Biting Bad: A Chicagoland Vampires Novel (21 page)

“See? This is why work and romance don’t mix.”

“We’re the only RG partners who aren’t dating each other.”

“And this is why,” he said. “See the drama it causes? You just can’t win.”

“There’s drama because we’re vampires,” I pointed out as we rounded the stairs to the first floor. “Or because we used to be human, or more likely both.”

“You mean your life hasn’t been simplified now that you’re fanged?”

“Ha,” I said mirthlessly. “You’re hilarious.”

We stopped at the first floor. He was headed to the kitchen; I was headed upstairs to find clothes.

“Do you really think McKetrick is involved in this?” he asked.

“I don’t know. But I know I really, really don’t like having two nights of riots with no suspect at all. He’s got the motive. He’s got the opportunity. We just have nothing tying him to the crime.”

“You have an anti-vampire motive,” Jonah said.

“That’s true,” I said. “So we’re thinking, what, that McKetrick tipped someone off about the building, maybe seeded a little anti-vamp rhetoric, and let the chips fall where they may?”

“It’s within his MO,” Jonah said. “On the other hand, the theory’s got an inconsistency. Why half-assed riots? If McKetrick wants us out of town, he’s already shown that he’s willing to commit murder.”

“True,” I said, putting a hand on the banister and tapping my fingers on the finial. “And, McKetrick’s allegedly got a facility, and we know he’s got weapon development capabilities. Molotov cocktails aren’t exactly professional.”

“Nor were the rioters,” Jonah said.

He had a point. The rioters hadn’t looked like soldiers—too much facial hair and not enough muscle mass. More like hipsters than soldiers of fortune.

“Since this isn’t going to resolve itself in the next five minutes,” I said, “I guess I should get upstairs and change.”

“Hey, for what it’s worth, you do look pretty good in that dress.” He winked at me. “You clean up good, Merit. Ethan’s a lucky man.”

Jonah gave me a nod, then walked down the hallway to the kitchen, auburn hair bouncing on his shoulders.

Luck and dresses were going to be irrelevant if we didn’t stop these riots soon.

UPSTART COUNTRY

I
trekked back upstairs, dumped the shoes into the closet, and peeled off the dress. Getting out of it was much less classy than getting into it, without an extra pair of hands to help with the zipper. Many contortions later, I managed, leaving the silk in a heap on the floor while I searched for something to wear.

It didn’t take long.

My leathers had taken a beating in the Grey House riot, including the slash across the front of my jacket. But they’d been neatly repaired and were hanging in my closet again. The seams were virtually invisible, and the jacket looked brand-new.

I slipped them on, reveling in the feel of well-worn leather, which felt cloudlike compared to the fitted dress I’d been wearing. Boots and thick socks followed, and then my scabbarded katana, which was belted around my waist. Just in case.

Since I was now all business, I pulled my hair into a high ponytail, which would keep it out of my face in the event of a battle. Unfortunately, the hairstyle also provided a handle for attackers, but other than shaving my head, there wasn’t much to be done about that.

I checked my watch. There was time yet before my shift started, so I decided to head to the basement. I wasn’t anywhere near hungry, but I could at least say hi to Saul.

The entire basement smelled like oregano and garlic, not that I minded.

The tatami mats in the training room had been rolled up, revealing a hardwood floor that was currently dotted with round tables. A long table had been set up against the far wall, covered with white pizza boxes. Cadogan and Grey House vampires moved through the line, chatting as they selected pizza and sodas from a cooler at the end.

Saul himself, wearing dress pants, a button-down shirt, and a long black coat, chatted with Ethan.

“There she is,” he said, patting my cheek when I wandered over. “There’s a couple of Saul’s doubles under the table for you.”

“Thanks, Saul,” I said, although I really hadn’t done anything to deserve the treat. I’d just asked Luc to ensure my grandfather and the CPD kept an eye on Saul’s; they’d done the rest.

“Why are you so dressed up?” I asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without a Saul’s shirt on.”

“Granddaughter had a dance recital earlier tonight. ‘Snowflake Revue’ they called it. Lots of glitter and that white material that looks like window screen?”

“Tulle?”

Saul snapped his finger and pointed at me. “That’s it. Tulle.” He checked his watch. “I should get back. She’s having a slumber party tonight, and her momma promised I’d stop by with a pizza and a kiss. I think I’ve gotten you all taken care of here.”

“You did, Saul, and we’re much obliged,” Ethan said, extending a hand.

They shook on it. Saul picked up a couple of red insulated bags from the table, and Helen escorted him back into the hallway.

