by Jess Haines
Chapter 26
There was no flash of light, crackle of magic, or thunder of epic orchestral music from an unseen band in the background when I put the belt on. I half expected something, maybe even just feeling a little different.
Absolutely nothing changed once I settled it around my waist, adjusting it so the buckle and a couple of clips of extra rounds hung off one hip and the stakes off the other. I was both relieved and a little disappointed.
If not for the stakes, the outfit wouldn’t look half-bad. A little dark for my taste, definitely not something to wear around the office, but to a club? Maybe. I tied my hair back in a loose ponytail to make sure it would stay out of my face. Then I picked up the duster, figuring I might as well give it a try though it was too hot to wear for long and I certainly wasn’t interested in parading around the house like I’d just stepped off the set of the latest sci-fi action movie.
I reached into the bag and pulled out the pair of wooden boxes that held the guns so I could holster them and see how they “fit” with the outfit. When I lifted the lid of one of the boxes, the first thing that caught my eye was something gleaming white against the red velvet lining.
It was a pin of a tiny white cowboy hat. A White Hat pin. The symbol of their little clique of vigilante vampire and Were hunters.
I stared at it for a minute, trying to figure out why in God’s name it would even be there. The guy, Jack, must have slipped it into the box while he was putting the guns away.
Suddenly I recalled where I had seen him before. The bastard looked a bit different in plain clothes and under bright lights where I could see his features clearly. He was the one who had politely let himself into my bedroom to “ask” me to join the White Hat cause—at knifepoint.
Crap, he must think I’d tracked him down and taken him up on his offer. Did that make me a card-carrying, pin-wearing member now? How did this development fit in with all my other troubles? Were Jack and his buddy planning on coming back?
Ugh. I’d just have to deal with that worry later. I only hoped it didn’t come back to bite me in the ass once that “later” eventually rolled around.
The trench coat worked admirably to hide the weapons. It didn’t do much for my figure when it was buttoned up, but I practiced doing a quick draw of the guns, then the stakes. Everything went almost too smoothly.
With the addition of the jacket on top of the body armor, it was quickly becoming stiflingly hot. Before long I shrugged it off and gathered it up in my arms, leaving the rest of the outfit on so I could get approval from my posse downstairs. On my way down, I debated whether or not to mention the pin to either Sara or Arnold, and decided against it. Things were complicated enough already, and I was reasonably certain I could figure out a way to get the White Hats to leave me alone on my own. Eventually.
The two were in the living room, heads close as they leaned over the contract I’d already signed. I couldn’t hear what they were muttering to each other, but they looked up when I cleared my throat.
Sara grinned and Arnold simply nodded, his brows raised. “It came together better than I thought it would. Can you draw the guns easily?”
I tossed the duster to a chair, then demonstrated the quick draw I’d been practicing upstairs. They both jerked back in surprise, and I laughed.
“Hey, I’m just fooling. But just so you know, they’re not loaded yet and the safety’s on. The trench hides everything well, too. I think this might actually work.”
Sara rose with a languorous stretch. She walked over to me and lightly ran her fingertips along my sleeve. “What is this stuff?”
I shrugged. “Some kind of body armor that protects against Were claws and vamp bites apparently. Won’t stop a bullet or a knife thrust, but it should do the trick if Royce goes for my throat.” Or something else. Yikes.
She regarded me thoughtfully for a moment. “And have you decided exactly what your plan of action is once you get into his office? Or what you’ll do if he does attack you?”
“Yes,” I said with more confidence than I felt, “I have. I’m going to show up, try to sweet-talk him into forgetting about the contract. When he refuses, I’ll reluctantly hand the papers over. Then, if he tries anything, I’ll tell him about the changes in the contract and give him a chance to rethink his actions.”
“And if he persists?” Arnold asked. “What then?”
