A lump formed in her chest every time she thought of him, but this was the night to exorcise that and replace it with warmth. He deserved that much.
Tall candelabras in graduated heights formed a semi-circle on either side of the LED screen framing the instruments. The décor was just enough. The music would do the rest.
She hoped.
“You look beautiful!’ Abigail said, walking beside Bette who was an ear-to-ear fanged grin.
“I told you,” her vampire friend said with a short squeal.
Annika fluffed the layers of light gray chiffon in her full ballroom-style skirt. “I feel like a Goth marshmallow.”
“Stop that! You look gorgeous, and there’s just enough black in the underskirt to give you that graveyard panache.”
“Graveyard panache?” Nika laughed. “I guess it fits considering the lace on my corset looks like widow’s web.”
“Your corset is perfect,” Bette replied with a sigh. “I didn’t cinch it too tightly, did I? We don’t need you passing out on stage. The media will go off the rails, and tomorrow it’ll be all over that you’re checking into Betty Ford.”
“Okay, that’s enough. Leave Annika to meditate or whatever it is she does to banish pre-show jitters.” Abigail pulled Bette away, leading her by the arm toward their front row seats.
Bette was right, though. She felt beautiful.
The corset was just enough to give her that needed edge, and her hair was loose with soft curls, pinned up for a gentle cascade.
She did her own makeup, giving herself the Goth glam look she loved, even adding a little sparkle to her white skin to make it gleam in the spot light.
The house lights dimmed.
“Ladies and gentlemen. The Red Veil proudly presents a surprise performance. In a one night only solo debut, please welcome Annika Lee!”
The crowd was silent for a stunned moment and then went crazy. Frenzied cheers and whistles carried through the air as she took center stage.
She glanced stage right, and Derick was where he said he would be. He winked and kissed his finger before giving her thumbs up.
Annika curtsied, waving to the crowd as the studio musicians took their places. Without a word she slid onto the piano bench and laid her fingers over the keys.
Breathe. One. Two. Three. Breathe.
She inhaled and held it for a second.
“This one is for Ki,” she murmured.
Her words were soft, and in her ears they seemed barely audible above the sound of her heart pounding in her chest, but the crowd exploded.
Her fingers caressed the keys and the strains of the last song she wrote with her friend filled the club.
I hear the ticking of the clock
My time has come, the night has called.
Half a lie told, half a life lived,
Do angels pray?
Do angels pray?
I feel the darkness in my soul
At heaven’s gate, will you be there?
Half a lie told, half a life lived
Do angels pray?
Do angels pray?
Can I fight the obscene?
Can I cleanse the unclean?
Drowning in my darkness,
now you’re not with me.
At heaven’s gate, will you be there?
If angels pray.
If angels pray.
Power flowed through her and Derick’s words replayed in her head. Seduce them, Nika. Let them love you.
She poured every ounce of her soul into the song, and when the last chord faded she looked up from the keys and took a breath before facing the crowd.
Fans sobbed and the applause went wild. Annika stood and took a bow.
“Thank you all. Thank you so very much. Not just for me, but for Ki. The world lost a talented artist and I lost a treasured friend, but we learn to live and honor their memory, and if we’re lucky, we find peace and friendship in unexpected places.”
She glanced off stage to the right and kissed her fingers, placing her hand on her heart for Derick, and then she found Bette’s sob-swollen face in the front row and blew her a kiss, too.
Annika laughed, and hugged her middle. This was the way it was supposed to be and never was. She shielded her eyes from the footlights and looked into the crowd.
“So, who wants another song?”
9
“How amazing was that!” Bette threw her arms around Annika’s neck nearly knocking her to the ground. “We need to celebrate!”
“Hold on there, cowgirl. Maybe you’d better ask Nika’s up for it, first,” Derick interjected, giving the cute brunette a warning eye.
“My my, have we grown a protective boner, lately, Derick?” Bette grinned, flashing a little fang.
