A Bloody London Sunset (Sunset Vampire Series, Book 2) (30 page)

She wore a black leather jacket, a Garbage concert t-shirt, and fashionable jeans as she waited in a leather booth in a corner of the main dining room. When Gil finally showed up at the table smelling of inspiration in the form of marijuana, she shook her head slightly. She was pleasant as he offered a quick hello, but she rolled her eyes when he wasn’t looking as he sat down in the booth across from her.

“Hey, babe,” he began tentatively. “Thanks for meeting me here tonight.”

I’m not going to miss that whole “babe” thing
, she considered grimly. “Sure, Gil,” she replied easily while toying with the straw in her glass of cherry Coca-Cola. “No problem at all.”

A waitress showed up to take Gil’s drink and food order and departed before he continued his chat with Paige.

“So, uh, I was wondering if you were feeling better since Sunday,” he ventured as off-handedly as he could manage in his innately abrupt manner.

She looked across the table at him with a slight frown. “Better? I’m fine, Gil. Why do you ask?”

He shifted uneasily in his chair and nodded. “Well, you know. Things were a little quiet on the plane home, and I thought you didn’t feel good or something. I mean, we took off out of Atlanta pretty fast, and all.”

She nodded, sipped her cola sedately, and offered, “Well, you didn’t seem to care for Atlanta that much. And I got the impression that you and Caleb weren’t getting along very well, among other things.”

He looked up sharply and then back down to the beer before him. “Caleb? Nah, we’re good. Good dude, big heart, and all. Why? Did he say something to you?”

Paige listened to Gil’s heartbeat among the music and voices of patrons around them. She heard it increase abruptly and knew she had touched just the right nerve. “Oh, not so much,” she replied. “It was just a feeling, that’s all.”

He seemed to relax suddenly and took a big swig of beer. “Oh, well, of course not. I mean, I’m cool with you and him, you know.”

Her eyes darted to Gil’s sharply, and she pressed, “Cool with what, Gil?”

“You know, how tight you two are,” he said with a lopsided grin. “Hey, it’s no problem having a guy on the other coast and all. We rockers, we get that better than anyone, you know?”

What the hell?
she thought wildly as she gazed across the table at him. “Gil, Caleb and I aren’t an item,” she insisted. “He’s a friend, like part of my extended family.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, sure. Like I said, no problem.”

“He belongs to Katrina, Gil,” she said with an edge to her voice. “Got it?”

His eyes widened slightly, and he took a swig of beer. “Got it, babe,” he replied with a nod of his head.

She rolled her eyes and suppressed a growl, not really believing his response. But she refused to bother further with the topic since there were more pressing matters on her agenda. The truth was that she loved being around Caleb and already missed his presence since her return to California. In the end, the issue seemed to her to be a moot point.
But then, if that’s true, why is the topic still nagging in the back of my mind?

“So, maybe we can change the subject, okay?” she pressed in a more conciliatory tone.

He nodded agreeably.

“Good,” she said. “Now, what would you like to talk about?”

He considered the question for a moment. Finally, he nodded and proposed in a semi-practiced tone, “Okay then. How about pictures? I noticed you and Katrina both gave Caleb a picture for Valentine’s Day. I wouldn’t mind having a picture of you, you know.”

She smiled pleasantly, but mused,
Here we go then
.

“What kind of picture?” she asked before sipping at her Coke and glancing casually across the room to scan the other patrons so as not to intimidate him.

He paused. “How about something with your smile? Maybe something with a little fang showing? You know, something classic?”

Caleb was right after all
, she thought darkly as her gaze returned to rest on Gil’s somewhat anxious-looking features. “Classic, huh? Yeah, I can see the appeal of that,” she replied. “But you wouldn’t show it to anyone else would you?”

He looked up only briefly and then back down to his beer again and shook his head. “Me? Nah. I mean, who would believe it anyway, right?”

She scowled and offered, “Who, indeed?” However, she also knew a lie when she heard it, and Gil was a terrible actor.
Come to think of it
,
Gil’s a terrible singer in reality, as well. Pretty soon, he’s going to become a distant memory
.

They sat together in relative silence while Paige swayed to the rock music playing in the background above the din of conversation among the patrons. Gil happily accepted another beer when the waitress passed by, and Paige stared back at him thoughtfully.