I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose with the tips of my fingers. “Then I’ll hit the speed dial on my phone to call you guys and open up the jacket so he knows I’m prepared for and will retaliate against whatever he wants to dish out. Tit for tat.”
“Okay. I’ll wait in the car with Arnold then,” Sara said. Turning to him, she spread her hands in a helpless gesture. “Not that there’s much I can do if we need to go in shooting, but I imagine that’s where you come in.”
He cracked his scrawny knuckles and assumed a menacing look that was more comical than intimidating on his features. His green eyes sparkled with mischief, which didn’t help make him look any more menacing, more like a kid in a candy store.
“Fortunately, unlike you ladies, I won’t have to worry about legal backlash if I go in with guns blazing, so to speak. Other-to-Other battles are still for the most part left up to us to work out amongst ourselves.”
I had to admit to curiosity. “How come you didn’t just do that in the first place? I mean, couldn’t you just, you know…magic missile him or something and save you and The Circle—and me—a lot of trouble?”
“Sadly, no. The political backlash would be more than even The Circle could handle. Aside from which, singly, I’m not really a match for him. However, with you there wearing the belt, the two of us together should be able to handle him. Plus, I won’t have to worry about the stir it would cause since we have witnesses who think you and I are an item. If it looks like I just went in to protect my girlfriend, I won’t have to worry as much about being canned for it later.”
Lovely. I sighed again, folded my arms, realized how uncomfortable that was with the holster on, and unfolded them to leave my hands dangling at my sides. “That’s just peachy keen.”
Turning to Sara, I put my hands on my hips and looked at her questioningly. Usually she thinks of something I haven’t when it comes to planning, so it felt a little odd that she hadn’t added much to the conversation. “Got any other bright ideas about tonight?”
She shook her head, folding her own arms and rocking back on her heels. “You’ve thought up about as much as I have. I can’t think of anything else to do or any other way to handle it.”
My jaw dropped open in shock. I’d thought everything out as much as she had? Now that was scary.
Chapter 27
We waited until past sunset to leave Sara’s place. I didn’t think it would be a good idea to keep Royce waiting, but Arnold and Sara disagreed, telling me it would put him on edge and make him think I was having thoughts of running instead of facing him tonight. It would be more convincing if I acted well and truly reluctant to hand over the papers.
I had slid some ammo clips into the pockets of the jacket along with my cell phone. When they dropped me off in front of Royce’s office building, Arnold promised to park close enough to come to the rescue or make a fast getaway if needed.
Now, I stood in front of the office tower, staring up at the building while clinging to the closed edge of my trench coat with my free hand and taking a few deep breaths to steady myself. I glanced at the documents in my other hand, feeling my stomach flip-flop in queasy reaction. “This is it,” I breathed, knowing that everything in my life was about to change.
Keeping my head bowed, I tucked the stack under my arm and affected as wooden and reluctant a stance as I could manage as I walked in through the revolving doors. I didn’t know if there were cameras or security guards, and I didn’t want to take the chance that Royce might have some other kind of sentry watching for anything suspicious. There was a guard at the desk, a different one this t
ime. He barely glanced up as I headed to the elevators, the coat flaps slapping softly against my legs with each step I took.
I felt my palms starting to sweat, my heart creeping up into my throat as I entered the elevator and hit the button for the eighth floor. This was it. This was really it. I hoped and prayed the Amber Kiss perfume I was wearing would dull the scent of my fear, that he wouldn’t realize what I’d done, that he wouldn’t think to look over the papers before filing them with the courts.
When the elevator “pinged,” I took another deep, steadying breath, stepped out, and clumped slowly to his office. When I opened the door, I was surprised to be greeted by a receptionist and a bunch of other people sitting at the desks and in the offices that had been empty before.
“Can I help you, miss?”
I stared for a second, that deer-in-headlights look of complete shock at being confronted by an actual human being written across my face. People really worked here at night? “Yes—uh…” I stammered, “Mr. Royce is expecting me?” Why in God’s name were there people here?
