by Lara Nance
“Tal, what the hell happened?”
“Drake and Pip are gone.”
“Oh, no. Any idea where they went?”
“I don’t know. I came home and they weren’t here.”
Her front door slammed.
“Oh, someone’s at the door, bye.” She dropped the phone on the counter and ran to the foyer. Drake stood there showing a stern expression, holding a bunch of shopping bags in one hand. His other hand grasped the back of Pip’s collar. The young boy had on a new white shirt and pullover sweater with jeans.
“Where have you been? I was so worried,” Talia said, her heart thumping. A wave of relief washed over her, and her shoulders slumped.
“I thought I would go out and buy some clothes for Pip. He ran off, and I had a hell of a time finding him.” He jerked Pip’s collar, and the boy looked appropriately abashed.
“I thought I saw the lady,” he said, bottom lip sticking out. “I wanted to find out if she knew what happened to me.”
Talia and Drake shared a glance of concern. He pulled Pip into the living room and parked him on the sofa. “You mean the one that asked you to escort her through the alley?”
Pip nodded. “She was so pretty. Black hair, white skin, and cherry red lips like a doll.”
“You can’t run off like that. You’ve already been hurt once. Wasn’t that a lesson to you?” He crossed his arms and stared at the boy.
Pip hunched his shoulders. “I guess. I’m sorry.”
Talia shook her head and went into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine. Gerri’s tiny voice echoed across the counter calling her name. Damn, she’d forgot to hit END.
Talia picked up the phone. “Ger, sorry. It’s okay. They’re here now.”
“I’m going to kill you,” Gerri said and hung up on her.
Uh oh. Talia got her wine and returned to the living room. Drake had stopped lecturing on discipline and was opening the packages he’d brought home.
“I used the credit card you gave me,” Drake said. “I hope that’s okay?”
“Did you buy a new house or a Hummer?”
“No. Just clothes for Pip and a Nintendo DS.”
“Then I’m pretty sure it’s okay.” She didn’t care what he bought as long as he came back. Looking at him made her knees tremble. How humiliating. She sank into the wing chair. Now that he'd returned, her jittery panic subsided. The weird feeling of connection between them deepened every day, yet no one else seemed to experience it. She had to figure it out. Maybe she needed an exorcist.
Drake removed the Nintendo from its package and showed Pip how to load games and use the controls. They sat on the sofa, heads together. Drake murmured directions and pointed at the game while Pip pressed buttons with his thumbs, eyes alight with excitement.
As she watched them, an ache pressed on her heart. Drake could be any regular father, sitting there showing his kid how to play a video game. It was cute and sad at the same time.
He glanced at her. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, now that I know you’re alright.”
“Sorry. I didn’t anticipate hunting for Pip. Did you have a good day?”
She smiled. “Yes. I arranged for you to shoot a video tomorrow night that I’ll use as an example of what sort of TV commercial we can produce for the campaign.”
“I guess that’s good then.”
“After that, you won’t have too much to do. It’ll be up to me to put everything together and present it to the Romanians.”
“I see.” He turned to Pip, smiling at the boy playing with his new toy.
“You don’t really like all this publicity biz, do you?” she asked.
His smile faded and he glanced at the floor before turning his gaze to her. “Talia, what do you want from me?”
She crossed her legs, and swung her foot back and forth. Good question. What did she want? “I don’t know. Maybe some indication of enthusiasm for what we’re doing so I don’t feel like I’m forcing you into it.”
“Is that so important?”
“In case you haven’t noticed, this crap is how I make a living. It buys blood and clothes and Nintendo games. If you hate it, my job gets really difficult.”
“Why?”
She tucked her hair behind her ears. “Because I want you to be a willing participant. If I think I’m forcing you to do this, it upsets me.” There, she said it. “It may be hard for you to believe, but I want you to be happy.”
The wrinkles on his face smoothed. “It’s okay, Tal. I don’t hate it. I want to help you after all you’ve done for me.”
