Red (8 page)
“What about Halloran?”
This one made me squirm a little. “He uses magic to keep his operation under wraps,” I said. “We all know what he does for a living, but we can’t get anything on him concrete enough to put him away. His witches aren’t just hacks who like to scare kids in the woods. They’re serious nasty. They should have been able to just blast the rats away.”
“Maybe the rats weren’t there naturally,” Nate suggested.
“What do you mean?”
Nate shrugged. “Maybe someone used magic to cause the infestations, magic the Charmings and Halloran couldn’t counter.”
That uneasy feeling I’d experienced at Snow’s came rushing back. “That would be some incredibly powerful magic.”
Nate’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. “It’s out there.”
“Okay, suppose you’re right,” I said. “Let’s say for the sake of argument that someone out there is wielding magic potent enough to combat the wards of some of the most powerful magical creatures this side of Make Believe. Why target the Charmings and Halloran?”
“Maybe someone has a grudge against them,” Nate said.
“Who doesn’t?” I muttered, checking my watch. “The day’s not over. Maybe we should take Snow’s advice and go visit Dave’s pretty little assistant.”
“A pretty little assistant, eh?” Nate said as he reached into his suit jacket and took out a stick of gum. He gave me a wink as he folded it into his mouth. “Guess it’s time to turn on my charm.”
I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to offer a comment on his self-professed charm when I felt a buzzing at my hip.
“What—no theme song?” Nate teased as I reached for my phone.
I gave him a warning look, choosing not to divulge the fact that I’d kept my phone on vibrate after my last little snafu. “Everyone needs a theme song,” I shrugged. “You should consider getting one. Maybe something from the death metal genre.”
Nate groaned at my lame joke, so I was grinning as I answered my phone. “This is Red.”
“Hello, little one.”
Chapter 11
I felt a chill at the sound of the voice on the other end of the line. It was silky and smooth and deadly. And it affected me in ways I hated to acknowledge. I swallowed hard, trying to find my own voice somewhere in the pit of my stomach where it had vanished.
“You’re a hard man to catch,” I managed to croak out.
A low chuckle replied, making me shiver. “That is the idea.”
“Red,” Nate whispered, “you okay?”
I glanced over at him, knowing my eyes were wide and my breath shallow, but nodded anyway.
“Did you enjoy your visit with the lovely Ms. White?”
I frowned. “How did you—”
“My informants are everywhere, little one,” the voice interrupted. “I am always watching.”
I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the fact that the mere thought of his eyes upon me made my stomach flutter. “Then you know why I’m looking for you?”
“I know it has something to do with criminal activity. I know you were assigned to this case specifically. But the rest, I want to hear from your beautiful lips.”
I swallowed again and gave my head a shake, trying to fight off the hypnotic effect of his voice. “Where can we meet?”
“Come to my office.”
I frowned at his response. That certainly wasn’t what I’d been expecting. Part of me was secretly a little disappointed. “When?”
“Right now.”
“I’m on the other side of town,” I told him. “It will take a little while to get there.”
I could tell he was grinning when he said, “I have nothing but time, my little love. I have been waiting patiently for you to come for me again.”
“You mean come
to
you,” I corrected.
to
you,” I corrected.
That silky laugh wrapped around my senses once more. “We shall see.”
My heart skipped at his implication. “I’ll be there soon.”
“I shall count the seconds,” he said. “And, Red?”
“Yes?”
“Come alone,” he commanded. “Do not bring your new friend. If you bring him along, I am afraid you will find me far less agreeable.”
I hung up and shoved the phone in my jacket pocket. My head was spinning, my heart racing. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, willing myself calm again. God, I hated what he did to me, but was exhilarated and aroused by it at the same time.
“Red?”
I heard Nate’s voice as if he were far away. And down a tunnel. And underwater.
“Red? Can you hear me?”
When I opened my eyes again, I noticed Nate had pulled over to the side of the road and was patting me on the cheek, trying to get me to snap out of the trance I was in. It took my eyes a moment to focus.
“I can hear you,” I grumbled. “Quit smacking me.”
“What the hell just happened?” he demanded, worry creasing his brow. “You totally drifted away from me there.”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “We’ve had a change of plans,” I told him. “That was Vlad. He wants to see me.”
Nate took hold of my chin and looked into my eyes. “What did he just do to you? Your pupils are dilated. Your cheeks are flushed. Your pulse is racing.”
I averted my gaze, embarrassed by my lack of control. “Nate, come on—”
“I’m worried about you.”
