by Lexi Blake
I turned around and rolled my eyes at my grumpy boyfriend. He was completely against me having anything whatsoever to do with Marcus. I needed him to understand that besides friendship, I had zero designs on the vampire. Hell, I could barely handle the man I had. I wasn’t looking to take on another.
“So why do you think Joanne is different?” Marcus asked blandly.
“There are many reasons she doesn’t fit the pattern, Councilman. For one thing, she’s the only non-wolf.”
“Wolves are much more common than any other wereanimal,” Marcus pointed out.
“Secondly, she’s the only one of the victims who was buried separately.”
“All the wolves were buried in a single grave,” Gray affirmed.
“Jo was buried separately. He took care with her. She was the only one who was buried with her jewelry. All the other girls were completely stripped down with nothing left to help identify them.” Now for my grand finale. “And I believe she was dead before he cut her open.”
“Why do you believe this, Kelsey?” Marcus didn’t argue with me. He merely wanted to know how I had drawn my conclusions.
“Because of the lack of blood,” I explained. “If you look at her pictures, compared to the rest of them, she doesn’t bleed. There’s bruising around her neck and that tells me she was probably strangled to death before she was taken to the warehouse. The bruises are already visible. It also explains why the silver didn’t burn her the way it did the rest.”
“Because dead girls don’t fight back,” Marcus concluded grimly.
Gray shook his head in the back seat. “All this time I was paying more attention to the other pictures for the simple fact that they were more violent. Kelsey comes in and proves that the least violent of all the kills is probably the one that will tell us who the killer is.”
I took enormous pleasure at the pride in his voice. “He knew her. He liked her. He didn’t want to kill her, but he had to.”
If I was right, my list of suspects was somewhat short. I wanted to start with Professor Peter Hamilton.
“Did you have relations with that girl, Councilman?” Gray asked his question in that Western, all-lawman twang he got when he wanted the truth.
It was overkill. It was so weird that I was the soft touch between the two of us. That so rarely happened to me. “Gray, let up on him.”
The vampire waved his hand to silence me. “It’s all right, Kelsey. It’s a legitimate question. The answer is no. I did not have sexual relations with Miss Taylor. I did, however, feed from her. I did so several nights in row, and now I understand why she sought me out.”
“She looked for you?” I wanted to know everything about what she’d done while she was investigating.
“Yes,” Marcus replied. “I thought she seemed out of place. By nature, the girls who choose to work the clubs are harder, tougher than Joanne Taylor was. Perversely, her very softness was alluring to every vampire who walked through the door.”
“See, I don’t get that,” I said as the bright lights of the city flowed by. “That other vampire, Michael, thought I was soft and you agreed with him. You guys must have an entirely different version of soft than me.”
Marcus had the temerity to chuckle. “You might be prickly on the outside, Kelsey, but on the inside you long. We can feel it. Especially myself, given my talents. You long for someone to take care of you the way your father never did. You long for someone to love you just the way you are, and you’re not even sure of who that is, yet, but you want a man who will be willing to stand by you while you discover it.”
I wasn’t sure I liked being such an open book to anyone, much less a bunch of vampires. “How can you see that much when you barely know me?”
“Two thousand years of interactions with other human beings can refine your ability to see past defenses,” Marcus said. “It’s also one of my talents. Academics aren’t the strongest so we adapted. We can sense what humans need. It makes it easier to feed. You are very resilient, cara mia, but there is such softness on the inside.”
Gray frowned from the backseat. “Hey, I don’t know what you called her but don’t. It sounds awfully intimate. She is soft, though, and sweet when she wants to be. She can flay you alive when she thinks you’ve done her wrong.”
I flushed because I really could. It was time to get back to the subject at hand. “So Joanne sought you out?”
