by Jana Denardo
“I think you’ve been out in the sun too long.”
“Told you I weren’t too bright.” Luc smiled more broadly.
Arrigo tapped Luc’s chin, fishing out his phone. He needed to show Luc the picture of Eleni. “Sharks, gators, maybe I’m beginning to see your point.”
“Hey, Arrigo, about the other night….”
Arrigo’s phone rang. He held up a finger even though he wished he could hear what Luc wanted to say about their time in the store room. Unfortunately it was Siobhan’s ringtone so it might be important.
“Siobhan?”
“Arrigo, you might want to come over to Taabu’s now. She got something in the mail. I wanted you to see it before we call the detectives.”
“I’ll be right there.” Arrigo glanced at Luc. “I’m sorry, I have to run.”
Luc’s face tightened with worry. “Something’s happened. Is your friend all right?”
“Yes, but Eleni isn’t done with her. Don’t even try to mess with her if she comes to the Alibi, Luc. Just call me.”
“I will.”
“Here.” He showed Luc the picture quickly, then hurried out of the casino’s aquarium. He thought he heard Luc call after him, but it would have to wait. He wondered what Eleni could have sent to Taabu. He’d rip her apart when he got the chance. Maybe getting Luc to help Taabu was a dumb idea now that he was thinking with something other than his dick. Of course, he’d hoped Eleni was done with Taabu and had moved on. Some days he was an idiot.
Chapter Fourteen
SIOBHAN HAD called in all the troops; Michael had beaten Arrigo to Taabu’s. Hanako’s cab pulled up moments after Arrigo parked. Dark rings hovered under her eyes. They couldn’t keep going day and night. He needed more help. Once inside he saw Siobhan had the same idea, calling in Shani, who paced her sister’s living room, which overflowed with books and stuffed animals.
Shani stalked up to him, grabbing him by his T-shirt. “Just how crazy is this ex of yours, Arrigo?”
He pulled out of her grasp. “Really crazy. Fill me in. Siobhan said Taabu was sent something I needed to see.” Arrigo turned to Taabu, who was sitting on the couch next to Michael, looking as if she drew comfort from him.
Taabu nodded to Siobhan. “Show him.”
Siobhan showed him an envelope. “I picked up the mail for Taabu so my prints are already on this. Shani said I should be the one to show it to you before she takes it in and has it worked up.”
“I’m betting there’s nothing on it. They’d be stupid to leave trace evidence.” Shani shrugged. “But I see stupid criminals every day.”
“Eleni isn’t stupid, unfortunately. Shani, can you take it out so I can see it?” Arrigo asked.
She took out some nitrile gloves and extracted the letter. Arrigo beckoned Michael closer and they both studied it.
“Taunting you isn’t too smart,” Michael said. His nose wrinkled as he took a discretionary sniff. “There’s a hint of cologne on that envelope.”
Shani turned to him, eyebrows lifting. “There is? There’s a guy too?”
Taabu shot her sister a pinched look. “That blond guy. Maybe he’s a weird tourist, but maybe he’s her new boyfriend. The cologne does smell like a guy.”
Arrigo swore to Mars under his breath. If Taabu could smell the cologne, that meant it was most likely a countermeasure. Eleni was taking no chances of anyone getting her scent. He leaned over as Shani displayed the items in the envelope; a picture of Delilah’s Diner and a handwritten note on paper covered with puppies: You can’t guard them all.
“Son of a bitch.” Arrigo gritted his teeth.
“What does this diner mean? You know something, Arrigo. You have these people watching over my sister.” Shani pointed to Hanako who took a step back. “Tell me what is going on.”
Arrigo crossed his arms. “I already have.”
Shani got in his face. “I think you need to tell me again down at the station.”
Arrigo didn’t want to go, but he didn’t want to fight with Shani. He couldn’t explain to her or to Taabu what was really going on. He waved at the trio. “I asked some friends to look out for your sister. She doesn’t want to leave town.”
“She’s sitting right here.” Taabu huffed.
