by Kallysten
* * * *
With each step Brett took back up the staircase, his anger dissipated a little more, so that when he reached the landing he only felt extremely weary. The lack of sleep was part of it, certainly, but the knowledge that someone else had found death after visiting his club was wreaking havoc on his mind. He still refused to believe Lisa or Leo had anything to do with any of these deaths, but at the same time he was glad he had deleted the video. It would have been much too incriminating if the police had seen it.
The door to Leo's loft was closed, he noticed at once, while his apartment's was open. He didn't pause to wonder if he had missed a significant discussion between his two lovers and simply entered his home. He found Lisa in the kitchen. She had put a pot of coffee on to brew, and was sipping on a mug of blood. He squeezed her shoulder as he walked by her and turned to the fridge. She was silent as he started cooking an omelet for his breakfast, but he could feel her gaze on him, following him around the kitchen. He wondered how long it would take her to say what was on her mind. As it turned out, not very long.
"The video seemed to work fine last night."
Brett didn't reply. She hadn't asked a question. With a flick of his wrist, he turned off the gas beneath the pan and pushed his omelet onto a plate waiting on the counter. He carried the plate over to the bar counter, sitting at Lisa's side. One elbow resting on the tiled surface, she supported her chin in her palm and looked at him through piercing eyes as he started eating.
"When did you decide it'd be better if it didn't work?"
Considering her bluntness, Brett didn't even try to deny the implied accusation. “When I saw the S.E. follow you and Leo out."
She blinked slowly. “The S.E. who was killed?"
"Yes."
"The S.E. you hired to check on me, then."
Surprise stopped Brett mid-movement, the fork halfway between the plate and his mouth. He lowered it slowly back to the plate. “No. I didn't hire anyone."
The way she scrutinized him made it clear that she was trying to decide whether to believe him or not. She must have decided she could, because she didn't pursue that topic, going back instead to the video. “Why did you erase the video? Because you thought it would be proof against me or Leo?"
She raised an eyebrow, and for the first time Brett hesitated. He had tried not to think about it until now, but even as he had been erasing the files, it had been in the back of his mind. He trusted Lisa, and to a lesser degree, Leo, but there was more to all of this than the two of them.
"I erased them because of something Leo said.” At her expectant look, he continued. “He said ... He said your Sire used to be able to make you kill, even when you didn't want to."
Her eyes widened. “So you thought—"
"Lisa, I don't think anything,” he interrupted her. He couldn't bear to let her think he saw her as a murderer. “I don't know anything. No, that's not true. I know that the cops think you might have done it. And I won't give anyone an excuse to stake you."
She seemed almost mystified, and for a long moment looked at Brett as though seeing him for the first time. Eventually, she shook her head and rose.
"Silly man.” She kissed his cheek. “I need to get some sleep."
She left the kitchen. Brett watched her go. He wished he knew what was going on in her mind, and what she thought of what he had done. When she had disappeared in the bedroom, he picked at his food, finding it cold and unappetizing. He had just realized she hadn't said that she didn't do it. Somehow, he preferred that to the possibility of her lying to him.
Chapter 12
No one had asked him not to, so Leo supposed he could have smoked in his loft. Brett hadn't minded him smoking in his office, after all. Still, he found himself going out an hour and half or so before the club was to open its doors. Thankfully, the orientation of the street was such that the late afternoon shadows protected the front of the building. The entrance to the club was locked at this hour, of course, but the service door wasn't. He walked out and sat on the front step before pulling out his cigarettes. It was a sunny day, and just a few feet in front of him sunlight pooled onto the road, making the entire street so bright he had to squint. His instincts were telling him to get away, and a few years or decades back, he would have obeyed them right away. He wasn't a fledgling anymore, though, and he could control himself.
With each slow inhalation of nicotine, he was pulled back into the past; with each release, the present took hold of him again. Years of hunting with his Sire were taking a new light when he looked at them through the filter of Brett's eyes. Years of doing his best not to think about whose life he was taking were suddenly brought back to him, his prey too numerous to remember faces or names, but these same numbers made them too hard to ignore.
He had lived years without killing when he had been with Lisa, so he couldn't even hide behind the excuse that he didn't know any better, like he had when he had been a fledgling. His one excuse, weak as it was, resided in his Sire. Nicholas had welcomed him back, after he and Lisa had separated. He hadn't asked questions or demanded apologies, but he had also made it clear that he wouldn't tolerate any more nonsense about sparing humans. Leo had needed so much to have someone by his side that he had shoved his hesitations in the farthest corner of his mind. These same hesitations returned today with the bitter tang of remorse clinging to them. He hadn't even known vampires could feel remorse.
"It looks a bit too sunny out here for you."
Blinking out of his memories, Leo looked up. He hadn't noticed the door opening behind him. Brett was there, leaning against the doorjamb, a look of mild worry on his face.
"There's enough shade. I'll be fine."
He ground what remained of his cigarette on the sidewalk and stood so he wouldn't have to crane his neck to see Brett. “How did you know I was out here?"
Brett pointed upward, to a slim camera tucked in the corner above the door.
