A Stitch on Time 5 (20 page)

I waited another breathless second to see if they would do it again, but they didn’t. I’d actually thought Mace might drop in and make this situation worse. “Nothing,” I said.

We made it outside and I was disappointed to see that although the rain had stopped, it was dark. I was really anticipating the start of daylight savings next week. I could use longer days and shorter nights. It might not guarantee safety, but it would give me peace of mind.

Every time I passed by a light pole in the parking lot, it flickered and made a sizzling sound but when I turned to look, it would stop. “Where’s your van?” I couldn’t spot any vans in the lot. When Saul stopped in front of a sleek black BMW, I said, “This is yours?”

“It sure is.”

“I thought you only had vans.”

“I own a variety of vans and cars. The M3 is my professional vehicle.”

I shook my head. “Still can’t believe you’re a lawyer.”

“Demons can’t be lawyers?”

I snickered. “Actually, if they were going to be any profession, that would probably be my first guess. But you made it sound like you hunt with Lavie and rescue helpless demon-kind for a living.”

“That’s a purpose, not making a living.” He jumped into the car and as I sat down beside him he added, “Being a lawyer isn’t that different from helping demons.”

I strapped on the seatbelt and leaned into the snug, leather seat. I could easily take a nap inside the warm comfort of this car. “It must pay well.”

“Sometimes it does.” He started the engine and turned to glance my way. “Listen, I know you’re tired, but would you mind if we stopped at Monster Coffee Break for a few minutes? I’d really like to speak to Sheila.”

“Yeah, okay.” I closed my eyes and wished I could get out of these clothes first.

Saul revved the engine and reversed out of the parking space. When he stopped at the lights, he eyed me suspiciously. “Are you going to be okay dressed in that coat and nothing else?”

“I hope you can’t see through the coat.”

He snorted. “I’m a demon, not Superman.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve seen you pull weapons out of thin air so I had to check.”

“Relax, I can’t,” he said, advancing when the light turned green. “All you’re missing is a fedora and you’d look like the cutest PI in the city.”

I tried to ignore the heat on my cheeks.

“You really can’t take a compliment, can you?”

I cleared my throat, trying to think of something to say that would lighten the mood. “I was wearing a fedora.” He whistled and I couldn’t stifle a giggle. “But seriously, thanks for helping Papan.”

“I’ll always be there for both of you,” he said, sparing me a quick glance. “I don’t want you to get mad with me when I tell you this, or think that I’m some kind of pervert…”

“Why would I think that?”

“I might have some of your clothes in the backseat.” He sighed. “Okay, I have to confess that I’ve had them there for several days. With you driving back and forth to the estate, I wanted to make sure you had some extra clothes.”

“You what?” I looked over the seat and—sure enough—found a pair of faded jeans, a sweater, and boots…all clothing I recognized. And if that wasn’t enough, both of my blades sat on top of the bundle. “I thought you said you’d stashed the clothes here for several days. So when did you get my blades?”

“Oh, I got those before getting here.”

“You are seriously creepy, you know that?” I was torn between being super grateful for his thoughtfulness, and totally disturbed because he’d picked out an outfit for me—from my own drawers.

“So, are you angry?”

“I should be,” I said, trying to keep my voice firm. “But right now I’m grateful I can change into some actual clothes.”

“You can’t see from here but I included some knickers—bra and socks as well.”

“Now you’re pushing it, buster.” I tried not to feel too violated. “Can you pull over so I can get changed? Preferably somewhere dark.”

Saul maneuvered the car into the driveway of a small warehouse and cut the lights.

“Thanks.” I climbed out of the front and jumped into the back. The heels came off first. I dumped them on the floor and slipped into the instant comfort of warm socks. The backseat was a little cramped, but it would do.

I had the jeans halfway up my hips when Saul said, “Is everything all right back there? Do you need some help?”

I rolled my eyes. “Just give me a few minutes.”

“Okay, okay.”

“And stop peeking,” I said when I spotted him glancing in the rearview mirror. This car might be nice to look at and even drive, but it wasn’t fit to double as a change room.

