“Fascinating,” he said, his lips pulling up slowly into a smirk, one fang peeking out from the parting in his lips. She ignored how sexy that looked to her and waited with bated breath for his response. “Very well, I'll leave you be, dearie.” He smirked, baring his fangs with the toothy grin. “For now, at the very least. But I have a feeling that you and I will meet again, my dear.” He licked his lips. “And I'm looking forward to it.”
“Ah, just wait out on the sidewalk for me, alright, doll?” She heard Harvey say from somewhere behind the vampire, but she still didn't take her eyes off of the strange man to check where.
“Sure thing, Harvey,” she said with a nod. “I can respect your privacy.” She spun on her heel and walked back out by the door to her office to wait. Sure, what they were doing was technically illegal, but it was for a good cause, and really, it wasn't worth losing one of her best contacts.
After a few moments, she saw the telltale signs of a vampire taking his leave – a shadowed bat fluttering out of the alleyway and into the night. As she tugged her peacoat tighter around her, she walked back into the alleyway, where, sure enough, Harvey was waiting for her, hands stuffed into his pinstriped pockets and a sleazy smile on his lips.
Chapter 2
“Hey, Leli,” he greeted her quietly. “You sure are getting' good at all that sneakin' you've been doing,” he laughed. “That's the closest I've seen a human sneak up to a vampire without them noticing! You been practicing?”
“Something like that,” she said, struggling not to roll her eyes. That was evidently going to be the trial of the evening: not being a sarcastic bitch to everyone who states the obvious or says something incredibly stupid to her. “Anyway, I think we both know why I'm here, Harvey.”
“Information,” he said like it wasn't the most obvious thing in the world. She tried not to growl in frustration, but judging by the way that he flinched and backed away, she didn't quite succeed. Her patience was wearing thin, and he was clearly doing his best to be difficult with her. Fine, she thought as she cracked her neck. She could work with that.
“I'm not in the mood for games here, Harvey,” she said through clenched teeth. “A girl's life is at stake, and you'd do well to help me out before I start counting the hours that she's been missing by how many of your teeth I can knock out with my fists.” To emphasize the point, she clenched a fist and brandished it at him, sealing the deal and causing him to actually cower against her threats. Harvey might like to talk big game, but threaten him with the slightest bit of violence, and suddenly he's a whimpering fool willing to say anything if it means bodily harm won't come to him.
“Alright, alright, I'll talk, just don't hurt me!” He said as he flailed his arms. She sighed heavily and lowered her arm, but still kept a fist formed just in case she needed to remind him of who was in charge of this conversation again – he tended to be so forgetful of those sorts of things, after all.
“Talk,” she demanded. “What do you know about it beyond the fact that the Excavators are involved in her kidnapping?”
“Shit,” Harvey said, eyes wide as saucers. “You know that the Excavators are involved?” He lowered his voice as his gaze darted around them, as though one of the vampiric gangsters would appear out of thin air and whisk them away, too. Maybe they could, Leliana thought with a barely suppressed shudder. “Maybe don't say that so loud, yeah? Who knows what's creepin' around listening, yeah?” His fidgeting grew worse, and she could visibly see his paranoia grow steadily worse as his fears took hold. She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath to keep from shaking some sense into him.
“Yes,” she ground out. “I know that they're involved in the kidnapping. And don't try to call it anything else, because we both know that's what it is: a kidnapping.” She glared particularly hard at him to drive home the point that she wasn't here to be pulled around, and that she certainly wasn't leaving without answers. Now spill it. I'm nearly out of patience, Harvey.”
“Right, right, right,” he said hurriedly. “Listen, there's more than just the Excavators involved, and they're being protected by a group of vampires and humans called the Syndicate. I'm sure you've heard of them.” She nodded, and knew instantly who he was referring to. Although the Excavators were practically a myth in the human world, the Syndicate was well known as an old school mafia that had a 'family' consisting of vampires and humans, that liked to hire other groups to do their dirty work. No wonder they had the Excavators working for them, she thought. If the police didn't believe in them to begin with, their trail would go cold anyway.