He inclined his head to her. “The cops can’t be here all day to be sure she’s okay. Neither could you or I, not alone. I had some friends who could help out, so I figured why not?”
“I’m okay with it,” Taabu said. “This creeped me out.” She gestured at the envelope. “But not enough to leave town.”
“Maybe you should,” Hanako said impatiently.
“I am not leaving.” Taabu glared, folding her arms over her chest.
“I’ll share this with Washington.” Shani hefted the envelope. “Come on, Arrigo. This shouldn’t take too long.”
He held up a hand to her. “In a moment. Michael, can you stay here with Taabu? Siobhan and Hanako can go to the diner to keep an eye on Lily and Leo. They run the joint.” Arrigo turned to Taabu. “If that’s okay with you? The ladies could stay instead.” Siobhan or Michael were equally able to be dangerous. Even with a cop sister, Arrigo wasn’t sure who Taabu would see as a better protector, man or woman.
“I don’t mind if Michael stays.” Taabu’s gaze lingered on Michael a touch long, though she seemed to miss the look that flashed between him and Hanako.
Arrigo made a note to ask them point-blank if they were a couple, and if maybe one of them was coupley with Craig previously. That might explain the regent’s jackass behavior. Craig might be hoping to get one or both of them killed in action.
All he actually said was, “Fine. I’ll be back later once Shani is done with me.”
“Thank you.” Taabu smiled at him.
“And we don’t mind keeping an eye out at the diner and that neighborhood,” Siobhan said, giving him a look that said the neighborhood would include the Alibi just a few doors down from the diner, and therefore Luc would be under her watchful eye too at least when he was at work.
“Thanks.” Hating to leave Taabu, Arrigo knew it was the easiest choice. His mind churned over what to tell Shani. He trusted Siobhan implicitly to do what was needed. Hanako and Michael seemed trustworthy. Arrigo would be back soon enough and then, no matter what, he’d get more help. This situation had to give, and he meant to see it happen.
ELENI HAD no idea why anyone would want vinyl records now that one could simply download music. She saw no advantage to living in the past, though many vampires did. Obviously Arrigo hadn’t learned to move on. This was the second time she had come to the Vinyl Coffee House and Records after seeing it in George’s photos as one of the places Arrigo hung out. She even managed to find the barista he had spent time talking to. The man had been happy to talk to her. Not only did this loser joint have a room of vinyl records one could listen to, it had a lending library of paper zines, amateur-made magazines. How lame had Arrigo gotten in the years since she last had seen him?
She wondered if she could work his clinging to the past to her advantage. Eleni had snuck a few shots on her phone last time. She had a couple pictures of the diner too, surprised when she had seen Luc there with the woman George had told her about. She needed to send them to Arrigo to make him wonder who was next. She’d purchased a series of burner phones for that purpose.
She sipped the espresso she had gotten, watching the early-evening patrons. There weren’t many tables in this place, and she couldn’t decide if she should pick off Arrigo’s friend tonight or not. The Vinyl was small enough other people might have noticed her, and it could get back to Arrigo who it was behind it all. On the other hand, why would anyone suspect a petite woman, especially if she truly had some fun and savaged the barista?
It proved difficult planning who to hurt in Arrigo’s life. It had been too long since she last saw him. The only person she knew for sure was a friend was the redhead George had managed to photograph. Even in profile, Eleni was sure she knew her. She
didn’t know the name the Irish woman went by now, but she was another vampire, older and stronger than Eleni herself. She and Arrigo had been lovers off and on for as long as Eleni had known him. At least neither she nor George had spotted the Egyptian. If that particular ally of Arrigo’s showed up, Eleni would have to abandon her game, knowing she was no match for the Egyptian.
Had she been wrong about Arrigo having a stiffie for Luc? Maybe he went to that neighborhood to see the dull little waitress at the haunted diner. That girl was the type to fall for his line of crap. Eleni had been stunned to learn the rumors were true: Arrigo actually was hunting ghosts. Sure, his name was on that dumb psychic shop, but she’d honestly thought it was a ruse to get into the pants of the gullible people who would hire him. Eleni had never suspected he actually went around hunting up ghost stories until she heard the waitress and Luc talking about it in the diner.