The vampire nodded his agreement. “She seemed out of place with the others. She wore the clothes that were provided for her, but she took no pleasure in them. She was always trying to cover more of herself. I thought it odd that she covered a designer dress with a sweater. I asked her why she was there and she told me she needed the money. For three nights she allowed me to feed from her. I felt her distaste so I fed from her wrist. It’s less intimate. On the fourth night, I simply offered to pay for her school. I wouldn’t miss the money and she needed it. It was painful to watch her, but she turned me down and sought out another vampire. I decided it was her game. I was wrong.”
What a dangerous game she’d played. “Did she ever ask you about Britney Miles?”
We were approaching the club and Marcus slowed down the Bentley. “She asked if I’d met her. I said I had. She’s one of the girls I did bed. She was a hard girl, very aggressive. I told Joanne that she had moved on after me. She seemed to be working her way through the vampires. Before me she’d had Michael and several of the visiting vampires. After me she allowed Alexander to make an appointment with her.”
“And he’s seriously Jack the Ripper?” Gray snorted a little, a show of his suspicion. “Don’t all you vampires claim some historical relevance?”
Marcus pulled to the side of the road, putting the car in park. He met Gray’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Do not doubt it for a moment, Lieutenant. He is everything that history claims him to be and so much more. He’s incredibly clever. He’s been careful for the last ten years. He knows that if he steps out of line even once the king will have him executed. If he’s working again then he’ll do anything to keep it quiet. I believe this is where you leave us, Lieutenant.”
Gray sighed and made sure he had the keys to my Jeep in his hand. He leaned up and pulled me in for a quick, possessive kiss. “You be careful.” His hand cupped the back of my neck. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I said, the words coming more and more easily to me.
He turned to the vampire, his expression turning forbidding in a second. “And you…”
“Will be horribly murdered if I so much as lay a hand on your lovely woman,” Marcus concluded the coming threat with a jaunty wave of his hand. “I will take good care of Kelsey.”
“See that you do.” Gray hopped out of the car with his bag of equipment. He was going to watch the club from the parking garage I previously staked out. He was also going to get my car and pay for any tickets I’d gotten since he was the reason I’d had to leave it behind. I watched him quickly fade into the background as Marcus pulled away from the curb. He drove the last block and stopped in front of the huge row of Victorian townhomes I now knew were all connected.
Anticipation thrummed inside me, a beast who wanted out of its cage.
The valet hustled to open my door.
“Good evening, Ms. Atwood,” he said solicitously. “Welcome to the club. Ms. Sears is looking forward to making your acquaintance.”
I waited for him to take the keys from Marcus, who nodded briefly and joined me, his hand immediately finding the small of my back.
“Did I mention how beautiful you look tonight?”
“I believe you failed to do so,” I replied, not recognizing the teasing vixen coming out tonight. I was enjoying Marcus’s good-natured flirting. Gray had unleashed a monster.
The vampire smiled brightly. “Then let me tell you that you are stunning tonight, Kelsey. You look every inch the lady.”
I wondered if that wouldn’t actually be a problem. “Are you sure I’ll fit in? I saw wh
at Joanne was supposed to wear. I think I’m dangerously overdressed.”
“You’re perfect. As I said, you’re a lady. You look like my mistress tonight. I’m a possessive man, a creature of my time. Anyone who knows me knows I would object to a woman of mine wearing what some of the club girls wear.”
“I would probably spend the entire night worried something was going to fall out, so it’s best I stay covered,” I admitted as we walked up the steps.
The entrance to the club opened and a tall, statuesque blonde stood in the doorway. She didn’t have my modesty problems. She was dressed to kill in a bright-red skintight gown with a plunging neckline. Her face should have been on a magazine cover and her chic platinum hair was cut short. I studied Stacy Sears and understood why Marcus thought I was soft. Anyone would look soft compared to her. She was beautiful and undeniably hard.
“Good evening, Councilman,” she said with a deferential nod.
Marcus returned her nod, but I got the feeling he didn’t particularly like this woman. “This is my new mistress. Her name is Kelsey Atwood. I expect her to be treated with respect.”