“The Syndicate” she said to herself with a scoff. “I can't say I'm terribly surprised. What else do you know?” She asked, watching as Harvey tried to get his breathing in check.
“I don't know much more,” Harvey said shakily. “Just that there's supposed to be a meeting in The Underground tomorrow night, at the Red Baron Inn, in the ballroom. Something supposed to go down, but I don't know what.” Leliana nodded.
“I feel like asking much more would just endanger us both, so I won't,” she reassured him. She may not consider him a friend per se, but that didn't mean she wished him dead, by any stretch of the imagination. “It's a lead, and that's more than I could have hoped for. Thank you, Harvey. Now, go home for the night.”
“You don't gotta tell me twice, sister!” Harvey said as he scurried off into the shadows opposite from the way she came. Stuffing her hands into the pockets of her peacoat, she turned and made her way home, checking the skies for any bats following her.
Later that evening, as she unlocked the door to her apartment and slipped inside, Leliana sighed and hung her coat on the coat hanger beside the door. She was tired, and all but threw herself down on her plush couch with a heavy sigh. The night had been long even before Mr. Cooper had come into her office with his job, to say nothing of her standoff with a vampire that she had never met before. It was hard not to practically sob when her phone started to ring; she had just gotten comfortable, after all.
But, a private eye's work is never done, she knew, and so she rose and walked over to where the phone was resting on its little table and answered on the third ring.
“Hello, Tornbeau P.I., how can I help you?” She answered and hoped that she didn't sound too tired in doing so. A formal way to answer the phone, but it was necessary for her job. Clients would call all around the clock, and so it was imperative that she ensure professionalism at all times. What friends she had understood that, but still never ceased to tease her about it. It was what she was expecting to greet her ears at this hour, if she was being completely honest.
“Leliana,” she froze at the deep voice on the other end of the line. It was the vampire from the alley, she was sure of it. But how did he get her number? And how did he learn her name?
“You have me at a disadvantage,” she said, trying to keep her calm. Her mind whirred with the possibilities, and most of them related to her newest case. “You know my name, but we weren't properly introduced in that alleyway.” She wasn't one to crack under pressure, and worked best on her feet. Picking up her rotary dial phone, she paced its cord's length in her living room; if someone were watching, a moving target was harder to hit.
“You're a smart one, Miss Tornbeau,” he said smoothly. “However, I would much rather make your acquaintanceship in a more formal setting.”
“I don't do dinner dates with strangers,” flirtation was her default defense mechanism, and usually the one that got her out of tight spaces. A chuckle rumbled through the speaker of the phone.
“Oh, but I insist! After all, how else are you going to get into the ballroom at the Red Baron Inn tomorrow in the Underground? It is invitation only!” She felt a chill go up her spine. How did he know about that? Was he part of the Syndicate? Or the Excavators? She had to know.
“I'm guessing you have a way in?”
“But of course,” came the easy reply.
“Now my only question is,” she said as she
came to a standstill in her living room. “Are you with the Syndicate, or the Excavators?”
“Now that is an interesting question,” he said with a husky laugh. “I would be happy to disclose that information to you when we meet. I eagerly await our formal introduction.” She grimaced, wondering just what this vampire had up his sleeve, and what he had to gain from bringing her into the lion's den. Was it a trap, or was he an independent party with his own agenda? She could only guess at what his motivations for getting involved could possibly be.
“Where are we meeting?” She asked finally, deciding that it was better to go accompanied than to try and infiltrate the meeting alone. Maybe this was her ticket through the front door? It was hard to say.
“Meet me at Gia's at four thirty, it's a lovely little coffee shop on Tenth Street. Wear a dress – it's a formal meeting, after all!” With that, the call ended. Leliana sighed and set the phone back down on its little table before hanging up the handle on its receiver.
