“Well, thank you for calling me boring,” she said with a smirky smile.
“Oh, not you Mrs. Devereaux, ah Nadia. Trust me. You’re anything but boring.”
“Well, thank you. So how do you know so much about real vampires?”
“He pointed and said, “See that guy over there at the pool table?”
She looked and said, “Yeah. Are you telling me he’s a vampire?”
“Um hmm. My former boyfriend, but after seven years, I couldn’t get a commitment out of him.” He shook his head. “He has too much baggage. Instead of facing his demons, he just keeps running away from them.”
Nadia held up her hand and said, “Wait, a second. If you broke up, why do you have memories of him being a vampire? Surely he would have wiped out those memories. The only way you would remember would be if he gave you his blood.”
Sebastien rolled his eyes and said, “Damn! You’re good, girl.”
So Sebastien has vamp blood running through his veins. Nadia felt like she may have underestimated him. She flashed an impish grin and said, “I’ll bet you’re a tasty snack.”
He twisted his mouth and said, “Lance used to think so.”
Just then, Sebastien’s former boyfriend drifted into the light and Nadia got a good look at his face. In a flash, it came to her who he was. Holy shit! That’s the man from the funeral. That’s Randi’s father.
She looked at Sebastien and said, “Excuse me a moment. I need to talk to him.”
Sebastien’s eyes widened, and he asked, “Do you know him?”
“Yeah, kinda. I’ll be back. I’ll explain later.” Nadia got up and walked over to the two pool tables. She leaned back against the one that wasn’t in use finding herself standing next to Lance. She made eye contact and said, “Lance Brooks. I was about to give up on finding you.”
Lance wondered who this girl was and how she knew his name. He looked at her and asked, “Do I know you?”
“No, but you should.” She gave him a big smile flashing her fangs.
He sneered and said, “So you’re a vampire. Have we met?”
“No, not yet, but I, ah, saw you at your ex-wife’s funeral. I’m Nadia, and your daughter and I are best friends. Randi saw you there too, and she followed you out. She saw you take off and disappear before her very eyes.”
The mention of his daughter got his attention. Puzzled and wondering how his mortal daughter could have seen him lifting himself up, he asked, “How? Only a vampire could see that.”
She folded her arms and said, “Well. Maybe you and your daughter have more in common than you know.”
He stepped closer to her pointing the pool stick at her speaking in a gruff tone. “What are you saying about my daughter?”
Nadia looked him in the eye. “She saw you at her high school and college graduation. I’m surprised you weren’t at her wedding.”
He looked down and said, “I was. I just made it a point not to be seen by anyone. How is she?”
“She’s fine. She got divorced. That marriage lasted about as long as a snowball in hell, but she’s remarried since then. She’s, ah, my stepmom now.”
Lance stared at her with wide eyes and said, “What? My daughter married your father?”
“Yes, but don’t worry. She married well. They had a small wedding, just the two of them, at a Las Vegas wedding chapel. I’m surprised you didn’t read about it in the papers. They love to write about my father. There’s something you should know. My father is a vampire, and he’s second in command of the vampire council.”
It can’t be, he thought. Is this woman even for real? Whatever she was, he had to know if what she was saying was true about his daughter. “Are you telling me my daughter is married to Quinn Forrester?”
“Yes, isn’t it fantastic?” She smiled and said, “They’re madly in love.”
He scoffed and said, “So my daughter knows about vampires?”
“Absolutely. And guess what. She’s a vampire too, so you have no reason to avoid seeing her anymore. Your daughter loves you. There’s nothing she would like more than for you to reconnect with her.”
Lance wasn’t sure whether to feel angry or grateful toward Nadia. There were so many questions he wanted to ask her. “How the hell did Randi become a vampire? Did you have something to do with it? What the hell happened to her?”
“I’ll let her tell you that. I’m sure she wants to ask you the same thing. She and my father are always at Vampyr at night. You can find her there. She knows about you, and you know about her now, so you have no reason to hide anymore. Go see her. You owe her that much.”