“Nice spread,” Scott said, sidling up to us. He didn’t have pizza in hand, and he looked exhausted. I’d seen Ethan in the same condition before. We might not have been human, but we weren’t immune to human stresses. Fear, anger, and exhaustion ate away at us, too.

“It’s all thanks to Saul’s generosity,” Ethan said, glancing at Scott. “How are your vampires faring?”

“The injured are nearly healed, but weak. There were pretty significant burns and internal damage there. The rest of us are feeling . . . displaced.”

“Are repairs under way?” I asked.

“They are. Crew’s already cleaning up the water and smoke. And glass, which there’s a lot of. All the individual rooms have to be cleaned—the walls scrubbed, every sheet and pillow and piece of clothing aired out. Actually, it’s the same company that cleaned up Bryant Industries,” he said.

I supposed it was worth considering whether the rehab companies had any connection to the rioters—were the riots an attempt to get rehabbing work in a bad economy? But I quickly discarded the theory. After all, there was no guarantee the victims would actually hire the same rehab company.

“And the atrium?” Ethan asked.

“They’re replacing and glazing the glass,” he said. “Slow going considering the temperature—but it’s in process. The mechanics are going to take longer. The water and heat did a number on the sensors.”

“That’s the trouble with technology,” Ethan said. “Helluva lot easier to break.”

“And so inconvenient when it does,” Scott said.

“Have you found an interim place to stay?” I wondered aloud.

“So eager to kick us out, are you, Merit?”

“Just asking,” I said. “Cots in the ballroom can’t be all that comfortable.”

“We make do,” he said, sounding as much like a coach as a Master vampire. “We’ve got feelers out in the neighborhood, but we’re getting a lot of ‘no room at the inn’ responses.”

“No room for vampires?” Ethan asked.

“Precisely. We found an apartment building being remodeled; they’re finishing up the interior work, and we offered a short-term lease for two of the floors. I think there’s a possibility there, but the owners are going to have to get over their hesitancy about renting to vampires.”

That hesitancy, I thought, might not be about the biology, but the risk of violence. We weren’t exactly a good risk right now.

“Merit, your father’s in real estate, isn’t he?”

I gave Scott a faux smile, not looking forward to the question I knew was going to follow. Of course I wanted to help Grey House. But being indebted to my father was a bad idea; he always called in his debts. “Yeah, he is.”

“Do you think he’d have any leads, or pull in terms of helping us nail down a location?”

I’ll take this one, Sentinel,
Ethan silently said.

“Joshua Merit can be a prickly sort,” Ethan said. “And his prices are usually very, very high. We’ll make inquiries as we can.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Scott said, gesturing toward the food. “I think I’m going to grab a bite. I’m starving.”

“Do that,” Ethan said with a smile, and we watched as Scott joined the rest of the vampires in line.

“I suppose I should have seen that coming.”

“Me, too,” Ethan said. “It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to make an inquiry. Although asking your father for a favor is only going to lead him back to his offer about the House.”

“I hate to break it to you, but he’s going to keep at it regardless of what you say to him in the meantime.”

“I know,” Ethan said. “Recall this isn’t the first business arrangement he’s proposed to me.”

That was a chilling reminder of my father’s last proposal—offering Ethan money to make me a vampire. Ethan declined, and that I’d become one anyway was a perfect bit of irony.

My phone beeped, so I pulled it out. An image of Luc’s face flashed on my screen, his finger waggling. “Time to go outside!” it said. “Time to go outside!”

I tried to silence it, reduce the volume, and turn off the phone, but to no avail. Luc had definitely created a reminder for our outdoor guarding duties—and there was no way to turn it off.

I grimaced at the phone and showed it to Ethan. “We have a monster on our hands.”

“I rue the day I authorized those study-at-night programming classes,” Ethan said. “Perhaps you should get to it.”

I nodded. “On my way,” I said, leaving the vampires to their business.

—

I’d gone to college in California and done grad work in New York City. Both could have nasty weather, but neither city was as temperamental as Chicago.

It felt even colder outside now than it had a few hours ago. Cold enough to make fingers stiff and lungs tight and cramped.

I nodded at Kelley as she headed back into the House, arms crossed and teeth chattering. “Cold” was all she said.

Not exactly pleasant foreshadowing, but at least my phone stopped screaming when I reached the gate. Luc must have managed to tap into the phone’s GPS. Which was just one more reason why his newfound programming skills were disturbing.