"My contractor finally came and installed cameras all over."
It was a bit late, Leo thought. Too late for the three people who had died already. But maybe it would be enough to save others. He wasn't sure whether Nicholas had come to the club to hunt, or if he had picked up his prey in the street. He wasn't even sure it had been Nicholas, actually, but he couldn't believe it was all just a coincidence: the killing starting the same night they had arrived in Haventown, the second victim being Lisa's prey, and the third a man who had been following her and Leo.
He was startled once again from his thoughts when Brett asked, echoing his thoughts: “Are you going to go back to your Sire?"
"No. Last night was goodbye."
On the doorjamb, Brett's fingers were tapping a nervous rhythm. He looked as though he were playing a fast jazz piece on a piano.
"And he let you go that easily?"
The skepticism in his tone amused Leo, because he had felt the same disbelief when Nicholas had finally let him and Lisa go.
"There's not much he can do about it, short of staking us."
Right away, Leo knew he shouldn't have said that. A note of fear spiked in Brett's scent, sharp and sour, and his fingers abruptly stopped playing on the wood, producing a note that Leo imagined discordant.
"Would he?” Brett asked, the words coming out too fast. “Would he kill you or Lisa?"
"No.” Leo tried to put as much strength and conviction in that simple word as he could, even though he really wasn't so sure. “That would be too much like admitting his failure. As long as we're around, he can still try to bring us back into the fold."
The fear abated, and the fingers resumed their game, more slowly now, almost hesitantly. “Like he brought you back after Lisa left you."
It wasn't so simple, but it wasn't wrong either, so it wasn't a lie to agree.
"Something like that."
Seconds passed, and Leo could see that Brett wasn't done. There was more he wanted to say or ask; his face and his entire posture said so. Leo waited for him to finall
y say it, even if he could guess what the question would be.
"Would you go back to him?"
This time, Leo didn't have to fake the certainty of his answer. Whatever happened between Lisa, Brett, and himself, he couldn't go back to Nicholas. He could only lie to himself up to a point, and he had crossed this point when he decided to stop killing for his meals.
"Never."
* * * *
By the time Brett came up to the apartment, Lisa was already dressed for the night, tight pants and a sheer shirt over a lacy camisole. She had spent her day walking about the apartment, too agitated to settle down with a book or watch the television. She had made good use of what Brett called his exercise room. The second bedroom was filled with gym equipment that was slowly gathering dust as Brett had little time to ever use it. But, in the end, nothing but time would heal her restlessness. She realized as much.
As soon as he walked in, carrying the laptop under his arm, she asked him to go out with her. He looked at her with a slightly puzzled expression.
"Out? You mean, down to the club?"
He walked further into the apartment, rolling his shoulders as though he were tired, and placed the computer on the coffee table as he sat down on the sofa. Lisa perched herself on the sofa's arm next to him.
"No, out. Go for a walk. Or a movie. Did you eat yet? We could go to a restaurant. Or check out the competition. See how much better than everything else On The Edge is."
He looked up at her as the computer started. He still looked tired, but his eyes were sparkling, as was his smile.
"Sure. Let me just grab a new shirt and freshen up a bit.” He pointed at the computer. “Want to see what the new video system looks like?"
He quickly showed her how to navigate through the cameras and left her there. She moved from the sofa arm and sat down in front of the laptop, pressing the key that shifted from one camera to the next. She had a feeling that she would never dance alone, now. Brett had always loved to watch her, and he had the perfect toy to allow him to do so without even coming down to the club. It might be a fun game to see if there was anything she could do to entice him to join her to the dance floor. The thought made her grin to herself.
While she was circling a second time through the cameras, trying to figure out where they were and how she would need to present herself to give Brett the best possible view, something caught her attention and stopped her instantly. The screen now showed the bar, and Lisa had a clear view of Leo behind it. He was serving a man that Lisa would have recognized anywhere. She wouldn't have expected to see him here, however, not after they had said their goodbyes to him the previous night. She also wouldn't have expected that Leo would have a conversation with him, as he seemed to be doing. What was he thinking?
Behind her, she could hear Brett's steps. She closed the laptop hurriedly before he could see what she was looking at.
"Is something wrong?"
She turned to face him, and when a flash of surprise crossed his face, she realized she was scowling. A bit late, she smoothed her features and gave Brett an apologetic smile.
"No, nothing. Let's go."
She wished there had been another way to walk out of the building. The last thing she wanted was for Nicholas to notice Brett in any way. As it was, all she could do when they walked down the staircase into the club was make sure to stay between the bar and Brett. She couldn't help but glance back toward the bar just before they left. Leo was now attending to other customers, while their Sire was disappearing down the staircase that led to the dance floor. For a moment, she thought of warning Brett or the security that this customer needed to be closely monitored. They would ask how she knew, however, and that wasn't something she was willing to explain. They would wonder why she had said nothing if she thought she knew who had killed those people. She wasn't even sure he was to blame, but the coincidence was too great for her to believe it. She only hoped another body wouldn't be found in the morning—or that if one was, the club's videos wouldn't show the victim talking to Leo along with their Sire.
