Heart of Fire (Alice Worth Book 2)

by Lisa Edmonds

  After Sean dropped me off at MDI, I went home and put my bloody clothes in cold water to soak while I took a long shower. Once I was dressed, I made a sandwich for a late lunch and settled on the couch with my laptop and the Vamp Court files Mark had given me.

  Each file represented either an anti-supe hate group or attacks against a supe or supe-owned business. I sorted the red folders into piles—one for hate groups, three for attacks—and put them in chronological order. Organizing information had always been a calming activity for me. By the time the files were stacked in order and I’d created a spreadsheet for my notes, I felt as if I were back in control.

  As I read and made notes, I started to get a clearer picture of the situation, and it wasn’t pretty. The heaviest files belonged to Humans First, Human Future, and The Daylighters, which were national organizations with active local chapters, but there were seven other smaller groups in the area. Each folder contained information about crimes the groups had committed (or were suspected of committing) and the CVs of their local leaders. I knew little about Rochelle Potter of Human Future or Jacob Johnson of Humans First, but Don Hall of The Daylighters was one of the city’s most vocal opponents of supe rights.

  A brief look at the national organizations’ websites gave me a better understanding of their doctrines. Unsurprisingly, the websites featured propaganda and outright lies masquerading as fact, vitriolic hate speech, and thinly veiled calls for violence against supes. Their social media activity was mainly racist memes and more propaganda. Several of the local groups’ websites didn’t even bother to veil their encouragement of attacks on supes and mages. One site had a discussion forum where members could boast about what they’d done. It was hard to tell which accounts were true and which were made up, but either way the hatred was real.

  Sean texted around four to report Cyro hadn’t been able to find any traffic cam images of the red car that picked Danielle up the night before, which wasn’t surprising. There weren’t many cameras in that part of town. I made more coffee and went back to the files.

  If the hate group files were bad, the records and photos of attacks against supes and supe-owned businesses were so much worse. There was a sharp increase in violence in the past year since the police had begun to openly speculate that a vampire or group of vampires were taking women from the Stroll. The attacks ranged from property damage to beatings and stabbings, including one knife attack that left a male werewolf permanently disabled.

  By five, I couldn’t read any more. I stacked up the files, curled up on the couch, and called Mark.

  He answered almost immediately. “Dunlap.”

  “Hey, Mark. Have I caught you at a bad time?”

  “No. I’m sitting in a van, just off Sixth near the park, keeping an eye on things. You’re supposed to be resting up for tonight.”

  “Yeah, that’s not working very well. I’m way too keyed up.” I sipped my coffee. “You want some company for a while?”

  “Sure.” He told me where he was parked. “Leave your car over on Lescom and Third at the gas station. If anyone’s lurking around out here, I don’t want them seeing your car or your license plate.”

  “Roger that. You want me to bring you some coffee or anything?”

  “That would be great. The gas station has good Danishes. I’ll take two, in case you’re feeling generous.”

  “Well, here we are again, just like old times.” Mark grunted as he settled himself more comfortably in the driver’s seat. “Except I don’t remember getting this stiff and achy the last time we had to do this.”

  I poured him a cup of coffee from a thermos and handed it over. He’d already eaten the Danishes I’d brought. “Here, old man.”

  Mark took the coffee and snorted. “Old man my ass.” He drank half the cup in one gulp. “Thanks for the coffee. You bring this from home?”

  “Yup. Ground it myself, just for you.”

  “Fancy.”

  We sipped quietly and watched the park.

  “You feeling okay?” Mark asked.

  I glanced at him. “Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “I heard about what happened with Adam. You shouldn’t have delayed getting help after he grabbed you.”

  I scowled. “Sean narc’d on me?”

  “Don’t get riled up. I called him to get the straight story, since I knew you’d downplay the whole thing.”

  “The damage was a little worse than I thought at first,” I admitted. “I figured I would be fine to just wait until I got home to use a healing spell. Adam only had me for a few seconds.”

  “A few seconds is more than enough time to fry your brain. You know that,” he scolded me.

