The Billionaire's Heir (Sucubus For Hire Book 1)

by Michael Don Anderson

  “Bianca Savage. A pleasure to meet you, Maverick.”

  He smiled that I’d bothered to introduce myself. They all knew who I was. But Granny Oglethorpe had stressed manners. She’d been right about most things. This was definitely one of them.

  “We figured the Company would be keeping an eye on you. This place is too loud for a directional microphone and too public for any shenanigans.”

  I raised a brow at Maverick playfully. “Do people still say shenanigans?”

  “I do.”

  He stepped aside as Chilton approached me. The rake leaned against the rail facing the water. Avoiding my gaze. “I’m aware that Dusty sent you a gift.”

  “Is that a problem?”

  “Before that kiss, Dusty was courting Rhoda. Slowly, perhaps. Awkwardly. He’d been turned as a virgin. Inexperienced with women even at his less tender age. A rarity in the twenty-first century, don’t you think?”

  “Not really. You’d be surprised at how divided the current population is between being promiscuous little tramps and shy innocents.”

  I used Jimmy’s phrase because he was the person I pictured representing the group who engaged in casual sex. He wasn’t ashamed, so there was no offense in it. Bryce wasn’t shy or innocent. Just monogamous. Vincent Gibraltar, whom I’d never met except in the video footage I’d seen of him, represented the innocent.

  Chilton’s voice was unhappy. “What did you do to him?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Lies.” He stood up angrily. “If you refuse to communicate openly and honestly with me, there’s no point in this meeting.”

  “I’m not lying. I kissed him. He shielded my power. All of your people did.” I looked at him and swallowed my pride. “I forgot to thank you for that. It was appreciated.”

  He refused to meet my gaze. Before, it had been a challenge he knew he could win. Now, after Dusty’s reaction to me, he was afraid. “You did something. He’s changed.”

  “Everyone there got a dose of my hunger. Anyone else feel different about me?”

  He frowned and stared at the waves catching light from the street. “No. But none of us kissed you, either.”

  “I admit that I’ve never kissed a vampire before. But trust me, my kiss has no special power that any skin on skin touching doesn’t have.”

  It hadn’t been just skin on skin, though, had it? I suddenly had an inkling about what might’ve happened. Dusty had tasted a few drops of my blood. I didn’t understand how that would’ve made Dusty susceptible to my charms. But there wasn’t any other answer. Not something I was going to share with the rake.

  Chilton wasn’t buying it. “While you’re a beautiful woman, I truly doubt Dusty was swayed by ordinary means.”

  “Such a charmer.” I frowned and he finally glanced at me. “If I’d kissed a human, used my powers on him, the effect would’ve either killed him or worn off after a few hours. Obsession only kicks in with prolonged and repeated exposure to my eyes. Dusty’s admiration doesn’t fit any of that criteria.”

  “I’ve read the literature. But it also says vampires are immune to your hunger. Your seduction. Dusty wasn’t.”

  I shrugged. Dusty had paused after my kiss. After swallowing my blood. It was possible he was more than infatuated. “Give it a couple of days. If it hasn’t gone away, I’ll see what I can find out about this.”

  “I do not like my people being manipulated. He and Rhoda put themselves at risk to get you to our first meeting safely.”

  “I don’t manipulate people, Chilton. I certainly didn’t intend to affect Dusty if I did.” I glanced over at Rhoda. “Are you sure he wasn’t just impressed by the unexpectedness of the kiss?”

  “No!” Rhoda heard. She couldn’t keep quiet. “He loves me!”

  “Calm down, Child. It was only a question.” I looked back at Chilton. “We’ll figure it out. I give my word, I don’t know what happened. And whatever it was, if anything, was accidental.”

  He looked up at the sky. Still plenty of hours of dark left. “For now that will have to suffice. I need you to find Vincent and vindicate my people. What do you want from me?”

  “Did you hear about what happened today?”

  “Today?” He turned but avoided my eyes. “Has the boy been found?”

  “No. Anton Thrace was kidnapped in broad daylight.”

