Cole sauntered towards me, closed the door, and leaned against it. He folded his arms across his chest and slowly shook his head. “Can’t do that. I want you as my trainer and that’s that. You either work with me or . . .”
“You’re seriously threatening me? What the fuck? What have I ever done to you? You’re messing with my job. I get fired and I don’t get to eat. My life sucks enough, you stupid asshole. I don’t need you throwing around your damn weight because you think you’re king shit. You saved my life once, yay, thanks, but that doesn’t mean you get to lord it over me and use me as your personal vampire bait.”
Whirling away from him, I burrowed my fingers into my hair, so frustrated and ready to scream. Why couldn’t he leave me alone?
Cole’s hand dropped to my shoulder, spinning me to face him, and I debated punching him in the throat. The look on his face stopped me. Regret. An emotion I hadn’t expected.
“I’m sorry. I wish there was another way. The vamps seem to love you and their obsession makes it easier to kill them. They have no sense of self-perseveration when you’re around and yeah, I’m gonna use that to my advantage. It makes me an asshole, I know that, but I won’t change my tactics.” He released my shoulder and stared at the far wall. “Since you showed up, we’ve cleaned out several nests.”
“We? Who’s we?” Would Cole continue spilling secrets? This was the most he’d ever spoken to me without innuendo.
He smiled—a cocky, infuriating smile—and the urge to punch him rose up again. He’d given me enough to whet my appetite and would now leverage my desire against me.
“Now, now, darling, I can’t give it all away for free. You need to give me something in return.” He slouched against the door, legs crossed at the ankle, relaxed as could be. Except his finger was tapping on his thigh. He was nervous or worried. Perhaps afraid of how I’d react?
Considering he was essentially blackmailing me, he was right to worry. I didn’t respond well to threats, but for now I’d smile and find out what the conniving bastard wanted.
“Oh?” I asked, trying to sound pleasant and failing miserably. “Enlighten me, please. What could I possibly have that you don’t?”
As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew. Bait.
“Well,” he drawled, a sly grin lifting the corners of his mouth. “We heard about a nest just outside the city and we need a diversion. Don’t worry, we’ll keep you safe.”
Again with the “we.”
Putting myself into a life-threatening situation in exchange for some crumbs of information? I pushed Cole away from the door, aware he let me move him. My middle finger flipped up before I could debate the wisdom of my action and I marched out of the room. He could shove his plans up his ass.
Chapter Four
I tapped my finger against the table, my leg jiggling in sync. Jacy needed to hurry the hell up. She knew I hated staying out past “my curfew” as she laughingly called it. But while she liked poking fun, she didn’t push me.
The waiter walked by again, his eyebrow raised. I shook my head. No sense in me ordering before she arrived since I planned on getting the appetizer. Sweet potatoes fries, not the healthiest food to eat, but they tasted delicious and wouldn’t hit my wallet too hard.
“So sorry I’m late. It took me forever to slip away.” Jacy slid into the seat across from me. Her apologetic smile went a long way towards soothing my minor irritation.
I waved my hand. “All is forgiven. Do you need time to decide on your order?”
Mentioning the hovering waiter would send her into a tizzy, so I didn’t bother. Everything about Jacy screamed confidence, from her layered black hair to her perfectly accented brown eyes. She knew which foundation worked best with her dark skin and how to draw attention to her plump lips.
However, Jacy made me look like a social butterfly when it came to talking to people. Shyness tied her tongue and caused her to stammer. Her mask to the world covered her vulnerability and endeared her to me. She allowed me to see past the pretence.
“No, I want sweet potato fries. I’ve had a craving for them all day.” Jacy placed her menu aside without glancing at it. “Spill. What’s up? Why the emergency meeting?”
The waiter saved me from replying. His look of relief when we gave our order made me giggle a little. The poor guy. I made a mental note to tip him generously—well, as generously as I could afford to.
I toyed with the napkin, twisting the corners while I avoided Jacy’s gaze. She’d heard all about my run-ins with Cole before and always listened with a patient ear, but I doubted she’d be so calm once I told her his plans for me. Hell, I wasn’t all that calm about Cole dangling me as bait for a bunch of vampires.