She hoped he was serious. This would be a long term project if the Romanians went for the plan. It would take a long time to build the park and get production running. Drake would be needed constantly to help with promotion. If his heart wasn’t in it, somewhere along the way it would show and they would fail.
Her phone rang. Felix.
“Vampire central,” she said.
“So, are they back?”
“Yep. Drake took Pip shopping.”
“Okay, good. What’s on board for tomorrow?”
“I met with Justin today. He’ll do the video commercial tomorrow night at his loft studio.”
“That’s great.” Her assistant sounded enthused. “Is Drake okay?”
“I think so. I need you to help him work on the script. Come over at six tomorrow night and practice with him until we go to Justin’s at eight.”
“Sounds good. By the way, what did Drake buy Pip to wear?”
She laughed. Trust Felix to deal with the fashion issues. “He’s in a white shirt, a sweater and jeans. Very Abercrombie and Finch, and kinda preppy.”
“I’ll take a look at him tomorrow.”
She laughed and hit END.
“That was Felix?” Drake glanced up.
“Yes, he’s worried you bought unfashionable clothes for Pip.”
The boy giggled. “When’s Uncle Felix coming over?”
She paused with her wine glass halfway to her lips. “Uncle Felix?”
Drake nodded. “And Aunt Gerri.”
She rolled her eyes and pressed a hand to her forehead. This grew more absurd by the minute. And just where did that leave her?
“Mom? Dad said I should thank you for letting me stay here.” Pip gave her an angelic smile.
Her heart skipped a beat. “Don’t call me that.”
“What should I call you?” Pip tilted his head to one side.
“I don’t know…Your Majesty, Your Highness, Obiwankanobi. Anything but Mom.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Pip hung his head.
Mom? She glanced at Drake and he shrugged. Mom? Dear God.
***
Talia ran a finger down the script one more time. Felix stood beside Drake in front of a green-screen backdrop, giving last minute instructions. The loft’s brick walls and exposed pipes running across the ceiling made Talia think of a warehouse. Track lighting and cozy decorations, exuded a warm homey feeling, however. Jason had made a steal when he bought the rundown building ten years ago. He’d renovated it into five apartments with his at the top. He lived in the part not used as a studio with his girlfriend, Vivian.
“Okay, Tiger. Let’s do this.” Justin held a light meter to his eye, then gave a thumbs up to his two crew members who made final adjustments to the lighting. Justin came to Talia’s chair, his six foot, four inch height towering over her. A sleeveless T-shirt displayed tattoos lining his heavily muscled arms. “Your guy ready?”
“Felix?” she called.
He held up a finger and nodded, giving Drake one final comment. Then he trotted across the studio’s polished wood plank floor and sat in a chair beside her. “He’s ready.”
Justin pulled his long gray hair back and wound a rubber band around it at the nape of his neck. “We’ll do a few takes and see if we need more, okay?”
“Sounds good.” Talia rolled the script, nervousness sending jittery shivers through her abdomen
. She’d pinned her hopes on Drake being as good on video as he was in the still shots Anton had made. These commercials would be crucial to the success of the campaign. They had to convey the right tone and allure or the whole project would crash and burn.
“Quiet on the set,” Justin’s assistant, Anna, called out.
The bustle of the assistants ceased, and all eyes focused on Drake. Felix had him dressed in a thigh length, black velvet jacket, and his white poet’s shirt hung open at the neck. His black pants were tucked into knee high leather boots, and a gold necklace with a dagger pendant glittered against the pale skin of his chest. His black hair was slicked back, accentuating his angular features and full sensual lips.
“This guy looks great,” Justin murmured. “Where did you find him?”
“The vampire actors guild, of course.” Talia gripped her script in one hand as she stared at Drake.
Justin snorted. “Good one, Tiger.” He adjusted some settings on the video camera and then pointed a finger at Anne.
“Commercial for Romania, take one,” Annie said and stepped away.
