Four Centuries (Damned and Cursed Book 7) (39 page)

She hoisted him to his feet and nearly dragged him behind her.
 
They went with the crowd, which still moved almost as a single being.
 
Thomas nearly fell as he walked, but Victoria kept him up.
 
She opened the passenger's door to her car and shoved him inside.

It took five minutes just to leave the garage.
 
She had to drive slowly, carefully, to avoid hitting vampires and mortal alike.
 
Finally, she found a quiet, empty spot in an industrial park not far away.
 
She parked in the shadows to make Thomas more comfortable.

The arrogant, obnoxious toddler was gone.
 
Thomas looked about like a caged animal, his eyes wide.
 
Victoria leaned over and opened the glove compartment to reveal several bottles of blood.

"Drink," she said.

He reacted like a thirsty man in the desert, downing the bottle in seconds.
 
His wounds slowly started to heal.
 
He gestured to a second bottle, asking permission with his eyes.
 
She nodded, and he drank much slower.

"Three nights ago, at the Vermilion," she said.
 
"What happened?"

"At that place under the club?
 
Shit, I don't know.
 
A lot of sucking.
 
A lot of fucking.
 
What do you want me to tell you?"

She showed him the photo again.

"Who is this?"

Thomas barely paid attention.

"What the fuck happened back there?
 
Billy, he just…shit.
 
Am I going to die?
 
What's going on?"

Victoria couldn't answer him.
 
It bothered her how much she didn't know.
 
Her only lead was the mystery man in the photo, and there was always the possibility he had nothing to do with whatever was happening.

"I don't know," she said honestly.
 
"All I know is three days ago, this man—"
 
She gave him the picture.
 
"Gave something to every human in the Vermilion.
 
Last night, two of the women went back, and the vampires that fed from them died, like you just saw."

"Are you shitting me?
 
Who?"

"Their names were Olivia and Trish."

"What?!
 
I fucked both of them!
 
I drank from them, too!"

She rolled her eyes, feeling like they were going in circles.
 
"I know, Thomas.
 
Now, think.
 
This man, what did he give them?
 
Did they take whatever it was while you were together?"

"I don't know.
 
We kind of did a lot of stuff at once, if you know what I mean."
 
His eyes went wide at the memory.
 
"Shit!
 
I know Olivia took something, right before I tore her clothes off.
 
I thought it was just oxy, or E.
 
Man, I miss that shit.
 
I
am
going to die, ain't I?"
 
She thought he was going to cry.
 
"I haven't even been a vampire a year."

"You're still alive, so that means something.
 
I think Olivia and Trish, and maybe the other mortals there that night, are infected.
 
With what, I'm not sure.
 
Maybe it didn't affect them yet, maybe it was just dumb luck you're still here."
 
She left out her last thought, that perhaps his time hadn't yet arrived.
 
With a nod, she gestured to the photo in his hand.
 
"Do you know him?
 
He spoke with you more than anyone."

"Yeah," he said, nodding.
 
"This clown was there.
 
I thought he was there to screw and suck.
 
Or
get
sucked.
 
He was friendly with everybody."

"Tell me everything.
 
What did he smell like?
 
Was he mortal?
 
A vampire?
 
Did he give his name?"

Thomas grimaced.
 
"I didn't
smell
the fucker.
 
Human or vampire?
 
How should I know?"

She closed her eyes in frustration.
 
Besides the fact that he had fangs, she would barely call him a vampire.

"He did give me a phone number, though."

Victoria's eyes lit up.
 
"What?"

"Yeah.
 
It's in my phone, back at the parking garage.
 
We talked about how I used to deal, too.
 
He said if I ever wanted to make a little extra money, to give him a call."

Breathing a sigh of relief, she allowed herself a moment to relax and lean back in the seat.
 
A simple plan formed.

"You know, Thomas," she said.
 
"I honestly thought I would have killed you by now.
 
But it looks like we're actually going to be partners."

He leered at her while nodding approvingly.

"I think I like the sound of that.
 
And I said before, call me Tom."

*****

Victoria held the door open for Thomas, whose jaw dropped as he stepped foot inside one of the many safe-houses she had scattered throughout the city.
 
It had been several months since she'd last inspected her properties.
 
Ever since she could step into the day without harm she had little use for her safe-houses.
 
Still, it was good to see the scheduled cleaning hadn't subsided.
 
The place was spotless.

"Holy shit," Thomas said.
 
"This place is fucking crazy.
 
No windows?
 
How did you manage that?"

She smiled at where the windows should have been.
 
It was a typical condo, but the windows had been dry-walled over long ago.
 
There was no television, only a couch and chair.
 
The bedroom was sparse, the kitchen bare.
 
The only connection to the outside world was a laptop on a desk in the corner.
 
Thomas spun around like a child, then opened the refrigerator door to see a stash of cold blood.

"Oh, man," he said.
 
"I don't believe this.
 
I'd love to have a place like this."

"You should see my other one."

She checked her phone to see if Jack had called.
 
Nothing.
 
She was trying to be patient, but if he didn't reach out to her soon, he'd get an earful.
 
Despite everything on her mind, she was worried about Zoey.

"Is it okay if I take a shower?" Thomas said, looking down at his blood-covered clothes and skin.
 
"I'm just a little messy, thanks to you."