When I was sure he wasn’t watching, I pulled my jeans the rest of the way and zipped them up. The denim scratched the sensitive skin of my thigh but the bandage kept the fabric from rubbing. I finished dressing in record time and, while slipping into my boots, I called, “Almost ready.” I strapped my silver dagger inside the right ankle boot and wrapped the boline holster around my left thigh. Then I was out the door and sliding back into the passenger seat, feeling a lot more comfortable and warm.

“Now I’m ready, Mr. Creepy.”

Saul grinned and headed back onto the road.

“So, what’s Sheila?” I asked, hating the silence.

“She’s a demon.”

“Okay, what sort of demon?” If he came up with some strange and obscure name, I could ask Lavie about it later.

“She’s a retired succubus,” Saul answered, stopping at the next red light.

“They can retire?” I snuck a peek at his face, watching for a reaction and the possibility he might withhold information from me.

He tapped the steering wheel. “Well, they can’t really retire from what they are, but she takes the essence from men another way.”

“How?”

“There’s enough sexual energy radiating around the average adult human to fuel an army of incubi and succubi.”

“Wow, you make us sound like horny peasants.”

“Most humans are,” he said with a snicker. “I mean, what were you and Jason doing this afternoon?” Saul took off when the light switched.

I decided to ask him the question that had been nagging me. “Speaking of which, why did you push Papan to tell you what we were doing in the office when you probably already knew?”

“I really didn’t know. I suspected, but didn’t know for sure.”

“So I wasn’t broadcasting?”

“Not this time.”

“Huh.” Maybe the anticipation and excitement had somehow blocked him out. I didn’t care about the reason, was just glad to have kept our privacy.

It didn’t take long for him to park across the street from the diner. There weren’t too many cars parked at this hour, but when we wandered into Monster Coffee Break, it was crowded. Now that I knew Sheila was a demon, I wondered how many patrons were supernatural beings.

“Seere!” Sheila called from behind the counter. “Long time no see. You really must come around more often, hon.” She stormed up to Saul and gave him a quick, motherly hug before turning to me. “And how are you, Sierra?”

“Good, thanks,” I said, which was a total lie. No point in getting into it.

“Sheila, do you have a minute?” Saul asked.

She wiped her hands on her apron. “Is there something wrong?”

“A friend of mine has been arrested and I need to ask you a few questions that might help with the case.”

“Oh, of course, let’s go out back.” She waved us behind the counter and into the kitchen area, which was smoky and smelled like greasy food. There were several men working the grill and stove, another was washing dishes, but none of them looked up to see who’d entered their work area.

“What did you want to know?” Sheila asked.

“You helped Sierra the night one of the SCC councilors was murdered?”

Sheila nodded, sneaking a glance my way. “I got the boys to clean up outside and dump the body closer to home.”

“Behind the SCC Tower?” Saul asked.

She shrugged. “Seemed like as good a place as any,” she said. “What’s going on?”

“Did you see Henry get shot?”

“I saw the bitch that did it, if that’s what you mean.” Sheila made a face. “The dog stood on the other side of the window and shot the glass before I had a chance to stop her.”

She was talking about Vixen.

“Did you recognize her?”

Sheila nibbled on her bottom lip. “I don’t know her name, but she’d come around a few times asking questions about random people. She never approached me, always asked one of the boys and they never know anything.”

Saul looked thoughtful. “Would you testify against her?”

“Seere, that would put me in a very difficult position. How would I explain not calling the cops?” She sighed. “I owe you my life, and I’d do anything to help, but I don’t know how we can handle this without further complications.”

She was right. I was in the same position. I could testify against Vixen, but how would I explain failing to call the police when it happened? Or the fact Vixen had disappeared?

“I really need your help with this. My friend is being charged for his murder, along with the murder of the other councilors,” Saul said, almost pleading with her.

“Shit, I’m sorry to hear that.” She looked my way. “It’s not your wolf boyfriend, is it?”

I nodded, feeling my heart plummet into my stomach. I couldn’t believe this. We both had the means to explain Papan out of at least one of the murders, but if we did we would jeopardized so much.

“He must really mean a lot to you, to ask for something this huge,” Sheila said, directing her question at Saul.