She barely looked up from her coffee when she spotted George hurrying her way. He seemed excited about something. It certainly wasn’t the losers in this place, though she supposed any one of them could be Arrigo’s friend and not just the clerk. She wasn’t sure the death of two at the vampire club had even been noted by Arrigo. It was hard to watch him constantly. She mostly had to do it through George, which wasn’t quite as exciting as she’d hoped. Maybe she should get a wig to help alter her appearance a little. It had been decades since he had last seen her, but Arrigo would remember her. She had slaughtered his wife, after all. Maybe it was time to visit another friend, like that girl in the bookstore. Books, vinyl records, someone needed to introduce him to the world of ereaders and downloads—even she could do that, and she didn’t know much about electronics—but she should be glad he was so old-fashioned. It made him easier to track.
George bought a coffee before sitting down with her at the table. That was smart, made him look like a boyfriend or something, in case anyone was watching and reporting back to Arrigo. Eleni didn’t discount that possibility. Arrigo might not know who to look for, but he would think to try to guard his friends if he thought the attacks weren’t random. Certainly he had the redhead watching over the psychic. There was a Crypt-Kicker bar in town, and George had seen Arrigo there, so that meant he had Supernatural friends he could call into play to help him guard those he thought might be in danger—if he didn’t simply call in his scumbag Chiaroscuro buddies.
“Damn, it’s hard to get across town at this time of day,” George said, stretching his legs out in front of him.
“It’s hard any time of day. You said you had news.” She tapped her cell phone. He had texted teasers.
George nodded, testing his coffee. “I think I know where he lives.”
Eleni felt a tickle in her belly. “Really?”
“He almost caught me watching him. I had to play lost tourist.” George scowled, pulling out his phone. He tapped in something quickly.
“That’s not good.”
“I didn’t expect him to go to Veer Towers. I’m pretty sure they’re residential only, no casino. He wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.”
“Veer Towers?”
George nodded and showed her his phone. “Here’s a real estate site. You can see inside the place. It’s near the Crystal Mall. They are high-end, the Towers and Crystal Mall.”
Eleni muttered a curse in Hungarian. “This will be difficult to sneak inside.”
“Agreed, but unless it was the Asian chick’s place—”
“No.” Eleni cut him off. “This is his. He has a taste for the finer things. That’s why I am so confused about that scuzzy biker bar. It might be a place to stop and snack on people no one cares about while he’s over there ghost hunting at the diner.” She shook her head. Eleni still couldn’t comprehend that. “Luc’s cute, though. I guess it’s possible he wants an easy catamite to top, but it could simply be a fast-food joint for him. We might have been wrong about that bartender at the Goth club too.”
“They don’t call them that anymore,” George said, turning his attention to the patrons in the store. He stiffened, clenching his cup. “Keep your head down,” he hissed to her.
“What?”
George jutted his chin toward the huge plate-glass windows in the front of the small store. “See that Asian chick coming in with the African-American dude? That’s her. She was with Arrigo today.”
Eleni cursed in her native tongue again, her wooden chair scooting back. She waited a moment, watching from the corner of her eye, as the two of them went to the counter. The place wasn’t particularly big, and she thought they asked for Levi. Standing, she grabbed George’s hand, pulling him to his feet. Eleni locked arms with him, keeping him between her and the couple. They made it outside, and Eleni forced herself not to run back to her car.
“There goes my plans of playing with Arrigo’s buddy tonight.” She sighed. “You’re sure you saw her before?”
“Absolutely. She’s too hot to forget.” George cast a look over his shoulder as if he could still see the woman. “I’ve never seen him before, but she definitely called Arrigo by name. Are we in trouble?”
