She walked to the door and exited. She stepped onto the sidewalk almost in a panic.
Nadia noticed Randi was a bit shaken and followed her out. She caught up with her and asked, “Is everything okay with you?”
“Um, I’m not sure, Nadia. I have to get back to Vampyr pronto. I have to tell Quinn.”
“Yeah, I guess he should know Jeff will be at the show tomorrow night.”
“Yeah. See you later, Nads.” Damn! She thought. Nadia doesn’t know the half of it.
Nadia wondered why Randi appeared to be so nervous. It had to be more than Jeff going to the show at Vampyr. Certainly, Quinn could find a way to avoid meeting with him close-up face-to-face.
Randi hurried into Vampyr and stormed into Quinn’s office. She flung open the door and found him at his desk. She breathed a sigh of relief.
He looked up at her in the doorway and saw she was in a state of anxiety. “Is something wrong, honey?”
She rushed over to his desk and spewed, “Quinn, you’re not going to believe this. I just came from the art gallery. There’s going to be an unveiling of a painting at the grand opening party Saturday night, and the artist is none other than Riley; our playmate Riley, but that’s not all. I met her mother at the gallery, and you’ll never guess who she is.”
Quinn lifted his hands and asked, “Does it matter?”
She leaned on the desk and said, “I don’t know. I’ll let you decide. Her name is Laurie West. She’s married to Riley’s father, Jeff West.”
Quinn couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He looked at his wife and asked, “Are you fucking kidding me? Are you telling me Riley is Jeff and Laurie’s daughter?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Fuck!”
Randi folded her arms and said, “That’s not all. They’re all coming to the show tomorrow night.”
Caught off guard, Quinn attempted to collect himself. He covered his face with his hands wondering how he was going to avoid seeing his old friends? As much as he didn’t want to, he had to find a way to avoid them. If Jeff gets too close, there’s no way he’s going to believe he’s Quinn’s son. Soon an idea came to him. He pressed his fingers to his forehead and said, “Okay, honey, we need to calm down. We can handle this. They’ll be here tomorrow night and at the grand opening party on Saturday. I’ll be onstage tomorrow night. I can find a reason to rush out after the show. At the gallery opening, we’ll find a dimly lit spot for a brief introduction. I’ll have someone pry me away after a few moments. With any luck, Jeff and Laurie will leave town without suspecting a thing about me.”
“I hope so, Quinn. I don’t think they would be happy to find out about our games with Riley.”
Quinn shook his head and said, “How would they find that out? Three people know. We aren’t going to tell, and I don’t think Riley is going to say anything either.”
Nadia opened the door and noticed the tension between them. “Is this a bad time? I can come back.”
“It’s okay. Come in,” said Quinn.
She closed the door and asked, “What’s going on, Daddy? Randi?”
Quinn sighed. “Jeff West and his wife are in town, and they’ll be at our show tomorrow night.”
“I know. I was at the gallery when Laurie came in. Their daughter is unveiling her painting at the grand opening.”
Quinn pulled a cigarette and lit it exhaling smoke. He nervously played with the pack tapping it on his desk. “I can fool a lot of people, but I’m not sure about Jeff. We were too close. We were like family. He knew me so well. He was like my brother. How is he going to believe I’m Quinn’s son; a carbon copy of his father? That’s just not possible.”
Nadia sighed. “Daddy, in a mortal’s mind, what isn’t possible is that you could be Quinn and still look the same as you did twenty-five years ago. Besides, a quarter of a century has passed. Just how well can Jeff, or any mortal, remember you after all these years? Maybe the resemblance is uncanny, but if you’re not his son, what other logical explanation could there be?”
“You’re probably right,” said Quinn. “I’ll just have to make it a point not to be around Jeff long enough for him to make a connection.”
Nadia leaned against Quinn’s desk and said, “You probably should know this. I found an article on the internet about how Jeff always thought there was something fishy about your disappearance, and he always suspected foul play.”
Quinn took a long draw on his cigarette and said, “The problem is, we know he’s close to the truth. It wasn’t exactly foul play, but something did happen to me that night.”