She smiled and turned walking back toward Sebastien. She sat down next to him and said, “I hope he takes my advice.”
He wondered what she meant by that. “What advice? How do you know Lance?”
“He’s a relative of a friend. If things go the way they should, and if he takes my advice, you’ll be happy to know his baggage should become a whole lot lighter.”
He smiled and said, “I hope your right.”
She nonchalantly took his hand and brought it to her lips. She looked into his eyes while she gently punctured him with her fangs licking up the blood. “Yummy, you are tasty.”
He smiled and said, “Take all you like, Mrs. Devereaux.”
She withdrew healing the fang marks with a drop of her blood. “That’s enough. I don’t want to leave you weak. You have mortals to scare with your theatrics and ridiculous vampire stories.”
He chuckled and whispered, “Nadia, don’t take this the wrong way, but maybe it’s better if real vampires stay away from vampire tours.”
She laughed and said, “Yeah, you’re probably right. I have to go now. I’m meeting my husband at midnight.” She got up and turned to leave. She looked back at him out of the corner of her eye with a devilish grin and said, “If you ever want to run with the real vampires, you can find me at Vampyr.”
RILEY WOKE UP SNUGGLED close to Tristan. He looked down at her and said, “Good morning beautiful.”
She rubbed under her eyes. “Is it morning already?” She looked at her watch and gasped. “Fuck, it’s almost six-thirty.” She jumped up and quickly dressed.
“What’s the hurry?” asked Tristan.
“My parents. They’ll be worried. They weren’t expecting me to stay out all night. I have to go, but you were amazing, Tristan. You were absolutely fangtastic.”
“Fangtastic?” He laughed hard. “I’ve never been called that before, but I like it.”
She winked and said, “Good because that’s your new nickname.” She leaned over the bed and kissed him. He slid his arm around her and playfully pulled her down next to him.
“Not now, Tristan. I have to go.”
“Not so fast. One second, I just have to check one thing.”
He placed a drop of his blood on the bite marks he had placed on her shoulder, and she watched them disappear.
She smiled and said, “Wow! I’m impressed.”
“Can’t you just stay a little while longer, please?”
“No. Besides, it’s time for you to sleep anyway.”
“Okay, you win.” He pushed the covers down and started to get up. “I’ll walk you out.”
“No, don’t. It’s okay. You look comfortable. Stay where you are, and I’ll see myself out. I’ll make sure the door’s locked.”
“Okay.” He kissed her and said, “I’ll see you tonight at the grand opening.”
“I can’t wait. I’m looking forward to our date.”
“Me too. I’ll see you there. I can’t wait to meet Mommy and Daddy,” he said in a high, childlike tone. “I hope I pass inspection.”
She laughed and kissed him lightly. “They’ll love you.”
She let herself out and making sure the door was locked. She walked down the creaky narrow stairs and stepped out onto the sidewalk. She took a deep breath of the early morning French Quarter air looking around. The sun was up, and people were beginning the
ir day. Delivery trucks serviced businesses while Sanitation workers collected mounds of garbage lined up along the curb.
With any luck, her parents would still be in bed. She didn’t want to have to answer any questions about her whereabouts. She rushed back to the hotel suite and breathed a sigh of relief when she found them still sleeping. She showered and dressed for the day before ordering room service for all of them.
Jeff and Laurie woke up to the smell of bacon, sausage, eggs, toast, blueberry pancakes, assorted fruit, and coffee. On the way to the dining room in their pajama pants and tee shirts, they passed Riley’s bedroom and noticed her bed perfectly made. It occurred to both of them that she had not slept in her room. They looked at each other and shrugged. They entered the dining room where Riley was up and dressed in short shorts and a turtleneck sleeveless crop top appearing refreshed and ready for the day.
“Good morning,” she said, looking like the cat that swallowed the canary. “I was up early, and I’m hungry, so I ordered us breakfast. I hope you’re hungry.”
“It looks delicious,” said Laurie, taking a seat at the table looking at Jeff.
“Smells great,” said Jeff.
Riley smiled. She poured them each a cup of coffee and placed it in front of them.