Except I’d never told Jacy about vampires. I had no proof and my timid friend would end up a snack if she hung around after dark with me. Nope, it was best she didn’t know about the horrors in the night.
Which brought me right back to my dilemma. How could I explain without actually explaining? Time to skirt the truth and hope Jacy didn’t probe.
“Well, you remember Cole, right?”
Jacy snorted. “Of course. Hard to forget him, since you complain about him each time we see each other. The aggravating man you want to punch.”
A laugh slipped out at her accurate description. He drove me crazy and not in the oh-he’s-so-cute kind of way. “Yeah, him. Well, he showed up at my work as a client. Told the boss he wanted me as his trainer.”
“He did what?” Jacy’s voice turned a little growly and the hairs on my neck rose. My even-keeled friend had never displayed a hint of anger before. “If he does anything stupid, I’ll rip him apart.”
“Whoa, whoa, it’s okay. It’s nothing serious, I swear.” And now the lies slipped out, but seeing her upset bothered me. Jacy brought out all the protective instincts I didn’t know I had. “He wanted me to teach him yoga.”
The anger whooshed from her and she blinked. “Yoga? Cole wants to learn yoga? Seriously? I can’t imagine him staying in any of the poses.”
“I should sneak some pictures for you.” I laughed, dragging up the mental image of him groaning while his body slowly settled into place. “He’s not a flexible person. Strong, yes. Flexible, no.”
The waiter smoothly slid our plates in front of us. “Anything else I can get you?”
“Oh no, we’re good, thank you.” I made a mental note not to take up too much of his time, since the supper rush would soon start. Wednesdays weren’t as busy as the weekend, but our meagre order wouldn’t justify sitting for several hours. Plus night would fall soon and I needed to find a place to sleep. I’d already called the shelter and they were full. Naturally. And I was not going back to Halvar’s. Twice in a row was inviting trouble.
“And that’s all Cole wanted?” Jacy asked, lifting a few fries to her mouth. Her tone sounded off, like she suspected I wasn’t telling the truth, except her timid nature wouldn’t allow her to accuse me of lying. She hated confrontations.
“Yeah, that’s it. He implied he wanted to see me outside of work, but I shot him down.” As close to the truth as possible. It wasn’t a date he wanted, though. And no way was I drawing even more attention to myself with the vampires. They already loved hunting for me. If I joined with other humans to take out nests? Oh hell no.
I dipped my sweet potatoes into the chipotle sauce while Jacy stuffed more fries in her mouth, annoyance tightening her features. Annoyed with me or Cole? She encouraged me to date and have fun, even though she didn’t have a blazing social life herself. Maybe she wanted to live vicariously through me? I preferred not to. Life was full of work and not dying. Adding a man to the mix would just stress me out.
“Next time you see him, tell him to fuck off.”
My eyebrows shot up and I stopped chewing. Oh-kay then. Not annoyed with me. I’d never heard Jacy swear. My sweet, good-natured friend avoided bad language like the Black Death, and she was too damn nice to complain when I swore—which was often.
/> “I’ll keep that in mind,” I said with a rueful grin. Today had thrown me some curve balls.
“Jacy, what a surprise, seeing you so far from home.” A woman’s voice intruded in our bubble of friendship, her tone a tad catty. “How’d you slip your leash?”
Wow, whatta bitch. I raised my eyebrow at Jacy, whose gaze dipped downwards while she hunched her shoulders. She’d deflated into herself, and my anger flared. How dare this person talk down to Jacy?
“Hi, Michelle,” Jacy said, quiet and respectful, like this woman deserved an iota of deference. “I’m just having dinner with a friend.”
Michelle’s long blonde hair tumbled down her back, and her clothes—figure hugging without being obscene—screamed high fashion. Stilettos gave her extra inches, making her tower over us. If she thought to intimidate me, she was dead wrong. Not much unnerved me anymore.
She enjoyed power, as evident from her attitude towards Jacy, and demanded reverence, which she didn’t deserve. I didn’t know who the fuck she thought she was, but she needed to get away from us before I told her off.
The tall woman sniffed in disdain, then stiffened. Her grey eyes widened, then narrowed on Jacy, who missed the laser stare since she remained fixated on her dwindling fries.
