Layla
“Where are we going?” I asked Devon.
“Back to my flat.”
“What are we going to do there?”
“Find out what happened to the painting. And the money.”
Devon was grinding his teeth as he drove.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m waiting for you to do as I asked. Stop stalling and tell me about the damn painting.”
“Okay, okay. It’s a beautiful piece of abstract art. I’m not usually into that, but there’s something so poignant about this painting that it just reaches out to you and pulls you in.”
“How?”
“I’m not sure exactly. But the first day I went to Stefano’s, it captivated me. So many rich, dark colors. And the reds. The reds are so intense. They were painted in blood.”
“Oh, gross! Who would do that?”
“A vampire.”
“Of course,” Devon said, not veiling the sarcasm. “Naturally.”
“Do you want to hear the story behind it or not?”
“I do. Go on, please.”
“So how Stefano explained it to me was that it was painted by an artist named Marcellus who lived in Venice centuries ago. He was a promising painter as a human and once he became a vampire, became a brilliant one. He fell in love with a human named Diana. He wanted to make Diana immortal so they could be together, but Diana wasn’t sure. She wanted more time to consider. She said there was no rush. But then there was a robbery at her parents’ villa. Diana was raped and murdered. Marcellus found her body and went mad with anguish. He locked himself away in his room with Diana’s body and expressed his anguish through his art. He poured himself into this painting—all the hopes and dreams broken. You can make out an abstract shape of a heart amid the other strokes. And he is said to have painted it with the blood of both himself and Diana. He left a suicide note with the painting for other vampires to find. It read, ‘Our blood bonded, our hearts now one, our love eternal.’”
“That’s a pretty powerful painting. Seems almost too sentimental for a vampire like Stefano.”
I snorted. “The eternal love part was probably lost on Stefano. He joked that it was a symbol never to fall for humans; they are merely food. And to never trust anyone.”
We drove in silence for several minutes, lost in our own thoughts.
As we approached London, I noticed Devon’s hands tighten on the steering wheel so I looked up at his face. I couldn’t read the emotions on it, but he said, “If you know where the money went, you better tell me, Layla. Don’t try to play me. Because I know you far too well.”
Although I knew he was putting himself out there and helping me, the warning tone in his voice compelled me to reply with help a snarky comeback. “Once again, I don’t know where the painting is or the money. I’m tired of repeating myself. And what are you talking about, Devon? You’ve known me for what, a few days? Which means you don’t really know me at all.”
“I know you better than you think, sweetheart.” He smirked, which antagonized me all the more. How did he rankle me this way? One minute I wanted to kill him, the next throw my arms around him to thank him for saving me—or at least buying me more time—and the next—well, I didn’t know how I felt about him right then. Utterly fucking confused might be the only words I could come up with.
“Oh yeah, hotshot?” I replied. “How so?”
“I know your name isn’t Layla Costa.”
I bristled in the passenger seat, hoping he didn’t notice. How did he know this?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You became Layla Costa only two or three years ago. You had fake papers and a past established. I dug deeper. I know how these games are played. I know how a name doesn’t mean anything and never to trust what someone tells you about themselves.”
“Of course I’m Layla Costa,” I said, keeping my voice even. “You figured that out already. I was masquerading as Angelica Blackwell and you found out my name was really Layla Costa. How many assumed identities do you possibly think I have?”
“Just those three. And my guess is you became Layla Costa when you were changed into a vampire.” He took his eyes off the road to see my reaction. “Am I right?”
Although I tried to keep my face impassive, my body must have betrayed me by moving almost imperceptibly.
“I thought so,” he said. “It makes perfect sense. One life ended for you and another one started. Perhaps, like now, you had another past that you were running from. Or perhaps you thought it was a perfect opportunity to leave your life as a human behind and start a new one as an immortal.”
I stared at him, unable to process what I was hearing. My secrets being uncovered before my eyes. My carefully crafted personas revealed. My life as a human seemed so long ago. My name almost as if it belonged to someone else who looked like me, but wasn’t me anymore.
“So am I right, Catherine Anna Stewart?”
This time I flinched. I didn’t know what to think of Devon right now. He was too complicated to comprehend.
“What the fuck do you want from me, Devon? First you’re against me, then you’re with me, then you’re messing with my sodding head! Did you tell this to Stefano?”
“No.” His monosyllabic reply didn’t answer any of my questions about him. In fact, they complicated my perception of him even more.
“Why not?” I said through gritted teeth.
“Because that’s not what he hired me for.”
“What did he hire you for?” I said slowly, trying to control my anger.