“We’re so lucky to have such a thoughtful daughter,” said Laurie sipping her coffee.
“Yes, we are,” agreed Jeff.
Laurie was curious about where her daughter spent the night. She obviously wasn’t out partying all night looking that refreshed. She swallowed her pancake and took a sip of coffee thinking of a way to find out. “Riley, I couldn’t help but notice your bed was perfectly made. Has Housekeeping been here already?”
Uh, oh, thought Riley swallowing her pancake. Busted. “Ah, not yet, Mom.”
Laurie sighed and set her fork down on her plate. “Riley, we’re not going to tell you how to live your life, but a stranger in a strange city is not a good thing.”
“I know, Mom. I’m a big girl now, in case you haven’t noticed, and I’m not going to put myself in a position to find out I’m with an ax murderer so relax. I wasn’t with a stranger. His name is Tristan, and I met him the last time I was in New Orleans. It was the last night of my trip, and we didn’t get to talk, but it turns out he’s Quinn’s business partner and Nadia’s ex-boyfriend.”
Laurie almost choked on her coffee. “Nadia’s ex-boyfriend?”
“Yeah, well, Nadia’s fine with everything. They lived together for five years. Nadia says he was a great boyfriend; they just grew apart over time. She’s cool with me dating him. She has Chad, and she wants Tristan to be happy too. Anyway, he’ll be at the gallery opening tonight, so we’ll find out then if he passes inspection.”
Jeff laid his fork on his plate and reached for his coffee. “Riley, we’re not trying to tell you who to go out with. We just want you to be careful; that’s all. We don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I know, Dad. Trust me. I’m not going to do anything stupid. Besides, you’ll meet him tonight.”
“I’m glad we’re going to get to meet him,” said Laurie.
“Yes you will, and I think you’ll be impressed.”
“New Orleans is a long way from LA to start a relationship,” commented Jeff.
Riley sipped her coffee wondering how she could have possibly forgotten the one little detail of making her bed look slept in to keep her parents from asking so damn many questions. But they love her and worry about her, so why not humor them. She set the cup on the table and said, “Dad, it’s new. We’re just getting to know each other. We’re not looking at wedding rings yet. Who knows where it will go? By the way, how did you enjoy the vampire tour last night?” Even though she was attempting to change the subject, she wondered what she was thinking bringing up the vampires.
“Nadia certainly gave the tour guide a run for his money,” said Laurie, laughing.
Jeff’s mind drifted to Nadia’s cold hand and their conversation about Quinn. “I had a strange conversation with Nadia about her father. When I asked her when was the last time she talked to him, she said earlier that night. I asked where he was, and she said somewhere in the world. If she talks to him all the time, and if she just got off the phone with him, wouldn’t she have an idea where he is, what country he’s in or something? Does he move every day? Nothing makes sense about any of this.”
Fearing her father was getting close to the truth, Riley felt the need to say something to steer him away. “Dad, he left his wife for another woman. I know he was your friend, but you have to accept the fact that Quinn just wanted a different life and let it go.”
Jeff wrinkled his brow and said, “No! No. I knew Quinn too well. I don’t believe the other woman story. Even if there was another woman that his wife didn’t know about, he couldn’t have kept it from us. We were with him all the time. I know for a fact Quinn was madly in love with his wife. There’s no way he would have left her for someone else. Why didn’t any of us ever hear from him again? There has to be more.”
Riley laid her fork on her plate and said, “Dad, what do you think happened to him? Do you think maybe space aliens came down and took Quinn away to another planet and left a clone of him here? Do you think maybe they did something to his brain to make him change his life?”
“At least those explanations make sense,” said Jeff.
She shook her head and scoffed. “If you say so, Dad.”
“Our tour guide, Sebastien, suggested he may be over two hundred years old and ageless,” said Jeff. “If he were a vampire, and if vampires did exist, it could explain a lot of things.”
Riley laughed and said, “Don’t tell me you believe in vampires now?”
“Hypothetically speaking, ageless could explain why Quinn Forrester has a son that’s a dead ringer for him,” said Jeff.