Nadia looked at him said, “Avoiding Jeff must be difficult for you, Daddy, considering how close the two of you were.”
Quinn drew on his cigarette and said, “Yeah well, it’s like I told you before, Nadia. As vampires, we have to leave those things behind, but we still have a human side, and it’s not an easy thing to do. I’ll just have to do my best to avoid him no matter how difficult it may be for me.”
LAURIE SLID HER KEY and opened the door to her hotel suite. She noticed Jeff sitting on the sofa in front of the television with the remote in his hand and smiled. She tossed her purse on the chair and sat next to him. He slid his arm around her. They smiled at each other and shared a kiss. She brushed his long light brown hair back and gazed into his blue eyes thinking he still looks the same as he did when we met, only older. “You’ll never guess who I ran into this evening.”
“I don’t know, but I’m curious. Um. Who?”
“Quinn’s ex-wife, Lacey.”
Jeff stared at her for a moment with wide eyes. “Really. I thought she … didn’t she?”
“No, witness protection program. It seems Lacey got mixed up with the wrong people, but it ended well, and she’s back to her life. I met the grown-up version of his daughter, Nadia. Lacey still looks fabulous, and Nadia looks like her with Quinn’s blue eyes.”
Thoughts of Quinn’s disappearance began to resurface flooding his brain. Thoughts he had laid to rest years ago although he never accepted any of the so-called explanations. Quinn was like a brother to him, and he never believed for a second that there wasn’t something behind Quinn’s sudden decision to leave the band and his family and hide away from the world. Even though Jeff tried to convince the authorities, he didn’t have any evidence or leads for them to go on, so, as far as they were concerned, the case was closed. “Is there any word on Quinn?”
Laurie shrugged. “Lacey says he’s well. She says Nadia talks to him. But this is the unbelievable part. Did you know Quinn had a son?”
Nearly blown away by that news, Jeff said, “What? No.”
“According to Lacey, Quinn has a son from a previous relationship before he met her. His name is Quinn, and he was born in 1985.”
Jeff gave his wife a blank stare. “What previous relationship? Quinn never had a relationship in that time frame. He dated a girl for a while on and off, but I know for a fact she never had any kids.”
She shrugged and said, “Apparently he got somebody pregnant because he has a son.” She opened the laptop on the coffee table and pulled up After Dark’s web page. She showed him their picture and said, “Look at this. There’s no denying this is Quinn’s son because he looks exactly like him.”
Jeff put on his glasses and moved in closer to get a better look at the screen. His eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight of young Quinn. “Damn! He’s like a clone. Same hair, same eyes, same features, same build. I can’t believe this. He’s like a fucking doppelganger. Has anyone ever met his mother?”
Laurie held up her hands and said, “I don’t know. I don’t think so. Lacey didn’t say. She was kind of vague about everything. I wanted to ask more questions, but I was afraid I would be prying if I did. Junior’s wife came in, and I met her. It seems she and Nadia have been friends for a long time, and she introduced them.
“Nadia and her brother only met a few years ago. Nadia was playing with a band at the time. She left he
r band to team up with her brother. They’re playing tomorrow night at Vampyr, so we’re going to their show. His wife, Randi is her name, is putting us on the guest list.”
“W-h-a-a-a-t,” came an alarmed voice from the hallway. “Where are we going tomorrow night?” asked Riley entering the room.
Laurie smiled. “To see After Dark at Vampyr. Back in the eighties, their father was the lead singer and frontman for your dad’s band, West Side.”
“Ugh, no kidding,” she said. She could feel her stomach tying into knots. “I, uh, had no idea you had a connection to Quinn.”
Jeff and Laurie wondered how she knew Quinn.
“Do you know him?” asked Laurie.
“Um. Uh, I’ve been to Vampyr. I’ve met Quinn and his wife. Lovely couple.”
“Really,” said Laurie. “Because Randi was at the gallery and she didn’t know you, but she said she’d heard of you.”
She nervously brushed her hand through her hair. “Yeah, we just had a light conversation at the bar the other night. I didn’t give them my last name.”
“I see,” said Laurie. “Ah, about the unveiling at the art gallery. Did you know Chad Devereaux is married to Quinn’s sister, and she’s the other half of After Dark.”