“Jason’s like a brother to me.”

Sheila bit down on her lip. “Leave it with me. I want to help you save your friend from these charges, but we need to do it in a way that doesn’t ruin the rest of us.”

“Thanks, Sheila.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” she said with a frown.

Chapter Ten

“So, are those men zombies, or what?” I hated to make the question sound so stupid, but I’d watched the nondescript guys long enough to notice their vacant, milky eyes and automated motions.

Saul shook his head as he drove away from the curb. “No.”

“They looked and acted like zombies.”

“Sierra, just drop it.”

“I don’t think so.” The familiarity between us sometimes made me forget we really didn’t know each other. If we did, he would know a comment like that only perked my curiosity. “Just tell me. Are they zombies?” After finding out demons, werewolves, vampires and witches were real, I was open to the existence of just about anything.

“You’re not going to stop pestering me until I answer, are you?”

“Nope,” I said. “Besides, I need something else to concentrate on.”

Saul took a left, heading in the direction of my house. “You’re not going to like what I tell you.”

“That sounds suspicious.”

“It’s not what you think—”

“How would you know what I think? Oh, right, don’t answer that.” It was going to be hard to win an argument with Saul. “Just tell me already.”

He gave me a squinty-eyed look, the same type I used to give Ebony when she frustrated me beyond reason. She did that a lot.

My heart stopped for a second. I’d almost forgotten she was gone. With everything on my plate, I’d pushed the loss to the bottom of the pile hoping not to have to face it. Tears burned my eyes, but I blinked them away. There was no need to cry—I
would
get her back.

“Hey, Sierra, are you listening?”

I nodded. “Tell me about those guys. There are a lot of things I don’t like, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear about them.”

“Okay.” He gripped the steering wheel tighter, taking the roundabout in front of us. “The men working in Sheila’s diner are all former victims.”

I swiveled in my seat. “Former victims of what?”

“See, this is why I didn’t want to tell you. You’re going to judge her now, aren’t you? Label her an evil demon without listening to the rest.”

“Are you finished?”

“What?”

“I said, are you finished with your rant?” I couldn’t help but tease. “You’re anticipating my reaction before I have a chance to hear the rest of the story.”

Saul sighed, before saying, “When Sheila retired from being a succubus, she thought it required the ultimate sacrifice of death. I helped her realize she didn’t have to die, and could still consume sexual energy without having to steal anyone’s essence. The problem was she’d had a certain number of men she’d been leeching from for years. If she stopped having sex with them, they would perish.”

“That’s fucked up.”

“Yes, it is.”

“So, what happened?”

“Those guys working the kitchen, they’re the men who would have died. Instead of letting them wither away, she gave them a home and a place to work. They have a purpose and she loves them equally.”

“What about their families? Wouldn’t a bunch of missing men raise a red flag?”

Saul shook his head. “She only preyed on the lonely, men with no family or friends. You’d be amazed how many lonely people there are in the world.”

“So, they don’t have a mind of their own?”

He turned onto my street. “Yeah, they do, but they don’t function to full capacity. Without Sheila, those men would die. So you can understand why asking her to come forward with the shooter’s identity could cause a lot of trouble for her.”

I nodded. If the police started investigating her and asked for statements from the men, it could lead to their true identities. Yeah, I could see how this would turn into a huge, complicated mess.

The
Ghostbusters
ringtone echoed from my pocket. I struggled to pull the phone out, and by the time I did, it stopped ringing.
Damn!
It started up instantly, vibrating in my hand and flashing Conrad’s number.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Sierra,” said a female voice.

“Narelle? Why are you using Conrad’s phone?” Even though Conrad was free to get on with his life, I couldn’t help but resent the vampire who’d cozied up to him.

“I need your help.” She paused. “Conrad went looking for the Lamia.”

“What the hell did he do that for?” Anger rolled through me, until I wasn’t sure if I was concerned about him or angry, because I should be the one tracking the bitch.

“Before I went to sleep this morning, he called to tell me he’d found her and was going to track her down. I told him to wait for me, but he said it was easier to hunt during the day.”