Annika choked, snorting beer out her nose.
“Snaps, girl! I’m glad no fans were allowed backstage or you’d never live that one down!” Dion laughed, handing her a wad of napkins from the backstage spread. “And don’t worry about Ms. Snarky Pants. I’d have a protective boner, too, if I had a chance with anyone as tall, dark and furry as that one.”
Dion pointed a long pink-sparkle fingernail at Derick, and at the look on his face Annika laughed so hard she had to cross her legs.
“Stop! I can’t,” she coughed trying to catch her breath.
Her phone rang.
“Saved by the bell,” Derick muttered, eyeing the undead group.
Nika hiccupped. “Nope, more likely saved by my agent, Ari. She said she would call when the show was over.”
Bette handed her the cellphone, but when Annika looked at the screen she sobered.
“What?” Derick got up immediately and moved to her side.
Annika held up two fingers. “Hello?”
“What? Slow down, I can barely understand you.”
Annika stood, her eyes widening with each passing second.
“I need paper and a pen! NOW!” she yelled, not caring if she sounded hysterical.
Bette handed her a small notepad and pen from her purse.
She scribbled down a telephone number and then picked up the paper, staring at it. “You’re sure this is the correct number? What? No! Tante Louise, don’t do anything or call anybody until I get there. I mean it. You have to listen to me. I know what I’m talking about.”
She listened for a moment and then shook her head. “No, if he knows that much then leave it at that, but do not tell him about the message. Not until I get there and figure out what to do.”
“No—” Nika exhaled. “I’ll leave tonight, now, even if it means I get in a car and drive until I can get on a plane. Please, Tante Louise, promise me. Call no one.”
She nodded. “Okay, I love you, too.”
Annika pressed end on the phone and then sank onto her chair, all levity gone.
“What happened?” Derick asked.
“My mother—”
“What?”
She turned to him, eyes burning with tears and fear. “He took her.”
“Who?” Derick asked.
“Jesse.”
Bette looked at her, stunned. “Oh my God, how? I thought he was in jail.”
Annika shook her head. “He escaped. Right from his jail cell. They have no idea how, but they suspect it was an inside job.”
“Inside job.” Derick snorted. “More likely his cousins helped him.”
She watched Derick get up to pace. “I don’t care how he did it. All I know, is I have to get home. He won’t hurt her as long as I do what he says.”
Nika looked at the vampire entourage surrounding her. There was no one present who wasn’t a supernatural of some kind.
“I’m sorry to sing and run—” her voice broke and she dropped her head into her hands, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed.
Derick stopped pacing and wrapped her in his arms.
“Nika, we have to call the police. This is human jurisdiction,” Bette said trying to be helpful.
Annika picked her head up from Derick’s chest
and sniffed, wiping her eyes and face on the back of her hand.
“No. I know Jesse. This might be human jurisdiction on the outside, but Jesse is a Were. A shifter with a superiority complex and the temperament of a spoiled toddler. Except when he throws a tantrum people die. He killed Ki in a fit of temper, and he won’t think twice about killing my mother. I have to handle this alone.”
Derick stood, pulling Nika to her feet. “No you don’t.”
“No, Derick.” She shook her head. “I can’t ask you to do this.”
He stared at her. “You’re kidding, right? You forget, my last name may be Bergeron, but I’m a LaFont by blood, much as I loathe to admit it. I know Jesse. I know how he thinks, how that entire pack thinks. You think because I’ve been gone for ten years that anything has changed?”
She didn’t reply.
“If he took your mother, that means he’s in the swamp. I grew up roaming the backwoods bayou. I know every inch of that swamp and every camp along the canals. If anyone can find him, I can.”
Nika glanced down at her phone lying on the chair beside her. “It’s three a.m. The earliest flight we can grab has got to be nine a.m. this morning.”
“Then we’ll drive and catch a flight out of D.C.,” he said.