With a sigh, she went into the bathroom and flicked the light on. Turning on the sink, she cupped her hands under the running faucet and splashed her face with some cold water, as though it would wake her from this bizarre dream that she was having. She was vaguely disappointed that it didn't, but had known better than to hope that it would anyway. Knowing that she wasn't going to get much sleep at this point, she went back to her phone and dialed up her good friend John, who she knew would be up at this hour.
He was a vampire, after all.
“Hello?” He said brightly, as though he was positively bursting with energy. He must have already eaten today. Not surprising; he was, after all, a blood clinic night security guard. It was the perk of the job; make sure our shit doesn't get stolen, you get to have some of our back stock that's about to go bad.
“John,” she said tiredly. The events of the day had worn on her, and she knew she had no hope of matching his enthusiasm, however glad she was that he was there to answer the phone.
“Leli!” He said excitedly. “Up working on a case, and need some company?” He offered, knowing that she was normally only up at this hour because of a difficult case and usually bounced ideas off of him.
“Something like that. It's a long story, but would you mind coming over? I could sure use a friend right now. I'll explain everything when you get here, I promise.”
“Sure thing, Leli,” he said reassuringly. “I should be there in a few minutes.”
“I'll keep my window open,” she said with a soft chuckle before hanging up the phone. With the phone once more secured on its receiver, she walked over to her wide front living room window and opened it, letting in the chilly night air. She was half tempted to put her coat back on, but knew that she would get no end of teasing from John about how she was always a detective, even when she was at home. He loved to remind her that she needed to separate work and home life, and that she should leave her work at the door more often.
Easy to say that when it doesn't call you up every hour of the day.
She instead sat back on her sofa, legs outstretched so that her feet were lightly touching her coffee table. Grabbing the blanket that was folded up on the side of the couch, she draped it over herself to keep warm as she waited. She needn't have bothered, evidently, as only a few moments later, not even long enough for her toes to thaw, she heard the familiar screech of a bat signifying its arrival. It fluttered into her home and vanished in a puff of smoke. In its place, was her friend John. A tall, thin, pale man with bright green eyes, short brown hair, and a teasing smile already playing on his lips.
“Cold?” He asked, already going to the window to shut it. She nodded and rose, wrapping the blanket around herself as she did so. “Here, I'll make us some coffee, and you'll tell me all about your latest case, how's that sound?” She nodded tiredly, greatly looking forward to the caffeine intake that she hadn't had all day. She sat back down at his urging that she needed to relax as he popped into the kitchen to make them coffee. And he literally popped in with a puff of smoke; he did so love to use his teleportation abilities rather than just walking; for a vampire, he was incredibly lazy.
“You wouldn't believe the day that I've had, John,” she said as he flitted back into the living room, appearing on the couch next to her in another puff of smoke. She didn't even flinch, she was so accustomed to him doing that, and so kept going with her complaint. “The contract is good money, don't get me wrong, but still. It's...ugh,” she flailed her arms when the frustration and the feeling of being trapped got caught in her throat.
“Complicated?” He offered when she struggled to find words. She nodded. “Tell me about it. Surely it's something that you, of all people, can figure a way out of.” He smiled encouragingly. “Here, let me get some coffee for us, and you can tell me all about it.” He rose and grabbed two mugs from her cupboard, filling them with the dark liquid. Taking one of the mugs gratefully, she sipped at it before adding some sugar. Setting her mug down, she noted that he had taken his black, and shook her head, wondering how he could stand the bitterness of it that way. She took a deep breath, nodded, and began.
“One Mister Cooper is looking for his missing daughter.” She started with a sigh.
“Serious case,” John nodded. “But not your first disappearance case, for sure.” She shook her head.
“No, far from it. Still, the thing that complicates things is that the Excavators are definitely involved in the kidnapping.” John's already pale face lost what little color it had.