Riley felt as if another ton of bricks had just slammed into her, but she made every effort to remain composed. “Ah, no. I didn’t even know Chad was married. I haven’t seen him since art school. We spoke briefly when he asked me to do an unveiling at his grand opening.” She pointed toward her room and said, “Well, back to work for me. With any luck, I’ll have an even newer painting to unveil Saturday night.”
Riley walked back to her room panting with her hand over her chest thinking this is un-fucking-believable. I had no idea Quinn was one of my parent’s best friends. I can’t believe his daughter is married to Chad Devereaux. How can the city of New Orleans be such a fucking small town? Everybody knows everybody. Be calm Riley. Nobody knows Quinn and his son are one and the same, and your parents don’t believe in vampires. We’ll only be in New Orleans for two weeks, and then we’ll be going back home. Quinn and Randi aren’t going to say anything, so if you don’t tell them, they’ll never find out any of your secrets.
6
VAMPYR THURSDAY NIGHT
Randi spotted Jeff, Laurie, and Riley coming into Vampyr shortly before ten. She couldn’t help but notice Riley looking stunning in a coral low-cut sleeveless mini dress that clung in all the right places rocking a pair of turquoise slip-on high heeled sandals and turquoise jewelry. Only a redhead could pull off that look.
Her mother looked as hot as her daughter in a belted leopard jumpsuit with black high heeled sandals. From a distance, it was almost impossible to tell mother from daughter.
Customers were filtering into the club. Randi made it a point to hold a table for her friends close enough to the stage where they had a bird’s eye view, but not close enough for them to get a good look at Quinn. She seated them telling them she’s going to let the server know their bar tab is on the house.
“What can I get you to drink?” asked Randi.
“Vodka and tonic with a twist of lime for me,” said Jeff.
“I’ll take a Chardonnay,” said Laurie.
Riley looked at her with a smile and said, “Merlot for me.”
“Okay. I’ll put in your order and have the server bring it right out.”
“Thank you for taking such good care of us,” said Jeff.
“It’s my pleasure. We’re happy to have you here. Tonight’s one of our busiest nights, but I’ll be back to check on you when I can. Enjoy the show. I’m going to put in your order and make sure it gets right out to you.” She walked away counting the minutes until the night would be over.
The lights dimmed. The audience began to cheer as Quinn appeared on the stage looking svelte with his long blond curls flowing wearing black snug jeans with a black shirt unbuttoned halfway down the front and a black tapered sports jacket. He smiled and waved to the audience before taking his seat at the piano. He immediately noticed Jeff and Laurie seated at the table with Riley. Some things never change, he thought. Jeff still has his long hair. He still drinks vodka and tonic, and Laurie still loves her Chardonnay.
All of the male patrons whistled and cheered for Nadia as she stepped on the stage looking like a true diva rocking a black snug miniskirt with a black and red strapless, lace-up, corset style top revealing lots of breasts. Red, five-inch, spike platform pumps completed her look. Her long, dark hair cascaded over her shoulders framing her face emphasizing large, smoky, blue eyes and red lips. She sashayed over to the center of the stage and picked up the microphone. She held it in her hand and spoke clearly into it.
“Hi, everyone. Welcome to Vampyr. Thanks for coming out tonight. Quinn and I have a great show lined up for you. Tonight is exciting for us because we’re going to be performing some of our new songs from our latest album for the first time. If you like what you hear, please pick up a copy of our CD on the way out.” The audience cheered.
“Let me see a show of hands. How many of you are local?” She noticed maybe a thirty percent show of hands. “Oh wow, that’s cool. Where are the rest of you from?” Everyone shouting at once made the reply inaudible. “Awesome. We welcome you all from wherever in the world you’re from. Before we get started, I’d like to acknowledge a celebrity in the house. You may not know this, but our father was the lead singer for West Side back in the eighties.” Whistles and cheers made it impossible for her to speak. Nadia smiled and waited for the noise to die down. “Tonight, we’re lucky to have with us West Side’s former lead guitarist and the current lead guitarist for the multiple Grammy award winning Endless Knights; Mr. Jeff West is in the house.” She pointed to Jeff. He stood up, and everyone whistled and cheered. Laurie and Riley smiled and clapped along with the rest of their admirers.