She nodded, gesturing for me to take a seat in one of three chairs lined up against the wall, near a small table with restaurant and fine dining magazines scattered across it. I moved over to a chair and slumped into it, trying to get around my shock at seeing people working so late. They probably kept odd hours due to working for a vampire. It made sense once I thought about it. After all, he couldn’t be here to supervise them during the day, and someone with an empire (so to speak) as diverse and widespread as Royce’s would need support staff. Funny, I hadn’t given it any thought until confronted with it, except maybe to assume the empty desks and offices were for show.
In an agony of suppressed terror and fading adrenaline, I sat and fidgeted for close to an hour. It was getting unbearably hot in my jacket, but I didn’t dare take it off or even unbutton it, not with the chance of someone seeing the guns, ammo clips, and stakes. I don’t know if he was trying to irritate me or heighten the sense of anticipation with the wait. Either way, it was driving me crazy.
Finally, an eternity or so later, a young man who, in his slightly-too-big suit and crooked tie, looked like an earnest intern trying hard to fit in with the big boys came around the receptionist’s desk to greet me. “Ms. Waynest? Come with me, please.”
I did as he bade, rising slowly from the chair, clutching the papers to my chest. He led me down a long hallway to a small conference room. On the way, we passed Allison, The Circle’s receptionist, going in the other direction. She gave me a scathing look as we approached. What bug crawled up her ass? Her obvious and intense hatred had no ready source that I could see. She whacked me with her purse when we passed, and didn’t look back. I stared at her over my shoulder until I bumped my shin on a desk, cursing softly in pain before hurrying to catch up with the little intern. He was watching me with a mixture of confusion and amusement, but politely said nothing.
Once inside, he indicated I should take a seat. A pencil-skirted older lady was arranging a dish of pastries, coffee, and tea at a sideboard, and as soon as she saw us, she hurried out. After I sat down, the kid cocked his skinny wrist to look at his watch and then stood at one side of the door, eyeing the painting on one wall with studied disinterest. I soon found myself doing the same, wondering what this was all about.
Royce entered a few minutes later, sporting an elegant navy blue suit and striped tie, his gleaming hair tied back at the nape of his neck. He nodded to the young man and approached me, holding out his hand expectantly. “Shiarra, I’m glad to see you did as you were told. The papers?”
I tightened my grip on them, twisting around in the chair a little and shrinking back. I knew I was gaping at him, but it took a second for me to regain enough of my poise to stammer out an answer. “I—Mr. Royce, can we maybe talk about this first?”
The vampire exchanged a look with the guy by the door, who grinned widely enough to show fully extended fanged incisors. Oh shit.
Unthinking, I jerked back from the table, stumbling to my feet and backing away to put some distance between us. Royce and the other vampire stayed where they were, seeming no more than vaguely amused by my panicked reaction.
“Look, you can’t—this—it doesn’t work like that. You can’t touch me until they’re filed!” I babbled. “Whatever it is you want from me, there has to be another way. Please just tell me what you want from me, you don’t need the papers for that.”
“Shiarra, we’ve already had this discussion. My terms are simple, and you’ve already done the difficult part.” He sighed, sounding a trifle annoyed. “Just give me the contract and let’s get this over with. I’d rather we not be here all night. I’m a busy man.”
Stalling, I looked back and forth between Royce and the other vamp. “Why is he here?”
“To take the papers to the courthouse. He won’t touch you. Isn’t that right, John?” The other vampire nodded, though that fiendish, toothy grin remained prevalent. I think he was enjoying my frightened reaction a little too much. “There, you see? Come on now,” Royce continued, his voice soft and pleasantly cajoling. “You’ll make this much easier on all of us if you just hand them over.”
I looked down at the documents I was holding, feeling my heart rate rev up another notch. Here goes nothing.
