt anyone that way. Not intentionally.”
“Of course I believe you,” I blurted out. I didn’t want her to have any doubts about my faith in her. I felt badly, now, for having questioned her so roughly before. What an ass I was sometimes. Just pin a tail on me and call me Eeyore.
“Thank you,” she replied, exhaling a heavy sigh of relief. “I was afraid I’d lost you.”
A chord thrummed in my chest, and I took an unsteady breath. “Nah,” I said with a small smile. “You just found me.”
She returned my smile, holding my gaze. Her eyes were like infinite oceans, deep and wide. I wanted to explore what lay behind them.
I wanted to know her.
“I’d like to know what’s behind Door Number 2, Wayne,” I said playfully.
She stared at me in bewilderment. Obviously she’d never seen Let’s Make A Deal.
“Never mind,” I said quickly. “Bad joke. I meant I want to see where this goes. I accept the risks.”
Her face lit up like firecrackers in the sky on the Fourth of July. She almost reached towards me, and I felt a stirring in my belly – but then her expression darkened, and she pulled back. “Are you sure?” she asked. “My world will be dangerous for you. I swear to protect you in any and every way I can – but there may come a time when I can’t.”
“In case you hadn’t noticed,” I said with a sardonic grin, “it’s not a lot less dangerous out here. I’ve been shot twice in the line of duty. Nearly died once. If you hadn’t put two-and-two together, I came to Bloody Teeth because I was assigned the case of those missing girls. This morning, the trail led me to that Kristoff guy. So it was just a matter of time until I was all up in it, anyway. Hell – maybe you can keep me from getting myself killed.”
She nodded slowly, and I could tell she was seriously considering my words. And stressing over them. I wanted to tell her not to worry so much – maybe offer my services for unwinding a little . . .
But wait – no. I did an inward double-take when I realized that my attraction to Risa wasn’t just about sex. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the girl was eye candy and she set my panties on fire, but that wasn’t all there was to it. It was the look in her eyes when she stared at me like that. The layers underneath her surface that I longed to peel back, exposing what waited at her core.
I’d never wanted to know anyone like that. I didn’t think I was that kind of person. This flash-of-lightning self-discovery was almost overwhelming, and I knew that it was going to provide serious food for thought. Lots and lots of it, leaving me feeling bloated and uncomfortable as if I’d just walked out of a ten-dollar buffet with my pants unbuttoned.
“Are you all right?” Risa asked me. “You look a little upset.”
“Wow,” I said with a shaky laugh. “You’re really good at reading my emotions. Is that your only superpower, or can you guess the number in a jar of jellybeans?”
She smiled and shook her head. “I don’t know about the jellybeans,” she said. “First off, you have a pretty expressive face – but even if it wasn’t for that, I can read your aura.”
“Those are real?” I returned with raised eyebrows. “Wicked.”
“They’re visible to all supernatural beings,” she told me. “It’s just your energy field, basically. It reflects your mood and emotions.”
“Cool,” I said. “I feel like I’m in vampire school.”
She chuckled. “You’ll pick up on a few things along the way. Hopefully none of it weirds you out too much.”
“Well, if it does, I’ll be sure to let you know. You may have gathered that I’m kinda vocal.”
She snickered again. “Yeah, I’d picked up on that.”
“Soooooo,” I drawled out, scratching my head and feeling a little daft. “Whatcha wanna do now?”
There went the firecrackers again.
“You mean, you want to hang out?” she asked.
“Well, yeah,” I answered. “That is – if you want to.”
“Of course I want to,” she said rapidly. Awww, that was so incredibly cute. She was excited to spend time with me. “Let’s go down to the club.”
I hesitated. “Ummm,” I said slowly, “didn’t you say that your people sort of hate me? Is it really a good idea to go there?”
“If we’re going to try this,” she said, “they have to know where you stand with me. You’ll have my protection, and you’ll be perfectly safe. No one is stupid enough to do what Boris did. And speaking of Boris – I have a little something to take care of, and it would have a better effect if you were there for it.”
“Well, all right,” I conceded, though I was still hella reluctant. I really did not feel like getting eaten by a vampire tonight.
Chapter 6
We went down to the street, and Risa led me to her shiny red Kawasaki motorcycle. It was super sexy. She straddled it, then patted the seat behind her.
I’d never ridden on a motorcycle before, and I was a little nervous, but I hopped on, anyway. Risa passed me a helmet, and I put it on, but she opted for a simple pair of dark Ray-Bans, presumably to protect her eyes from the wind.
