by Parker Blue
Brittany glanced around the full waiting room nervously. I checked to see if anyone was watching, and saw one guy in the waiting area who looked interested in our conversation. Blond and good-looking, he appeared familiar, but I couldn’t place him.
Brittany must have noticed him, too, for she lowered her voice and leaned forward to confide, “Alejandro has to be more careful. There’s been . . . trouble lately.”
“What kind of trouble?” Dan asked in a voice equally as low.
“Some of the other vampires are resisting the Movement. They’ve been attacking people outside the blood banks, especially when Alejandro is there. So, he’s had to lay low for awhile.”
I nodded. That tracked with what had happened to us the last time we were here.
“Do you have Alejandro’s home address?” Dan asked.
Brittany looked shocked at the suggestion. “He doesn’t give that out to anyone.”
“How about his cell phone number?” Dan persisted. “I know he has one.”
“Maybe, but I don’t have it.”
Looking as exasperated as I felt, Dan asked, “Then how do you get in touch with him if something goes wrong?”
“I don’t. I contact the manager and he gets in touch with Alejandro.”
“Okay,” Dan said patiently. “Can we talk with your manager?”
Brittany waved an arm at the full waiting room. “You’ll have to wait in line. He has a lot of people waiting to see him.”
“Never mind,” Dan said and gave Brittany our cell phone numbers in case she saw Alejandro. “Thanks for your help.”
As Dan pulled me away, I asked, “Why didn’t you wait? Or flash your badge or something?”
“The manager’s a vamp—he won’t be any more forthcoming.”
True.
Though we had kept our voices low, that blond guy was still watching us. I nodded toward him. “Do you know who that guy is—the blond, in the blue shirt? He’s been watching us. I recognize him, but can’t place him.”
Dan glanced in that direction. “No, but I recognized someone else in the last blood bank we visited.”
“Who?”
“A waitress from Micah’s club.”
I glanced at the blond again. Take off his shirt and add devil horns . . . . “That’s it. He’s a bartender at Purgatory.” We exchanged glances. “Think it’s a coincidence?”
Dan shook his head. “I don’t believe in coincidences, not when it comes to police work. We’re not getting anywhere in finding Alejandro. Let’s check it out.”
I reluctantly agreed to visit Micah’s club. Though I wouldn’t mind seeing him again, I wished it wasn’t under these circumstances. I didn’t trust Dan not to bully him. So, when we got there, I said, “Let me do the talking, okay?”
Dan raised an eyebrow. “Why? Because he’s your cousin?”
“Yeah.” Sort of. “And you don’t have a great track record in dealing with those who are . . . different.”
Dan looked as if he would have liked to respond to that, but he wisely kept his mouth shut.
We approached the door of the club and Fang followed.
I’M TIRED OF WAITING OUTSIDE.
They may not let you in.
DOESN’T HURT TO TRY.
To my surprise, the Bela Lugosi doorman we’d met before glanced at Fang but made no objections as he ushered us in through the back way to Micah’s office.
Micah was between sets, doing some paperwork, when we walked in. Fang ran over and greeted him like a long-lost friend, and Micah responded in kind.
“That’s Fang,” I said with a laugh. “We must smell alike or something. I’ve never seen him do that to anyone else.”
I LIKE HIM, Fang said, sounding a little guilty. What did he have to feel guilty about? He could like who he wanted.
Micah smiled and rose to give me a hug. “It’s good to see you again.”
I returned his embrace. It felt good to just be held by someone who didn’t judge me, didn’t want something from me. I released him reluctantly, and we all seated ourselves, Fang surprisingly crawling into Micah’s lap.
But before I could say anything, a woman stuck her head in the door. Slight, with an elfin face and exotically slanted eyes, she looked like a pixie. “I have some info for the scuzz—” She broke off as she spotted us in the room. “For that, uh scuzzball.”
Micah frowned at her. “Thank you, Tessa. I’ll get it later.” Tessa nodded and withdrew, and Micah said, “Sorry about that. What can I do for you?”