“Well considering the calls I’ve gotten about her, how could I not?” The blonde put a hand on her hip. She was slender and her hands were elegant and obviously well taken care of. I wanted to hide mine. I didn’t go to a manicurist. I bit my nails often when I was thinking through a problem. As though he knew what I was thinking, Marcus tangled his fingers in mine and gave me a reassuring squeeze.
Stacy continued her speech as she ushered us inside. “I got a call from Zack Owens threatening all manner of horrors should I allow anything bad to befall you. I’ve never heard him so concerned about anyone except his wife. Are you his long lost sister or something?”
“Nope.” I took in the surroundings. I gawked pretty openly. The entire place was plush and very old world. The carpet beneath my feet was Oriental and the entire place looked like it was lit with faux gas lamps. It was easy to think I was walking into Victorian England. Alexander Sharpe must feel at home here.
“Then I get a call from Dev telling me to answer whatever questions you have,” Stacy said. “And trust me, Dev Quinn doesn’t call unless it’s really important. So tell me, what does Marcus’s mistress want with me?”
“I’m a private investigator,” I explained. “I think you’re missing some girls.”
Her eyes got wide. “You mean those girls aren’t slacking off? They’re in serious trouble?”
Yeah, there was no soft way to say it. “They’re dead.”
The blonde sagged a little. “Shit. I’m sorry. I was being rude. Please come into my private dining room. Marcus, Henri asked me to tell you he’s looking for you.”
Marcus sighed. “I know what it is about and I need to speak with him. Cara mia, do you mind?”
“Not at all.” I actually thought the blonde would talk more without Marcus around.
“Stacy, you will take care of her.” It wasn’t really a question, more like an imperial command.
“I’m not a monster, Councilman,” the blonde said. “I don’t leave humans to their own devices here.”
Marcus’s eyes narrowed. “I know one woman who would disagree with you. Understand, this is my woman. I will not deal with you in the same way the king did. You will find I have less compassion and I will not listen to my woman’s advice when it comes to such a thing.”
With that said, he turned and walked down the corridor.
“That sounded like a threat.” I wondered what had set off the normally even-tempered vampire.
“That’s because it was,” Stacy returned, looking me over. “You’re human, right? You’re not one of those glowy companions, are you?”
I shook my head. “I make it a habit to never glow.”
The blonde smiled, her first real emotion of the evening. “Good, I can’t stand those bitches. Come on in and tell me what the hell is going on with my girls. Let me buy you a drink.”
Yes, it was good Marcus was gone. She’d relaxed the moment he left. Now we could get down to business. “A woman after my own heart.”
Ten minutes later, I was enjoying a margarita on the rocks as I filled in Stacy Sears. She seemed genuinely upset and I was beginning to understand that her emotions were reserved for a select few, her “girls” being in that small circle.
She sighed as she thought about it. “I doubt it was a vampire.”
“I do, too.”
“They wouldn’t waste the blood and they would never bring anyone else into it. They’re secretive. Even the ones who hate the king respect the law concerning keeping their presence hidden. I know that everyone’s going to point a finger at Alexander, but why would he start up again after more than a hundred years?”
“You think he’s a model citizen?” If Alexander Sharpe had an accomplice, it could be a woman. I doubted it, but I wouldn’t refuse to consider it. He would likely have a lot of exposure to this woman.
Stacy laughed, a husky, almost masculine sound. “Hell, no. I have no doubt he still kills from time to time, though no one can prove it, and believe me they’ve tried. The king would love to execute him, but he doesn’t have cause to order a righteous kill proclamation. That’s my whole point. Alexander has learned to keep quiet. Why bring in others?”
I toyed with the crystal as I thought about what she’d said. It made sense, but I had to cover all my bases. If Alexander Sharpe wasn’t involved then someone was trying to make damn sure it appeared he was. “Do you keep records of who sees whom?”