“So, how about a picture sometime soon?” she offered, lifting her glass to her lips.

His expression brightened somewhat, and he looked up with a renewed sense of curiosity. “Really?” he asked. “You’d be down with that? I mean, that’s great and all. I’m just surprised.”

She smirked with a gleam in her blue eyes. “I’m absolutely full of surprises.”

His food arrived, and he seemed almost gleeful as he dug into a plate of sausage pasta alfredo. Paige made a sour face at the pronounced scent of garlic wafting in her direction and sighed. Her thoughts went back to a time when she had counseled Caleb on selecting meals with less garlic because it generated a pungent flavor to the taste of his blood. Of course, she wasn’t particularly interested in feeding from Gil at that moment, which was partially colored by her disappointment in the former rocker’s personal judgment as of late.

“So, when’s a good time for you?” he inquired energetically.

She regarded him for a moment, paused to sip from her glass, and ventured, “Oh, I’m pretty flexible. What’s your schedule looking like? I realize you’re trying to get a spot with another band or find some other job options.”

He chewed a forkful of pasta at length. “Well, no new prospects for now, but Skeet’s helping me out with looking, you know. I’ve got the feeling something’s gonna turn up real soon, though.”

She tried to appear nonchalant. “Skeet’s helping you out, huh? Friends can be helpful sometimes. And how is Skeet doing these days?”

Gil smirked, took a drink of beer, and replied, “Ah, you know Skeet. He’s good. You know, he’s got some cool connections.”

Paige frowned and countered, “I can’t say that I know him. You forget that I’ve never actually met Skeet, Gil.”

He looked up from his plate with a slightly dumbfounded expression and recalled, “Hey, that’s right. He’s cool. I should set up a meet with you sometime soon. He’d like that, actually. I told him a lot about you.”

The corner of her mouth upturned ever so slightly. “Oh?”

Gil stopped chewing his food for a moment and looked up sheepishly. He immediately reassured her, “Well, yeah, I mean being that we’re an item, and all. Just the normal stuff, you know?”

She nodded. “Oh sure, the normal stuff.”

He smirked awkwardly and returned to shoveling more pasta into his mouth. He tapped his fork against his plate a couple of times as he chewed and made an effort to look around the room as if distracted, but Paige heard his heartbeat increase slightly for a moment, almost anxiously.

“Hey, how about a drive along the coast? It’s great weather for a night out,” she suggested congenially. “Cool breeze, the sound of surf.”

His eyes blinked as he considered the idea. Then he grinned, took a swig of beer, and replied, “Yeah, sounds good.”

“Maybe Skeet would like to join us,” she suggested. “Then I could meet him. He sounds like an interesting guy. And if he’s such a good friend of yours, better to meet him now than later.”

Gil shrugged as he chewed his food and nodded. “Yeah, sure, babe,” he agreed. “He’s got a soft top on his Jeep, too. It’s killer for cruising the coastline. I could have him meet us somewhere.”

Paige nodded affirmatively and smiled. “A soft top on his Jeep. Sounds perfect.”

A couple of hours later, Paige dropped her car off at her condo, and Gil called Skeet to arrange for their meeting. Then she and Gil took his car to Skeet’s house in Eagle Rock near Glendale. The house was an older, single-story home with a detached one-car garage to the side. Gil parked his older model Chevrolet Malibu in front of the house in the street and turned to Paige with a grin.

“Man, this rocks,” he offered. “You’re gonna love Skeet.”

She nodded, and the two of them made their way through the recently mowed front yard as she scanned the immediate area for anyone who might be watching. Fortunately, there wasn’t anybody hanging around outside at that time on a Monday night. She noted that Skeet’s late-model red Jeep was parked in the driveway.

Gil rang the doorbell in the yellow light of the front porch and waited. Paige stood with her arms folded casually in front of her and leaned against one of the wooden banisters holding up the small porch.

A lanky, curly haired man about Gil’s age and dressed in a pair of jeans and USC Trojans sweatshirt appeared in the doorway with a grin. Skeet immediately reached out with his right hand to grasp Gil’s, pulled him to him in a quick, brotherly hug with the other arm around his shoulder, and laughed. “Hey, bro! Long time!”

“Dude, this is Paige,” Gil offered with a grin as he gestured behind him to the blonde-haired young woman.