I squirmed a little. “I’m afraid this isn’t a social call. We have some questions for you.”
Micah glanced toward Dan, then questioned me with his eyes.
“He knows,” I said simply.
“Knows what?”
Dan answered. “I know what you both are—incubus, succubus, the whole demon thing.” His tone was bland, but that didn’t fool me. He sounded too casual, as if contempt was seething just below the surface.
Micah’s raised eyebrow showed that he must have sensed it as well. “I take it the revelation didn’t go well.”
I pursed my lips. “You could say that.” I turned to Dan. “Maybe it would be better if you let me talk to him alone.”
“Forget it.”
“But I’ll share everything I get,” I promised.
“Then there should be no problem in letting me hear it first-hand.” Dan shook his head. “What’s the problem, Val? You trying to protect your cousin and his demon friends?”
“What makes you think he needs protection . . . or even has demon friends?” I asked in exasperation.
Dan just shook his head, as if my question was too dumb to answer. Okay, maybe it was. I didn’t know if Micah actually had any demon friends, but if he did, I planned to keep Dan out of it. I slanted an apologetic look at Micah.
“It’s okay,” Micah said as he continued petting Fang. “What do you want to know?”
“There have been increased attacks by vampires recently, and we’re trying to find out who’s behind it. You’ve heard of Alejandro and his New Blood Movement?”
“Yes. But what does that have to do with me?”
“We saw some of your employees at the blood bank . . . .” I trailed off, knowing it was a long shot.
“What my employees do on their day off is their own business. We don’t regulate morals here.”
Dan made a disbelieving sound. “Two employees, two different blood banks. Don’t you think that’s a hell of a coincidence?”
Micah shrugged, looking unconcerned. “Perhaps the atmosphere at Purgatory lends itself to my employees being more accepting of the supernatural.”
“Perhaps,” Dan said doubtfully. “Or maybe they accept it better because they’re demons, too.”
I scowled, not liking the way my partner was harassing my cousin, no matter how distant the relationship. I turned to Micah, prepared to apologize, but he didn’t look angry. In fact, his expression was totally bland as he continued to pet Fang. The hellhound had a blissful look on his face from all the attention.
Hmm . . . odd. If Micah was part-demon like me—and he definitely was—then he should be used to dogs sensing his demon and shying away. Why had he assumed Fang was different? He hadn’t been surprised when Fang jumped in his lap, and they seemed awfully cozy together. A sudden suspicion bloomed within me. “How do you know my dog? How did you know he was friendly?”
Both Micah and Fang froze, the picture of guilt. Then Micah relaxed. “You mentioned him last time I saw you. I figured if he didn’t object to your nature, he wouldn’t object to mine either.”
“But I didn’t mention him.” I was certain of that.
Micah shrugged. “I must have heard about him somewhere, then.”
Fang got down off his lap and came to lie at my feet, looking abject as only a dog could. I LOVE YOU BEST.
That wasn’t the issue. Come to think of it, there were some other odd things, too. “And your employee Tessa. She start
ed to say scuzzie, first, didn’t she? Before she changed it to scuzzball. Scuzzie is what others call members of the SCU.”
Dan narrowed his eyes at Micah, whose expression gave nothing away.
I followed through on that line of thought. “And Ramirez knew what I was, without me telling him. The only thing I can figure is that Ramirez got the information from his informant.” I speared Micah with a look that dared him to lie to me. “Someone here at Purgatory is the informant, isn’t he? And the leader of the demon underground?”
“The what?” Dan asked, looking surprised.
Well, shoot. I shouldn’t have mentioned that in front of him. But I couldn’t worry about that now as all my attention was focused on Micah.
He sighed. “You are persistent, aren’t you? I should have expected that.”
“Yes, you should have,” I agreed. “But stop stalling and answer the question. Who is it?”
He stared at me for a moment, as if thinking. “I can’t tell you. You don’t need to know.”