“Speed and…action,” Jason pointed to Drake.
Drake stared into the camera a moment before speaking. “My name is Dracula. I’d like to welcome you to my home…to Romania, where all your fantasies can come true.”
Talia’s heart raced. He was good. Wow. He went flawlessly through the script. At the end, he turned to walk away then paused and looked over his shoulder, a slight smile revealing his elongated teeth.
“Come to Romania. I’m waiting for you.” Then he put his back to the camera and took a few steps toward the green-screen.
Talia had a crazy urge to run after him and throw herself in his arms. Like the time at the photo shoot. She sucked in a breath. Stupid worthless bracelet.
“Cut,” Justin yelled. He glanced at her with a questioning look.
She sat poised on the edge of her seat, leaning forward. Her trembling lips managed a smile and she scooted back in her chair, the impulse broken.
Drake made a very convincing Dracula. They continued through a few more takes of that script, then did a few takes on a variation, which focused more on the theme park and resort. Talia’s grip on her rolled up script relaxed with each successful scene.
“He’s really good, Tal,” Felix whispered. “A natural.”
She nodded. She couldn’t wait to get in the editing room with Justin tomorrow and put the pieces together. They’d drop a dark, misty castle in the background and add some trailing fog around Drake’s legs. Maybe the sound of a wolf howling in the distance. It would be great. Just thinking about the finished product made goose bumps crawl up her arms.
After another hour of retakes and close ups, Justin held up his hands. “That’s a wrap. We got some good stuff, gang.”
Everybody cheered, and a couple of the assistants patted Drake on the back. His amber eyes focused on Talia then he strolled toward her.
“Did everything go okay?” he asked.
“It looked fantastic from here,” she said. “Thank you. You did a great job.”
“I’m glad you liked it.”
“Ready to go?”
“Yes, I’m a little uneasy leaving Pip alone.”
“When we left he was deep into a game of Dragon Quest. Don’t you think that will keep him occupied?” She gathered her purse and briefcase.
“I don’t know. He’s not used to living in a home. After roaming the streets all his life I think it’s hard for him to stay in one place for long.”
A tickle of uneasiness coursed through her chest. Surely Pip had learned his lesson last night when Drake reminded him that he could be hurt. She hurriedly finalized plans to meet Justin tomorrow and left him and his crew taking down the lighting.
Felix caught a taxi to his place, and Talia with Drake took another to her apartment.
“The rest of the week, I’ll be working on the final presentation. You can have a break to do whatever you want.” She glanced at his rigid features. He was really worried about Pip.
“Thanks,” he said. “I thought I might try to find out more about my past.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of Pip. He won’t be a bother.”
That wasn’t what she was worried about. “Maybe you could investigate home schooling.”
“That’ll prove interesting.” Drake chuckled, and his features eased.
Just get me through Friday, Talia chanted in her mind. She would never be so happy to finish a project as she would this one. There were too many distractions and sideline worries. Maybe then she could relax and determine what to do about her vampires.
At her apartment, Talia tossed her purse and briefcase on the floor beside the couch and unbuttoned her jacket. “Man, I’m tired.”
“Pip?” Drake called. He continued down the hall. “Where are you?”
Talia froze, listening. Damn it. Where was the little monster? He’d better not be playing games with them. She was too pooped to deal with such nonsense.
Drake rushed back from the hall, expression panicked. “He’s gone.”
“Maybe he’s hiding.”
“No, I can usually feel his presence. He’s not here.”
Talia glanced at her watch. Three a.m. They only had another four hours until sunrise.
Drake strode toward the door.
“There’s no time. It’s not safe.” Talia ran after him.
“I have to find him.” He jerked open the door. “Stay here in case he comes back.”
“Drake, the sun rises at seven.”
“I know. Don’t worry.”
He was gone in a flash. She stood at the door, heart pounding and stared along the empty hall to the elevator where he’d disappeared.