"Go ahead.
 
There's clothes, not much, in the bedroom.
 
Tee shirts, sweatpants."

Thomas started to remove his shirt, but stopped when Victoria called his name.

"Thomas, I have no desire to see you without clothes.
 
Undress in the bathroom."

"You got it.
 
I'll save you some hot water."
 
He looked her up and down.
 
"When it's your turn, I'll wash your back."

She nearly snarled.
 
He laughed as he headed for the bathroom, narrating his own personal tour of her condo along the way.

"Damn, you don't have windows in
any
room.
 
And look at that bed.
 
I could do a lot of good in a bed like that."

After her own shower Victoria dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a tank top.
 
Thomas was lying on the couch, his hands laced behind his head.
 
He didn't bother putting on a shirt.
 
He whistled cheerfully, his feet moving back and forth.

"Shit," he said as she leaned in the kitchen doorway.
 
She thought he was going to drool.
 
"You really know how to fill out a shirt.
 
And that wet hair is
hot
."

"Shut up.
 
You'll be okay here.
 
No sunlight can get in, and there's plenty of blood."

"How is it that the sun doesn't bother you?
 
I'd love to know."

"I bet you would."

"Ah, c'mon.
 
It can be our little secret.
 
If you don't tell me, I might have to tell all my friends.
 
And I have a
lot
of friends."

Victoria laughed.
 
If nothing else, Thomas was amusing.

"Blackmail.
 
Funny."

"Don't call it that.
 
Just call it forceful curiosity."

She leaned on the arm of the couch, over his feet.

"Do you think you're
safe
?"

"You won't hurt me.
 
We're past all that now.
 
You need me."

She smiled and raised a finger.
 
"You're right there.
 
I
do
need you.
 
So, let's get to business.
 
You're going to call that number and arrange a meeting, the sooner the better.
 
I don't care what you do or talk about.
 
You want to work for him, buy him dinner, it's your call.
 
That's all.
 
The rest, I'll worry about."

"Oh, is that all?" he said, sitting up.
 
"I'm not just doing this for those nice tits of yours.
 
I want a little satisfaction, too."

"Of course.
 
For your efforts, you'll be paid fifty thousand…no, I'm feeling generous.
 
One-hundred thousand dollars.
 
Is that satisfying?"

The shock flashed through his eyes, but he tried to hide it.
 
He looked at the carpet and laughed, wagging his finger.

"It's a nice start, let's put it that way.
 
But I'm thinking…more like…two-hundred thousand."

He rose to his feet and stepped close to Victoria, invading her personal space.
 
They were inches apart.
 
She didn't back away.
 
Whether he was trying to intimidate or seduce her, she wasn't sure.
 
Neither was successful.

"Okay, I get it," she said, toying with him.
 
"We're negotiating now."

"Yeah.
 
We're negotiating."

"Alright, well, let's see.
 
I'm in a negotiating mood.
 
How about…actually, no.
 
Let's stick with one-hundred thousand.
 
And that number will down go in one second if you don't back the fuck up."

Thomas' tough-guy act vanished as he stepped back.
 
He threw his hands up and nodded.

"Okay, okay.
 
A hundred is more than fair."

She gestured to his phone, which he set on the coffee table.
 
Without another word, he picked it up and dialed a number, pacing in the living room.
 
Victoria heard the conversation clearly.

"Hello?"

"Hey, man.
 
I'm not sure if you remember me.
 
It's Thomas.
 
We met at the Vermilion the other night."

"I remember.
 
Have you thought about what I said?"

"I have.
 
The truth is…I'm in a bit of a bind.
 
Owe some money to some different people, that kind of shit.
 
And like you said.
 
There's nothing wrong with a little extra money."

"There never is."

"You know it.
 
So, yeah, if you need a little help, I'm your guy.
 
I know people, and I can really move some shit around town.
 
I was hoping we'd could meet up tonight.
 
Not during the day, obviously."

"Obviously."

Silence, as Thomas waited for more.
 
Victoria gave him an encouraging nod.
 
For all his faults, Thomas was definitely a convincing liar.

"Midnight," the mystery man finally said.
 
"The corner of Taylor and Fifth.
 
We'll talk."

"Ah, great.
 
You're saving my life, man."

"Don't be late."

The phone went dead.
 
Thomas took a deep breath as he tossed it on the couch.

"He said tonight at—"

"I heard what he said," Victoria said.
 
"I'm impressed."

He leered at her.
 
"
How
impressed?
 
Impressed enough to take your clothes off?"

"No.
 
The sun is coming up, and we both need to rest.
 
You take the couch.
 
Do I need to warn you about what will happen if I wake up and you're hovering over me?"

"You've made it very clear."

Victoria turned toward the bedroom.
 
Her body ached, despite the hot shower, and she could feel sleep pulling at her.
 
The hot shower helped, but she needed to lay down and close her eyes, after she enjoyed some blood.

"Oh, one more thing," she said, giving Thomas her attention.
 
"If I thought you could hurt me, I wouldn't have even bothered showing up at your hotel room during the day.
 
You can tell everyone you know my secret.
 
No one will believe you.
 
That's the funny thing about people.
 
But, think about it."
 
Her eyes turned dark.
 
"If our positions were reversed, and if someone threatened to make trouble for you, would you kill to protect that secret?"