“To find you and bring you to him. Which I did. In the course of my investigation tracking you down, I found out things about you that were quite intriguing. You’re the daughter of a US senator and his trophy wife. You were a privileged yet troubled kid growing up. One of those kids who is unsure of who she is and what she wants and blames all her problems on her parents. Only her parents have money and she’s used to living with money. When her life changes and the money is suddenly gone, she isn’t sure how to take care of herself. She’s taken in by a wealthy vampire. And when the opportunity strikes for her to net a fortune—”
“That’s not true!” I protested. “No matter what you found out about me and what you think you know about me, you obviously don’t know jack shit! I’ve learned how to live on the streets with nearly nothing, both before and after living with Stefano. And I never stole from him. I will swear that until I’m ashes!”
He leaned back in the driver’s seat as if assessing my declaration against his facts.
“I still don’t understand why you didn’t tell Stefano about me,” I said. “I mean, wouldn’t it make you look better?”
“Sweetheart, I know how to do my job. I do what I’m paid for. If I feel so inclined, I might reveal a little snippet of how I uncovered something interesting during my investigation. I don’t throw in extra information for free. If my client wants me to pursue it further, they can pay me to extend my investigation. And bingo, they always do.”
“So you’re a shyster?”
“No, a good businessman. I offer a service that my clients need. So if they want the service, they need to pay for it.”
“Why are you telling me this now? Are you trying to blackmail me? Because if you haven’t noticed, I can’t get into any deeper shit than I’m in already.”
“Just informing you. Let’s consider it a fair warning not to play me. I’m putting myself out on the line to save your ass. If you screw me over, I’ll make you regret it.”
Under my breath I muttered, “I’m sure you will.”
We didn’t speak much for the rest of the drive to London. My mind was too preoccupied with all that happened in the last few hours. The same man who had kidnapped me for money and brought me to Stefano ended up switching sides. Originally I thought maybe he had changed his mind about me. That maybe he believed I was innocent, and I don’t know, maybe actually had some feelings toward me. B
ut after what he revealed about clients and money, I had to wonder if this was yet another ploy to get more money out of Stefano.
Regardless, I was relieved not to be a pile of ashes at Stefano’s place.
Chapter Eight
We stopped in a Marks & Spencer on the way for me to pick up some clothes and toiletries. I didn’t push my luck at Stefano’s and ask to go pick up some personal items while we were there. If he changed his mind, then it wouldn’t have been a very smart move. Devon picked up some groceries to keep us going for the next couple of days.
Devon said, “If you try to run again, I will follow you. And Stefano will find you. I urge you to stick with me—for your sake—to try to find a way out of this.”
“I know, Devon. Trust me, every part of me wants to run away again. But it won’t help me. Like it or not, you’re the best bet I’ve got.”
“Talk about pressure, eh?”
Armed with our supplies, we brought our bags to the car to continue our journey.
Back at Devon’s flat, I had to get used to being here of my own free will. Last time I’d been restrained to his bed, now I sat in the living room while he changed in the bedroom. A vision of what we had done in his bed earlier came back to me. I had to distract myself from thinking about Devon like that.
“Do you live here year-round?” I asked, surprised at how little furniture or signs of living marked the place. Besides the sofa, the living room had only a desk with a chair. No television or the little things you’d see lying around someone’s place. Notepads, pens, magazines, books—none of that.
“I don’t spend much time here. I use this place more to conduct business. My main place, the one I consider my home, is in the country. It’s in an open space, which makes it easier for me to change and run free.”
“What do you change into?”
“Whatever I want.”
He walked out into the living room wearing only a pair of jeans. Then he gave a dazzling grin that sent shivers into my core.
Always a man of few words. “What do you like to change into?”
“A lion.”
My mouth dropped. I wouldn’t have believed him if I didn’t scent the animal to know he was a shifter. Still, to see a fine male body, one I had incredible sex with earlier, and then hear him tell me he changed into a lion wasn’t a conversation I was prepared to have. Yet I recovered nicely.
“It probably wouldn’t be wise to change into a lion in the streets of London.”
“It isn’t wise to change into a lion anywhere. You can’t do it anywhere humans can see you and even if you’re in the jungles of Africa, you take the risk of being hunted. But it’s the form I prefer. That and a hawk.”
“You can fly?”
He nodded. “That’s why I chose it.”
I had so many more questions to ask him about what it was like shifting into all these animals, but he was standing before me without a shirt and I found it hard to focus. The most magnificent form was the one he was in now. A mouth-watering male body. My eyes traveled over his broad chest, lingering on each indentation that carved out his six-pack abs.
“What else can you change into?”
“I can shift into any animal form I like.”
“That’s—that’s—amazing.”
“Funny coming from a vampire. Don’t you look at us as animals? No, correction, stinky animals?”
The only scent I caught of him right now was luscious human male. One that I could lick and nibble on. And bite…
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, why?”
“Looks as if I lost you for a minute. Your thoughts trail off somewhere?”
In an attempt to refocus, I diverted my thoughts. “Just wondering why vampires and shifters have had this hatred for so long. Do you know why it started?”
“No. But we tend to fear things we don’t understand. And then cover that fear up as hatred.”
“So you hate all vampires? Or fear them? Or maybe you just don’t understand them?”