  I sighed. “I shouldn’t have let him grab me.”

  More silence. The sun was setting. Homeless men and women trickled into the park, pushing carts or carrying backpacks, congregating in small groups. It looked like most of the park’s overnight residents had decided there was more safety in numbers.

  Mark shifted in his seat again. “Thanks for coming down here.”

  “You’re welcome. It’s nice to just sit and chat.”

  Mark grunted and finished his cup of coffee. He watched the activity in the park while I kept an eye on passing vehicles and pedestrians. Neither of us saw anything suspicious, but I jotted down a few license plates of vehicles I thought might have passed us more than once.

  “I’m sorry about Sharon,” he said, breaking the silence.

  I shrugged. “She has every right to be concerned, I suppose, all things considered. I didn’t leave your firm on the best of terms, and it’s been almost four years since we’ve seen each other. I’m not taking it personally.”

  “She doesn’t like that I work for the Court,” Mark said, startling me. “She doesn’t trust them.”

  “Really? I didn’t realize that.” I wondered if that had always been the case. I certainly hadn’t picked up on any animosity when I worked for MDI, but it might explain why she’d been so antagonistic yesterday.

  “It’s made things difficult, as you might imagine.” Mark shifted in his seat. His back popped audibly. “She’s wanted me to cut ties with the Court, but I told her this was too important for me to not look into it. The Court’s footing the bill, but I figure I’m working for the missing women and their families.”

  I smiled. “I feel the same way.”

  He patted my knee. “I know you do.”

  About twenty minutes later, as it was getting dark, Mark interrupted my thoughts. “Nothing happening here. I’m going to check on some folks I know who stay at the camp by the river.”

  “You want me to come with you?” I asked hopefully.

  Mark turned the key in the ignition and fastened his seatbelt. “Nah, I’ve got this. You’d probably better be heading home to take a nap and get ready.”

  I groaned and reached for my bag. “I really do not want to do this,” I complained.

  “Join the club.” Mark glanced at my thermos. “Anything left in there?”

  “Yeah, quite a bit. You can have it. I’ll get the thermos back from you later.”

  “You want a ride to your car?”

  “It’s only a couple of blocks.” I opened the door of the van and hopped down.

  “Alice.” Mark’s voice stopped me. “We’ll get them. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but we’ll get them.”

  We traded tired smiles. “If you need anything, call me,” I said. “See you at Northbourne in a couple of hours.”

  I shut the door and waited as Mark pulled away from the curb. He gave me a little wave, then headed off down the street.

  When the perimeter wards tingled at precisely eleven fifteen, I had been ready and anxiously pacing the living room for more than twenty minutes. I picked up my handbag and headed for the door just as someone crossed my porch and knocked loudly.

  I opened my door to find Bryan Smith, Charles Vaughan’s enormous security man, standing on my doorstep. Instead of his usual all-black att
ire, he wore a tuxedo. I had no idea they made them that big.

  “Miss Alice,” he boomed. “You look lovely.”

  “Thank you, Bryan.” I stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind me. “You don’t look too shabby yourself.”

  My dress was royal blue, with a long, flowing skirt and an empire waist and one strap, held with a gold ring on top of my left shoulder. I’d pulled my hair up in a loose, messy bun, and wore simple diamond earrings, my charm bracelet, and my monogram pendant.

  The enforcer offered me his arm, and I slid my hand into the crook of his elbow as we headed down my porch steps to the sidewalk. A stretch Hummer waited at the curb, its motor rumbling.

  Bryan opened the door of the limo and helped me climb inside. I settled into the seat as he got in after me and closed the door. As soon as Bryan was seated, the limo glided away from the curb.

  “Can I get you a drink?” He gestured at the minibar.

  As much as I wanted a good stiff drink, I needed a clear head. “Water would be lovely.”

  He took a bottle of water from the small refrigerator. He uncapped it, wrapped it in a napkin, and handed it to me.

  “How have you been?” I asked.