This brought my gaze back to his and I saw that he was serious. “I’ll be fine,” I assured him. “It’s always like this. Vlad’s a vampire, Nate. He has . . . abilities. Let’s just say he gets what he wants and there’s not a lot a woman can do to resist.”
Nate leaned back slowly, taking in what I had just told him. “Is that how you two got involved?” he asked, his expression going dark. “He forced himself on you?”
I shook my head quickly. “No! Good God, no! It wasn’t like that at all.” I paused, trying to figure out how to explain the hold Vlad had over me . . . or anyone else he desired, for that matter. “He has a way about him, Nate. It’s hypnotic. All he has to do is speak in a certain way and his prey can’t resist him—they don’t
want
to resist him.”
want
to resist him.”
“So, he hypnotized you?” Nate concluded.
I gave a little shrug. “Kind of. That first time anyway. Then, well . . . we were what the other needed at the time.”
“And now?”
I frowned, a little irritated at Nate’s grilling. “You’re getting a little personal, don’t you think?”
Now it was Nate’s turn to shrug. “I think I have the right to ask. He’s a murder suspect. If you can’t handle being around him—or even talking to him on the phone—then I’ll just go by myself.”
“No!” I cried, reaching out and grasping his arm before I even realized what I was doing. “You can’t!”
Nate looked down at where my fingers were digging into his arm. “Why not?”
“Nate, please,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “He said he’d only cooperate if I come alone.”
Nate scoffed. “No way in hell am I letting you talk to him alone. Not after what I just saw him do to you.”
“Listen to me—”
“End of discussion.”
I pressed my lips together in an angry line, realizing there was nothing I could do to reason with Nate. “Fine,” I relented. “He wants me to meet him at his office.”
“Okay, then,” Nate said with a sharp nod. Without another word, he pulled back into traffic and made an illegal U-turn, heading back toward the other side of town.
I sat in angry—and worried—silence for the rest of the ride, trying to determine the best way to keep Nate from getting on Vlad’s bad side and get himself—or both of them—killed. I reminded myself he had a valid concern about my ability to be impartial on the case. I had argued the same thing when I’d been assigned. Nate was concerned that Vlad could manipulate me in whatever way he wanted to in order to get away with murder—perhaps in a very literal sense. I could understand that, too—mostly because I was worried about the same thing. But there was no way I was going to put Nate in danger because I was too weak to deal with one measly vampire. I liked the guy too much.
When we pulled into the parking garage for Vlad’s office, I got out of the car first and waited for Nate to come around to the other side of the car where I was standing.
“Ready?” he asked.
I nodded. “Let me just give him a call and tell him you’re coming with me. He doesn’t like surprises.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone, but it fumbled from my grasp and onto the ground, sliding under the car. “Damn it!”
“Here, I’ll get it,” Nate said, his chivalry completely predictable.
The minute he bent down to pick it up, I brought my arm down hard, hitting him on the back of the neck. He went down without even flinching. I glanced around quickly, then opened the back door to his car and somehow managed to lift the top half of his body into the backseat. Unable to push him any farther, I ran around to the other side and pulled him the rest of the way in. As soon as I had him situated as comfortably as possible, I picked up his fedora and set it on his chest. Then, on impulse, I reached out and brushed his thick hair away from his brow.
“I’m sorry about this,” I whispered. Then, giving in to another impulse, I bent and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “It’s for your own good.”
Hating to leave him there unconscious and vulnerable, I lingered just a moment more, letting my conscience gnaw at me. I was running my fingers through his hair, marveling at how soft it was, when something caught my eye. I leaned in closer to get a better look.
The same tribal tattoos I’d seen on his forearms were hidden under the thick locks. On closer inspection, I saw they weren’t necessarily tribal in origin. In fact, they looked more like black flames licking at the nape of his neck and disappearing down the collar of his shirt. Frowning, I briefly traced the designs, wondering what they meant. I could have stayed much longer, letting my fingertips drift gently across his skin, but footsteps a few rows over made me jerk my hand away and slam the door. If Nate was still speaking to me after this, I’d have to ask him about his incredible ink.
After locking the doors, I fished my phone out from under the car where it had fallen when Nate went down, then headed for the main entrance to the office building where Vlad operated his various business ventures.
I’d met Vlad after he came over in the Great Lit Migration of 1985. He’d been one of those characters who’d had difficulty adjusting and soon had gotten into trouble when it came to his need for blood. That’s when he got assigned to me. And let me tell you, it’s not an easy task to bring in a guy who could shape-shift, vanish into thin air, and seduce you with nothing more than a look from startlingly pale blue eyes.
