by Noree Cosper
“You’re probably not going to have time to set up room surveillance. You’ll want something that will bug a person. I can come up with something that can send short wave radio signals, but someone will have to be near with a receiver. What time?”
“Around nine.”
He nodded. “Meet me in the parking garage at seven.”
“Wait, what?”
“I said someone needed to receive. Who else is competent?”
“So you’re going to sit in a van and listen in. Kind of creepy,” I said. “I will see you tomorrow then.”
He rolled his eyes. “I count the time apart.”
Chapter 8
Around nine, I left Adrian in his van in the garage of the Acesco building. John stood outside of the tall skyscraper with his hands in the pockets of his long coat. The wind ruffled his sandy blond hair, and he smiled at me when I approached.
“How are you so tan for winter?” I asked.
“It’s sunny in Florida.” His smile spread into a grin. He held up a set of laminated cards attached to a plastic clip. “Your credentials. You get to be my protégé.”
“Sounds interesting,” I said. “What do I need to do?”
“Look pretty.”
I rolled my eyes. “What a job.”
He pulled me through the double doors into a large lobby with vaulted ceilings. My high heels clicked against the black and gold marble floor as I followed John into the small crowd standing by leather chairs. Men in buttoned up shirts with sports jackets and women in power suits huddled together in abuzz of conversation.
John turned to me. “So, how are you liking New York?”
I wrinkled my nose, scanning the crowd. “It stinks, it’s loud, and there are so many people. Worst of all, I can’t see the stars.”
He chuckled. “Too bad you can’t live in the middle of nowhere.”
I sighed. “Unfortunately, nothing happens there.”
A thin man with hollow cheeks moved closer to us and pushed his glasses up his nose.
“Hey, Roda. Decided to lay off the small town crap?” He crossed his arms over his white buttoned shirt.
John pulled off his coat and draped it over his shoulder. “I go where the story is, Aaron.”
I let my gaze linger over John’s athletic body, admiring the way the tailored gray suit accentuated his broad shoulders. I cleared my throat and removed my jacket.
Aaron glanced in my direction, and his lips curved in a leer. “And who is this?”
“This is my new assistant, Gabby. She’s still learning the ropes.”
“So nice to meet you, Gabby. I hope we become good friends.” He held his hand out to me.
His palm was damp, and he rubbed the space between my index finger and thumb. I pushed back a shudder and smiled at him. His gaze roamed from the black skirt I wore to where my red vest was pulled tight against my breasts.
“A pleasure,” I said.
When Aaron held on longer than he needed, John cleared his throat. Aaron gave him a quick glance and released my hand.
A smiling blonde woman approached the group. “We’re ready to get started, if everyone would follow me into the Atalantia conference room.”
Aaron looked at the moving crowd and gave me a quick glance. “Well, if this putz can’t help you, be sure to come to me.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said.
Aaron hurried to be one of the first to enter the conference room. I rubbed my hand on my skirt and brushed my tongue over the roof of my mouth trying to rid myself of the sourness. John raised one of his eyebrows in a quick motion and mouthed a silent wow before he sauntered towards the conference room. I chuckled and followed behind him. A small stage stood in the back of the room with a podium in the center.
I took a seat next to John in the middle of the room and scanned the conference area. The light green carpeting accented the honey wood panels lining the walls. Several reporters leaned over their chairs to chat with each other. A woman with red hair sat in one of the chairs behind the podium. Her skirt rode up her thigh as she sat with her legs crossed and talked with a man beside her. His face was narrow and ended in a pointed, reddish-blond goatee, which matched his combed back hair. His eyebrows were arched high in the middle, which gave him a wicked look.
The blonde woman stepped up the podium. “Welcome. You all have the privilege of learning about our new innovative product. Now, I’d like to introduce to the mastermind behind it, Raina Benson.”
The redhead stood and approached the podium to the sound of applause. A smile spread across her mauve lips. I narrowed my eyes and concentrated until a soft pop echoed in the back of my head. My peripheral vision blurred with a rainbow of colors. They pressed on me. I focused on the figures on the stage. Raina’s hair and her blue suit faded away and was replaced by a shadow. Her features disappeared into a dark gray. A red glow emanated from the creature’s eyes as she scanned the audience. No life pulsed in that aura. I swallowed as my throat became dry and a chill ran up my spine. Somehow, vampires had gotten a hold of brimstone. Adrian’s sudden interest in this company made more sense.
“. . . Percent of Americans live with obesity . . .” Raina’s speech drifted through.
The man behind her shifted in his seat, but it wasn’t actually a man anymore. His true face was one half comedy mask and one half tragedy mask. Two thin, long horns sprouted from behind the mask. A green light shone from the two eyeholes. His body was bright red and a thin whip-like tail moved behind his chair. Unlike the woman, life flowed through the body he wore. Well, the demon explained how a vampire had gotten their clammy hands on the brimstone.
“Our innovative new product boosts metabolism to amazing speeds . . .” Raina continued.
I closed my eyes and let my sight return to normal. As a dull ache settled behind them, I flexed my fingers, resisting the urge to rub my forehead. A television screen showed a smiling woman playing with a small child. They faded away to white and blue letter spun into existence forming the word “Synergy”.
