by ID Johnson
“What are you going to do with this picture of Cadence?” Zabrina asked, holding it up but not approaching. She was sitting nearby, idly sharpening her fingernails with a file.
“Patience, love,” Giovani scolded. “That’s phase two. We’ll get to that later.”
“Whatever you say,” Zabrina replied, tossing the picture aside. It floated down from her nimble fingers and landed on the floor next to her boot.
“Pick that up!” Giovani screamed. “Zabrina, if you don’t want to help me, the least you could do is try not to interfere!”
“If I don’t want to help you?” Zabrina screeched. “All I’ve been doing is helping you! For the last year, all I’ve done is help you!”
“You’re not helping me!” Giovani barked back. “You’re only interested in helping yourself!”
“Oh my God!” she shrieked. “You are impossible! I don’t even think I can stand to be around you anymore; you’ve lost your mind!” Zabrina brought the heel of her boot down on Cadence’s picture, and Giovani ran over, shrieking, scooping it up as if she had stepped on a prized possession. “You’re mad!” Zabrina yelled in his face. He raised his hand as if he would strike her, and she retreated out of harm’s way. “If you decide you want to be reasonable, you know how to find me!” she called over her shoulder as she shot out the door.
“Oh, I know how to find you,” Giovani snarled. “You’ll be back. You always come back,” he muttered. He sat the picture of Cadence down on the table, gingerly, and then returned his attention to Gibbon, who was still pulling at his chains.
“Now, where were we?” he asked, holding up the picture of Barbara again. “Oh yes. Show me how much you hate your step-mother.”
Gibbon’s response was to pull so hard on his chains that one of them snapped free from the brick wall behind him. “Excellent,” Giovani smiled. “You’ll be ready in no time.”
Chapter Fifteen
Andrew’s team often had luck catching up with Compliant Vampires at a night club called The Zone, which was a little off the beaten path. They found that Compliants naturally stayed away from the trendier night clubs where the Rogues were more likely to hang out, and while walking into a bar full of Rogues was no big deal to Cadence and Aaron, they knew that Giovani wouldn’t be there and that none of those Rogues were going to talk. So, they found themselves mixing it up with the locals at The Zone—on karaoke night.
Eliza had arrived in town a few hours before, and while Cadence was less than thrilled to see her, she decided she might be useful. She was petite and cute, and there was a chance she could loosen some tongues with her siren skills. While Cadence had been elated to see Cale earlier, he had passed on the trip to the club, as had Morgan who wanted to go over every scrap of evidence herself. But there were plenty of other people who were willing to go on the little excursion, and Cadence found herself sitting at the bar, drinking a tequila, watching Eliza belt out “Alone” by Heart while her fiancé flirted with some girls who may or may not have any information for them and Jamie, Christian, Meagan, Shane, Andrew, and Aurora spread out to see what they could uncover.
Cadence could tell instantly who was a Vampire and who was not. Unfortunately, many of them knew who she was as well, and they didn’t really want to talk to her despite the fact that they followed the rules. She was sitting next to a guy who looked like he was in his mid-twenties, but for all she knew he was much older. He was talking to a human girl who thought everything he said was hilarious for a few moments, but as soon as he asked if she wanted to go back to his place, she suddenly needed to check on her friend across the bar. He sighed and turned back to the bartender, signaling for another drink.
“Tough blow,” Cadence mumbled, not making eye contact.
He looked at her, looked closer, and then focused on the bartender who was bringing him his drink, not acknowledging that Cadence was speaking to him.
She tried again. “I mean, some girls just like to flirt, you know.”
He cleared his voice uncomfortably before saying, “Sorry, Miss Findley, but I don’t know anything, okay? And even if I did I wouldn’t tell you.”
Cadence turned to face him, a hurt expression on her face. She adjusted the short black skirt she was wearing and asked, “Why is that?”
The reluctant Vampire sighed and leaned on his elbows on the bar. “Because—I don’t want to get myself destroyed, okay?” he said quietly.
“By who?” she asked, her face wrinkling, though she was certain she knew the answer.
“You know by who. In fact, if anyone even sees me talking to you, I could be in trouble,” he replied, looking around nervously.
“Giovani threatened you?” she asked, feigning shock.
“No, not personally,” he admitted. “But everyone knows that if we snitch he could come and get us.”
“Him or one of his henchmen? Those military guys—like Howard?” she asked, slowly fishing out information.
“Right,” he nodded, “and I don’t want to tangle with those guys.”
“I don’t blame you. All eight of them looked pretty big to me.”
“Eight?” he asked. “See, his numbers are growing by the minute. And I can’t be a part of that.”
“I don’t blame you,” she shrugged turning back to the bar. “You probably avoid that area over by the Delaware like the plague, huh?”
“Absolutely,” he agreed. “I don’t even go over there during the day.”
“Well, I don’t blame you for not wanting to talk to me,” she said, taking another swig of her drink. “But if you ever need protection, you know Andrew and his team of Guardians can keep you safe, too. You shouldn’t have to be afraid to go to that place—oh what’s it called? Over there?”
“You mean Jeweler’s Row?” he asked. “I never go there. There’s way too many Rogues for that. Look, I wish I could help you, but I just can’t.”