“Yes, I do need to know. He’s Ramirez’s informant. He probably has information we need. If he can help, you can’t keep his identity a secret. We need him.”
Micah sighed. “You’re right.” He paused, obviously reluctant to give up the secret, then finally relented. “The leader is . . . me.”
For some reason, that shocked me. He seemed too young to be the leader of anything. “You? Why didn’t you tell me?” Okay, I knew it was unreasonable to expect him to have told me his secrets, but I’d bared my soul to him, so I guess I expected he should have done the same. Irrationally, I felt left out.
“You didn’t need to know yet. And Sullivan sure didn’t.” He shot Dan an annoyed glance.
“Sorry about that.” I hadn’t meant to reveal his secrets—especially since I hadn’t known they existed.
“How did you find out about the underground in the first place?” Micah asked.
“Ramirez told me.”
Dan looked startled, but that was one secret I’d keep to myself. If Ramirez wanted Dan to know about his wife, the lieutenant would tell him.
Sudden realization made me turn to Micah. “So that’s what you meant when you said you’ve been helping me where you could. Ramirez said something similar. Did you get my job for me?”
“Not exactly. I told Ramirez what you were when it was clear you were being interviewed by the SCU, but it was Ramirez’s decision to hire you.”
“And Fang?” I demanded.
“Fang is a fairly new member of our organization,” Micah admitted. “I sent him to meet you, but it was his decision to stay.”
Fang nudged me with his nose, looking soulfully up at me. I CHOSE YOU, he assured me. LOVE YA, BABE.
Well, at least the dog was truly my friend. And apparently Micah was, too . . . secretly. How strange that he had done all that without my knowledge. “So you did help me.” I didn’t know whether to be grateful . . . or annoyed that I hadn’t accomplished everything on my own since my newfound liberation.
“That’s what the underground is for,” Micah said with a wary glance at Dan.
“Don’t worry,” Dan growled. “I won’t reveal your secrets.”
Micah nodded, though he didn’t look convinced. “We help other part-demons and magic users find jobs, network with others like themselves.”
“Hide from the rest of the world,” Dan said flatly.
“Live normal lives,” Micah corrected him. “We just want to be like everyone else without having to worry about being persecuted for our differences.”
“Why you?” I asked. “Why are you the leader?”
“My father was the former leader. He trained me to take his place and rescue others like you and me.”
“So why didn’t the two of you rescue me?” I asked, wondering why I had never had the comfort of knowing there were others like myself in the world. It would have helped so much . . . .
“We didn’t need to. Your parents did that for you. No matter what you might think of them now, they helped you learn to deal with your powers, enter the mainstream. Do you know how many would envy you for the life you’ve led? You didn’t need rescuing.”
Intellectually, I understood, but emotionally, I wasn’t quite there yet. I’d felt like a freak for so long, like a total outsider to that mainstream. He could have welcomed me in to a world where I belonged. Instead, he’d let me continue staying in that house, knowing what he knew, and not cluing me in. I felt a little abandoned, as if my best friend had just let me down.
Fang poked me with his nose. NO, I’M STILL HERE.
The fuzzy mutt did make me feel better. “Okay, but why are you an informant?” I asked Micah. “Why do you work for the SCU?”
Micah flicked another wary glance at Dan, but decided to answer. “The purpose of the underground is to help our kind become accepted in normal society. But there are those, like many vampires, who don’t want to blend or live peacefully alongside everyone else. They make it worse for the rest of us, so between us, Ramirez and I try to keep the malcontents under control.”
“How?”
Dan snorted. “Obviously, he has a network of spies everywhere. That’s why we saw his two employees at the blood banks, and why Ramirez knows so much about what the vampires are doing.”
“I wouldn’t call them spies,” Micah said. “Watchers, maybe. When we learn of something that endangers the city, we let the lieutenant know.”
It all made sense now. And maybe he could help with the argument Dan and I had. “So is the New Blood Movement bad or good? Are they behind the increased vampire attacks on humans?”