I hesitantly sidled around the table and held out the papers, keeping as much distance between us as I could. I didn’t have to fake the tremors making the papers shake. He took the stack out of my hands, doing just as Sara had thought he would and immediately skimming to the last couple of pages just to note my signature and the notary’s stamp. Turning his back to me, he passed the papers over to the other vamp.
“Make a copy of this for our files and then run it down to the court. Call my cell once you’ve paid the fees and filed it.”
John nodded, took the papers in hand, and left, closing the door. I wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, knowing he’d bought it, but I couldn’t relax just yet.
My stomach about dropped down to my shoes when he turned back to me, those depthless black eyes boring into mine with a hunger so primal and dark, I knew for a certainty that he would gladly drink every last drop of blood in my body and not regret it for an instant. The social veneer had been stripped away, leaving the monster beneath bare to view.
“Now,” he said softly, his pace slow, measured, and as predatory as a stalking jungle cat, “we can get down to business.”
Chapter 28
“Do try to make a run for it,” he snarled, my heart skipping a beat at the soft promise in his tone. “It’s been so long since anyone’s been afraid…”
Afraid? Try terrified. I staggered back a step, one hand behind me to keep from backing into something, the other held out in front of me to ward him off. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute! No, we’re not doing this!” I desperately tried to think of a convincing reason to make him wait. “It’s not filed,” I squeaked, “not yet, you can’t do anything to me yet!”
“Oh,” he murmured, easing the rolling chair I’d been sitting in back under the table as he matched me, step for step, “but I can. John will be in the courthouse in about twenty minutes. After that, none of your laws apply to us anymore. Until then, I can still push every button you have to make the first drop of blood on my tongue worth every bit of trouble you’ve caused me.”
“Trouble? Trouble I caused you!” I felt a sudden surge of anger. Good, much better than quivering terror. “I told you I wasn’t out to hurt you, and now the stupid focus and the stupid contract with The Circle probably don’t matter anyway since Veronica is dead! If not for you and Veronica, I would probably be home in bed watching TV right now. Instead I’ve got every Other and White Hat on both sides of the river gunning for me. Don’t even start with me about trouble!”
He grinned without any real humor at my outburst. “You underestimate yourself. And your worth. It doesn’t matter anymore. The contract makes you mine.”
I was clearheaded enough to pul
l out the rolling chairs to try to slow him down, anything to block his way and keep him from getting his hands on me that much sooner. He calmly pushed them aside, inexorably closing the distance.
“What do you want from me?” I asked, ticked that he wouldn’t just say it already and get it over with.
“I want,” he said, his arm snaking out lightning quick to close tight as a vise on my upper arm before I could stumble out of his reach, “you to save me.”
“What?” I choked out, trying to writhe out of his grasp. His fingers tightened until I cried out in pain, tears squeezing unbidden from the corners of my eyes.
He didn’t draw me closer, only held my arm still, that glimmer of hunger still shining evilly in his black eyes. His voice took on a low, guttural quality, as though coming from some beast below the surface of his hardened, all-too-human features. “Stop struggling. I can’t control the hunger and fight the focus. Stay still.”
I tried, honestly, but there was a part of me screaming “OH-MY-GOD-THAT’S-A-HUNGRY-VAMPIRE-HOLDING-YOUR-ARM” that made it awfully hard to just sit still and listen.
“I’m bound to someone, just like you will be to me. Listen to me, because I can’t fight this forever. I don’t have the focus. I’m not able to tell you who does.” He paused, and his jaw clenched tight, fangs bared fully in a grimace as he turned away from me. I prayed whatever it was he was fighting internally lasted long enough for me to figure out a way out of this. He started speaking again, all in a rush, and I noticed that his voice sounded slightly different from when he was talking about what a pain in the ass I was. There was an urgency behind it, and he sounded a lot more like he had when I had met him back in The Underground. “Don’t fight the binding, and don’t fight me, or the one who has the focus may be able to force my hand into killing you. You need to find it and take it from the holder.”