Two human guards stood at the gate, and others were posted every twenty feet along the perimeter. The guards at the gate were both men. Both broad-shouldered and tall, both with moustaches that cops and military men seemed to favor. Their clothes were head-to-toe black, thick, and quilted against the cold.

I’d brought out two extra travel mugs of hot chocolate and handed them over. “Thought you could use a drink.”

“Appreciate it,” said the one on the left, whose coveralls were stitched with “Angelo” in the top left-hand corner.

“Ditto,” said the one on the right. He was apparently “Louie.”

“Anything interesting out here tonight?”

“Not even a little,” Angelo said. “Couple of dog walkers. Couple of passersby with cameras. Most of the paparazzi are indoors for the winter.”

We’d been rushed with photographers a few months ago, but the novelty of vampires had worn off. Now we were a threat to public safety.

“The dogs were cute,” Louie said. “Little white thing and some kind of skinny greyhound.”

“It was an Italian greyhound,” Angelo said. “I told you that.”

Louie gave me a downtrodden look. I guessed Angelo and Louie had these conversations often.

“You think rioters will try to hit the House?” I wondered aloud. I was at the limit of my insight, after all. Might as well see what the experts thought.

“The rioters?” Angelo asked. “Hard to say. We’re an obvious target, and they don’t really seem bright enough to hit obvious targets.”

“Right?” I agreed. “I just said the same thing a little while ago.”

“Harder to get in the gate here,” Louie added. “No gate at the other House—what was it? Green?”

“Grey,” I said.

“Grey,” Louie agreed. “No gate there, so it’s easier to get in. No gate at that business at Wicker Park, either. If I can be frank—”

“You can’t,” Angelo muttered.

“—you don’t have security at your place, you’re asking for trouble. Here?” He gestured at the gate behind him, and the posted guards. “Here, you’ve got plenty of security. Obstacles. Live guards, and the closed circuit. It’s a good setup.”

“I’m sure Luc appreciates that.”

“I’ll tell you what he appreciates,” Louie said. “He appreciates not having crazy people throwing bottles of Smirnoff through his fancy front door and into his fancy house.”

“I have no doubt of it.”

“It’s a shame, too,” Louie said. “People minding their own business, bothering no one, and then the rioters hit.”

“Makes you wonder what the world’s coming to,” Angelo quietly agreed.

“But then, if the world was perfect, we’d all be out of jobs, am I right?” Louie asked, nudging Angelo for effect. Very little effect.

Having talked himself out, Louie went silent. For a few quiet minutes we sipped our hot chocolate. I swayed back and forth just to keep my blood circulating. I didn’t think vampire blood was so organically different that it would freeze in my veins, but neither did I want to test the theory.

When the hot chocolate was gone, and I had nothing else to focus on but the nose-numbing cold, I put down the container and looked back at Angelo and Louie, who’d begun to argue about the Bears’ failure to make the Super Bowl. Again.

Angelo said the team’s offensive line was shit; Louie said the problem was coaching.

I could think of nothing else but the thirty-mile-per-hour wind that was seeping in through the fibers of my jacket.

“Guys, I’m going to take a walk around the block. I need to keep moving.”

They nodded. “Good for the circulation,” Louie said.

“Keeps you healthy,” Angelo agreed.

Cadogan House took up a lot of space, but I wasn’t sure walking the handful of blocks around the perimeter was really going to accomplish much from a cardiovascular perspective. But at least I’d be moving.

I stuck my hands into my pockets and tightened the scarf around my neck, then set out down the street. The streetlights reflected off the snow and a bank of low clouds above us, which made the evening unusually bright. It was bright enough to read by, if I didn’t think Luc would have my ass for reading a novel while on guard patrol.

I walked down the block, being careful to avoid patches of ice, my sword slapping my thigh beneath my coat as I walked. I hadn’t yet figured out exactly how to arrange coat and sword, and figured I could spare a second or two to rip off my coat and draw it if the need arose.

I nodded to each human guard I passed. They all seemed less miserable than I was. Most, but not all, were brawny men who, like Angelo and Louie, looked like they’d done time in a weaponized uniform. They all looked focused, with earpieces in place and weaponry shined and polished. I was out here because I’d drawn the duty; they were here because their jobs involved keeping us safe, even in freezing weather. I had to respect that.

I rounded the corner and headed around the block, the fence extending the entire block on my right. On the left side of the street, nice houses where nice families lived glowed in the darkness, the families having dinner or watching television or preparing for another day of work or school.

Cars occasionally passed, but the streets were quiet enough that I could let my mind wander, and I could think about the problems before us with clarity.