Micah grimaced. “I wish I could answer that, but it remains to be seen. I’ve tried to get some people into their inner circle, but haven’t had any success yet.” He cocked his head, looking curious. “Why is this so important to you?”
“Because not only do we need to stop this sudden crime wave, but my sister has gotten mixed up with them.” The light dawned. “Wait. DU . . . demon underground. Are you the one who sent me the text message about Jen?”
Micah nodded. “My people did, anyway. We’ve been keeping an eye on you and your family, so when it became clear that your sister was getting involved with the blood banks, I thought you ought to know.”
“Thanks—I appreciate that.” Another mystery solved. “But we need more information. Do you know where Alejandro lives? He must have some place where he goes to rest at dawn each day.”
“I don’t know offhand, but we have an extensive database on the activities of those we’ve been watching. It might be in there, but I don’t have time to search for it right now. I have another show.”
“Can I take a look?” Dan asked.
When Micah looked reluctant, I said, “He’s really a whiz with a computer. And if Ramirez trusts him, maybe you could, too.”
“I’ll only search for information on Alejandro and his lieutenants—I won’t touch anything else,” Dan promised.
“I’ll watch him, make sure of it,” I added.
“Okay,” Micah said, and turned toward the computer. He pulled up a program and turned it over to Dan, giving him a piercing look. “I’m trusting you on Val’s word. Don’t let us down.”
“I won’t,” Dan said. “Word of a Sullivan. Trust me, it’s good.”
“Okay.”
Micah left us alone with the computer, and Dan rubbed his hands together before settling them on the keys. “Now, to find Alejandro . . . .”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
After about half an hour of searching, Dan said, “Got it!”
“What?” I asked, peering over his shoulder at the computer.
“This record says one of Micah’s . . . operatives followed Alejandro and his people one night to a house, and they stayed there all day and didn’t come back out until moonrise.”
“Great—that must be it, then. Where is it?”
He scribbled down the address. “It’s in Alamo Heights.”
�
��Oh, really? That’s a pretty ritzy neighborhood.”
“Yeah. No telling how many years he’s had to accumulate money.”
True—it could have been centuries for all we knew—vampires didn’t age after they were turned.
Micah came back in then, wearing a brief Tarzan-type costume and looking like he’d just had a workout. It was one thing to see him perform on stage, but quite another to see him mostly naked and sweaty in his own office. Dan looked as uncomfortable as I felt.
Apparently sensing that, Micah slipped on a robe and asked, “Have any luck?”
“Yes, we did.” Dan rose and stuck the address in his pocket. “Found his address in your system and we’re going to check it out tonight. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” Micah leaned casually against the doorframe, but his eyes were intense as he regarded Dan. “Anytime you need information—on anything to do with demons—” he flicked a glance at me “—just ask.”
Real subtle. But Dan obviously didn’t want to know anything else about Lola. He grimaced and said, “Thanks.”
“Good luck,” Micah called as we went out the door.
As we headed out toward the parking lot, Dan said, “Why don’t we take the truck? It’s less conspicuous.”
He had a point. With Fang sitting on the back of my motorcycle in his goggles, we were more likely to draw attention than divert it.
YEAH, THAT’S ’CAUSE I’M SMOKIN’!
I suppressed a grin. And here I thought it’d be difficult to get Fang to wear those goggles . . . .
We arrived at the address and all three of us sat there for a moment or two, gaping at the mansion. Done in Spanish-Mediterranean style, it boasted three stories on at least five acres, dozens of rooms, and gated security.
TALK ABOUT CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION . . . .
“Looks like there’s room there for a whole nest of vampires,” Dan said.
“Yeah . . . and a few humans as well.” And it would be real attractive to Jennifer who always wanted more than our parents had been able to provide. I released my seat belt and gave Dan a doubtful glance. “Are you sure this is the right place?”
Dan consulted the paper in his pocket. “It’s the address that was in Micah’s database.”