“I try not to think about them too much. If they hire me for a job, I take it. I might wrinkle up my nose at the thought of working for dead things, but I take it. And you don’t smell half bad for a dead girl.” He leaned in and inhaled the scent of my hair and then grinned. “Not bad at all.”
My heart began racing so I stepped back. It was difficult to focus when he was so close. “How the heck are we going to do this? Figure out who stole the painting, the money?”
“It’s the new millennium so we’ll start with the tools of the age. The internet. Let’s see if we can bypass the lock and get back into your account. Otherwise we’ll go to the bank in the morning.”
He sat down at a roll-top desk and opened his laptop. After bringing up my bank’s web page, he asked, “What’s your user name?”
“I’m not going to tell you that.”
“I’m trying to help you,” he said.
“You weren’t until a few hours ago. It’s kind of hard to suddenly turn off my defensive radar and trust you.”
“Are you kidding me? I’m working for free to help you right now.”
“That doesn’t mean I can trust you. There’s got to be something in it for you. I’m guessing more money.”
“Fine.” He pushed back the chair. “Go ahead, log yourself in.”
I sat down and started a private session in the browser before I tried to log in. Faced with the security warning again, I tried other options. Maybe I could reset my password; I knew all the security questions.
No luck. All my attempts gave me the same message. I had to talk to someone at the bank.
“Besides the millions that were funneled through my account,” I asked Devon, “did you notice anything else that stood out?”
He ran his fingers over his shaved head and I found my eyes followed his movements.
“No. Why haven’t you logged in all this time?” Devon asked.
“I’m not dumb enough to leave a cyber trail. Stefano may not be good with computers, but he has money and resources.”
“That was smart. When I looked into your account activity, I didn’t find anything to help me track you.”
“You hacked into my account. Looked into my background.”
“You know this already. I track people down. The internet is the greatest invention for bounty hunters with computer skills.”
“Yes, I know you did. I meant that more out of outrage rather than ignorance. Why does it irk me so that you’ve pried into my life and background?” I said.
“Invasion of privacy?”
“Yes!”
“Especially for a vampire who has to live in the shadows, exist underground.”
I nodded. “Exactly.” Sizing him up, I then asked, “How would you know this?”
“I’m a shapeshifter. I live in solitude and have to hide my true self from the humans around me.”
“Interesting.”
“In what way?”
“As different as our kinds are, it’s funny to think we have some common ground.”
He looked at me as if seeing me for the first time. “I think you’re right.” He then said, “What did you think when you learned shapeshifters exist?”
“I never would have imagined the idea when I was human. Funny how becoming a vampire opens your perspective that the world isn’t just run by humans. But I only learned about shifters from a vampire’s point of view, from Stefano’s crew. And as you probably know, they focus on the animal part.”
“Have you met other shifters before?”
“No. You’re my first.”
“How did you know what I was?”
“Your scent.”
“How do I smell to you?”
“Different from a human. And different from an animal. Sort of a combination of both.”
“Do you find it offensive?”
“No. Initially the new scent struck me as odd because it was unfamiliar.”
“I was hoping you’d s
ay alluring. Irresistible. Undeniably sexy.”
“Maybe a little.” My voice sounded strained, as if coming from someone else. He walked closer, a predatory look in his eyes.
“Just a little?”
I knew I should back off, but my feet stayed planted. Why was he looking at me that way? Why was my body heating up from my core out? In a voice almost as soft as a whisper, I managed to say, “Maybe more.”
He stood inches from me now, so close that it was difficult for me to concentrate.
“Even when you swore you hated me, a part of you was attracted to me in some way.”
My cheeks flushed as I remembered how we clashed. How we fought. How we kissed. And later how I seduced him. I’d told myself it was a ploy to lure him to do my bidding, but it was only partly true and it backfired. And then how we came together, unable to quell the passion between us.
“I don’t know why you’re bringing that up now.”
“Look at me.” He put his hand on my chin and tilted it up.
My eyes darted around the room. When I relented and looked into his eyes, I saw the heat reflected within, as if a fire smoldered beneath the surface.
We were alone in his flat. Nothing to stop us from rekindling that exquisite passion. Nothing except—Stefano.
My fate. We had less than twenty-four hours now. I couldn’t afford to divert our attention to anything else besides why we were here. To find out who stole the money and clear my name.
“Devon.” My quiet voice didn’t sound quite like my own.
“What?”
“We can’t do this. Stefano.”
He took his finger off my chin and sat back. “You’re right. I should be thinking about why we’re here and what we need to do. Sorry. It’s hard when you’re so close. And you smell so good.”
“A vampire smells good to you?”
“I don’t know why—but yes. Irresistibly good.”
He backed away and his sudden distance hit me like a loss.
“It’s still night,” he said. “I can’t call anyone just yet. I’m going to poke around online to see if I can get any leads. And then we should get some sleep. We’ll go to the bank first thing in the morning.
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