  He laughed bitterly. “Then you know we had nothing to do with it.”

  “I only know that your coven didn’t do it personally. What can you tell me about it?”

  “Nothing! This is the first I’ve heard of the matter.” He glared bitterly at my lips. “And who would tell us? Not Gibraltar. Definitely not the Company.”

  Plausible. The vampires were suspects. No one in law enforcement would share that news with them unless they were being interrogated. “Can you think of a motive for taking Vincent and Thrace?”

  “Anton was friendly and polite. Not what I’d call an alpha. But maybe that was just because he likes men. The only enemy that I know of was his pack. That’s why he left them. Started working for Gibraltar.”

  “You seem to know a lot more than I expected.”

  Chilton continued to frown. “I learn as much as possible about my associations.”

  “What did you do for Gibraltar? He said it wasn’t illegal. But if it wasn’t, then what?”

  “No, no, Miss Savage. If Henry won’t tell you, I certainly won’t.”

  “You still hope to get the security contract.”

  The rake let a grim smile touch his lips and he bowed his head in acknowledgment. “Which is why we wouldn’t risk touching the boy. Henry Gibraltar might be forced to give up Amperdyne for failing to keep his family safe. But he’d never trust us if we had any involvement. We could never force him to take us in their place.”

  I stared out at the ocean. The English vampire was making too much sense. From what I’d seen, a single whiff of their complicity in the kidnapping and Gibraltar would do anything to keep from rewarding them. Amperdyne didn’t benefit either. The kidnapping made them look weak. Incompetent. Who the blazes did that leave?

  I turned to look at Chilton but the rake was gone. All of the vampires had vanished. Not preternaturally fast. Just silent. Lost in the crowd. Unsuspecting humans enjoying the seaside before drifting off to bars or home.

  I decided home was my choice. I’d done all I could tonight. I’d managed to logically eliminate all the suspects I had. Tomorrow, I got to start all over. Happy happy, joy joy.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  My cell phone rang as I undressed for bed and I glanced at the clock. Quarter past one in the morning. Caller ID just provided a number. Not one of my regular contacts.

  “Hello?”

  Martini bumped against my ankle, demanding attention. I rubbed the top of her head and neck with my bare foot, focusing on the call.

  “Bianca Savage?”

  “Yes?”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  My meeting with Maureen Edwards was masked as a general interview of Gibraltar employees. The cover-story was clearing disgruntled workers as suspects. Anyone who might have wanted to hurt the old man. It was a waste of time but they were calling the shots on discretion.

  “Thank you for speaking with me, Mr. Carrasco. Please send in the next person.”

  I glanced at the clock. Blake had insisted on setting the order of the employees and I’d already been at it for three hours. So far, no Maureen.

  A tall blonde woman entered and I sat up, alert. I didn’t have a picture of the granddaughter but I was hopeful. “And you are?”

  “Donna Doyle. Should I stand or—?”

  “No. Please, sit.” I leaned back again, disappointed. One more charade to make my way through. “I’m asking all the heads of departments about any potentially disgruntled employees.”

  “Oh, I knew there had to be a mistake!” She seemed relieved. “I’m the assistant department head. You want Maureen Edwards.”

  “I see. E
asy mistake to make. Is she available?”

  “She was down in the servers trying to find a faulty drive. I can try to find her.”

  “Please do. Send in the next person in the meantime?”

  I wanted to tell her I’d wait. But that would be odd. Why wait on one woman when there were still several others to interview. I didn’t even have a list. Gibraltar was taking no chances.

  “That’d be Pauly Jackson” She dashed out of the room relieved.

  There was an explosion that shattered the door inward. I was knocked backwards. Splinters struck my left side. Blood trickled down my arm. Along my cheek. I crawled close to the back of the desk. Drew my 9mm and held it against my leg. Waiting to see who came through the opening left by the bomb.

  There were screams and moaning. Someone called out a name. “Donna!”

  I peered over the desk. Struggled to see through the quickly dissipating smoke. Amperdyne security agents appeared with weapons drawn.

  A tall, lanky man in black called into the office. “Miss Savage?”