Skeet’s eyes brightened somewhat, and he half-waved at Paige. “Wow, hey, Paige. Gil’s told me a lot about you. I’ve been dying to meet you.”

She smirked and gave a little wave with her right hand before concealing it beneath her other arm crossed before her. “Nice to finally meet you, Skeet,” she replied in a friendly tone.

Skeet stared at her for another moment, as if looking for something in particular, but Gil broke his reverie by starting to walk forward to enter the house. However, Skeet put a hand to his shoulder and countered, “Hey, the place is a real mess, man. I’ve got a lot of
inventory
lying around inside, if you know what I mean.”

Paige frowned slightly, but Gil smirked with recognition and nodded. “Yeah, dude. Sorry about the short notice. But hey, we’re going out to the coast tonight anyway. So, you ready?”

Skeet nodded, closed the front door, and took the time to lock two sets of deadbolts before turning to follow Gil. The three of them made their way over to the Jeep, and Gil held the passenger door open for Paige. She got into the back, while Gil and Skeet took the soft top down and stowed it. They pulled out of the driveway and made their way towards the coast.

By the time they reached the ocean, it was pretty late, but the evening was beautiful and the temperature perfect for a drive.

“So Skeet, what do you do for a living?” Paige asked as she leaned forward and propped herself between the front seats.

Skeet smirked. “I’m kind of in business for myself. I guess you could say I’m into natural supplements.”

Gil stifled a laugh and asked, “Hey, dude, you have any of that natural stuff with you?”

“Glove box,” Skeet replied as he sped around a slower car in front of them.

Gil opened the glove box and pulled out a roll of papers and a small plastic bag.

“Ahh, natural supplements,” Paige acknowledged with a smirk. “I get it.”

“Business is great, too,” Skeet added proudly. “Man, I wish I was a doctor, then I could write out prescriptions to people.”

Paige smiled supportively, thinking,
Somehow, I should have guessed
.

Gil primed the cigarette lighter on the dash and rolled a quick joint. He lit up and took a large draw, then offered the remainder back to Paige. She declined, and Gil handed it off to Skeet.

After a short time driving along the coast, Paige pointed to a scenic turnout bordering the small cliffs looking out towards the ocean. “Hey, let’s drive along there,” she directed them.

The road was almost completely devoid of other cars at that time of night, and Skeet effortlessly pulled the Jeep onto the road. He reached out his hand to Gil, who passed another lit joint to him. Skeet took a long draw, laughed, and leaned his head back against the driver’s seat head rest as he steered the vehicle.

“Man, this is the life!” he shouted as the cool night air flowed past them.

Gil took a long draw on his own joint and laughed. “You got that right!”

“You guys better be careful smoking that stuff, you know,” Paige offered loudly.

Gil just shook his head and retorted, “Ah hell, come on, babe!”

Skeet scowled. “Yeah, why’s that? This stuff never hurt nobody.”

She nodded knowingly, noticing the upcoming sharp curve, and explained loudly, “You have to keep a clear head. After all, you just never know when life will throw you a dangerous curve.”

“What?” Skeet asked.

Paige reached swiftly over to Gil with her right hand and grasped the back of Gil’s neck. She slammed his head forward into the dash, knocking him unconscious, and Skeet shouted, “Hey! What the fu--!”

She moved in a blur to grasp Skeet’s head from behind and neatly broke his neck with a quick snap. She grabbed the steering wheel over with her right hand while pressing Skeet’s body forward, causing the man’s foot to press against the accelerator and increasing the speed of the vehicle. The Jeep swerved slightly for only a second until she stabilized their course.

She directed the vehicle towards the looming cliff railing and, at the last second, leapt out of the back of the Jeep as it crashed through the railing. The car sailed over the edge of the cliff until finally arcing downwards in a steep plummet.

Paige managed to land on the balls of her feet, rolling her body against the pavement while using her leather jacket to cushion her as the momentum from her forward velocity abated. A huge explosion bellowed from beyond the edge of the cliff, and she glanced around quickly to see if any other vehicles were in the vicinity. After a moment, she raced over to the edge and peered down into the night, seeing only the burning remains of the mangled Jeep as the ocean lapped at the rocks below. With her keen vampire vision, she was able to see that both bodies were still in the vehicle, which was exactly what she had hoped for.