Michelle slammed her hands on the table, leaning into Jacy’s personal space, and hissed, “What do you think you’re doing? Does he know?”
Jacy gave her head a little shake and she shrank even further into herself. I’d had enough. The intruder had no right to terrify my friend. I stood up, my chair scraping against the floor, and grabbed Michelle’s arm.
“Get away from my friend. Now. We’re enjoying a pleasant meal, which you’ve interrupted.”
Michelle’s bicep flexed under my grasp, giving me an idea of the strength in her body. She might look refined and above sweaty pursuits, but I felt the understated power. Years of training myself and others gave me a sense of what she hid. This woman expected trouble and had honed herself to take care of any physical threats.
I smiled, refusing to back down. She could be an MMA fighter for all I cared. Michelle wouldn’t bully Jacy again.
“Oh you’re a brave one, aren’t you? And stupid.” Michelle’s expression tightened as her eyes deepened to a darker grey. “Learn your place and don’t talk back to your betters.”
I released her arm, more from disgust than fear. Touching her made me feel dirty and I wiped my hand against my thigh. “Sorry, lady, I don’t see anyone here who’s better than me, just a delusional person who thinks money equals class.”
“Pearle, please,” Jacy whispered. She glanced up, her eyes pleading. “I don’t want any trouble. It’s time for me to go home, okay?”
Backing down wasn’t something I did naturally. Fighting to the death was more my style. It wasn’t Jacy’s style, though, and I didn’t want to upset her more. I smoothed out my expression and gave her a grin, then stuffed my remaining fries in my mouth.
“Sounds good to me. I’m done eating, too.” I wanted to pop off to Michelle about her presence causing the atmosphere to plummet, but I kept my mouth shut, a first for me. Jacy didn’t need more tension. I reached for my wallet in my knapsack. “My treat.”
“No, I’ll pay,” Jacy said, tossing thirty dollars onto the table, which more than covered the two appetizers and a tip. “It’s my fault we had to cut this short.”
From anyone else, I would’ve assumed her words were a dig at Michelle. With Jacy, she meant it. I dug my teeth into my lower lip. No nasty comments. Keep them in and don’t rage at the snooty bitch looking down her nose at Jacy.
I shouldered my knapsack and “accidentally” bumped into Michelle when I moved past her. Childish? Hell, yeah. Satisfying? Was it ever.
The reflection in the window showed the haughty woman staring a hole through us while we walked away. Jacy’s shoulders drooped lower, all her confidence leeched away because of one asshole. I wanted to hug her and tell her Michelle’s opinion didn’t matter, except it wouldn’t work. From experience, I knew she’d obsess over the details of the meeting, of how she could’ve behaved differently. She’d yet to accept that some people were born jerks and nothing she did could change that.
“Hey, don’t stress over her. She’s not worth it.” Okay, so I couldn’t follow my own mental advice. Jacy’s pain bothered me and I couldn’t just ignore it. “Just picture her with tomato soup poured over her head.”
Jacy giggled and bumped me with her hip. I stumbled on the sidewalk, a little surprised at the strength behind the move, though I shouldn’t have been. A few inches taller than me, her body had the light muscled tone of someone who worked out, and she walked with the grace of someone comfortable in her own skin. Jacy, a dichotomy of timid and confident.
“That’d be a sight to see,” she whispered, tossing a glance over her shoulder. “Good, she’s not following me.”
“Why would she? Is she harassing you? You should go to the police if she is.” Irritation lent a snap to my tone and Jacy flinched. “Oh shit, I’m sorry. I hate seeing you upset and it makes me want to smack her. You don’t see her often, do you?”
“No, only when there’s a get-together with all the . . . clients.”
Jacy’s hesitation bothered me, like she didn’t want to share a part of her life with me.
Yeah, and I was a total hypocrite. I didn’t tell her everything and I unabashedly lied to her about Cole. Never mind the fact she didn’t even know I was homeless. Pride kept that nugget of truth to myself. I preferred not to tell anyone. Cole didn’t count.
She had a right to keep stuff from me.
I glanced at the darkening sky and gripped the straps of my knapsack. “I need to head out. I’ll text you later, okay?”