  “Very busy. Improving security around Mr. Vaughan’s residence and his businesses, looking into potential threats.”

  “Have there been any attacks?”

  “None yet. We’re vigilant.” He studied me. “You’ve been avoiding Hawthorne’s and Mr. Vaughan.”

  “I’ve been buried with work lately.”

  When Bryan snorted, he sounded like a buffalo. “So you’ve said.” His phone buzzed, and he looked at the message, his brow furrowing.

  The rest of the drive to Northbourne was silent except for the buzzing of Bryan’s phone as he sent and received a dozen messages during our journey. His tension grew as we traveled to the north side of the city, but I knew there was little point in asking what he was worried about. Bryan was as cagey as his employer.

  A half-hour later, the limo slowed and turned through an imposing gate. Northbourne was located just outside the city, surrounded by one hundred acres of forest and an enormous lawn featuring gardens and a complex maze I’d never attempted to navigate.

  The limo glided to a smooth stop in front of the mansion. Bryan got out and came around to my side. He helped me step down onto the pavement and I looked up at the headquarters of the Vampire Court of the Northwestern United States.

  Northbourne towered above us. Originally the home of a shipping magnate, it was purchased by the Court and remodeled around 1900. The wide front steps led to an impressive pair of double doors that looked like they belonged on a medieval fortress.

  As we headed up the steps, the door swung open, revealing another enormous enforcer in a tuxedo. I recognized him as Adam’s escort from earlier in the day. “Good evening, Miss Worth,” he rumbled politely.

  I gave him a tight smile. “Good evening.”

  Bryan and I stepped inside. The entryway was magnificent, soaring five stories above us to a rotunda. A wide staircase led up and branched left and right, while doors lined the walls, leading into the maze of hallways and rooms of the mansion. My heels clicked on the marble floor.

  “Is Mark here yet?” I asked.

  The enforcer closed the door. “Not yet. I’ve been instructed to bring you before the Court.”

  My stomach somersaulted. “Shouldn’t we wait until Mark gets here?”

  “I’ve been instructed to bring you before the Court,” he repeated.

  Bryan put his hand on mine where it rested on his arm. The message was clear: we weren’t waiting for Mark. I was going to face the Court on my own.

  I took a deep breath. “Let’s do it.”

  The enforcer led me to the main staircase. We ascended to the first landing, then turned and went up the stairs on the right to the second-floor gallery. Bryan and I followed our guide down the gallery. We were not headed for the courtroom I’d been in twice before; instead, our destination appeared to be a set of double doors at the end of the corridor. I kept my head high and hoped no one could hear my heart pounding. Where the hell was Mark?

  Our guide opened the doors and stepped aside. Bryan and I entered the room beyond.

  It was a more elegant version of the courtroom I’d been in before. There were nine throne-like chairs arranged in a wide arc on a dais at the far end, behind a beautiful ornate table. The walls were covered with tapestries, the ceiling with painted scenes from Greek and Roman mythology. A crystal chandelier illuminated the room with a soft golden glow. Two large, empty chairs stood facing the dais. My shoes sank into carpet so deep and thick that it felt like beach sand.

  Bryan and I crossed the carpet. He led me to one of the chairs that faced the dais. When I started to sit, he stopped me. “Please remain standing.”

  A door opened at each end of the dais and eight members of the Vampire Court filed in. The men wore suits, the women brightly colored evening wear. Each wore a medal signifying their position on the Court.

  My eyes went immediately to Charles. His face was expressionless. If I’d been hoping for some measure of reassurance from him, there was none to be had. The other vampires were equally impassive as they moved soundlessly to stand beside their chairs.

  The Court sat according to seniority. The empty chair in the middle belonged to Valas, who had not yet appeared. To her right sat Niara and her sister Amira. Both sisters were dark-skinned and tall, but Niara wore her hair long and braided, while Amira’s was a halo of natural curls around her head. On Amira’s right sat Charles, and beside him, on the end, was Ossun, a shorter, dark-haired man of Persian descent.