“Synergy stimulates the brain, suppresses hunger, and gives you that boost of energy . . .” Raina raised her hand to the screen. “We hope to have Synergy released to the public within a year. I’m ready to take any questions.”
The audience stood in a rush and the room became almost deafening with the barrage of questions. Aaron stood in front, his face filled with eagerness. Even John held his pen up, trying to gain Raina’s attention. I left him to it and pushed my way to the aisle where I waited in the back with my arms crossed.
After twenty more minutes of questions, Raina ended the conference. She let the blonde take over while she and the demon walked down the aisle. I slipped out the door, pulled a small spray can Adrian had given me from my purse, and got into ambush position. The door swung open and hit me in the shoulder. Perfect. I gave a small cry, stumbled into Raina, and pressed down on the nozzle, squirting the contents onto her skirt. Adrian’s nanites were now on her and ready to send transmit to him. I stepped back with my eyes wide.
“I-I’m so sorry,” I stuttered.
She glared at me and shouldered past me to the door. The demon paused, grabbing my arm to steady me. I gulped back the bile that rose in my throat at his touch and tried to put on a look of chagrin. He tilted his head at me and a slow smile spread across his face. He raised my hand, my fingers still curled around the small can.
“And what do we have here?” the demon asked.
Chapter 9
The demon raised an eyebrow, waiting for a response from me. I blinked at him, putting on my best confused look on.
“My perfume?” I asked.
“You spray perfume on in front of a door?” he asked.
“No.” I drug the syllable out. “I was putting it away when said door rammed into me by your boss. You should probably hurry after her. She seemed busy.”
“Hmm, I’m sure I can catch up. Tell me, what is the scent?”
The door in debate sw
ung open again. I stepped back to prevent getting hit and pulled my arm away, resisting the urge to rub where his hand had been. John stepped out with a searching look on his face. His face brightened when he saw me.
“There you are,” he said. “I was wondering where you disappeared to.”
He straightened up and cleared his throat when he saw the demon. “Forgive my assistant. Was she bothering you?”
The demon smiled. “We were just having a discussion about odd grooming habits.”
John raised an eyebrow at me and glanced back at the demon. “Okay. Well, if you have a minute, can I ask you a few questions, Mr . . . ?”
“George Neumann,” the demon said. “I can answer one question, so make it good.”
John held out a small recorder. “Why has Acesco decided to begin a new weight loss line? Aren’t there enough on the market?”
Neumann smiled. “Why, we want to change the world, of course.”
He gave me a small wave and turned away, walking through the lobby.
“Thanks,” I murmured.
“No problem,” John said. “So, what now?”
“Now’s our chance to learn anything interesting. Hopefully, before he starts telling Ms. Benson to strip,” I said. “Come on.”
We kept several people between us and the demon, watching as he stopped at the elevators and stepped in when the doors opened. With John behind me, I headed for the stairwell on the side of the wall. I took a deep breath, opened the door, and rushed down the steps. When I reached the parking level, I let out the breath I’d been holding. A moment later, John came up behind me.
“Why down here?” he asked.
I walked to the black van and pulled open the passenger door. Adrian glanced my direction with one hand on the large set of headphones he wore as I slid in. He turned the dial on the van’s radio to his left. John leaned over my lap with one hand on the head rest.
“Did it work?” I asked.
Adrian looked at me like I was a fool. “Of course.”
“So, how are the rest of us going to listen?”
Adrian looked at John. “Get in.”
I squeezed into the space between the seats and pulled my skirt as it rode up. John climbed into my vacated spot, shutting the door behind him. Adrian pulled the cord of the headphones from the rest of the radio, and the soft crackle of static filled the van.
“This had better work, Faust.” Raina’s voice drifted from the speakers. She spoke in short clipped syllables.
“Weren’t you one of the testers?” a pleasant male tenor asked. “Didn’t your humans taste as delicious as promised?”
A muscle twitched in Adrian’s jaw as he stared hard at the radio. John looked at me with eyebrows pulled together, but I just shook my head and mouthed the word vampires.
“The subjects did show an improvement in taste,” Raina said.
“Then it works. All you have to do is sell it to the cattle,” Faust said.
“I have yet to see this susceptibility to suggestion you spoke of.”
Faust’s quick laugh rang through the van. “Trust me. They’ll be like putty in your hands.”
“They had better. Mr. Durnovo doesn’t stand for betrayal, even from your kind.”
Adrian stiffened.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Faust said. “However, we need to tread carefully. There was a demon hunter at you little conference.”
“Oh? Was she sniffing you out?” Raina’s laugh was high and cold. “I’d say that’s a problem you need to handle.”
“Maybe, but she’s been known to associate with a certain family of vampire hunters.”
There was a long pause.
“I’m not too concerned. We have dealt with hunters in the past. We can squash these as well,” Raina said.
“I have another meeting. Shall I see you later this afternoon?” Faust asked.
There was a shuffling of paper. “Don’t keep me waiting. I want to go over the numbers of the latest group.”
