“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 Three
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 th
e 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 that 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.
Still, she conceded as she started her shower and got ready. Best to make herself look presentable.
Water poured from the faucet, and by the time that she shed her clothing and stepped in, steam had begun to rise from the tub and fill the room. Once she was inside and the water hit her bare flesh, she all but moaned sexually as the hot water began to work at her aching and tired muscles. For a while, she simply stood there, letting the water race down her creamy ebony skin in rivulets, before finally forcing herself to lather her hair and body, scrubbing away the last months' worth of stress, knowing that she was going to have to be at her best in order to constantly remind herself that it was not, in fact, a date with anything but death if she wasn't careful.
Finally, as she emerged from the shower and toweled off, she felt like she was filled with more energy than she had felt all week, and felt almost normal again for the first time in a long time. Pulling on her undergarments and brushing her hair out, she draped her towel around her and walked as fast as she could back in her bedroom to stave off the chill. Thankfully, John was still in the kitchen, occupied with consuming enough caffeine to wake up to bother noticing. She pulled her closet door open and began to scan the clothes hung there to try and find something suitable for this meeting. With a sigh, she settled on a long sleeved, off the shoulder sheath dress made of soft ruby fabric that clung to her every curve and flared off at the hip and cut off at the knees, the perfect dress to keep her gun hidden with. She plucked it out of the closet and set to work dressing herself.
Her makeup, an alluring smoky eye shadow and accentuated with full garnet stained lips, was put on with relative swiftness, if a bit fumblingly- it had been a while since she'd tarted herself up, after all.
Satisfied with how she looked so far, she let her steadily drying hair fluff out, pulling the thick tresses into a neat bun while she rummaged around for a hair clip. Pinning her hair to hold it in place, she found her old faux gold hair clip, with costume gemstones that matched her dress in it, and pinned it to the side of her bun to accentuate the style.
Pleased with how her hair and makeup turned out, she began to debate between her three pairs of shoes. Settling on a pair of black kitten heels, just short enough that she could still easily move but stylish enough to be worn at a formal meeting, she stepped into them, giving herself a once over in the mirror. She hardly recognized herself for how different she looked with a little bit of makeup and a dress, as opposed to her typical business attire and peacoat.
“All set, then?” John asked as she walked out of her bedroom. She nodded, and noted that he was noticeably more awake now that he had some sleep and some coffee in his system, which she was grateful for. “That dress is really flattering on you. You look beautiful in it, even if I know you'd really rather be in your work clothes.” They shared a laugh.
“Thank you, John, that means a lot.” She sighed. “We'd better head out and meet up with this guy. Who knows what would happen if we were late.” John nodded, his smile fading.
“I'll stick to the rooftops and keep close to you, that way if anything happens, I can swoop in and grab ya.” He said with a smirk. She nodded.
“Sounds like a plan, John. I'll head out and stick to the sidewalk so it's easier to spot me.” With the plan in motion, Leliana left her building and made her way to Gia's. It was a nice shop, she had to admit, as she came here often for some coffee or hot chocolate if she had a day off where she could just sit and take in the atmosphere. Sadly, this wasn't one of those days. Shame she didn't have time yesterday, as this might very well be her own personal death march.
No, she thought with a shake of her head. Thoughts like that weren't going to help her walk away alive, not if she went in expecting to die; a person like that might get reckless. As small as it was, she resolved to go to that coffee shop after all of this was over and order the biggest mug of tea that she could buy. It might seem insignificant, but she always liked to stick to the plans that she made, and she resolved to see this one through. Thankfully, the walk wasn't long, and it didn't take her that much time to get there. She stole a glance at one of the higher building rooftops and saw a flicker of what she sincerely hoped was John moving to a better vantage point; she only had a few blessed bullets, after all.
“I can't say I'm surprised that you're early,” she turned at the sound of the stranger's voice, and began to hope even harder that it was John that she saw on the roof. “Or that you didn't come alone.”
“You didn't tell me to,” she reasoned, shifting her weight onto one foot to cock her hip. His bright blue eyes followed the motion appreciatively, and she couldn't help but feel at least a little pretty because of it – call her an old fashioned broad, but it was always nice when her hard work paid off, no matter what it related to. His chuckle rumbled in his chest, and she swore that she could feel it in hers as well. She shuddered at the sensation.
“That's fair enough, I suppose. I might have, if I knew that your friend was going to be another vampire.” He said smoothly. “I don't like...competition.” His eyes roved over her entire body, making her shudder again. She felt like his gaze was doing more than undressing her; it felt like he was staring into her very heart to learn all of her secrets, and she wasn't entirely sure whether or not she liked that feeling.
“You two should get along just fine, then,” she said, understanding the meaning behind his words; he was interested in her, and she couldn't deny that she held some interest of her own. Whether or not she would act on it would depend on what went down tonight, and if they
both made it out of it alive. “I grew up with him, so it isn't like that. We're practically siblings, and I'm sure his wife would shoot me on principle if I bothered with him.”
“Ah, that's good,” he purred, offering her his arm. “Shall we head to the meeting, then? I simply can't wait to show you off.”
“You never introduced yourself, sir,” she said, but looped her arm in the crook of his as they made their way to the nearest entrance to the metro, the only way to get to the Underground.
“Ah, how incredibly rude of me,” he said as they walked down the steps and into the darkness of the metro. “It's Victor. Victor Marley, and I'm something of an... independent party in all this as well.”
Chapter Four
“So, you're not with the Excavators or the Syndicate?” Leliana asked with a frown. “And yet, you still got in invitation to this meeting between them? How?” Just when she thought she had a grasp on the situation, there was always a curve ball, she thought with no small amount of frustration.
“I'm just as I said; an individual party. I take care of some of the less than savory things that the Syndicate doesn't want its hands dirtied with. I get paid, and that's that.”
“Are you involved with the kidnappings?” She asked in a low voice with an arched brow.
“My, you certainly don't speak in riddles. I admire that,” he said with a soft smile. “But no, nothing like that. I'm mostly just a courier for them. But I learned of these kidnappings that the Excavators are doing on behalf of the Syndicate and, well,” he grimaced. “I want out of the game. They've gone too far with this.”
“A man with principles,” she said as they ducked into one of the vault entrances to the Underground. While it wasn't forbidden to go there and the place was common knowledge, it was better that no one saw them specifically going down just yet. “Something I can admire. You wouldn't happen to know where any of the kidnapped people went, do you?”
ROMANCE: SHAPESHIFTER ROMANCE: Dragon Baller's Bride (Dragon Shifter Alpha Male Romance) (Paranormal Romantic Suspense) Page 52