“A little bit.” Eleni scowled. “I’m going to go get something to eat.” She flicked her tongue against her upper gums where her blood teeth were tucked away. “I want you to call that new friend you made at the Scarlet Kiss, see if anything’s going on there. If Arrigo’s minions are here, he might be there, and then meet me back at the house. We need to regroup a little.” She shuddered at the thought of all those damn plastic horses in that place. Despite how many she had burned, there were still more. How many could one demented person need?
“Are they from that group you told me about?” George sounded worried.
“The Chiaroscuro? Maybe. If nothing else, they could be local Supernaturals. I didn’t dare get close enough to try to figure out which.” Eleni regretted that, but she was better off safe than sorry. “We might need to make one grand gesture and leave it at that.”
“What sort?”
“That’s why I want to regroup at the house. We shouldn’t hang around here just in case.”
George nodded and headed the other direction, where she assumed his car was. Eleni decided to aim for the easiest place to find a meal and hurt someone. She wasn’t going to get to play her entire game, and her disappointment needed an outlet. She knew where to find one.
Chapter Fifteen
THE QUESTIONING at the police station exhausted Arrigo. Worried him too. If the cops really started digging into his past, he wasn’t sure his identity would hold up. He could prove that he lived in New Orleans like he told them, but there would be no proof that Eleni had. The only lie he had if they called him in again would be that she had obviously lied to him about her identity and he had never really known her at all.
He’d fallen asleep for a too-short nap, awakened by Siobhan pounding on Arrigo’s bedroom door, startling Gaius off his belly. Her telling him one of the bartenders from the Scarlet Kiss had called spurred him into quickly dressing. The two of them sped to the club on his Harley. Arrigo had asked Ashley, one of the managers, to have her people call him if they spotted a petite blond vampire acting suspicious, a tall order in a vampire club where no one knew real vampires existed. Despite that tall order, something had tripped an internal red flag, so they’d called.
It was barely after dark by the time he’d parked and whipped out the money for the cover charge. Surprised at how many people filled the place, Arrigo pulled up short. Siobhan squeezed his hand, fangs already out.
“Sometimes I wonder at your choices,” she said.
“What? People line up here for me and can’t wait to donate.” He lowered his fangs, stretching out with his psychic senses.
“Guess that is easier than all the small talk I have to put up with at bars.” Siobhan glanced around. “They’re staring at us.”
“We have ‘realistic’ fangs, and we’re dressed wrong.” Arrigo regretted not taking the time to dig out the proper attire, but it was easier to fight
in T-shirt and jeans than it was in his Goth clothes.
He pushed his way to the bar, Siobhan moving in his wake. The young woman behind the bar pointed in the general direction she thought the weird woman had gone. Cursing Vegas’s congested traffic under his breath, Arrigo stalked through the crowd. Siobhan cut a different path, hoping to catch whoever it was between them. Her head snapped up a second before Arrigo felt it too. There was another vampire there.
It wasn’t easy to pick through so many humans to find where that vampiric presence was coming from. His muscles tingled as adrenaline flooded him. Arrigo loved this part, the hunt. He wished for a less packed hunting ground, though—too much potential for collateral damage. Someone hit him from the side, wrapping arms around him. His butt got caressed before he could shove the young man away. The young man swayed, flashing his Halloween-store fangs, higher than the International Space Station.
“Don’t be so cold,” he wheedled. “You’re just the cutest.”
“Not tonight.” Arrigo left him there. Ahead of him Siobhan closed in on a blonde woman.
Arrigo veered around a tight-knit group next to a table, slithering between two couples, and came up behind the blonde Siobhan homed in on. He grabbed Siobhan’s arm and yanked her toward the emergency door. The hinges shrieked as he tossed it open and threw the vampire out into the street. Even if people started fleeing out the door, he could control things better in the open.
Siobhan helped him shove the vampire deeper into the alleyway. Arrigo slammed her into the brick wall of a neighboring building, ready to rip her throat out. She made a strangled sound, hands up to shield her face.
“Fuck!”
Siobhan caught Arrigo’s upraised arm. “It’s not her.”
“No, gods be damned.” He tossed a punch into the wall next to the stranger.
“What is wrong with you? I didn’t do anything!” she wailed.