“The Excavators,” he repeated slowly, as if his mind couldn't fully wrap around the danger that she potentially now faced if she didn't play her cards right. She nodded.
“Worse, I have it on fairly reliable authority that they're working either with or for the Syndicate-”
“I'm sorry,” John said with a wave of his hands in front of him. “But maybe I'm hopped up on too much caffeine.” He blinked owlishly at her. “You're telling me that a girl got kidnapped, and not only are the Excavators involved, but so are the Syndicate?! And you're not scared off yet?!” He asked as he set his coffee down on her coffee table.
“I'm only more intrigued, and I want answers,” she nodded. “And, if things pan out tomorrow, I'll have a ticket to their next meeting.”
“How on earth did you manage that one?” John gasped.
“I was contacted by a vampire that I ran into in the alley next to my office. Evidently, he wants to meet up and escort me to the meeting that I was hoping to infiltrate.”
“Sounds like a trap.”
“It probably is,” she agreed with a nod. “But I still need answers, and a girl is missing. I need to know where she is, if she's safe, and whether or not I'll be able to get her home.” They took their mugs into the kitchen to refill, their cups having been depleted of their liquid.
“Well,” John said as he sipped on his fresh coffee. He nodded to himself like he had settled on something. “You're not going alone. I'm going to tail you to the meeting, and if things go south, I can at least get you out of there quickly. You know I can.” Her eyes widened.
“John, I can't ask you to do that-”
“Then it's a good thing you don't have to,” John winked. “Funny how things work out like that.”
Chapter 3
John had offered to stay the night and keep watch over the apartment while Leliana got some sleep. At first, she protested, but when he brought up the point that vampires were involved and he would at least be able to get her out in a tight spot, she had no real counter argument. So, he stayed in the living room and kitchen area, keeping an eye out for signs that they weren't alone in the area and that they were being watched. It was silly, but the extra protection of one of her dearest friends helped her exhausted mind get a good night's sleep. When she woke at dawn, she offered him her bed to rest in until they left, which he took gratefully. As she sipped her freshly brewed coffee, she contemplated the task at hand. She still had about ten hours before she was to meet up with t
hat vampire that she had a run in with, and she still didn't know how to feel about it.
On the one hand, she couldn't deny that the stranger had captivated her in some odd way. She knew that it had almost nothing to do with him using a charm on her, because she would have become helpless to his whims, which didn't happen. She supposed that was part of the reason she was intrigued by him; he could have easily charmed her into just obeying his every whim last night, but he didn't, and opted to simply talk his way out of the situation when he could. That alone put him in higher regard than most strangers that she met in dark alleyways.
That wasn't to say that she necessarily trusted her newfound ally, just that she was intrigued by him, and wanted to learn more. In this day and age, with the world at war and everyone out for themselves, it was hard for her to want to trust anyone outside of her closest friends, but here she was, putting her life in the hands of someone she literally met less than a full day ago. She opted to pass the time by looking over cases, drinking more coffee, and making sure that her .45 was cleaned, loaded with bullets with crosses engraved into them, and secured in her thigh holster, where she could easily access it should things turn south quickly.
“Morning,” John yawned from the bedroom suddenly. She looked up from loading her gun in its holster and blinked at him before stealing a glance at the clock. It was evidently already noon, which meant that she needed to start getting ready.
“Afternoon,” she greeted with a smile. “I should shower and get ready – I'll be leaving here at about three.” He nodded sleepily, clearly not quite ready to face the day. “There's still half a pot of coffee, but feel free to make more if you need it,” she said as she stood up, stretching her arms above her head. When he nodded with a sleepy grunt of confirmation, she laughed softly and brushed past him as he shuffled off to the kitchen, no doubt to drink some coffee. It was still so bizarre that she was getting dolled up for what may very well be a death trap, she thought to herself as she walked into the bathroom.
Kane (Alexander Shifter Brothers Book 1) Page 94