“Of course not.” Faust’s laugh was cut off by the thud of a closing door.
Adrian switched off the radio and leaned back in his seat, staring at the concrete wall through the windshield.
“So what was that about?” John asked.
“I’m betting Faust is the demon I saw at the press conference. It sounds like he’s sold this Synergy to these vampires.” I kept my gaze on Adrian, looking for any hint of acknowledgement.
“We have to get back to the office,” he said. “I want to go over this recording again.”
John looked between us. “I guess that’s my cue to get lost then.”
“Wait,” I said as he pushed the door open.
I climbed out after him and moved from the van. He smiled at me and brushed his thumb across my cheek. “I get the feeling he doesn’t like me.”
I shrugged. “Adrian prefers machines. He only tolerates people. Do you know anything about this Faust?”
He shook his head. “And by your question, I guess you don’t, either.”
“I know about the legend. I watched Goethe’s play when it was released.”
“So, research session at my hotel? Or is this something you want to do with the Van Helsings?”
The van backed out of its parking space. Adrian stared at us, tapping his fingers on the wheel.
“One moment,” I yelled before turning back to John. In a softer voice, I said, “I can meet you in a couple of hours.”
He leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Room 302 of the Lexington Hotel.”
I squeezed his hand before letting go. “I’ll bring the books.”
“Does that mean I’m supplying dinner?”
“Don’t skimp.” I grinned at him and climbed into the van.
Adrian sped out of the parking lot, and I grabbed onto the armrest not to slide out of my seat. He weaved in and out of the traffic.
“Is the office on fire or something?” I asked.
“I don’t want you to miss your date,” he said.
“It’s not a date. It’s research.”
“Right,” he said. “I’m sure you’ll get a lot of work done.”
“I’m talented. I can accomplish a lot in one night.”
He snorted. “If you spilt your concentration between two jobs, you’ll never excel at either.”
“Two words. Time Management.”
“Right.”
“Don’t worry. It’s something you’ll never see.” I stared out the window for the rest of the ride.
Adrian pulled into the garage of the office without getting us killed. He slammed the door behind him and hurried into the elevator. I loosened the death grip I had on my seatbelt, climbed out of the van, and took the stairs. In the lobby, Esais leaned against an empty desk piled with boxes, his arms crossed and an easy smile on his face. Lucy stood in front of him with one hand on her hip and the other holding the stick of a lollipop that was in her mouth. Her duffle bag sat on the floor beside her.
“Wow, you look . . . all business,” Esais said.
“I was doing some investigation with John and Adrian.” I turned to Lucy. “How are you feeling?”
She grinned, though it didn’t hide the shadows under her eyes. “You know me. I bounce back from anything.”
I pressed my lips together in a thin line and gave her a level look. “Are you sure you’re okay to leave?”
Lucy nodded. “I should be back in a couple of days.”
“Oh.” I grinned at her. “You don’t plan on staying for a party with the priests?”
She rolled her eyes. “New York is much better than those stuffed robes.”
“I don’t know,” I said. “In my day they were pretty lecherous.”
Esais chuckled.
“That was five hundred years ago.” Lucy glanced at her wristwatch and picked up her bag. “Well, I’ll see you in a couple of days. Don’t have all the fun without me.”
“I’m sure there will be plenty of fun for you when you get back,
” Esais said.
Lucy left with a bounce in her step. Once she was gone, I tuned back to Esais. “Where are Tres and Marge?”
“Marge said she was going to talk to her contacts in the city and see if they knew more about the Blasphemy. Tres is going on a date.”
I snorted and headed to the stairs. “We should talk. Adrian’s probably at his computer already. This one has him on edge.”
Esais raised an eyebrow. “What’d you find?”
“Vampires,” I said.
His face became serious. Vampires were always a serious subject for the Van Helsings. Each member had taken an oath to hunt supernatural creatures that preyed upon humanity, but vampires were their specialty. They knew that one day they would face Dracula, thanks to the curse the fiend had laid on their family. As long as their legacy continued, he survived.
Esais followed me up to the second floor and into Adrian’s office. Adrian looked up at us from his laptop and slid the headphones down with an annoyed look. I updated them on the press conference and described Raina’s shadow body from what I could see of the Eclipse.
“So, what kind of vampire are we dealing with?” I asked.
“Strigoi,” Adrian said.
Esais tilted his head and raised his brows at his brother.
“I haven’t forgotten the training,” Adrian said.
I looked between the two of them. “Well, would either of you explain what a Strigoi is? It’s not one of Dracula’s brood right?”
“No,” Esais said with a tone of relief. “Though they are also a Slavic type.”
“Strigoi are basically shadows of the dead. They have somehow managed to feed on enough blood that it’s allowed them to take a physical form,” Esais said. “They act and look like normal living people, eating, breathing, breeding.”
I blinked. “They can have children?”
“The males can impregnate human women. Most don’t carry to term, though.”
“How do you tell them from humans?” I asked.
“Strigoi don’t cast shadows,” Adrian said.
“How do you know what kind she is?” I asked. “You didn’t even see her.”
Esais crossed his arms and looked to his brother with raised eyebrows. “You didn’t?”