“I totally understand…” she paused, hoping he would insert his name.
“Tony,” he said quietly.
“Tony,” she repeated. “Thanks anyway.”
“Good luck,” he said, picking up his bottle of Budweiser and crossing to another group of attractive girls on the other side of the room.
“Any luck?” Aaron asked as he laughed at a tall, skinny blonde woman’s apparent joke.
Cadence glared at her back; she wasn’t even a Vampire. Her friend was—but she was saying nothing. “Yes,” she said. “He mentioned something called Jeweler’s Row. Heard of it?”
“No,” Aaron admitted. “As soon as Eliza’s song is over, let’s reconvene at that table over there where Jamie and Aurora are sitting and see if anyone else has.”
“Ah, but blondie looks so enthralled,” Cadence fake pouted.
“She’s not my type,” he assured her. “She’s too blonde, too tall, and she just mentioned Alexander Hamilton in perfect context.”
“All right, you,” she said physically crossing her arms. “I’ll have you know I didn’t think the correct answer was Thomas Jefferson—I was just joking around. And I know the Statue of Liberty is in New York City.”
He smiled at her, and as Eliza belted out the last notes of her ballad, he excused himself from the disappointed ladies and headed back to the table. Cadence watched him from across the room, wondering how she got to be so lucky, before she followed.
The rest of the team made their way over as well, huddling around the oversized table, everyone congratulating Eliza on her lovely rendition. “Who’s taking the mic next?” Christian asked, looking around at his teammates.
“I’d do it,” Aurora said, shrugging, “if someone would get up there with me.”
“Ah, I can’t carry a tune in a bucket,” Meagan sighed. “But I’d cheer for you!”
“Well, before we get too distracted by the karaoke, did anyone get any useful information?” Aaron asked.
“No,” Shane said, “none of them wanted to talk.”
“They kept shying away,” Meagan ag
reed.
“I made eye contact with a dude in the back,” Eliza chimed in. “I might be able to get something out of him.”
“I spoke to one of our usual informants,” Andrew said quietly, and everyone quieted to listen. “He said he knows the insider. Kid by the name of Dalton Ford. He said he stopped by here last night, bragging about how he helped pull off the job. But no one has seen him since. Now, they’re all scared that Giovani knocked him off for having a big mouth.”
“Did he say where Giovani might be hiding?” Christian asked.
“If he did, my informant refused to say. Claimed not to know,” Andrew replied.
“What is Jeweler’s Row?” Cadence asked.
“It’s an area in Center City where a lot of jewelry shops are located,” Andrew replied. “Why do you ask?”
“The guy I was talking to mentioned it. Does it have any significance?” she continued.
Andrew shrugged. “Not that I know of. It’s kind of far from where the helicopter disappeared last night, I mean, on foot anyway.”
“Do you know anything about it, Christian?” Aaron asked.
“Not really,” he replied. “When I moved away from here, it was still row houses. But it might be worth checking out.”
“Let’s put that on our list for tomorrow,” Aaron said to Andrew.
“All right, anything else?” Cadence asked, looking around.
“No, but I really think you and Aaron need to get up there and sing us a duet,” Jamie said, a mischievous grin on his face.
“I don’t think so,” Aaron replied, shaking his head.
“Oh, come on! It’ll be fun!” Cadence exclaimed, pulling on his arm.
“It’s really not my thing,” he said, throwing his hands up.
“Tell you what—if Cadence can answer a history question with no help from any of us, you have to do it,” Christian proposed.
“How am I going to know she didn’t get any help from you?” Aaron asked, a bit unnerved.
“Honor system,” Meagan offered.
“Oh, come on!” Aurora pleaded. “It will be fun!”
Aaron looked around at his teammates faces and could plainly see how much they really wanted to see him make a fool out of himself. “Fine,” he finally sighed. “But make it a hard one, Christian.”
As everyone cheered, Christian thought about what he would ask. After some careful consideration, he said, “Who led the US Cavalry charge at the Battle of Little Big Horn?”
Cadence’s eye widened. She wasn’t sure she’d even studied that part of history. She really had no idea, and everyone seemed to be respecting the honor system. As she continued to think about what might be a decent guess, she heard Aaron tell her, “Custer. General George Armstrong Custer.”
She looked at him, a questioning expression on her face, and he nodded so minutely only she could see it. “Custer?” she said slowly.
Christian looked shocked. “Who told you?” he asked, looking around at his teammates.
“No one. I’m just that smart,” Cadence shrugged.
“Is she right?” Meagan asked, clearly just as clueless.
“Yes,” Christian replied, as the table began to cheer.
“All right, but I get to pick the song,” Aaron said. He grabbed the shot of whiskey sitting in front of Jamie, and downed it before approaching the stage. Cadence was so elated, it took her a minute to follow.