She started the bike, and I was pleased to find that it wasn’t all that loud. I hate those beastly Harleys that roar down the street. I hate them more than beets. And I fucking hate beets.
“Hold on to me,” Risa said over her shoulder.
It was late autumn, and the air was cold, but she wasn’t wearing a jacket. Just the same type of white tank top, and the same leather vest from last night. I moved up again
st her, sliding my arms under her vest and circling them around her waist.
I sighed with pleasure, laying my cheek on her shoulder. Then I squeezed her waist lightly, breathing in her scent. It was like damp roses after a rainstorm, soft and musky, mildly sweet, with faint notes of moss and earth.
One thing was for sure, she was definitely going to have to give me one of her dirty T-shirts to sleep with.
***
We pulled into the club parking lot about fifteen minutes later, and Risa slid into a spot right near the front door. It must have been reserved for her. Then she took off her Ray-Bans and tucked them into the pocket of her vest, turning to smile at me.
“You are so cool,” I told her. “You remind me of Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator.”
“No kidding?” she said with a laugh. “You remind me of Krysten Ritter from Jessica Jones.”
“Badass,” I said with an approving nod. “Now I feel bad that I made yours a guy, though.”
“It’s okay,” she said, practically grinning. “Tell me you think I’m pretty and we’ll call it even.”
I looked at her face in the glow of the overhead parking lamps, and my heart melted. I was flattered to know that my simple validation of her beauty would make her feel more attractive.
“You’re drop-dead gorgeous,” I said in a husky voice, warm desire creeping into my loins. Facing her the way I was, with my legs spread like they were, I just wanted to slide up against her and wrap my whole body around her, holding her in a passionate embrace.
All right, all right. Who are you and what have you done with Danielle Ford?
“Thanks,” she replied, her smile much softer now. “I think you’re incredibly prepossessing, if you’d like to know.”
Well, she certainly wasn’t doing anything to help douse the fire that had started between my legs. I shifted my position on the bike, my lust growing so strong I was almost uncomfortable.
“Are you all right?” she asked, though I could tell she knew perfectly well what was up. She was watching me like a hungry lioness.
Oh, God, I thought desperately. Maybe I really am going to get eaten by a vampire tonight.
“Yeah,” I murmured, fighting the urge to reach out for her. “I’m good.”
“Let’s go inside,” she suggested, gesturing towards the club entrance. She stepped off the bike and held her hand out to me. I took it without hesitation, and I felt that same crackle of electricity that I’d felt last night at the bar, only not quite as strong. Was this going to happen every time we touched? If so, it was going to be really hard to get used to. Like taking clothes out of the dryer and getting shocked every five minutes. Not cool.
“It’ll calm down soon,” she said, as if she could read my mind. Or my aura or whatever. “It’s just because we’re not used to touching.”
I smiled wryly, bumping her shoulder with mine. “Sounds like you plan on changing that,” I remarked.
She looked at me seriously and held onto my hand. “Only if you want me to.”
I was almost startled by her gravity. But then, a warm feeling of gratitude flooded through me, and I just wanted to hug her. No one had ever put my feelings first the way she did. No one had ever really cared about what I wanted or needed.
But she did.
She seemed to know how much I appreciated what she’d just said, and she smiled softly. Then she pressed my hand, and we went into the club together.
It was the same mass of noise and confusion as the night before. Only difference was, last night no one had paid any attention to me until I pulled my gun. This time, a lot of heads turned in our direction just as soon as soon as Risa and I walked through the door.
Oh, yeah. That telepathic thing. They knew she’d marked me. And apparently they weren’t happy about it.
Risa spoke quietly to a bouncer near the door. He nodded and slipped off into the crowd. Not a minute later, the music stopped, and everything was eerily quiet. I could even hear the ice in people’s drink glasses.
“Where’s Boris?” Risa asked loudly.
Silence reigned for a few seconds, until a flurry of movement started up at the right-hand corner, and the Incredible Hulk appeared. Yeah, the nasty bastard who’d accosted me on the street. Stupid vampire.
He walked over slowly, but his steps were deliberate and unafraid. He watched Risa with appraising eyes. “Yeah, boss?” he said when he stopped in front of her. His tone wasn’t rude, but he was making it clear he wasn’t going to bow down to her.
And apparently, that was a big mistake. Risa watched him for a moment, her face utterly blank. Without warning, she pulled back her arm and launched it at the huge guy, decapitating him with a single blow.
What. The. Eff. Did that seriously just happen? Yep, I think it did. She just literally knocked his block off. This was insane. I wasn’t the kind of woman who throws up when people are beheaded, but right now I was kind of considering it.
