Bite (Bloodlines Book 1) (7 page)

Disgusted with himself for wondering and for pining over her again, he hopped into the shower and let the hot water cascade over his head. Two weeks, that was how long he had left in the city. He couldn’t get any more attached to her than he could to the hotel services. In just a short couple of weeks he’d be back on the road with Remy and Angel. Even if he managed to come back to Vegas, it could be months or a year before that might happen.

No, he couldn’t make Dakota or himself any promises.

Kieran picked up his body wash and poured some into his hand. It might not be easy but he had to stick with his decision. Yes, he would spend time with Dakota but he would have to back off slightly too. He never fell for a woman, knew he wouldn’t be around anywhere long. Dakota was no different from any other women he’d slept with.

And still he knew he was lying.

He scrubbed his body roughly, hoping that the pain might take his mind away from his thoughts. He showered quickly, looking forward to relaxing with dinner.

A new towel hung next to the shower on the warmer. No matter what, he was getting a towel warmer for his place. That was a luxury he could afford and wanted. Remy would probably give him a hard time but no more so than how Kieran teased Remy about the pile of blankets that he kept on the floor for when he wanted to have puppy piles. And those were his words not Kieran’s.

After drying off his body, Kieran dropped the towel onto the tub and walked naked back into the bedroom. In the dresser he found a soft pair of gray sweats and a faded white T-shirt. He pulled them on before going barefoot into the main room. He was about to sit when a knock came at the door. His food was a little earlier than he’d expected but that was good since he was hungry.

Out of habit he glanced through the peephole but didn’t find the hotel attendant. Suspicious, he angled his body to the right of the door. He unlocked and opened it slowly.

The man was at least six-two with neatly styled black hair and he wore an expensive looking black suit.

“Yes?” Kieran asked.

“Blake Nichols, or should I say Kieran Smith?” The voice was smooth and polite.

“Who’s asking?” Kieran questioned. He gripped the door tightly but prepared himself in case he needed to use his hands.

“My name is Alex Hamilton and I’m the head of security here.”

“I have no need for security and I haven’t done anything, so what do you want?” Kieran asked. He stood straight and crossed his arms over his chest, showing off his muscles.

The guy looked up and that was when Kieran noticed his unusual blue eyes and the fact that he didn’t have a scent. In surprise, Kieran took a step back.

Another Day Walker? It was rare for Kieran to ever come across one like himself. “What do you want?”

“Just a word,” Alex said with a nod. “In private if you don’t mind.”

Kieran did mind but he was also curious. He pushed the door wider and motioned Alex inside. Kieran knew he was opening himself up for serious trouble.

Chapter Four

Kieran let Alex walk past him into the living room as he watched his every move. A Day Walker that worked security for the hotel? How had Kieran not known about him? Did Caspar or the Organization know of his existence? Questions flooded him but he was too stubborn to ask.

“Can we sit for a minute?” Alex asked.

“Sure.” Kieran nodded. He waited until Alex sat on the couch before he dropped onto the leather chair across from him. Once he was seated, Kieran looked Alex over.

It was obvious that Alex had money but the power that radiated off him was unexpected. Most Walkers he’d met through his job were weak and dirty from their fight with craving blood. Kieran didn’t expect any conversation with Alex to go well. He’d been caught using his fake identification and there was no good reason for security to be in his suite. Still, he didn’t kick Alex out as he really was curious about the Walker. In his experience other Day Walkers struggled to live in the modern world. If Kieran and his partners came across one, it was because they were killing or bringing attention to themselves.

“I meant to make it by last night but I got caught up in work,” Alex said. “I wanted to welcome you.”

“Welcome me?” he repeated. “Why?”

“There’s not very many of us. The few I’ve met over the years didn’t deserve the gift we have. It wasn’t until I began working here that I found out how well my life could truly be,” Alex said.

“And how did you come to this realization?” Kieran asked, honestly curious.

“This hotel and the entire line of casinos is owned by one of us,” Alex told him.