With the opening notes, Cadence recognized the song “Closer” by The Chainsmokers and Halsey, and when Aaron actually started singing, she was very impressed. His gesture at their table of friends when it got to the part about hoping he never saw her friends again elicited an uproar of laughter. Even though Cadence had never been much of a soloist herself, she was happy to belt out Halsey’s part while staring into the eyes of the man she loved, so thankful to have this experience with him. It wasn’t often that he let his shield down, but when he did, he was a lot of fun. Clearly, their team needed this, and so she knew why he had told her the answer. At the end of the song, she wrapped her arms around him, and stepping away from the microphone, she said. “Thank you! I love your serious, organized, take-no-prisoners side, but I also love it when you’re silly and crazy with me.”
“I love that you let me know it’s okay to be silly and crazy with you,” he said kissing the top of her head. “Now, why don’t you say we blow this popsicle stand? I think our work here is done.”
Looping her arm around his waist, she followed him off the stage, back to their adoring fans. She agreed, there was nothing else to find out from this crowd. She may as well go back to the hotel room and get some rest so they could try again tomorrow; after all she was exhausted, and she wasn’t going to be any good in a battle against Gibbon and Giovani if she didn’t get some rest. Tomorrow meant daylight, and daylight meant her team had the upper hand on those who preferred to dwell in the dark.
***
Cassidy was asleep. On his shoulder. Her hair smelled like coconuts, and she made sweet little moaning sounds every once in a while—like a sleeping kitten. Like a beautiful, sleeping kitten.
Brandon had been tempted to fish his phone out of her pocket—or fish her phone out of her pocket. But a promise was a promise, and he had decided against it. He was bored out of his mind, however, and not at all tired. So, he found himself reading a paperback he found in her bag by the dim overhead light. It definitely wasn’t his usual genre, but it was better than sitting here staring at the back of the seat in front of him thinking about whether or not his mom was sober and whether or not his dad was worth missing.
Just as the novel was starting to get interesting, Cassidy mumbled something and then sat up sharply. He clamped the book shut and turned his attention to her; she was staring at him like she either wasn’t sure who he was, or she wasn’t sure what he would think about her sleeping on his shoulder.
“Hey there, sunshine,” he smiled. “How was your nap?”
Cassidy shifted her weight away from him in her seat and stretched. “Fine. I guess. What time is it?”
Brandon glanced at his watch before saying, “It’s about 3:30.”
“In the morning?” she asked, clearly shocked.
“No, no. In the afternoon. The sun is just temporarily out of order, that’s all.”
“All right, smart… aleck,” Cassidy replied poking him in the arm. “I just can’t believe I was asleep that long.”
“About four hours,” he nodded.
“Are you reading my book?” she asked, but she didn’t wait for him to answer before she checked her pockets for the phones. They were there, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. “You didn’t call my sister did you?”
“No,” he assured her.
“Or Aaron?”
“No.”
“Or anyone else?”
“No, I didn’t call anyone,” Brandon replied. “I told you I wouldn’t, and I didn’t. Though I think we should.”
“No way,” Cassidy disagreed, shaking her head. “Not until we get there.”
“Well, that is in about another four hundred hours, so….”
“It’s not that much longer,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“It’s a long damn time. Remind me again why we didn’t just fly.”
“Because my sister’s got eyes all over the airport. I didn’t want to risk it,” Cassidy explained.
“Right….” Brandon replied. “Well, next time, I say we throw on some Groucho Marx moustaches and hazard it.”
“You’re impossible,” Cassidy mumbled. “And I really have to pee.”
“Go pee!” he implored. “You haven’t gone since you got on this train, and that was a century ago.”
“I don’t go to the bathroom on moving vehicles!” Cassidy whispered sharply. “No peeing on buses, or trains, or boats….”
“Or planes. I do not pee in moving cars. I do not pee though near or far,” Brandon rhymed, laughing.
“You are a regular Dr. Seuss,” Cassi
dy said, though she was trying not to giggle.
“I do not pee. I don’t, I don’t. I will not pee, I won’t, I won’t.”
“Okay, stop saying pee!” she begged, pulling on his arm.
“Fine. You sit there until your bladder bursts, and I’ll return to my exploration of Valery’s undying love for Rodrigo.” He held up the book so she could see how much of it he had read.
“You’re reading my vampire romance?” she asked, reaching for it.
“Well, yeah,” Brandon said, pulling it away from her. “Fangs of Love by Amber Rose. It’s really quite interesting. I’m doing research.”
“Just give it here,” she whispered, blushing and reaching for it again.
“No, no, no,” he argued, pulling it away again. “It’s just starting to get interesting. Rodrigo realizes that he loves Valery, but she can’t be with him because she wants to rip his heart out and eat it.”
“That’s not true,” she said shaking her head.
“Oh, yeah? How do you know? What chapter are you on?”
Cassidy scrunched up her face and crossed her arms. “Chapter seven,” she admitted.
“Well, I am on chapter…” he flipped through the pages, “ten. So you wouldn’t know.”
“God, you’re ridiculous,” she said giggling.
“Thank you,” he said looking down his nose at her. “Now, if you’ll excuse me….”
“Fine. If you’d rather read that book than talk to me….”
He put the book down. “What would you like to talk about?”
Cassidy shrugged. “I don’t know. What’s life like in Pryor, Oklahoma?”
“Boring as hell,” he admitted. “How about Shenandoah, Iowa?”