* * * *
A few yards in front of Leo, Nicholas’ arm was wrapped around a young woman's waist. He was leaning toward her as they walked, whispering nonsense to her, and every now and then her laugh rose in the silent street, echoing along the brick walls. He hadn't thralled her, but Leo knew that it wouldn't be long now before he did. It wouldn't be long before the girl realized that the cute vampire she had agreed to accompany home wasn't really as harmless as he had seemed to be.
Nicholas whispered yet again in her ear, and this time whatever he said gave the girl pause. She stopped walking and looked back toward Leo, eyes wide and her cheeks brighter suddenly under the pale light descending from streetlights. Not for the first time, Leo noticed how much she looked like Lisa, from the shape of her face and body to the color of her hair and eyes. He had no doubt that it was why Nicholas had chosen her.
"If you don't come with us,” he had told Leo when coming back to the bar with his conquest at his arm, “I will have a new Childe before the night dies."
Leo had had no choice but to accompany them. He couldn't turn his Sire in or cause him harm; his body just froze if he even thought about it. He could only hope that when the time came, he would be able to do the right thing.
* * * *
Brett had been both surprised and pleased by Lisa's invitation to go out. He could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times they had gone out together as a normal couple. The restaurant was lovely, and the art gallery they stumbled upon afterwards was filled with beautiful paintings from young local artists. One in particular had struck Brett, the wheat field and small white house so vibrant that they had reminded him of summers spent on the countryside at his grandparents’ farm. He had mentioned it to Lisa, even wondered aloud about acquiring the painting, but she had barely reacted. Her mind had been elsewhere all evening, and even now, as they made their way back to the club, she seemed lost in her thoughts. Brett didn't know what to say anymore to bring her back to him. He had tried everything—or almost.
He could see the lights of the club down the street when he finally found the question that would get him more than a one-word answer. He should have thought of it earlier.
"Should we check on Leo?” he asked, looking toward Lisa so he could see her reaction. “See if he wants to join us later?"
She almost missed a step. “Why not leave it up to him? He might want some time alone."
Brett couldn't help but chuckle briefly. “I'm sure he'd want to join us. But if you don't want him to..."
An edge of worry had crept into his voice. It wasn't the prospect of having only one lover in his bed that was upsetting him; rather, it was the idea that they had dangled something in front of Leo that they might not give him after all. After what Brett had seen on his face, heard in his voice that afternoon, he would hate to be so cruel.
"I'm fine with Leo joining us.” Lisa smiled, as though acknowledging his worry. “But I'll admit I'm having doubts. You've been a good influence on him; he seems to be changing in a good way. I just don't know if it'll be enough."
Brett mulled over her words as they finally reached the club. She had known Leo far longer than he had, obviously, so he couldn't dismiss her words. He wished he had known why she was having doubts, though. He wasn't sure either why she thought he was a good influence on Leo.
As soon as they entered the club and despite what she had said about leaving the choice to him, Lisa turned her eyes to the bar. Brett followed her gaze. There were two figures moving behind the counter and serving the many customers, but neither was Leo. At this hour, he should have been there still, unless he was on his break. He couldn't imagine that Daniel would let him take his break with so many customers around.
Slipping back into the manager role, he walked over to the bar and caught Daniel's attention.
"Where's Leo?"
Daniel snorted. “You tell me, boss. He left almost an hour ago. An
d he spent his time chatting with a guy and his girlfriend before that. He left with them, as far as I can tell."
A step behind Brett, Lisa swore quietly, surprising him enough that he turned to look at her. She seemed angry, but not as surprised as Brett felt. Her attitude that evening suddenly took on a different meaning.
"You know what's going on, don't you?"
She started to walk away. At first, Brett thought she was trying to avoid his question, but when he caught up with her she answered without prompting. “I saw our Sire here earlier. He was talking to Leo."
She didn't finish her thought and say that they had probably left together, but clearly the idea was in her mind. Brett couldn't help a feeling of intense betrayal sweep over him. Hadn't Leo said, just hours earlier, that he wouldn't go back to his Sire?
"He wouldn't go back to him,” he said, more to convince himself than because he was sure of it.
She shook her head. “You can't know that. I had a very close relationship with him for a decade, and in the end the pull of our Sire was stronger. You can't expect him to forget everything he is for you. Not after two days."
Brett stared at her, still confused about Leo but now also unsure what he was hearing in Lisa's voice.
"You know, it almost sounds like you're happy he left. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were jealous."
She laughed, but rather than the joyous sound like bells Brett was used to, her laughter was harsh, cutting.
"Jealous? When I'm the one who threw you two into the same bed? You'd never have crossed that road and slept with a guy if not for me."
Brett had never seen her like this, angry and almost spiteful.
"No, I wouldn't have,” he said very quietly. “You know why?"
Her gaze hardened. “Because you were scared."
"No.” It was true that he had been always been nervous about having an encounter with a man, but after he had met Lisa, it hadn't mattered anymore. “Because I had you. Because I love you. Because I would have been content if it had been you and me, for the rest of my life."