  “Yes.”

  “Stay where you! We’re clearing the room for additional explosives.”

  I didn’t argue. I could survive a lot. A bomb wasn’t one of them. Someone had tried to kill me. “What happened to Donna? Donna Doyle?”

  “Epicenter. Cameras caught the whole thing.”

  I frowned. Donna had been carrying the bomb. But she’d left the office as quickly as possible. Guilt or fear. Most department heads only got called in when they’d done something wrong. If she knew she was carrying the bomb, she’d have left it. Probably at her feet when she sat down. Before rushing out.

  She’d taken it out with her. Which meant she hadn’t known. Someone else had used her to try to kill me. Another innocent victim.

  “Clear!” called the tall man. “We’ve swept for additional devices.”

  I stood cautiously. “How many dead?”

  “Six.” He sounded grim. “Another mark against the Company. Someone wants to end our relationship with Gibraltar Global badly.”

  “I’m not sure which of us is more important.”

  “Pardon?” he blinked at me, confused.

  “I think the bomb was meant for me. Any problems it creates for you is just secondary.”

  He frowned, shaking his head. He didn’t agree. I didn’t think he would. But he kept silent. Most people didn’t consider me that much of a threat. They were wrong. And apparently, someone else knew it.

  I heard the sirens through the ringing in my ears. Emergency service crews were on their way. I sat on the edge of the desk. Unwilling to look at the mess that had been Donna Doyle. Waiting while Amperdyne agents stood guard over the crime scene. Making me feel like a prisoner. I suspected that I was. After a fashion.

  EMTs arrived in record time. Already in the area, probably. Pure luck. Several of them took care of the Gibraltar employees. One of the Amperdyne ninjas ushered in a female EMT who immediately began fussing over me. Blake Mansfield rushed into the room. Pale. Hand to his mouth. Not happy to have seen the carnage outside. Glad I’d passed on it.

  Mansfield stayed silent. Maybe he thought speaking would cause him to vomit. Watching the EMT pull out tweezers and go to work on my pale skin was more relaxing. A distraction he needed.

  A few minutes later, the EMT finished wriggling the last splinter out of my face. She carefully wiped away my blood with a disposable cloth. I studied her. Annoyed at her caution.

  She was mid-thirties. Square but not stocky. Round face framed by curly black hair. A surgical mask protected her mouth. Wide safety glasses kept particles out of her pale brown eyes. Latex gloves kept her from accidentally make skin on skin contact.

  Her name tag just had one name. Yvette. Not standard. Should’ve been a first initial and last name. But after Chilton and Joseph, a single name was becoming commonplace to me.

  I started to tell her my blood was safe. But then I thought about Dusty. She couldn’t catch any diseases from me. If I’d had any. Now I wasn’t so sure about the impact of my blood on her mental state.

  “Do you heal normally?”

  I stared at her, confused. “Oh, you mean like a human. Yes. No hyper-fast metabolism like a werewolf.”

  “I could put tiny bandages on every wound but—?”

  “I’d look like a patchwork doll. No, just the ones that are likely to keep bleeding. Please.”

  She resumed working on me. I bothered to glare at Mansfield. I needed a distraction from being tended to. Perceived as weak. I felt self-conscious. I hated that. “Stop staring.”

  “Security said you think the bomb was for you. Why? Do you know who took Vincent?”

  I glanced at the EMT. “We should probably wait to have this discussion.”

  He paced, unable to keep himself still. “Amperdyne said the explosive was untraceable.”

  “I heard him fire four people on the way up here. Am I gonna be in trouble he didn’t listen?” The EMT glanced up from her bag. At my glasses even though she couldn’t see my eyes. Her expression was amused. Worried. Amused that Mansfield couldn’t wait. Worried that she’d be burned just for being present.

  “That’ll be public info once the police finish their investigation. You’re safe.” I smiled at her and she nodded, placing another tiny surgical band-aid into place with deft, gloved fingers. “What I’m curious about is how the explosive made it inside the building. I was scanned when I entered. Is there anyone who isn’t?”