“I know you came out to hear music, so no more talking. Sit back and enjoy a cocktail. If you’re not driving, make it three or five, and enjoy the show.”
Quinn’s fingers began to stroke the piano keys. Nadia went into the first verse of Leather and Lace, a duet between Nadia and Quinn. Other duets included Time of my Life, Stay, Picture, Give Me a Reason, Close My Eyes Forever, and a mixture of songs from their old and new albums.
Lacey finally made her entrance fashionably late in a pair of snug jeans, a burgundy top, and strappy high heels with her dark hair hanging loosely around her shoulders. Laurie spotted her and beckoned to her to join them at the table. Jeff got up and hugged her. “It’s been too long,” he said looking her over. “Lacey, you look beautiful.” She pulled out a chair and sat.
Laurie leaned in close to Lacey and said, “Nadia has a beautiful voice. It’s uncanny how much Quinn looks and sounds like his father. Jeff and I just can’t get over it.”
Lacey was expecting that and was ready with an answer. “Well, I was married to Quinn. They look and sound so much alike; it’s shocking when you first meet him. But as you get to know Quinn, you’ll see he’s much different from his father.”
Riley sipped her wine trying to wrap her head around how complicated things had become.
As After Dark drew near the end of their first set, Nadia began to speak while the music played. “Everybody, let’s hear it for Mr. Josh Breaux on guitar and backup vocals; Mr. Eddie Boudreaux on drums, and, of course, my partner in crime on piano and lead vocals, Mr. Quinn Forrester.” After pausing for applause, she continued. “We’re going to take a thirty-minute break, but we have a lot more show coming up for you so don’t go away. Stay with us, and we’ll see you in thirty minutes.” The audience applauded as Quinn and Nadia exited the stage. Quinn went straight to his office.
Randi reluctantly made her way over to the table to check on Jeff and Laurie with a smile. “How are you guys doing over here. Are you being taken care of?”
“Everything’s great,” said Jeff.
She smiled with her thumbs up and said, “That’s what I want to he
ar. Can I get you anything? Another round of drinks? The server’s a little busy.”
“Yes, please,” said Jeff. “Is Quinn nearby? I’d love to meet him. His father and I were close.”
“Um,” said Randi, nervously. “Quinn checks on business on breaks, but he usually comes out on the floor and mingles after the show, so you’ll be able to meet him then.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” said Jeff with a smile.
“Yeah. Um, I’m going to get those drinks for you. I’ll be right back.” She stepped away feeling as if she had just dodged another bullet. The question is, how many will she have to dodge until Jeff and Laurie leave town? She stepped over to the bar and filled their drink order and returned to the table with their drinks.
Riley hoped Quinn would be in his office. “Randi, where’s the restroom?”
“The corridor in the back, down the hall to the left.” Randi pointed her to it wondering why she would ask when she knew she must have seen it when they passed right by it on the way up to the apartment.
Riley smiled and got up from the chair strutting toward the back. She did remember it was right next to Quinn’s office. She stopped outside of his door and knocked.
Quinn wondered who would be knocking on his door. Randi doesn’t knock, and Nadia has her own knock when she bothers to knock. One way to find out. “Come in.”
Riley opened the door and said, “Hi, Quinn.”
“Riley,” he said surprised. “Hello.”
“I hate to interrupt you, Quinn, but, as you probably know, things have gotten a little complicated. We have to talk. Do you have a few minutes?”
He was uncertain about how a private meeting with Riley would go over with Randi, but he felt he owed her the courtesy of listening. “Sure. Come in and have a seat.”
She sat in the chair across from his desk crossing her legs. “Quinn, I had no idea you knew my father. Can you believe it? Of all the art galleries in this city, the one I’m unveiling my painting at belongs to your son-in-law. My mother filled me in. You and my dad and my uncle go way back. You were the fucking frontman for West Side. Damn!”
Sex, Blood, Rock 'N' Roll, and Vampyr (The Bloodline Series Book 1) Page 6