As true as that was when it came to the vampiric, Maya the Lamia wasn’t like other vampires. I’d seen her move during the day. Then again, a few days ago Narelle had been out in full daylight too. So, did Conrad have a death wish I didn’t know about? Losing Ebony messed him up, but it shouldn’t impair the knowledge he understood better than the rest of us.

“How did you get his phone?” I repeated. Why would he go and do something so reckless without taking his mobile? Something about this situation didn’t make sense. What was I missing? Like my sister, Conrad never went anywhere without his phone, treated it like another limb. With the amount of trouble he’d caused the vampire population by killing one of their strongest leaders, the parasites were constantly calling him. No one wanted to meet the spiky end of his wooden stake.

“He left me a note on the fridge with the location,” Narelle answered. “I came as soon as I could, but there’s nothing here. Just construction equipment and a whole lot of rubble.”

“Okay, but how did you get his phone?” I was starting to think she was avoiding the question.

“I found it on the ground.”

My heart sped up. “Narelle, where are you?”

“In that creepy place you can see from the motorway.”

“You need to get out of there!”

“What? Why? I can’t leave him alone. I know he’s got to be inside one of these dilapidated buildings.”

“Just leave,
right now
.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“You have to—”

“Come and help me find him,” she said, cutting me off.

I sighed. “I can’t.” Saul’s car was already idling outside my house. The lights were on inside and I needed to speak to Oren and Willow about everything that had happened today.

“This place has a strange vibe.” A thump echoed through the line. “What the fuck was that?”

“Listen, just get the hell out of there and meet me at my house. You know where I live, right?” As much as I disliked the idea of Narelle dropping in, I had to say anything to get her away from the abandoned part of town before it was too late.

“Uh, sure, yeah, I’ll be there.” But she didn’t sound like she was paying attention.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing, I’ve gotta—”

“Narelle!” She was no longer on the line. I stared at my phone before holding it up to my ear. “Narelle, tell me what’s going on.”

The call disconnected.

“What kind of strife has found you now?” Saul asked, glancing my way.

“Conrad’s in trouble.”

“The vampire hunter?”

“Yeah.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“The kind that means we have to get to North Serene Hills ASAP.”

“Are you sure? You’ve got so much going on already, and you look tired.”

I stared at the phone and redialed Conrad’s number several times, with no response. “Shit.”

“Sierra, are you listening to me?”

“Just get us there.” I pocketed my phone and looked at the house longingly.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I have no choice.” I turned to face him. “They helped me when I really needed them.”

“I respect that.” Yet his face darkened as he put the car in gear and sped away from the curb before my family knew I was there.

“Narelle and Conrad didn’t just fight by my side. They also kept Willow safe.” Besides, Conrad was so cut up about Ebony that he wasn’t thinking clearly. Or maybe he’d completely lost his mind. Why would he try to hunt the Lamia by himself? He might be an impressive vampire hunter, but he was in way over his head on this one. He didn’t know just how powerful and evil Maya was. If he thought a stake through Maya’s heart was all he needed to get revenge, he was sadly mistaken. She’d slit my throat with a talon before escaping my dark patch, so I knew how quick and malicious the Lamia could be.

I couldn’t let Conrad face her alone.

In record time, Saul pulled up near the chain-link fence I’d trespassed so many times. He shut the engine and twisted towards me. “So, what’s the plan?”

I glanced out the windshield but couldn’t see Narelle anywhere. What happened to her? Was she hiding? My pulse was racing so I took several shallow breaths. Besides, I had a demon for backup. “We go out there and look for them.” Conrad had to be here somewhere.

Saul looked at me for several quiet moments before he nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”

We stepped out of the BMW and I dialed Conrad’s number again. When the
Bullet with Butterfly Wings
ringtone broke the silence, my heart jumped.

Saul strolled past and plucked the mobile from the ground.

“That’s his phone,” I said when the song cut off abruptly.

Saul stuck the mobile into his pocket then stripped the dressy suit jacket and threw it into the backseat, as well as his tie. He still looked like a hotshot lawyer, but one who wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. Which, he confirmed by rolling up the sleeves of his pristine shirt and unbuttoning the top.