  He shook his head, staring at the dark-haired EMT. As if suddenly realizing she was there. “How much longer, Nurse?”

  I answered before she could. “She’s an EMT, not a nurse.”

  Blake had fired four people on his way to me. None of them probably responsible for the bomb or security. He was just in the mood to punish someone for the attack. I was trying to draw his focus.

  “What’s the difference?” he demanded.

  “A huge student loan debt which I’m glad not to have.” Yvette stared at me, challenging me to say something else on her behalf.

  I shrugged and nodded. She was right. It was her right to speak out. There was a fine line between protecting someone and treating them as weak. I must’ve been more shaken up than I realized. I didn’t usually make that mistake.

  She stood. “I’m done.”

  “Thank you, Yvette.” I took the red stained cloth she offered. to pat at the remaining dots of blood on my skin. “Mr. Mansfield, shall we find a less damaged office to continue our conversation?”

  He grunted and moved toward out into the hall. I started to follow when my phone rang. I raised a finger to him.

  “Janet?”

  “Bee, you need to get down to the office. I think we have a problem?”

  I gave Mansfield a look. “I’m in the middle of something. How urgent is it?”

  “The Rodríguezes are here.”

  I couldn’t hide my confusion. “Why?”

  “I don’t know. But they seem terrified. Definitely upset.”

  Shit. “Fine. I’ll wrap up here and head back.”

  I walked briskly to where Blake stood. He held another door open for me. I didn’t fret about equal rights over courtesy. Men held doors open for each other half the time. It was about power. He had the power to decide where we talked. I understood the psychology of it all too well.

  We were barely inside when he repeated his question. “Why you, Miss Savage?”

  “Because I must be getting close.”

  His expression grew intense. “You know how the vampires did it?”

  I frowned. Last night I’d eliminated all my current suspects. Definitely not getting closer. “No. In fact, I don’t think they had anything to do with this.”

  “It had to be them! There isn’t anyone else.”

  “You mean because there’s been no ransom.”

  Mansfield played with his lapel unhappily. “The FBI said no ransom demands means he’s probably dead.”

  “That
makes no sense. If whoever took him just wanted him dead, they could’ve bombed his room. An EMP and an explosive device are about the same size.”

  He stared at me. Confused. Anxious. “Then, again I ask. Why bomb you?”

  “Maybe someone saw me talking to the CIA.”

  I also considered Rhoda. She’d threatened me. But this attack had happened in the daytime. Not to mention that vampires weren’t known for using technology to kill people.

  “You spoke to the CIA!?” Mansfield’s eyes went so wide that he reminded me of a frenzied stallion. A shared characteristic between grandfather and grandson.

  “She was a friend. I didn’t divulge information. I only asked about some personal things. Ask Amperdyne. They had me bugged at the time.”

  He calmed down but his eyes were still wide. Afraid. He lacked any confidence. “How do you know they bugged you?”

  “I found it.” They’d told me about my shoes. They hadn’t bothered to mention the beret. I didn’t blame them. I’d want to know what my competition was up to if I weren’t so scrupulous.

  “I’ll look into it. What about Maureen? I don’t think it’s a good idea to talk to her today. Not after this.”

  “No. You’re probably right. And I have another matter to deal with. Although why—never mind. But I should be going.” I avoided looking at the splattered body parts as I moved down the hall.. Mansfield followed. “Set up another reason for me to be in the building. I’ll wander around and find Maureen myself. Don’t tell anyone why I’m coming. Someone knew I was here. Knew I was asking questions.”

  “What are you suggesting?”

  “An inside man. Or woman. Get Amperdyne to figure out how they brought the explosive in. We’re working together.”

  He frowned again. “If it’s not too late.”

  “It’s not vampires. At least, not Chilton’s people. They don’t have the motive. Not a smart one. We’re missing something. And that’s probably because I let everyone direct me toward the undead.”

  “It has to be them? They have a great motive!”

  “No, Blake. They don’t. Think about it. Your grandfather’s a hardass. Would he hire anyone he even suspected had interfered with his family? Tried to force him to hire them?”