Jacy slowly nodded, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. She wanted to say something, but I didn’t have the time to coax it from her. It’d take me a good twenty minutes of jogging to reach the tunnel I’d bunker in for the night.
I waved and took off, my attention fixed on the lack of skittering on my skin. I was safe. For how long was anybody’s guess.
Chapter Five
I’d spent time in this tunnel before. It wasn’t my favourite place to stay, but as they say, beggars can’t be choosers. And I couldn’t complain. Shelter was shelter.
I stooped to avoid hitting my head, since the top reached five feet at its peak, and if I stretched my arms out, I could trail my fingers along either side. The ground was clean of rocks, though a few leaves had blown in since my last time here. I kicked around to make sure no animals had made a nest in my absence. Nothing. Just me alone in the dark.
Ten feet in, concrete had fallen, blocking off the passageway, which made it a perfect place to stay. No one could sneak up behind me and I only had to defend the front. Not many bothered with this spot because it was on the outskirts of the city. Myself, I enjoyed the jog. It helped me stay in shape.
And surprisingly, the rushing rapids from the Moira River soothed me. I’ve always enjoyed lakes and rivers.
Not many vampires ventured out this far and perhaps they couldn’t scent me over the water. I didn’t push my luck, though. I came here only once a week, when I had nowhere else to go. Settling on the hard, damp rocks, I cursed my stubbornness. Going back to Halvar’s would’ve meant a dry night indoors with others around me, except I couldn’t trust the werewolves to show up again. I’d just bring more vampires to those who’d shown me a bit of kindness.
After Dad died, I’d ended up in a group home. One night, a vampire convinced one of the other kids to open the door, and he butchered everyone there. Everyone except me, because I’d woken to the flurry of insects on my skin warning me to escape. Afterward, I lied to the cops, said I’d snuck out for the night and didn’t know what’d happened.
The slaughter at the second group home taught me that the first one hadn’t been a fluke. Their deaths still weighed heavily on my conscience, though I no longer tortured myself with what-ifs and if-onl
ys.
I pulled a thin, fuzzy blanket from my knapsack and lay down, snuggling into its warmth. Undressing would’ve been nice, but I’d learned the error of my ways ages ago when I’d had to fight a vampire half naked. I’d almost died because I’d been worrying about my boobs jiggling in front of a bloodsucker.
I laid my knife next to me, within easy reach should I need it.
My breathing slowed. I had no reason to stay up late and had learned to steal as much sleep as I could before the vampires came calling. They shouldn’t find me here, but I wasn’t betting my life on it.
Muscles relaxed while I drifted closer to dreamland and I yawned, a tiny one filled with satisfaction. A few hours of deep sleep would be heavenly. Last night had given me a taste and I wanted more. What would it be like to nod off without a care? To pass the entire night undisturbed?
Even if nothing attacked me, I couldn’t spend a whole night dreaming. My body was trained to wake at the slightest noise, no matter what caused it. Wind in the trees, a dog barking, a shoe scraping against rocks.
Blinking, I dragged my scattered mind back to wakefulness. A shoe? Was someone out there?
My knife was in my hand. I couldn’t recall grabbing it. Muscle memory was a hell of a thing.
My skin stayed bug-free. No creepy-crawly sensations alerting me to a vampire, so what was out there? Another homeless person hoping to find shelter for the night? Or something more sinister? I didn’t have much to steal, since I kept my possessions to a bare minimum, enough to survive on and to pretend to the world that I had a home.
Silently, I adjusted my blanket, giving me a perfect view of the entrance. If anyone stepped into the opening, they’d be silhouetted by the distant streetlights while I’d stay steeped in shadow. I had the advantage and I wasn’t giving it up by making noise.
I relaxed my tense muscles, not wanting to cramp at an inopportune time, while keeping a firm grasp on the knife handle.
Come on, show yourself. I don’t have all night. Some sleep would be nice instead of spending my time waiting for nothing to happen. Damn it, what if my imagination had conjured up the noise? Wouldn’t be the first time I’d heard things. Every so often, I’d hear Dad call my name even though he’d died twelve years ago.
Splintered Nights Page 3