“Who?” Could that be right? What else didn’t Kieran know about his people and where and how they lived? He’d always felt so alone. Well, until Caspar had taken him in and introduced him to Angel. If what Alex was saying was indeed true, he could learn so much.

But it could also be a trap. There had to be a reason he didn’t know about the Day Walkers in town. If they were criminals, it would be Kieran’s job to take them down.

“I’m sure with your resources you can find out whatever you want about the owner,” Alex said. “However, Jackson would like to meet you later this week if you agree. He’s out of the country at the moment but should return by late Wednesday evening.”

Kieran found himself nodding even though he hadn’t actually made up his mind.

“In the meantime your room and any charges you have or may rack up are on us. We’d like to make sure you enjoy your stay,” Alex said.

Now Kieran was really suspicious. “I can’t accept that.”

“We’ll call it evens in case we have any trouble here and need your assistance. We have a good working relationship with your Organization and hope you’ll help if it’s needed.”

So his company did know about them. That relieved him a little. Still… “Why haven’t I ever heard about you or this owner?” he asked, remaining blunt. Knowledge was his business and he really didn’t like that this man had caught him off guard.

“Our agreement with your Organization is that we remain hidden and cause no trouble. They leave us to our business and don’t out us to anyone else. We are in the profession of secrets. Yours to protect and ours to remain unknown. We knew the minute you got to town.”

Kieran sat forward in his chair. “Someone called you?” If Caspar had given Kieran more babysitters, then he was really going to lose his mind, so to speak.

“No,” Alex said quickly. “We have people all over the city. They know how to recognize our kind. Before you arrived here yesterday, we didn’t know anything about you other than that you were here on vacation. But when you changed hotels, I grew concerned. We’ve had problems in the past with Walkers coming in and thinking they could do whatever they wanted.”

Kieran could see why that would be a problem. He also wanted to know who’d spotted him and how. He held off asking, not wanting to give away his inability to do the same.

“So after you checked in I did some digging around,” Alex said.

He knew that any official information found would be light on info.

“When I couldn’t find much, I phoned my contact within the Organization. Alex verified Kieran’s earlier thought. “All I could get was that you are on the job. And that was good enough for me.”

“Okay,” Kieran said. “So what exactly do you want from me?”

“Like I said, hopefully nothing.” Alex braced his elbows on his knees. “In the last six months, we’ve seen more and more supernatural types in town. It’s kept my employees busy and we’re concerned that someone might be up to something. If there’s trouble, we’d like to be able to call on you. We’ll even go through official channels but having you here actually works out well for us.”

“So you don’t only run security for the hotel but the entire city?” Kieran asked. That was what the cops, Coalition and Organization were for. If Alex and his people were vigilantes, Kieran had to look into it.

“No.” Alex shook his head then nodded. “Or maybe. Jackson was the first of our kind that settled in the city. He looks at this as his responsibility and he isn’t going to let trouble put any of us in danger. Part of my job is to ensure that.”

Kieran really wanted to meet this Jackson…after he’d looked a little more into the entire operation in Vegas. “How many of us are there in the city?”

“A dozen.” Alex shrugged. “More or less as people travel. But living here, under the radar, and who we keep tabs on? Twelve.”

“Okay,” Kieran said. “I want to talk to my people, although while I’m doing that, I’ll remain open to offering my services if needed.”

Alex smiled. “I appreciate that.” He stood, so Kieran rose as well. “You know you’re being watched, right?”

Kieran laughed. “Very much so. I’m having fun with it. It’s personal and I’m not in any danger.”

“Okay.” Alex held out his hand. “If you need any help, just let me know. Been a while since I’ve had any fun.”

For some unknown reason Kieran liked the man in front of him. He felt comfortable, and although he wanted to be wary, he just couldn’t manage it. He grinned back at Alex. “We might be able to work something up.”

“That’d be great.” They shook before Alex headed toward the door. “If you’d like to get a drink sometime, give me a call. I imagine you’ll have more questions after you’ve done some poking around on us.”

Kieran figured the same.

“I’ll be happy to tell you what I can.” Alex handed him a card. “My office and personal numbers.”