Riley laughed trying to conceal her fear that Jeff had nailed it. She felt the need to convince him otherwise. “Are you telling me you think Quinn is a vampire? Do you believe that’s why he disappeared without ever contacting you again?”
“I’m not sure I know what to think,” said Jeff.
“Oh please, Dad. Sebastien was as fake as he was gay.”
“She’s right about that,” said Laurie, sipping her coffee.
“I know,” said Jeff. “I was just using him to make a point.”
“Dad, you just have to accept the fact that, unless you ever have the opportunity to sit down and talk to Quinn about what happened, he disappeared of his own free will.”
Jeff wiped his brow and said, “I’m sorry, honey, but I’ll never accept that.”
“Dad, you have to stop the witch hunt and lay it to rest. I understand Quinn was your friend, but sometimes we just can’t know the truth no matter how bad we want to find out.”
Riley got up from the table looking back at her father biting her lower lip feeling guilty about knowing the truth about Quinn. She could see how much he cared about Quinn and how much he needed closure. She wanted so much to tell him, but she promised Quinn she wouldn’t, and she knew it would best serve the greater good to leave it alone. She turned to Laurie and asked, “Are you ready, Mom?”
Riley and Laurie left to do some last minute shopping at Canal Place and get their nails done for the gallery opening that night.
Jeff moved over to the sofa and opened the laptop. He typed Quinn Forrester New Orleans Background Check in the search bar. Sure enough, much to his surprise, there was a Quinn Forrester born in 1985. His next search was for New Orleans Vampires.
8
DOWNTOWN SATURDAY NIGHT
Quinn pulled the zipper up Randi’s dress; a beautiful black and gold baroque belted mini with a deep V-neck and sheer sleeves. She slipped her feet into a pair of black and gold platform pumps with five-inch heels. Quinn’s eyes settled on her. “God, my wife is hot. I love that outfit.”
She smiled gazing at her husband looking handsome in a black suit paired with a dark blue button down sh
irt. She straightened his tie and said, “That shirt brings out your beautiful blue eyes.”
Quinn and Randi were the first to arrive at the grand opening of Devereaux’s Fine Art featuring the unveiling of the latest painting by renowned artist, Riley West. Wine, cheese, fruit, and hors d’oeuvres were set up on tables covered in white linen in the front of the gallery for the invitation-only event. Servers dressed in black and white were ready with trays of food, wine, and champagne to pass around to the guests. Riley’s painting, displayed on an easel hidden under a linen cloth, waited for the big moment of its revelation.
Nadia, looking alluring in a black plunging bodycon dress with red high heels, greeted her father and his wife. Lacey joined them looking fierce in a faux leather short black dress with a glass of wine in her hand.
Randi noticed she was standing next to her husband’s ex-wife. She turned to her and said, “Hello, Miss Lacey.”
Lacey scoffed and said, “Oh for heaven’s sake, Randi. Thank you for making me feel ancient. You’re fucking my ex-husband, and he and I are the same age. If you can fuck my ex-husband, surely you can call me by my first name.”
Randi wasn’t sure whether to laugh or be pissed off at Lacey’s attitude. Tired of Lacey’s digs about her being so much younger than Quinn, she decided it was time to fight back. She smiled facing her and said, “I’m his wife now, so I get to fuck him all I want anytime I want, and, trust me, that’s a lot of fucking, but I’ll remember that … Lacey.”
Lacey smiled a fake smile. Randi couldn’t help but be concerned that Lacey may be jealous.
Quinn heard the dialogue between his current and former spouse. Amused, he looked at Randi and nodded, impressed by her spunk.
Riley made her entrance with her parents, wearing a red and black sleeveless dress. The high neck did its job covering the fang marks, but the deep keyhole front revealed lots of cleavage. Her flaming hair fell loose around her shoulders and down her back. She stood next to Laurie who was rocking a short belted asymmetrical sleeve black ruched dress.
Sex, Blood, Rock 'N' Roll, and Vampyr (The Bloodline Series Book 1) Page 10