“That won’t be necessary.” All eyes turned, and Abigail stood. “You can use our plane. It’s at JFK in the executive hangar. I’ll make the call.”
Annika rose, her eyes misty as she took a step toward the elegant vampire. “Thank you, Abigail.”
She waved her off. “Pffft. With the paparazzi on your scent, you wouldn’t get two feet from the curb come the morning, and you can forget trying to board a commercial flight. The concert is all over social media, and late as it is, I’ve already had requests for interviews with you on premises.
“By morning the club will be surrounded by every kind of parasite looking to score a picture or a few words. I’ll send a few youngbloods to get rid of any who’ve decide to stake out the exits.”
Abigail smiled, and the effect was calculating and eager, yet frightening. “Youngbloods can be very persuasive, and if they encounter any resistance?” She shrugged. “Well, birds gotta fly, fish gotta swim, and vampires gotta eat.”
Annika looked at Derick who shot her a look that said it was best not to question.
“Thank you again, Abigail. I don’t know how I will ever repay you,” Nika said again.
The elegant vampire blinked, lifting one delicate shoulder. “Come back and do another concert now that you’re officially a solo. One where we can charge full admission price.” She actually smiled. “I have a reserved fondness for certain Weres, and you just made the list.”
Annika smiled back. “I’m honored, I think.”
Bette laughed. “You should be. You wouldn’t want to know what the cost of admittance was for the others.”
Derick picked up Nika’s cell phone and the note with the telephone number and gestured for the door. “Come on. I’ll help you pack.”
Abigail laid a cold hand on Nika’s arm. “I’ll have a car waiting to take you to the airport, but hurry.” Her usually unnerving gaze, softened. “Whether you believe it or not, most of the undead remember their human mothers with wistful nostalgia. I’m doing this for all of us, so whenever you’re ready, I’ll be in the VIP lounge.”
Annika covered the woman’s hand with her own. “I appreciate that.”
Derick took Nika’s elbow and steered her toward the private doors backstage.
“Whose phone number is that?” he asked, pushing the elevator button to the east wing.
The elevator pinged and the doors slid open. Derick put his arm out, letting Nika go ahead. He pressed E and the doors slid shut.
“I don’t recognize the number. It’s not the same one Jesse used when he called me this week. I’m assuming it’s stolen, but for all I know it could belong to one of his cousins or even his—” she stopped short, biting her lip.
“His father’s.” Derick looked at her. “It’s okay, Nika. His name means nothing to me. I got over that a long time ago. He never acknowledged me and I gave up acknowledging him. If Jesse is the kind of son he raised, then I’m better off.
“My mother paid a dear enough price trying to get that man to accept us. I’m lucky. I had Marie Bergeron for a grandmother, and that old woman was no joke.”
“I know, and you’re right. I’m sorry,” she said.
He shrugged. “Don’t be.” He looked down at the phone number. “Are you supposed to call?”
The elevator stopped and they got off, turning toward her rooms.
She nodded. “The instructions were to call when I get home. He’s given me forty-eight hours.”
“When we land, we’re going to have to find a way to get to your family’s camp without anyone knowing. If he knows you’re not alone it won’t bode well.”
“My aunt said detectives from Los Angeles called the sheriff’s office to let them know Jesse was a fugitive. They’ve got a national APB out for him and a bi-coastal manhunt is in full swing.
“Guy Fortinet is the local sheriff now, and he has men posted at every point possible in our neck of the woods, but you know as well as I do if Jesse wants to disappear, there’s no better place to do so than the swamp. Even the sheriff’s office said there’s not much to count on, not if Jesse doesn’t want to be found.”
The little muscle in Derick’s cheek worked overtime. “That may be, cher, but then again Jesse didn’t count on me.”
The plane landed in New Orleans and good to her word Abigail had a car waiting to drive them into Terrebonne parish.
“This is taking forever.” Annika exhaled, fidgeting with adjustable strap attached to her carry-on. She ran the leather through her fingers, flipping the flat end into her palm with short, sharp snaps.