“Thanks.” Kieran accepted the card.

Alex turned to open the door and stepped out. Kieran stood in the doorway as Alex strolled down to the elevator. This was an interesting turn of events. What had happened to his boring vacation? He hadn’t planned on the Organization agents following him or this new twist.

Crap!
Remy was headed to him any day. He would prefer to keep his friend away from these guys. If what Alex had said was true, that they tracked every supernatural person who came into their city, the minute Remy arrived they would know.

He could call his friend off. Remy wouldn’t be happy but he’d deal with it. Although Kieran needed his bribe for Lettie even more now that he had additional work for her to do.

Before he could close the door, he heard the elevator ding and the doors open. He could smell the rich bold aroma of coffee. His dinner.

Alex entered the lift as the hotel staffer exited it. They nodded at each other in a familiar fashion. Kieran narrowed his eyes as he watched the man who wheeled his food in his direction. He picked up the scent of berries and grass. He took a deep breath.
Shifter, bear.
He jerked back in surprise.

“Good evening, sir,” the staffer said. “I hope you weren’t waiting long.”

“No,” Kieran said. “I was letting my guest out.”

“Should I bring the cart in?”

Kieran stepped out of the way. “If you could place it on the table, please.”

“Sure.”

As the young man busied himself with setting out Kieran’s meal, Kieran watched him closely. The bear shifter’s heart rate was calm and steady. He didn’t smell nervous or afraid. Just a normal guy doing his job? Kieran wasn’t so sure. He was pretty certain Alex was showing him that the hotel was full of supernatural people.

It’s what he would do.

“Do you need anything else?”

“That should be it,” Kieran said as he accepted the leather case to sign. Again he added a generous tip before he handed it back over. It wasn’t his money he was spending anymore.

“Just call if you need anything else, sir.”

He nodded then closed and locked his door. His stomach growled as he strode over to the table. He started to make a mental list. He needed to call Lettie and Remy, and depending on what Lettie told him, maybe Caspar. As much as he hated reports, there was a good chance he’d be spending the rest of his night researching the city and occupants.

Alex had stated that he had a contact within the Organization. He wanted to find out who that was. If it was Dean or Dakota, that would simplify things for him. Since he wasn’t normally that lucky, he suspected that it wouldn’t be that easy. It would give him the opportunity, though, to see who else worked for his company in Vegas.

Maybe tomorrow he would stake out their building. There had to be somewhere that they worked out of.

If he could find a way inside, he might really have some amusement. Caspar would probably be pissed if Kieran did so, which made him want to break in even more. He did need to pay his boss back for putting Dean on him. Hell, he might be able to get into Dean’s office and screw with both Caspar and his nephew. Excited now, Kieran started on his dinner.

He savored every delicious bite of his meal as he worked out what he wanted to do. First he had to check his emails for what he’d asked Lettie for the night before. She’d had almost twenty-four hours so he had no doubt Lettie would have come through for him by now. He’d also have to send her the new names to look into while he worked on going through case files there in Vegas.

Kieran finished his first mug of coffee then poured another. After he’d eaten the last couple of bites of dinner, he sat back in his chair and groaned. That had been so damn tasty. If the hotel was footing the bill, maybe he should think about eating lunch there also?

No, he wouldn’t take advantage. They might ask him for his help or might not. If not, he’d pay for his expenses but if there was any need for him to get involved, he’d allow them to pay.

He wasn’t sure how he felt about this new development in his life. Twelve Day Walkers, fourteen if he included himself and Alex. Alex had said that he kept in contact with them, so did they work within the hotels or just live in the area?

His cell phone rang and he glanced around. Ah, bedroom, where he’d undressed. Kieran pushed back from the table and strolled through the living area. His pants were still on the chair he’d left them on. Kieran picked them up and dug in the pocket until he pulled out his cell.

“Hey,” he greeted after he’d swept his finger over the screen to answer.

“I’m a day away,” Remy told him. “I should be in late tomorrow night. What hotel should I check into?”