I looked away when he caught my eye. I didn’t want him to think I was checking him out, even if that was exactly what I’d been doing. He might be a little frustrating, and constantly invaded my personal head space, but he was nice to look at.

The lights from the motorway and the random cars whizzing past in the distance caught my attention. They always did, and I usually spent several minutes contemplating just how far away this area felt from the rest of the world. I’d once wondered why that was, but now knew. The Patch Watchdog, AKA land spirits, kept humans away and allowed spooks to exist when there was nowhere else for them to go. The spook activity used to be busy in this spot. I’d often felt other things dwelling in the shadows as well, but after so many ghosts were forcibly uprooted from Sydney, new spirits avoided the place like the spook plague.

“Where do we go?” Saul asked.

My fingertips buzzed and my left hand warmed. When I stepped up beside Saul and he took my hand, I felt the power swell between us. I glanced at him and he stared back.

“What?”

“I can feel the power grid calling me.”

“This is where the core of our power originates,” he said. “Every time we’re near, we get stronger. And if we do this”—he raised our joined hands—“we can achieve just about anything.”

I wanted to ask him so many questions—did he remember the ritual, how he’d been summoned, and why he’d chosen to join the Wilson Pack—but I didn’t voice any. The potency flowing between us took my breath away. Instead, I pointed at the chain-link fence. “Let’s get inside.”

Saul nodded but when we were about to duck underneath, he said, “Wait, what’s that?”

“What’s what?” The hum of our connection to the earth was drumming inside my ears, so I couldn’t hear anything. I squinted in an attempt to see what he was pointing at. My night vision was good, so I was surprised I’d missed it. “Is that a person?”

“Yes, looks like someone’s tied to the fence.”

“Shit.” I pulled my hand from his and although I instantly missed the power surge, took off. It could be Conrad, strung up like a lamb to the slaughter.

“Sierra, hold on!” Saul called after me.

I didn’t slow, and jogged until I was standing in front of the fence, staring at…Narelle. I wanted to check if she was breathing, but vampires didn’t breathe. Her spine was pressed against the fence, her fingers wrapped tightly around the links and her head hung down into her tattooed chest. Her bare feet were on the ground, unsecured. She was wearing a denim vest and leather pants, her colorful tattoos decorating every exposed bit of skin.

“Narelle,” I said. At least she wasn’t dead, or there would be a mess of blood and ash on the dirt. “Hey.”

She didn’t respond, so I stepped closer.

“No, wait!” Saul made a grab for my hand but I slipped from his grasp.

“Narelle, talk to me.”

Her head shot up, eyes twinkling in the dark as they met mine. I was so shocked that when she bounced off the fence and slammed her fist into my cheek, I stumbled back and lost my footing. I ended up ass-first in the dirt. I rubbed a hand against my throbbing face, confusion flooding my brain. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m taking care of business.” She stood above me, hands on hips and a deadly glare in her eyes. “You took long enough.” She rolled her shoulders. “I was getting stiff.”

“Where’s Conrad?”

“He’s
alive
.” Her lips spread into a devilish grin.

My stomach twisted. “What did you do to him?” I got to my feet with a lot more agility than I used to possess. A quick perusal confirmed Saul had vanished, even though he’d been with me only seconds ago.
So much for backup!

“What are you looking for?” Narelle asked, pacing in front of me. “No one’s coming to save you.”

“I don’t understand this.” Was she under a spell? With so many freaks trying to screw me around, it wasn’t far-fetched to think a vampire could be controlled. “Who bewitched you? Who’s controlling you?”

Narelle tilted her head back and laughed. “Are you really
that
thick? The spook catcher everyone is so hot for doesn’t have a clue when someone springs a trap.”

I gritted my teeth. “I came here to make sure you were all right.”

“You’re very sweet, but you shouldn’t have bothered.” Narelle kicked my left leg.

It buckled, but I caught myself and stepped out of her way. She made a grab for my wrist but missed when I jabbed her nose with my other fist.

“Good shot—didn’t see it coming.” Blood dribbled from her nostrils and she wiped the drops away with the back of her hand. “Your impulses are faster than that night on the dance floor, when my associate tried to get a taste of you.”