“It’s an hour and half ride from the airport. You know there is no way round it.”
Jaw tight, she squirmed, crossing and uncrossing her legs. “I know.”
Derick watched her nervous energy twist. “If you don’t calm down, I’m going to bend you over and spank you with that strap.” Catching her eye, he smirked. “Then again, knowing you, you’d probably enjoy it.”
She stuck the bag on the floor between her legs. “I’m not a big fan of pain.”
He slipped his arm around her shoulder and reached around to pinch her nipple through her tank-top. She sucked in a breath through her teeth, but didn’t push his hand away.
“Somebody’s telling a fib, Pinocchio.”
She didn’t reply, but shifted enough in her seat to give him better access. Her eyes dipping to the bulge behind his fly. “If I’m the one who’s fibbing, then why are you the one sporting a woodie?”
He leaned down and kissed her mouth, letting his fingers gently stroke her full breast. “Your stress levels are through the roof, cher. I smell the anxiety coming off your body, and if I can, it’s certain every living creature in the bayou will, too.”
“So?”
“We’ve got an hour’s ride left in this limousine before we reach the parish. I think it’s time I helped rid your excess tension.”
“Just my tension?”
“Adrenaline gives me hyper focus, but you…” He shook his head. “It’ll make you emotional and unreasonable and lead to mistakes. Mistakes in the swamp lead to death.” He ran a thumb over her bottom lip. “Let’s just say I like my woman better alive and kicking.”
His gaze was so intense it made her breath catch in her throat. Without a word, he raised the privacy screen and reached for a small drawstring backpack on the floor. He moved it to the seat opposite Annika and sat the bag beside him.
“Take off your shirt and your pants, Nika.”
“You’re kidding. What about the driver?”
Derick shook his head. “The screen is only operable from the backseat and is completely impenetrable. The backseat is also soundproof. The vampires designed it that way for obvious
reasons.”
Annika licked her lips and glanced toward the black partition. “You’re sure?”
He nodded.
With her eyes on Derick, Nika lifted her tank top over her head and dropped it to the seat next to her. She unhooked her bra and did the same before wiggling out of her shorts and underwear. She sat on the cool, black leather completely naked.
Derick knelt in front of her and reached above her head to dim the interior to just the floor lights. He dropped his hands to her shoulders and cupped her face, kissing her, his lips soft. Her mouth parted and he swiped his tongue along hers and deepened their kiss.
She sighed and he slid his hands lower to cup her breasts, grazing each nipple with either thumb. Hard peaks formed and he dipped his head to suckle each until Annika arched her back, pushing her breasts higher urging him for more.
He stopped and sat back on his heels reaching for the draw string back. “I brought a couple of surprises in case of emergency.”
“In case of what emergency?”
Swiping his thumb across her hard nub, she gasped, her clit jerking at the rough feel. He brought the glistening digit to his mouth, licked the pad. “This.”
From the drawstring bag he took out what looked to be a triple chain attached to a circular ring. At the end of each chain was a clamp.
“What in the world is that?”
Derick held it up by the first set of clamps, squeezing the close-pin action on each, while the third dangled down, singing back and forth with the motion of the limo.
“It’s called a triple treasure.” He clicked the end moving the rubber tips up and down. “Are you game?”
It didn’t take much to figure out where Derick would put them, and heat sluiced across her skin at the thought of how they would feel attached to hard, sensitive buds.
She nodded, not trusting her voice to squeak in such an erotic moment.
Derick’s lips slid into a sexy grin. His mouth claimed her breasts again, teasing and biting, squeezing her flesh until she coasted close to climax. He pulled back and fastened the first two clamps to her nipples. Giving them a quick tug, she gasped arching her back again.
“More?” he asked
She nodded again and he adjusted the screws even tighter.
The Red Veil Diaries (Volumes 1-4) Page 23