She finally closed the door and leaned against it, her mind whirling. Pip didn’t know anything about where Felix and Gerri lived, so this was the only place he knew.
She was more worried about Drake, though. Pip had a street-wise savvy the older vampire lacked. She sank down on the couch, gripping her hands together. What the hell would she do if she lost Drake?
Chapter 16
Talia looked at her watch for the hundredth time on Tuesday afternoon. It was a little after four p.m. She raked her fingers through her disheveled hair, then ran the back of her hand over her burning eyelids. She hadn’t been able to sleep after Drake ran out last night.
“Felix, please call Harvey and find out the details of the meeting with the Romanians. I can’t talk to him right now.” She went to the kitchen and leaned over the island, pressing her cheek against the cold granite top. The chilly surface soothed her, like when your mother put a cool hand on her brow when she was sick as a child.
Her assistant’s murmurs wafted to her and she covered her ears to block his voice. She needed quiet, to think. What if Drake never came back? Of course the campaign would be sunk. The whole thing depended on him as the spokesperson. She’d be ruined. Felix would find a job with one of the other account execs because he was good, and because he’d worked with her.
But the campaign was nothing compared to the empty place in her heart that Drake had begun to fill. She couldn’t describe how much she had come to care about him. So far she’d avoided exploring that concept.
She pounded a fist on the counter top. How had her life become so completely screwed up? The past didn’t matter. If she failed in this Romania campaign, Harvey would fire her. She looked at the beaded bracelet. Stupid thing didn’t protect her. All kinds of bad things had happened since she bought it. She tugged at the string that loosened it, but it had a knot.
She could fix that. She grabbed a knife from the butcher block holder and maneuvered the tip under the beads. Suddenly a body slammed into her. It was Felix. He ripped the knife from her grip and pushed her against the back counter.
“What the hell are you doing?” he screeched, face pale and eyes bulging. “It’s not worth it, Tal.”
“I’m tryi
ng to cut this stupid bracelet off my wrist.” She pushed at him. “Why the hell did you jump on me? I could have slashed myself with you pouncing on me like that.”
“Oh.” He glanced at the knife in his hand and then tossed it in the sink. “I thought you were going to slice your wrist.”
“Seriously? Slice my wrist?”
“Well, you’re really upset over Drake missing, and I know how much the campaign means to you…” He hung his head.
“You’re right, my pitiful life is over because my vampire ran away. Hey, maybe suicide is a good idea.” She lunged for the sink.
His head jerked up and he batted his hands at her. “Stop it! You’re making me crazy.”
She gave him another push and stalked to the living room, mumbling, “Slice my wrist, right. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of in my life.”
The doorbell rang, and she rushed to the door with Felix at her heels. She flung it open and her heart sank.
“Any news?” Gerri stepped inside.
“No. nothing.” She led the way to the living room and flopped onto the couch. She glanced at Felix. “What did Harvey say?”
He retrieved his notepad from the coffee table. “The meeting will be at The Plaza Hotel where the Romanians will be staying. They’ve reserved a meeting room for seven p.m. Friday night. We can get in at five to set up. I have the name of the room and the hotel manager who will help with any audio/video setup we need.”
“Seven at night?” Talia’s brows went up. “That’s odd.”
“Apparently one of the group won’t be in until late.” He shrugged. “By the way, Harvey said he’s officially mad at you.”
“What’s new with that?” Talia rolled her eyes.
“Tal, you look like hell. Have you slept or eaten?” Gerri sat in a wingchair, her brow wrinkled.
“No, I keep thinking any minute Drake will walk through the door. I want to be ready so I can drive a stake through his heart for worrying me so much.”
“What are you going to do if he doesn’t come back?” Gerri asked.
Talia threw up her hands. “I don’t have a flippin’ idea. I guess I’ll have to dress Felix up like a vampire and dye his hair black.”
“As if.” Her assistant sniffed and retreated to the kitchen.