Stacy nodded and slammed back the rest of her drink. A well-dressed man came forward to refill it. “Of course. I can give dates, times, and room numbers. I’ll have my books copied from the last several weeks and sent to your office. I keep records of what goes on in the club, but what happens after hours or off grounds is a mystery.”
“You think the girls were seeing the vampires in places other than the club?”
“I would be shocked if they didn’t. Look, I never meant to become the madam of the supernatural world. It just kind of happened. When the king took over, he freed the slaves. It was a naïve thing to do, and that’s coming from a former slave.”
“You?” I was surprised because looking at the proud woman, the last thing I thought was slave.
“Yes. I grew up in a vampire household in New York,” she explained simply. “The vampire who wanted to see Marcus, his name is Henri Jacobs. He was my mother’s master. As masters went, I couldn’t complain. He was actually quite kind. He sent me to college for a business degree and got me the job running this place. The horror stories I’ve heard make me think I had it good. Anyway, the problem with freeing slaves meant there was a huge hole in who would feed the vampires.”
“So I understand Dev Quinn came up with this plan.”
Cool blue eyes rolled. “As if. I came up with this plan and I went to Dev and believe me that took some guts. I told him I could institute it and have the entire system up and running in six months. It took me three. It’s a good system, damn it. The girls get cash and the vamps get fed. I’m not going out and forcing these girls to work. I put out the word that I was looking and I was willing to pay top dollar and they came in droves.”
I could imagine. “So you set them up with clothes?”
“And taught them how to do their makeup and hair and made damn sure that they were strong enough to defend themselves if they needed to.” I could hear the frustration in her voice. It was the sound of someone older and wiser watching kids make the same mistakes she had and not being able to do anything about it. “I also taught them to never take a vamp outside Ether or the Club where there are paid bodyguards to help them out if they need it. I taught them to not fall for their damn johns.”
I was betting she had and that a wealth of experience caused her to be so adamant about the girls protecting their hearts. Somewhere along the line some vamp had broken hers. “Were the relationships supposed to be short term?”
S
he leaned forward, her elbows on the table, and she gracefully rested her chin in her palm. “I trained the girls to never sleep with the same vamp more than a couple of times and then put some distance between them. You know what it’s like. I can’t imagine how powerful it is with someone as old as Marcus. You know how they can pull you in. When a vamp really wants to he can make you feel like there’s nothing in the world except him. In that moment, the two of you are all that matters. You would do anything for him and you get the feeling that he would do anything for you. It can feel like love. It can be the most potent high imaginable and you have to treat it like a drug. Fall in love with the drug, not the dealer.”
“You think some of the girls fell for the same guy?” I didn’t know how it felt, but it couldn’t be better than when I was with Gray. What we had really was love. I told myself that. I didn’t need a lecture because I had the real thing.
She sighed. “It was probably inevitable. I was naïve if I thought they would really listen to me. You know how young people are. They always know better. But I still don’t see why a vamp would kill these girls. For the most part, vampires are protective of the women who feed them. They might not love you, but they tend to be grateful. There’s always the bad apple, but even Alexander minds his manners for the most part. I try to properly match him. I try to find girls who won’t mind how rough he is.”
“A girl like Britney Miles?”
Stacy flushed. “Yeah, a girl like her. I said I wasn’t a monster…”
“If it hadn’t been for you, there might have been a lot of violence. The vampires weren’t going to go hungry. I’m not judging you.”
Her eyes narrowed as she took me in and made a decision about me. “You aren’t, are you? Most women do, you know.”
The man who had been carefully refilling our drinks reentered the small, intimate private dining room. He approached Stacy and whispered something in her ear.
“And where is the Councilman?” she asked.
“I believe he is still with Mr. Jacobs,” the young man explained solicitously. “I overheard them asking for a call to be set up in the conference room. I believe they are going to speak with the king about a business matter.”