There were a few shrieks, but mostly just a lot of loud murmuring. Risa turned towards the crowd and took my hand. Just a mild static charge this time. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it when she touched me – but ewww. She’d just decapitated somebody with that mitt. I didn’t let go, though, because I knew that she was trying to show her people where we stood. Not that even I was entirely sure where that was. I just knew that I was happy standing beside her.
“You all know that I’ve marked this woman,” Risa said. And damn it, I hated to admit it, but I couldn’t help starting to blush. I mean, come on – I had a club full of people staring at me, and my serious crush had just declared to all of them that she’d claimed me in some way.
Well, that wasn’t how she’d put it. Since we were talking vampires, we’ll say – she’d left her sigil on me. You know, the symbol of a vampire house. I’m not even sure why I know what that word means. I must have seen it on some dumb TV show. I wondered if Risa would think I was dweeby if I asked her whether or not her coven had a real sigil. It would have been so cool if it was an ankh, one of those looped crosses from ancient Egypt.
“Her apartment was broken into last night,” Risa went on. “And tonight, Boris attacked her. That’s the reason for what you just saw me do. If anyone else dares to threaten her, you will face my wrath. So let it be.”
The murmuring stopped, and the crowd was silent. Everyone bowed slightly, and then Risa raised her hand. The music started thumping again, and the clubbers went back to drinking and dancing.
“Clean this up,” Risa said to a couple of bouncers who’d come to stand close at hand. She motioned to the now-separate articles of Boris’s head and body, both of which were leaking blood onto the dancefloor.
Ewww.
“Do you want a drink?” Risa asked me, squeezing my hand.
“That’s a damned good question,” I said, glancing at the bar and smacking my lips. “I think the answer is hells yes.”
We cut through the mob and took two empty stools at the bar. I sighed inwardly when Jed came to serve us. He’d graduated from looking like he’d just come back from his pet goldfish’s funeral to Grandma-Got-Run-Over-By-A-Reindeer-Mode. This was just one unhappy guy.
“Boss,” he said, nodding to Risa. He looked at me and said nothing.
“Two rounds of Jack,” Risa replied. “Make ‘em doubles.”
“You got it,” Jed said with a frown, reaching under the bar for a pair of glasses. He poured the bourbon into them, then turned away with an almost audible hiss. Which was saying something, considering the music was so loud.
“Wow,” I observed. “That guy really doesn’t like me, does he?”
“Don’t take it personally,” Risa advised. “Jed doesn’t like anyone.”
I nodded. The truth was, I didn’t really care all that much if Jed liked me. I wasn’t too terribly fond of him, either, so we were square on that one. Honestly, I was still thinking about Boris’s messy death. I’d seen a lot of crazy shit in Shadow City, but never anything quite like that.
/> “What are you thinking about?” Risa asked me.
“Can’t you read my mind?” I asked with a smirk.
“No,” she said, a faint smile playing over her own lips. “I can’t read your thoughts. I do have one nifty little trick – but I’ll show you later.”
She didn’t say anything else. She didn’t ask me a second time what I was thinking. She was waiting for me to tell her on my own.
“I can’t believe you killed that guy,” I admitted, downing my double-dose of Jack. It burned like pleasant fire in my throat, and I immediately wanted another, but I figured I should leave any conversation with Mr. Ray of Sunshine to Risa.
She frowned deeply. “Did it upset you?”
“No, no,” I said quickly. “Well – it was super gross, don’t get me wrong. I might have a weird dream tonight about the Headless Horseman. But I really just . . . I can’t believe you did that for me.”
Her frown grew even deeper. “You can’t believe I’d kill for you?”
“Pretty much, yeah.”
She held my eyes with her steady gaze, reaching out with her long, pale fingers to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. Her fingertips brushed lightly against the skin of my jaw. A delicious shudder ran through me, but I don’t think it was that static thing this time. It was just the pleasure of her touch.
I closed my eyes and turned my face to lean against her hand. She worked her fingers into my hair, massaging my scalp slowly, gently. I parted my lips slightly, drawing a shaky breath.
I don’t think you realize what you are to me.
I opened my eyes and looked at her in amazement. She hadn’t spoken those words. They’d sounded inside my head.
“My nifty trick,” she explained.
“Ah,” I said slowly, though I was beyond blown away. It reminded me of the night before, when I thought I heard her speak to me while I was falling asleep. That hadn’t been inside my head, though. It was just beside my ear.
Marked (Shadow City Book 1) Page 5