Our months-long game of hide and seek was, in a word,
exhilarating
. I hadn’t had that much fun in decades! Vlad wasn’t the first vampire I’d dealt with—folklore from all over the world is filled with variations on the theme—but he was the first
literary
vampire I’d encountered. And I hadn’t been prepared for that. Thanks to the metamorphosis of vampires from monsters to sex symbols, Vlad had undergone a transformation as well. He wasn’t the horrible creature Stoker had originally envisioned anymore—he was brilliant, handsome, suave, and sexy as hell. Finally, as eager as I was to bring our game to its explosive conclusion, Vlad had let me catch him.
exhilarating
. I hadn’t had that much fun in decades! Vlad wasn’t the first vampire I’d dealt with—folklore from all over the world is filled with variations on the theme—but he was the first
literary
vampire I’d encountered. And I hadn’t been prepared for that. Thanks to the metamorphosis of vampires from monsters to sex symbols, Vlad had undergone a transformation as well. He wasn’t the horrible creature Stoker had originally envisioned anymore—he was brilliant, handsome, suave, and sexy as hell. Finally, as eager as I was to bring our game to its explosive conclusion, Vlad had let me catch him.
Fortunately, after Vlad’s rehabilitation at my careful (ahem) tutelage, he had managed to find a respectable way to feed and put his talents and charisma to better use, becoming a billionaire within a few short years. Now, in addition to owning the world’s largest casket company, his empire consisted of three Fortune 500 companies and numerous other lucrative enterprises. In fact, it was hard to find an industry that Vlad didn’t have
some
connection to.
some
connection to.
Since our original whirlwind romance, Vlad and I had had an on-again/off-again relationship that would give you whiplash trying to keep up. I think we both knew that it would never really go anywhere. Vlad had an obsessive need to bed as many women as inhumanly possible, and I had an obsessive need to stay unattached. And yet we couldn’t seem to get enough of each other. I would break things off, only to give in to his persistent entreaties again a few months later.
And there you had it. We were addicted to one another. And that addiction was just as toxic as any drug on the street. Part of any rehabilitation process was staying out of situations where you’d be tempted to backslide. Yet here I was right back where I knew I shouldn’t be.
I made my way to the top floor of the high-rise where Vlad kept his private office, preparing myself for the onslaught of sexy I knew I’d be facing down. So when the glass doors opened to admit me into the main lobby, I was a little surprised to see a new girl sitting at the reception desk instead of the matronly assistant Vlad had employed for over twenty years. The new receptionist looked very young—maybe just out of high school. In fact, her blond hair still looked natural. And I could tell at a glance she was an Ordinary.
The girl offered me a genuinely friendly smile as I approached. “Hi,” she said cheerfully. “Do you have an appointment?”
“Not on your books,” I told her, eyeing her cautiously. “But he’s expecting me. I’m Tess Little.”
“I’ll let the Count know you’re here.” She hopped up and came around the desk, extending her hand. “Can I take your coat?”
I took a step back, clutching my trench close to my body. “No. No, thanks.”
She gave me an indifferent bob of her head. “Okay.”
I gestured toward Vlad’s office door. “Is he in there?”
She shook her head. “No, he’s, uh . . . in a meeting at the moment.” Her eyes drifted toward a room down the hall where Vlad often took his long lunches.
I lifted my brows in understanding. “Ah. Got it. So, I’ll just wait in his office then?”
She glanced down toward the room again, her hand subconsciously going to her throat where I’m guessing a rather fresh bite mark was hidden beneath her turtleneck. Based on the look of longing in her eyes, I’d say she was probably breakfast and was a little hurt not to be asked to lunch.
“Yes,” she said, her smile a little less cheerful this time, but just as friendly. “Please make yourself comfortable. I imagine he’ll be finished soon.”
As I shut myself in Vlad’s office and took a seat behind his desk to wait for his grand entrance, I couldn’t help but feel for his new receptionist. She seemed like a nice girl. Maybe she even could be someone Vlad actually cared about, for all I knew. Unfortunately, monogamy wasn’t his thing. Not that he could really help it. I knew from experience that he couldn’t feed from the same person for too long without it becoming problematic. Not only was it a draining experience—in a very literal sense—but it was also a binding one. The connection that grew between Vlad and a regular partner was hard to end.
Obviously. All these years later, and I was still trying to break free.
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