  To Valas’s left sat Peter, an older man with white hair and piercing blue eyes. To Peter’s left was David Noble, tall and imposing, with a deep, booming voice and dark hair and eyes. Next to him was Friedrich. He was from Germany originally, and that was all I knew about him. On the far left sat Marin, the youngest vampire on the Court. She was petite, with long, white-blonde hair and green eyes.

  I fixed my gaze on Valas’s empty chair, while eight vampires stared at me. A full minute passed.

  Suddenly, the doors directly behind the center chair swung open and Valas appeared, wearing a dark purple dress that contrasted sharply with the bright colors worn by Niara, Amira, and Marin. Her hair was black, and she wore it long and straight.

  Vampires didn’t age once they were turned, but as the decades and centuries passed, they became leaner and more predatory in appearance. Marin still looked entirely human, except for the pallor of her skin and the sharpness of her eyes.

  Despite her striking beauty, Valas had the eyes and stare of a raptor. If Marin could pass as human with a little makeup, there was zero doubt the Court’s head was a very old vampire. The shadows seemed to gather around her like a shroud. The hairs on my arms prickled as she stared down at me. I kept my eyes on her chair.

  Finally, Valas spoke. “Be seated.”

  My legs folded as if of their own accord. I dropped inelegantly onto the chair behind me as the nine members of the Court settled into their seats and Bryan remained standing at my side. I raised my shields more and managed not to scowl. One point to Valas.

  Unlike the courtroom where I had presented evidence against the half-demon Scott Grierson, everything about this room was designed to intimidate the person or persons giving testimony before the Court. The lights behind the dais, though dim, were directed at my eye level. The dais was raised and at such a distance from my chair that I was forced to look up at the Court at an angle guaranteed to leave me with a neck cramp. While they sat behind a long table, I had no such psychological or physical barrier, nor any place to rest my hands or my handbag besides my own lap. Bryan stood beside me, but his presence was not exactly reassuring. Though we were on friendly terms, there was no question who he worked for or where his loyalties lay.

  I had the sudden and unwelcome feeling I was about to be tried before the Court. It oc
curred to me to wonder if they’d engineered a delay in Mark’s arrival so they might speak to me alone, but to what end? Everything we’d done so far was by the book. Maybe this was more vampire head games, trying to catch me off guard, but I couldn’t see a point to it.

  I quashed my unease, raised my chin an inch, and met Valas’s gaze. Her eyes were black and fathomless.

  “Miss Worth.” Valas’s voice, though pitched low, traveled across the room with ease. “The Court welcomes you.”

  “Thank you for inviting me.” My voice held a slight edge. “Where is Mark?”

  “Mr. Dunlap has been delayed,” Valas told me. “Our time is limited, so we wish to hear your account of the investigation.”

  “I assume you’ve read Mark’s reports. Do you have questions I can answer? If I knew what you wanted clarification on—”

  “We require a full account of your findings to this point,” Niara said.

  I steeled myself and looked at Niara. Her eyes, normally dark brown, were lit from within with soft amber light. Beautiful, I thought, then shook myself.

  “I can’t speak to what Mark did before I started working two days ago,” I said. “I can give you a report of what we’ve done since then.”

  “Proceed.” Valas’s voice was brisk.

  I told them everything we had discovered and done since Mark had brought me the case files. I wasn’t sure if Mark had had an opportunity to submit reports about our visits to Sister Berry and the homeless outreach center, or about Adam’s visions of the surviving victims, but I included that information. The vampires listened to my report, as silent and still as statues.

  When I finished my report, Niara spoke again. “You suffer no ill effects from the mishap with our Seer?”

  “None at all.” I’d hoped to thank Niara privately, rather than alert the entire Court that I had been healed with her blood, but it appeared I would have no choice. “Please accept my thanks for the healing.”

  Niara smiled and I took a deep, involuntary breath at the shiver that ran down my spine. “No thanks are necessary,” she said, her voice like warm chocolate. “I am extremely gratified to hear you are well. I would not have any harm befall an investigator of the Court as she works tirelessly on our behalf.”